Humanoid robot control system and program

Abstract

A control system for a humanoid robot includes: a humanoid robot including an upper body portion having at least one arm portion, a leg portion placed on a floor, and a connecting portion connecting the upper body portion so as to be rotatable with respect to the leg portion; an information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating at least a distance and an angle between the arm and an object to be operated by the humanoid robot; and a control unit that controls the rotation of the connection unit on the basis of the information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system and a program for a humanoid robot. Background Art

[0002] A humanoid robot is used to automatically perform work on a production line in a factory. Patent Document 1 describes a posture control of a humanoid robot.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-093506 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, previous humanoid robots have relatively few freely drivable parts that are equivalent to human joints. In addition, they cannot judge the distance and angle to the object. Therefore, in the case where an object falls from the production line or an object to be worked on is placed on the floor, it is impossible to pick up the object. In addition, humanoid robots cannot be transferred to production lines of different heights. Furthermore, when pushing or pulling objects on the production line, there is a possibility of tipping over.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to solve the above problems.

[0009] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0010] The control system of the humanoid robot involved in the disclosed technology comprises: a humanoid robot, which includes an upper body with at least one arm, legs placed on the floor, and a connecting part that connects the upper body in a manner that allows rotation relative to the legs; an information acquisition part that acquires information, wherein the information at least represents the distance and angle between the arm and the object to be operated by the humanoid robot; and a control part that controls the rotation of the connecting part based on the information.

[0011] The connection part may also connect the legs and the upper body in a manner that the distance between the legs and the upper body can be changed. The connection part may be configured to allow the upper body to tilt relative to the legs as a rotational motion. The connection part may be configured to allow the upper body to rotate relative to the legs in a horizontal direction of the floor as a rotational motion.

[0012] The leg portion may have a balancing function for maintaining the balance of the humanoid robot. The leg portion may include a wheel portion capable of moving the humanoid robot.

[0013] The control system may further include an intention detection unit that detects the intention of an operator located around the humanoid robot. In the presence of an object to be operated by the humanoid robot, the control unit may control the rotation of the connection unit based on the intention of the operator detected by the intention detection unit and the information. The intention detection unit may detect the intention based on the past tendency of the operator.

[0014] The control unit may control the rotation of the connection unit based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit of the humanoid robot and the information acquired by the information acquisition unit of the other humanoid robot. The humanoid robot may include an information request unit, which requests the information from the other humanoid robot when the humanoid robot cannot acquire normal information from its own information acquisition unit.

[0015] The program of the disclosed technology is a program for causing a computer to function as the control unit of the control system.

[0016] The humanoid robot control system involved in the disclosed technology issues instructions to the humanoid robot. The humanoid robot comprises: an upper body having at least one arm; a leg placed on the floor; a connecting part connecting the upper body in a manner that allows rotation relative to the leg; an information acquisition part that acquires information, the information at least indicating the distance and angle between the arm and the object to be operated by the humanoid robot; and a control part that controls the rotation of the connecting part based on the information. The humanoid robot control system comprises: a peripheral information acquisition part that acquires peripheral information where the object is placed; a selection part that selects the type of the leg of the humanoid robot based on the peripheral information; and an instruction part that instructs the humanoid robot of the selected type of leg to perform the operation on the object.

[0017] The types of the aforementioned legs may include: a type in which the aforementioned humanoid robot is provided with a wheel portion capable of moving; and a type in which the aforementioned humanoid robot is provided with a walking portion capable of walking. The aforementioned connecting portion may also connect the aforementioned legs and the aforementioned upper body in a manner that can change the distance between the aforementioned legs and the aforementioned upper body. The aforementioned connecting portion may be configured to enable the aforementioned upper body to tilt relative to the aforementioned legs as a rotational motion. The aforementioned connecting portion may be configured to enable the aforementioned upper body to rotate relative to the aforementioned legs in a horizontal direction of the aforementioned floor as a rotational motion. The aforementioned legs may have a balancing function for maintaining the balance of the aforementioned humanoid robot.

[0018] The program according to the disclosed technology is a program for causing a computer to function as the peripheral information acquisition unit, the selection unit, and the instruction unit of the humanoid robot control system.

[0019] It should be noted that the above summary of the disclosed technology does not list all the necessary features of the technology of the present disclosure. In addition, sub-combinations of these feature groups can also become the technology of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is the front view of the humanoid robot.

[0021] Figure 2 It is a side view of a humanoid robot.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of a humanoid robot.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of a processing routine executed by the information processing device.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of a humanoid robot.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of a processing routine executed by the information processing device.

[0026] Figure 7 It is a side view of a humanoid robot.

[0027] Figure 8 It is a top view of the humanoid robot.

[0028] Fig. 9 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of a humanoid robot.

[0029] Fig.10 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of a processing routine executed by the information processing device.

[0030] Fig.11 This is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of a humanoid robot control system.

[0031] Fig.12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a humanoid robot control system.

[0032] Fig.13 : is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the humanoid robot control system.

[0033] Fig.14 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of computer hardware that functions as an information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims. In addition, all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not essential for solving the problems of the disclosed technology.

[0035] [First embodiment]

[0036] Figure 1 : is a front view of the humanoid robot involved in the first embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the humanoid robot 1 involved in this embodiment includes an upper body 2, legs 3, and a connecting part 4 that connects the upper body 2 in a manner that allows it to rotate relative to the legs 3, and is arranged on a production line in a factory, for example, to perform operations on objects on the production line or on the floor.

[0037] The upper body 2 has two arms 5 and 6. The arms 5 and 6 are installed to be freely rotatable left and right of the upper body 2. In addition, a gripping part (not shown) for holding an object is installed at the front end of the arms 5 and 6. It should be noted that the arms are not limited to two, and can be one or more than three.

[0038] The leg part 3 has two wheels 7 and 8 mounted on the lower part thereof, and is provided to be movable on the floor on which the humanoid robot 1 is placed.

[0039] The connecting part 4 connects the upper body 2 and the leg 3 in a rotatable manner. Specifically, the connecting part 4 includes a tilting mechanism using a motor or a cylinder. The motor and the cylinder can be any one of electric, hydraulic and pneumatic. Therefore, the upper body 2 can tilt forward and backward relative to the leg 3.

[0040] Here, in the case of a tilt mechanism using a motor, the motor fixed to one of the connection part 4 and the upper body part 2 is driven to tilt the other of the connection part 4 and the upper body part 2. Thus, the upper body part 2 is tilted relative to the legs 3.

[0041] In the case of a tilting mechanism using an air cylinder, there is a fixed point where one end of the air cylinder is fixed to one of the connecting portion 4 and the upper body 2, and there is an operating point where the other end of the air cylinder is fixed to the other of the connecting portion 4 and the upper body 2. Then, the distance between the fixed point and the operating point is changed by operating the air cylinder, so that the upper body 2 is tilted relative to the leg 3.

[0042] Therefore, if Figure 2 As shown, the humanoid robot 1 according to the present embodiment can pick up an object 100 placed on the floor F or dropped on the floor F during work by tilting the upper body 2 forward relative to the legs 3 .

[0043] It should be noted that the legs 3 have a balancing function, which is used to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over when the upper body 2 leans forward or backward relative to the legs 3 or when the humanoid robot 1 moves.

[0044] In addition, if Figure 1 As shown, the connection part 4 has the function of changing the distance between the upper body part 2 and the leg part 3. Specifically, the connection part 4 includes a telescopic mechanism using a motor or a cylinder. The motor and the cylinder can be any one of electric, hydraulic and pneumatic. Therefore, the position of the upper body part 2 relative to the leg part 3 in the vertical direction can be adjusted as shown by arrow A to match the height of the workbench in the production line.

[0045] Here, in the case of a telescopic mechanism using a motor, a mechanism for converting rotation into linear motion is provided. Furthermore, by driving a motor fixed to one of the connecting portion 4 and the upper body 2, the other of the connecting portion 4 and the upper body 2 is telescoped. Thus, the upper body 2 is telescoped relative to the leg 3.

[0046] In the case of a telescopic mechanism using an air cylinder, the other end of the air cylinder fixed to one of the connecting portion 4 and the upper body 2 is extended and retracted by driving the air cylinder fixed to the other of the connecting portion 4 and the upper body 2. Thus, the upper body 2 is relatively extended and retracted with respect to the leg 3. It should be noted that a plurality of air cylinders may be provided in the connecting portion 4 to control both the tilt and the extension.

[0047] The driving of the humanoid robot 1 according to the present embodiment is controlled by a control system 10 installed in the humanoid robot 1 . Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a control system of a humanoid robot according to the present embodiment. A control system 10 includes a sensor 12 and an information processing device 14 mounted on the humanoid robot.

[0048] The sensor 12 sequentially obtains information about the object 100 located around the humanoid robot 1 and on which the humanoid robot 1 performs operations. The information about the object 100 includes at least information indicating the distance and angle between the object 100 and the arms 5 and 6. As the sensor 12, a camera with the highest performance, a solid-state laser radar (LiDAR), a multi-color laser coaxial displacement meter, or other various sensor groups can be used. In addition, as the sensor 12, there can be cited a vibrometer, a thermal imager, a hardness tester, a radar, a LiDAR, a high-pixel / telephoto / ultra-wide-angle / 360-degree / high-performance camera, visual recognition, weak sound, ultrasonic wave, vibration, infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetic wave, temperature, humidity, fixed-point (Spot) artificial intelligence (AI) weather forecast, a high-precision multi-channel global positioning system (GPS), low-altitude satellite information, or long-tail event AI data.

[0049] It should be noted that, in addition to the above information, the sensor 12 also detects images, distances, vibrations, heat, smells, colors, sounds, ultrasonic waves, ultraviolet rays or infrared rays, etc. As other information detected by the sensor 12, there can be cited the movement of the center of gravity of the humanoid robot 1, the detection of the material of the floor F on which the humanoid robot 1 is placed, the detection of the temperature of the outside air, the detection of the humidity of the outside air, the detection of the horizontal oblique inclination angle of the floor F in the up-down direction, the detection of the moisture content, etc. The sensor 12 performs these detections, for example, every nanosecond.

[0050] The information processing device 14 includes an information acquisition unit 140, a control unit 142, and an information storage unit 144. The information acquisition unit 140 acquires information of an object detected by the sensor 12. The control unit 142 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to control the rotation of the connection unit 4, the movement in the up-down direction, and the movement of the arms 5 and 6. For example, the control unit 142 performs the following processing.

[0051] (1) The connecting portion 4 is driven to tilt the upper body 2 forward or backward so that the object 100 located on the floor F can be picked up.

[0052] (2) The arms 5 and 6 and the gripping portion are driven so that the object 100 can be grasped.

[0053] (3) The connecting part 4 is driven to extend and retract the upper body part 2 relative to the leg part 3 so as to match the height of the workbench of the production line.

[0054] (4) Achieve balance to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from falling over.

[0055] (5) Controlling the driving of the wheels 7 and 8 so that the humanoid robot 1 can push a cart or the like.

[0056] For example, when the information processing device 14 picks up an object 100 located on the floor F, it repeatedly executes Figure 4 In step S100, the information acquisition unit 140 acquires information of the object detected by the sensor 12. In step S102, the control unit 142 controls the link 4 and the arms 5 and 6 by using the information of the object acquired in step S100 and AI, thereby picking up the object 100 located on the floor F. In step S104, the control unit 142 moves the picked-up object to a predetermined position.

[0057] According to the present embodiment, the humanoid robot 1 includes an upper body 2, legs 3, and a connection part 4 that rotatably connects the upper body 2 and the legs 3. In addition, the rotation of the connection part 4 is controlled based on the information obtained by the sensor 12. Therefore, the distance and angle between the humanoid robot 1 and the object 100 can be determined, thereby enabling an action such as picking up the object 100 located on the floor F.

[0058] Furthermore, since the connection portion 4 can change the distance between the upper body portion 2 and the legs 3, the position of the upper body portion 2 relative to the legs 3 in the vertical direction can be adjusted to match the height of the workbench in the production line.

[0059] In addition, the leg portion 3 has a balancing function for preventing the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over when the upper body portion 2 leans forward or backward relative to the leg portion 3. Therefore, the humanoid robot 1 can be prevented from tipping over when performing an operation of pushing or pulling an object 100 on a production line. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from malfunctioning due to tipping over or injuries to people around the humanoid robot 1.

[0060] [Second Embodiment]

[0061] Figure 5 10A is a schematic diagram of an example of a control system for a humanoid robot according to the second embodiment. In the control system 10A, an information processing device 14A is different from the information processing device 14 according to the first embodiment in that the information processing device 14A further includes an intention detection unit 146 .

[0062] The intention detection unit 146 detects whether there is a worker around the humanoid robot 1 based on the surrounding image of the humanoid robot 1 acquired by the aforementioned camera, and detects the intention of the worker if there is a worker. Here, "intention" refers to the intention of the worker to pick up the object 100 when there is an object to be operated by the humanoid robot 1, specifically, as an example, when there is an object 100 placed on the floor F or dropped on the floor F during operation.

[0063] As an example, the intention detection unit 146 first detects whether there is a person, i.e., an operator, in the surrounding image by analyzing the surrounding image. It should be noted that, as an example, when the size of the head or the whole body of the operator detected in the surrounding image is smaller than a predetermined size, the intention detection unit 146 determines that the operator is located away from the humanoid robot 1, i.e., not around the humanoid robot 1.

[0064] As an example, the intention detection unit 146 also detects the intention of the operator by detecting the actions of the operator located around the humanoid robot 1. Specifically, the intention detection unit 146 detects the actions of the operator based on the surrounding images acquired in sequence, and if it is determined that the operator has started the action of picking up the object 100 within a predetermined specified time, it is determined that the operator has the intention to pick up the object 100. On the contrary, if it is determined that the operator has not started the action of picking up the object 100 even after the aforementioned specified time has passed, the intention detection unit 146 determines that the operator has no intention to pick up the object 100.

[0065] It should be noted that the detection of the operator's actions based on the surrounding images acquired in sequence can be performed using techniques in well-known image analysis. In addition, the detection of the operator's intention is not limited to the aforementioned method. For example, the intention detection unit 146 can also automatically detect the operator's intention based on the operator's past tendencies. Specifically, for multiple operators, whether the object 100 is picked up in the presence of the object 100 is measured in advance, and the data is stored in, for example, the storage device 1224 (refer to Fig.14 ). Moreover, as an example, for workers with a picking ratio of 60% or more, information indicating the intention to pick up the object 100 is associated and stored. It should be noted that the measurement of whether the object 100 is picked up is continuously performed, and the information associated with each worker is updated at each measurement.

[0066] The intention detection unit 146 can also detect the intention of the worker by referring to the information stored in the storage device 1224 .

[0067] The control unit 142 controls the rotational motion of the connection unit 4, the vertical movement motion, the motion of the arms 5 and 6, and the like using the intention of the worker detected by the intention detection unit 146, the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140, and AI (artificial intelligence).

[0068] For example, when the information processing device 14A picks up the object 100 located on the floor F, it repeatedly executes Figure 6 . In step S110, the information acquisition unit 140 acquires the information of the object detected by the sensor 12. In step S112, the intention detection unit 146 detects the intention of the operator as described above. When, in step S114, the intention detection unit 146 determines that the operator has the intention to pick up the object 100 (step S114: "Yes"), the processing ends. On the other hand, when, in step S114, the intention detection unit 146 determines that the operator has no intention to pick up the object 100 (step S114: "No"), the processing is transferred to step S106. In step S116, the control unit 142 uses the information of the object 100 acquired in step S110 and AI to control the connecting part 4 and the arms 5 and 6, thereby picking up the object 100 located on the floor F. In step S118, the control unit 142 moves the picked-up object 100 to a specified position.

[0069] According to the present embodiment, when there is an object 100 that the humanoid robot 1 is to work on, the intention of the operator located around the humanoid robot 1 can be detected. Therefore, for example, in the case of picking up the object 100 located on the floor F, if it is detected that the operator has the intention to pick up the object 100 located on the floor F, it is not necessary to make the humanoid robot 1 pick up the object 100, so it is possible to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from performing unnecessary actions. On the contrary, if it is detected that the operator has no intention to pick up the object 100 located on the floor F, the humanoid robot 1 can be made to pick up the object 100. In this way, according to the present embodiment, when there are operators around, the humanoid robot 1 can be made to perform actions on the object 100 as needed.

[0070] [Third Embodiment]

[0071] The third embodiment is characterized in that a rotational motion is applied to the connection portion 4 of the first embodiment. The differences from the first embodiment will be described below. It should be noted that the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those of the first embodiment.

[0072] The connecting part 4 of this embodiment connects the upper body 2 and the leg 3 in a rotatable manner. Specifically, the connecting part 4 enables the upper body 2 to tilt forward and backward relative to the leg 3 as a rotational movement (refer to Figure 2). In addition, the connecting portion 4 has a telescopic function that can change the distance between the upper body 2 and the leg 3 (refer to Figure 1 ).

[0073] Furthermore, the connection part 4 of this embodiment is configured to enable the upper body part 2 to rotate relative to the leg part 3 in the horizontal direction of the surface of the floor F as a rotational motion. Specifically, the connection part 4 includes a rotation mechanism using a motor or a cylinder. The motor and the cylinder can be any of electric, hydraulic and pneumatic.

[0074] Here, in the case of a rotation mechanism using a motor, the motor fixed to one of the upper and lower parts of the connection part 4 is driven to rotate the other of the upper and lower parts of the connection part 4. Thus, the upper body part 2 rotates relative to the leg part 3.

[0075] In the case of a rotation mechanism using an air cylinder, there is a fixed point where one end of the air cylinder is fixed to one of the upper and lower parts of the connecting part 4, and there is an operating point where the other end of the air cylinder is fixed to the other of the upper and lower parts of the connecting part 4. Then, by operating the air cylinder to change the distance between the fixed point and the operating point, the upper body 2 rotates relative to the leg 3.

[0076] It should be noted that in the case of a rotating mechanism using a cylinder, since the rotatable angle is limited, when rotating the upper body 2 relative to the legs 3 for several weeks, it is preferred to use a crank mechanism or a rotating mechanism using a motor.

[0077] According to the rotation mechanism of the connecting part 4, the following actions can be performed. Figure 7 As shown, the humanoid robot 1 of this embodiment can drive the connection part 4 to rotate in the horizontal direction from the state facing the workbench T1, thereby making the connection part 4 face the workbench T2 which is on the opposite side of the workbench T1 across the humanoid robot 1.

[0078] It should be noted that if Figure 8 As shown, the rotation of the connecting part 4 in the horizontal direction not only rotates the upper body part 2 by 180 degrees, but also can rotate within the range of 0 to 360 degrees, and can stop the upper body part 2 at any position.

[0079] In this embodiment, the driving of the humanoid robot 1 is also controlled by the control system 10. Figure 4 or Figure 6 Processing of the flowchart shown.

[0080] For example, the control unit 142 of this embodiment executes the following processes.

[0081] (1) The connecting part 4 is driven to extend and retract the upper body part 2 relative to the leg part 3 so as to match the height of the workbench T1 of the production line.

[0082] (2) The arms 5, 6 and the gripping part are driven to manipulate the object 100. In this case, the connecting part 4 is driven as needed to tilt the upper body 2 forward or backward. In addition, the wheels 7, 8 are driven as needed to adjust the distance between the legs 3 and the workbench T1.

[0083] (3) Achieve balance to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from falling over.

[0084] (4) Performing work such as assembling and processing on the object 100 located on the work table T1.

[0085] (5) In order to transfer the object 100 to the next step, the arm portions 5 and 6 and the gripping portion are driven to grasp the object 100 .

[0086] (6) The connecting portion 4 is driven to rotate the upper body portion 2 in the horizontal direction.

[0087] (7) The arms 5 and 6 and the gripping portion are driven to lower the object 100 onto the work table T2 for the next step.

[0088] According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects are also achieved. The connecting portion 4 of this embodiment is configured to be able to rotate in the horizontal direction in addition to the tilting and telescopic actions. Therefore, the humanoid robot 1 can transport the object 100 to a location on the rotation path by rotating the connecting portion 4, or perform operations in sequence in multiple work places on the rotation path.

[0089] It should be noted that the humanoid robot 1 of this embodiment can rotate the connection part 4 while the upper body part 2 is tilted forward or backward. In other words, the humanoid robot 1 can lift or lower the object 100.

[0090] According to this embodiment, if the upper body 2 is rotated in the horizontal direction, even if the heights of the work platforms are different, the work can be performed at the height of the gripping part that is most suitable for the work by the telescopic action of the connecting part 4. In addition, if the upper body 2 is rotated in the horizontal direction, even if the distance to each work platform is far, the work can be performed at the position of the gripping part that is most suitable for the work by the tilting action of the connecting part 4 or the movement caused by the driving of the wheels 7 and 8.

[0091] As described above, when the upper body 2 is tilted or rotated via the connection part 4, the above-mentioned balancing function is activated to perform an action such as preventing the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over. For example, the balancing function maintains balance by changing the tilting or rotation angle of the upper body 2. In addition, for example, the balancing function drives the wheels 7 and 8 to maintain balance by the driving torque thereof.

[0092] [Fourth Embodiment]

[0093] A humanoid robot may be unable to obtain information about an object to be worked on due to poor vision or sensor abnormality, etc. In this case, the work performance of the humanoid robot may be reduced. The humanoid robot according to the fourth embodiment is a humanoid robot that suppresses reduction in work performance.

[0094] Fig. 9 10B is a schematic diagram of an example of a control system for a humanoid robot according to the fourth embodiment. In the control system 10B, an information processing device 14B includes an information acquisition unit 140 , a control unit 142 , an information storage unit 144 , a determination unit 148 , and an information request unit 149 .

[0095] The information acquisition unit 140 acquires information about the object 100 detected by its own sensor 12. The information acquisition unit 140 is configured to be able to acquire information about the object 100 detected by the sensor 12 of another humanoid robot 1 through, for example, a communication unit.

[0096] The control unit 142 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI (Artificial intelligence) to control the rotational movement of the connection unit 4, the movement of the vertical direction, and the movement of the arms 5 and 6. The control unit 142 controls the rotational movement of the connection unit 4, the movement of the vertical direction, and the movement of the arms 5 and 6 based on the information of the object 100 acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 of the target humanoid robot 1 and the information of the object 100 acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 of the other humanoid robot 1.

[0097] The determination unit 148 determines whether the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 144 is normal information. Normal information is information that does not hinder the operation of the humanoid robot 1, and does not include information that is unclear due to poor vision or information that cannot be acquired due to sensor abnormality.

[0098] When the target humanoid robot 1 cannot obtain the information of the normal object 100 from its own information acquisition unit 140 , the information request unit 149 requests the information of the object 100 from another humanoid robot 1 .

[0099] For example, when the information processing device 14B picks up the object 100 located on the floor F, it repeatedly executes Fig.10 . In step S120, the information acquisition unit 140 acquires the information of the object 100 detected by the sensor 12. In step S122, the judgment unit 148 judges whether the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 144 is normal information. In the case where it is judged that the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 144 is normal information (yes in step S122), the processing proceeds to step S124. In the case where it is judged that the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 144 is not normal information (no in step S122), the processing proceeds to step S128. In step S128, the information request unit 149 requests the information of the object 100 from another humanoid robot 1, and returns to step S122. In step S124, the control unit 142 uses the information of the object 100 acquired in step S120 and AI to control the connecting part 4 and the arms 5 and 6, thereby picking up the object 100 located on the floor F. In step S126 , the control unit 142 moves the picked-up object 100 to a predetermined position.

[0100] According to the present embodiment, the control unit 142 controls the rotation of the connection unit 4 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 of the humanoid robot 1 and the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 of the other humanoid robot 1, whereby the target humanoid robot 1 is controlled based on the information of the object 100 acquired by itself and the information of the object 100 acquired by the other humanoid robot 1. Therefore, the target humanoid robot 1 is controlled based on the information of the object 100 acquired at different locations. As a result, for example, even in the case where the target humanoid robot 1 cannot acquire the information of the object 100 due to poor vision or sensor abnormality, the information of the object 100 acquired by the other humanoid robot 1 can be acquired. Therefore, the operation performance of the humanoid robot 1 can be improved.

[0101] In addition, when the humanoid robot 1 cannot obtain normal information from its own information acquisition unit 140, the target humanoid robot 1 can obtain normal information by having an information request unit 149 that requests information from another humanoid robot 1. Therefore, for example, even when the target humanoid robot 1 cannot obtain information from its own information acquisition unit 140, or when the target humanoid robot 1 cannot use the information obtained from its own information acquisition unit 140, the target humanoid robot 1 can obtain normal information. As a result, the operating performance of the humanoid robot 1 can be improved.

[0102] [Fifth Embodiment]

[0103] Preferably, a humanoid robot suitable for a situation where an object is placed is made to perform work on the object. The humanoid robot control system involved in this embodiment makes a humanoid robot suitable for a situation where an object is placed perform work on the object. In this embodiment, a humanoid robot control system that issues instructions to a plurality of humanoid robots of different leg types is described.

[0104] like Fig.11 As shown in FIG. 1 , the leg 3A of the humanoid robot 1A includes walking parts 7A and 8A capable of bipedal walking. The humanoid robot 1A can cross stairs by bipedal walking using the walking parts 7A and 8A. The humanoid robot 1A is similar to the humanoid robot 1 and is controlled by a control system 10 (see FIG. 1 ) installed inside the humanoid robot 1A. Figure 3 ) controls its drive.

[0105] (Humanoid Robot Control System 20)

[0106] like Fig.12 As shown, the humanoid robot control system 20 allows information detected by the sensor 12 to be input to the central control unit 50, and the processed information processed by the central control unit 50 is output to the humanoid robots 1, 1A.

[0107] The sensor 12 is constituted by, for example, a camera, and captures the surrounding information of the object 100 as an image. The surrounding information captured by the sensor 12 is input to the central control unit 50. It should be noted that the surrounding information input to the central control unit 50 is not limited to the information obtained by the sensor 12 mounted on the humanoid robot 1 or 1A, and may be, for example, a camera installed in a factory.

[0108] The central control unit 50 is provided in, for example, an external device (server) or a humanoid robot (guide humanoid robot), and includes a peripheral information acquisition unit 52 , a selection unit 54 , and an instruction unit 56 .

[0109] The surrounding information acquisition unit 52 acquires the surrounding information input from the sensor 12. The surrounding information acquisition unit 52 acquires the surrounding information where the object 100 is placed.

[0110] The selection unit 54 selects the type of the leg 3, 3A of the humanoid robot 1, 1A based on the surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition unit 52. For example, when the object 100 falls on the floor F and there is a step on the floor F, the selection unit 54 selects the humanoid robot 1A having the walking parts 7A, 8A capable of crossing the step. For example, when the object 100 falls on the floor F and the floor F is flat, the selection unit 54 selects the humanoid robot 1 having the wheels 7, 8 with a fast moving speed.

[0111] The instruction unit 56 instructs the humanoid robot 1 , 1A of the type of the selected leg 3 , 3A to perform an operation on the object 100 .

[0112] (Processing by the central control unit 50)

[0113] For example, when picking up an object 100 located on the floor F, the central control unit 50 executes Fig.13 In step S200, the peripheral information acquisition unit 52 acquires the peripheral information input from the sensor 12. In step S202, the selection unit 54 selects the type of the leg 3, 3A of the humanoid robot 1, 1A based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit 52. In step S204, the instruction unit 56 instructs the humanoid robot 1, 1A of the selected type of leg 3, 3A to perform an operation on the object 100.

[0114] According to the present embodiment, based on the surrounding information where the object 100 is placed, the humanoid robot 1, 1A of the selected type of leg 3, 3A is instructed to perform the operation on the object 100, so that the humanoid robot 1, 1A is in charge of the operation on the object 100, and the humanoid robot 1, 1A has the type of leg 3, 3A suitable for the situation where the object 100 is placed. Therefore, for example, in Fig.11 When the object 100 falls on the floor F and there is a step on the floor F, the humanoid robot 1A of the type that can step over the step picks up the object 100. As a result, the humanoid robot 1A suitable for the situation where the object 100 is placed can perform work on the object 100.

[0115] In addition, the types of legs 3 and 3A include a type in which the humanoid robot 1 has wheels 7 and 8 that can move, and a type in which the humanoid robot 1A has walking parts 7A and 8A that can walk. Fig.11 In the case where the object 100 falls on the floor F and there is a step on the floor F, the humanoid robot 1A picks up the object 100, and the humanoid robot 1A has walking parts 7A and 8A that can cross the step. In addition, for example, when the object 100 falls on the floor F and the floor F is flat, the humanoid robot 1 picks up the object 100, and the humanoid robot 1 has wheels 7 and 8 with a fast moving speed. As a result, the humanoid robot 1 and 1A suitable for the situation where the object 100 is placed can perform work on the object 100.

[0116] Fig.14An example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 that functions as the information processing device 14 is schematically shown. The program installed in the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device involved in this embodiment, or cause the computer 1200 to perform operations associated with the device involved in this embodiment or the one or more "parts", and / or cause the computer 1200 to perform the process involved in this embodiment or the stages of the process. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described in this specification.

[0117] The computer 1200 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphic controller 1216 connected to each other through a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, an input / output unit such as a DVD drive and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via the input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive and a DVD-RAM drive, etc. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive and a solid state drive, etc. The computer 1200 also includes a ROM 1230 and an input / output unit such as a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0118] The CPU 1212 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214 to control each unit. The graphic controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 from a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or in itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0119] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0120] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1200 at startup, and / or a program depending on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like.

[0121] The program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which is also an example of a computer-readable storage medium, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and the program and the aforementioned various types of hardware resources are made to cooperate. The device or method can be configured by realizing the operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 1200.

[0122] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 can execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214, and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer provided in the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, a recording medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes the reception data received from the network to the reception buffer provided on the recording medium, etc.

[0123] In addition, the CPU 1212 can cause all or a necessary part of a file or a database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. Next, the CPU 1212 can write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0124] Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases can be stored in the recording medium to receive information processing. The CPU 1212 can perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 1214, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The various types of processing include various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branches, unconditional branches, information retrieval / replacement, etc. recorded in various places of the present disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program. In addition, the CPU 1212 can retrieve information in files, databases, etc. in the recording medium. For example, in the case where multiple entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 can retrieve an entry that is consistent with the condition specifying the attribute value of the first attribute from the multiple entries, and read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, thereby obtaining the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that meets the predetermined condition.

[0125] The program or software module described above may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet may be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0126] The flowcharts and boxes in the block diagrams in this embodiment may represent the stages of the process of performing an operation or the "parts" of the device having the function of performing an operation. Specific stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuits, programmable circuits supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or processors supplied together with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Dedicated circuits may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may also include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuits may include reconfigurable hardware circuits such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, logical XOR, logical NAND, logical NOR, and other logical operations, triggers, registers, and storage elements.

[0127] Computer-readable storage media may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executed by an appropriate device, with the result that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored in a tangible device has a product including instructions that can be executed to generate a unit for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include a floppy disk (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a Blu-ray disc (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disk), a memory stick, an integrated circuit card, and the like.

[0128] Computer readable instructions may include assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or any source code or object code described in any combination of one or more programming languages, wherein the one or more programming languages ​​include object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, etc. and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0129] The computer-readable instructions can be provided to a processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device locally or through a local LAN (Local Area Network, LAN), a wide area network (Wide Area Network, WAN) such as the Internet, etc., so that the processor or programmable circuit of the general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device executes the computer-readable instructions to generate a unit for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0130] The above embodiments are used to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It should be clear to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It can be seen from the description in the claims that the embodiments with such changes or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0131] It should be noted that the execution order of each process such as actions, sequences, steps and stages in the devices, systems, programs and methods shown in the claims, specifications and drawings is not specifically indicated as "before", "earlier than", etc., or as long as the output of the previous process is not used in the subsequent process, it can be implemented in any order. Even if the action flow in the claims, specifications and drawings is described using "first", "next", etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it must be implemented in this order.

[0132] It should be noted that the disclosures of the following Japanese patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In addition, all documents, patent applications, and technical standards described in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each document, patent application, or technical standard were specifically and individually described by reference.

[0133] Application date for special application 2022-165039: October 13, 2022

[0134] Special application 2022-167928 Application date October 19, 2022

[0135] Application date for special application 2022-173778: October 28, 2022

[0136] Application date for special application 2022-182843: November 15, 2022

[0137] Application date for special application 2022-183405: ​​November 16, 2022

Claims

1. A control system for a humanoid robot, wherein: The control system comprises: A humanoid robot including an upper body having at least one arm, legs placed on a floor, and a connection portion connecting the upper body in a manner rotatable relative to the legs; an information acquisition unit, the information acquisition unit acquiring information, the information at least indicating a distance and an angle between the arm and an object to be operated by the humanoid robot; as well as A control unit controls the rotation of the connection unit based on the information.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The connecting portion further connects the leg and the upper body so that the distance between the leg and the upper body can be changed.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The joint is configured to enable the upper body to tilt relative to the legs as a rotational motion.

4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The joint is configured to enable the upper body to rotate relative to the legs in a horizontal direction of the floor as a rotational motion.

5. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The legs have a balancing function to maintain the balance of the humanoid robot.

6. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The legs include wheels that enable the humanoid robot to move.

7. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The control system further includes an intention detection unit configured to detect an intention of a worker located around the humanoid robot. When there is an object to be worked on by the humanoid robot, the control unit controls the rotation of the connection unit based on the intention of the worker detected by the intention detection unit and the information.

8. The control system according to claim 7, wherein: The intention detection unit detects the intention based on past tendencies of the worker.

9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit controls the rotation of the connection unit based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit of the humanoid robot and the information acquired by the information acquisition unit of another humanoid robot.

10. The control system according to claim 9, wherein: An information request unit is provided, and when the humanoid robot cannot obtain the normal information from its own information acquisition unit, the information request unit requests the information from another humanoid robot.

11. A program, wherein: The program is for causing a computer to function as the control unit of the control system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A humanoid robot control system, wherein: The humanoid robot control system issues instructions to the humanoid robot, The humanoid robot has: an upper body portion having at least one arm; a leg, the leg being placed on the floor; a connecting portion that connects the upper body portion to the leg portion in a rotatable manner; an information acquisition unit that acquires information that at least indicates a distance and an angle between the arm and an object that the humanoid robot is to work on; and a control unit configured to control the rotation of the connecting unit based on the information, The humanoid robot control system comprises: a surrounding information acquisition unit, the surrounding information acquisition unit acquiring surrounding information where the object is placed; a selection unit configured to select a type of the leg of the humanoid robot based on the peripheral information; as well as An instruction unit that instructs the humanoid robot of the selected type of the leg to perform an operation on the object.

13. The humanoid robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: Among the types of legs are: The humanoid robot is of a type having a wheel portion capable of movement; and The humanoid robot is of a type having a walking portion capable of walking.

14. The humanoid robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: The connecting portion further connects the leg and the upper body so that the distance between the leg and the upper body can be changed.

15. The humanoid robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: The joint is configured to enable the upper body to tilt relative to the legs as a rotational motion.

16. The humanoid robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: The joint is configured to enable the upper body to rotate relative to the legs in a horizontal direction of the floor as a rotational motion.

17. The humanoid robot control system according to claim 12, wherein: The legs have a balancing function to maintain the balance of the humanoid robot.

18. A program, wherein: The program is for causing a computer to function as the peripheral information acquisition unit, the selection unit, and the instruction unit of the humanoid robot control system according to any one of claims 12 to 17.

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