Robot

Abstract

Described is a robot comprising: a body; the at least four legs are used for movement of the robot; a plurality of multi-phase motors for operating the legs; and an electronic circuit controlling the plurality of motors. The electronic circuit is configured to short-circuit at least two phases of a motor of the plurality of motors without power being supplied to the motor.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Robots capable of operating in a domestic or commercial environment, for example a home or a hotel, are known. Applications of such robots include vacuum cleaning and floor mopping.

[0002] Some known examples of such robots are wheeled, in which the body is carried close to the ground by wheels in the underside of the body. SUMMARY

[0003] Legged robots, such as quadruped robots or hexapod robots, are known. Legged robots have a body supported on legs, providing a greater ground clearance and improved traversing ability than can be achieved by wheeled robots. For example, in a domestic environment there can be many obstacles, such as steps or stairs, which prevent a wheeled robot from accessing, whereas a legged robot can be able to traverse these obstacles.

[0004] However, legged robots can inherently be less stable than wheeled robots. For example, a legged robot can fall over on a wet floor, trip over an obstacle or be knocked over. Furthermore, a technical fault, such as a loss of power, affecting the motion of a legged robot can cause the robot to fall over. In addition, the size and weight of a legged robot that can be required to climb stairs, for example a step of 220mm high, can require a relatively heavy power system and motors to achieve the desired operability and sufficient run time. A fall by such a robot on, for example, a person’s foot or leg can cause serious injury.

[0005] Furthermore, unlike the typical setting of an industrial robot, people and pets in a domestic environment can not be trained or aware of the risks associated with a robot operating in the same environment. Unlike the actors that a robot can encounter in an industrial / commercial environment, the actors in a domestic environment are not expected to be bound by any rules (for example, “do not enter if robot is operating”), or if there are rules, not expected that all actors will always adhere to these rules (for example, a baby or a self- indulgent adult), and their behaviour can be unpredictable (especially for a robot). Furthermore, a vulnerable person can not be able to move away when danger is imminent (for example, a baby or an elderly person).

[0006] Accordingly, operating a legged robot in a domestic environment, as well as in a commercial environment, can require improved safety measures relating to the operation of such a robot to reduce the risk of injury or damage caused by the robot.

[0007] According to a first aspect, a robot is provided, comprising: a body; at least four legs for locomotion of the robot; a plurality of multiphase motors for operating the legs; an electronic circuit for controlling the plurality of motors; wherein the electronic circuit is configured to short-circuit at least two phases of a motor of the plurality of motors without supplying power to the motor.

[0008] Without a supply of power, for example due to an unexpected loss of power or a controlled cut-off of power of a motor, the motor can rotate largely unimpeded. In this way, a leg controlled by the motor can collapse under the weight of the robot, possibly leading to a forceful impact of the robot. By short-circuiting at least two phases of the motor, the motor becomes configured to resist motion, which is caused by a back electromotive force from the rotating motor. Thus, the motor can prevent a fall of the robot and thus reduce the impact force.

[0009] The robot can comprise a power controller configured to control the supply of power to the motors.

[0010] The power controller can be configured to stop the supply of power to the motor in response to detecting a fault condition related to the motor.

[0011] During operation of the robot, a fault condition can arise which indicates that a fault can have occurred. In response to a fault condition related to the operation of a particular motor, a controlled cut-off of power to the motor can be implemented. For example, in case the fault condition indicates that the operation of the motor is unsafe, a cut-off of power can be triggered, thereby causing a short-circuit of at least two phases of the motor.

[0012] The power controller can be a logic unit and can be implemented together with other logic units as a single hardware controller, for example a microcontroller.

[0013] The electronic circuit within the motor assembly can be configured to detect an anomaly caused by a fault within itself and automatically trigger a short-circuit of at least two phases of the motor even if the power controller has not yet cut off the power of the faulty motor.

[0014] The power controller can be configured to stop the supply of power to the motor in response to detecting a fault condition associated with a communication signal involving the motor.

[0015] The communication signal related to the motor can be indicative of a fault condition. For example, the content of the communication signal can detail the fault condition, or the absence of the communication signal can be indicative of a fault condition. In this case, the power controller is configured to stop the supply of power, as in this case the operation of the motor can be considered unreliable and unsafe.

[0016] The electronic circuit can be configured to, for each motor of the plurality of motors, short-circuit at least two phases of said motor in the absence of a supply of electrical power to the motor.

[0017] The power controller can be configured to stop the supply of electrical power to the plurality of motors in response to detecting a fault condition relating to the plurality of motors.

[0018] The power controller can be configured to stop the supply of electrical power to the plurality of motors in response to detecting a fault condition relating to the plurality of motors.

[0019] The power controller can be configured to control the supply of electrical power to a group of motors (i.e. more than one motor but not necessarily all of the motors) of the plurality of motors. In this case, the power controller can be configured to control the supply of electrical power to each motor of the group of motors.

[0020] The robot can comprise a motion controller configured to control the plurality of motors.

[0021] The motion controller can be a logic unit and can be implemented together with other logic units as a single hardware controller, e.g. a microcontroller.

[0022] The motion controller can be configured to control one or more other motors of the plurality of motors to cause the robot to assume a collapse configuration in response to detecting a fault condition relating to said motor.

[0023] The motors that are considered operational (because the fault condition is not considered to affect these motors) can be controlled to cause the robot to assume a collapse configuration. By controlling the operational motors to do so, the severity of the impact of the robot can be reduced.

[0024] The motion controller can be configured to control one or more other motors by supplying electrical power to the one or more other motors to cause the robot to assume a collapse configuration in response to detecting a fault condition relating to said motor.

[0025] The motors that are considered operational can be actively controlled because electrical power can be supplied to one or more other (operational) motors to achieve the collapse configuration (i.e. it is not necessary to cut off the electrical power to those motors).

[0026] The motor can be configured to operate a first joint of a first leg of the robot. The motion controller can be configured to control another motor configured to operate a second joint of the first leg in response to detecting the fault condition. Additionally or alternatively, the motion controller can be configured to control another motor configured to operate a joint of a second leg in response to detecting the fault condition.

[0027] Upon detecting the fault condition, another motor (or motors) associated with the same leg and / or another motor (or motors) associated with another leg (or legs) can be controlled by the motion controller.

[0028] The motion controller can be configured to detect or determine a tipping motion of the robot as a result of no power being supplied to the motor.

[0029] The motion controller can control one or more other motors by supplying power to the one or more other motors to move the body to resist the tipping motion of the robot.

[0030] The short circuit of the phase of the motor can reduce the severity of the impact, but can not prevent the robot from tipping over in some cases. By actively controlling other motors (i.e., by supplying power to the other motors) to move the robot body in order to resist the tipping motion, the tipping motion can be resisted and even completely prevented while at the same time causing the robot to enter a collapsed configuration.

[0031] The motion controller can be configured to adjust a damping value of at least one motor from a first value to a second value in order to adjust an amount by which the at least one motor is configured to resist motion.

[0032] When the robot collapses, the damping values applied to any motors that are operable (i.e., other than the one or more motors having a shorted phase) can be controlled and appropriately adjusted. This adjustment of the damping values can further reduce the severity of the impact.

[0033] The motion controller can be configured to actively control one or more of the other motors to encourage the robot to collapse within its own footprint.

[0034] The robot can include a communication controller. The communication controller can be a logic unit and can be implemented together with other logic units as a single hardware controller, such as a microcontroller.

[0035] The communication controller can be configured to receive a communication signal related to each of the motors. Detection of a safety related fault in the communication signal related to a motor can be a fault condition related to the motor. Such a safety related fault can include a corrupted data packet, out-of-sequence packet, missing data packet, unrealistic / out-of-range value (e.g., for joint position, velocity, torque, or motor temperature), or having excessive delay, or absence of the communication signal.

[0036] The communication controller can be configured to receive a communication signal related to each of the motors. Detection of a safety related fault in the communication signal related to a motor can be a fault condition related to the motor. Such a safety related fault can include a corrupted data packet, out-of-sequence packet, missing data packet, unrealistic / out-of-range value (e.g., for joint position, velocity, torque, or motor temperature), or having excessive delay, or absence of the communication signal.

[0037] The absence of the communication signal related to a motor can be a fault condition related to the motor.

[0038] The electronic circuit can be configured to short at least two phases of the motor after time tl in the absence of power.

[0039] The communication controller can be configured to determine a fault condition after time t2 when the communication signal related to the motor has terminated.

[0040] Time t2 can be shorter than time tl.

[0041] The electronic circuit responding by shorting the phases can be slower than the communication controller can detect termination of the communication signal related to the motor. Thus, emergency measures can already be in effect, e.g., by a motion controller, to handle an anticipated collapse of the robot.

[0042] Shorting at least two phases can cause the motor to resist motion with a damping factor in the range of 0.1 to 20 N*m*s / rad (Newton* meter*second / radian).

[0043] The damping factor in the specified range can be small enough to reduce the likelihood of excessive damping that can cause the robot to tip over, and also large enough to significantly reduce impact forces.

[0044] The motors of the plurality of motors can be three-phase motors.

[0045] The plurality of motors can include three motors for operating each leg. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0046] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a robot;

[0047] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is a perspective view of a leg of the robot of

[0048] Figure 3 It includes Figure 1 A diagram of the actuator module of the robot's electronic circuitry;

[0049] Figure 4 Included in the alternative configuration Figure 3 Another illustration of the actuator module of the electronic circuit;

[0050] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A diagram of the robot's controller system;

[0051] Figure 6 It is in a collapsed configuration Figure 1 A perspective view of the robot;

[0052] Figure 7 It is in a flip configuration. Figure 1 A perspective view of the robot;

[0053] Figure 8 It is in another flip configuration Figure 1 Another perspective view of the robot;

[0054] Figure 9 yes Figure 1 A diagram of the robot's electronic hardware;

[0055] Figure 10 It experienced a malfunction. Figure 9 Another illustration of the hardware;

[0056] Figure 11 It experienced a malfunction. Figure 9 Another illustration of the hardware;

[0057] Figure 12 It experienced a malfunction. Figure 9 Another illustration of the hardware. Detailed Implementation

[0058] Figure 1 A perspective view of robot 100 is shown. In some examples, robot 100 may be configured to operate in a home or commercial environment; indoors or outdoors. Therefore, operational safety of robot 100 may be desired, and correspondingly, the risk of injury to people or damage to objects caused by malfunctions in robot 100 may be reduced. Legged robots (such as robot 100) may be more unstable than wheeled robots and are more likely to collapse or even tip over. As described in detail below, robot 100 is configured to mitigate the likelihood of collapse and tip over. Therefore, impact forces can be reduced, and the size of the area potentially affected by an impact can be reduced. This can reduce the severity of injury to people and the likelihood of injury.

[0059] The robot 100 has a main body 110 (or "torso"). The main body 110 is used to house hardware components of the robot 100, such as a battery to supply power or electronics to control the robot 100.

[0060] The main body 110 has a front end 111 (or "first end") and a rear end 112 (or "second end") opposite the front end 111. The main body 110 has a left side 113 (or "first side") and a right side 114 opposite the left side 113. The main body 110 has a top side 115 and a bottom side 116 opposite the top side 115. In use, for example during traversing, the lower side 116 faces a support surface 1000, for example a floor, on which the robot 100 is supported.

[0061] The robot 100 has a plurality of at least four legs 120 for locomotion of the robot 100. By means of the plurality of legs 120, the robot 100 is able to move around, for example in order to perform operations at different locations or while moving around. As Figure 1 The robot 100 has four legs, as shown. Thus, the example robot 100 is a quadruped robot, i.e. a legged robot having four legs. However, the present disclosure is not limited to quadrupeds, but is equally applicable to robots having any number of at least four legs, for example hexapods having six legs.

[0062] The plurality of legs 120 comprises a first leg 121, a second leg 122, a third leg 123 and a fourth leg 124. As Figure 1 The first leg 121 is a front left leg, the second leg is a front right leg, the third leg 123 is a rear left leg and the fourth leg 124 is a rear right leg, as shown. The front legs 121, 122 are disposed towards the front end 111 of the main body 110, while the rear legs 123, 124 are disposed towards the rear end 112 of the main body 110. Similarly, the left legs 121, 123 are disposed towards the left side 113, while the right legs 122, 124 are disposed towards the right side 114.

[0063] The robot 100 comprises a plurality of actuator modules 140 to operate the plurality of legs 120.

[0064] The robot 100 comprises a plurality of motors 150 disposed in the plurality of actuator modules 140. The motors 150 are electric motors having a plurality of phases, for example three phases, which are arranged to control various degrees of freedom in the legs 120.

[0065] The robot 100 comprises an electronic circuit 160 for each motor 150 to control the plurality of motors 150. The electronic circuit 160 controls the motors 150 to cause operation of the legs 120, such that locomotion of the robot 100 can be achieved.

[0066] Figure 2The configuration of a first leg 121 of the plurality of legs 120 is shown, also including a motor for operating the first leg 121. Although Figure 2 Only a single leg is shown, but the other legs are configured correspondingly, and the same description and illustration apply to the other legs as well.

[0067] Each leg 121, 122, 123, 124 of the plurality of legs 120 comprises an upper leg 125 and a lower leg 126, and terminates in a foot 127. In use, the foot 127 engages the support surface 1000.

[0068] Each leg of the plurality of legs 120 is articulated. Each upper leg 125 is articulated about the body 110, and the upper leg 125 and the lower leg 126 are articulated. The articulation of the plurality of legs 120 is controlled by means of a plurality of actuator modules 140. For each leg, the plurality of actuator modules 140 comprises a first actuator module 142, a second actuator module 144, and a third actuator module 146.

[0069] For each leg, the plurality of motors 150 comprises a first motor 152, a second motor 154, and a third motor 156. Suitably, each motor of the plurality of motors 150 is configured to rotate a rotor 1501 relative to a stator 1502.

[0070] The first motor 152 is part of the first actuator module 142. The second motor 154 is part of the second actuator module 144. The third motor 156 is part of the third actuator module 146.

[0071] The first actuator module 142 is configured to control hip roll. The second actuator module 144 is configured to control hip pitch. The third actuator module 146 is configured to control knee pitch.

[0072] In summary, the robot 100 has three motors 152, 154, 156 per leg 121, 122, 123, 124, giving a plurality of twelve motors 150, but a different total number of motors can be provided, for example 18 for a hexapod robot.

[0073] In the event of a loss of power to the electric motor, for example due to an accidental power loss or a controlled power cut, the electric motor can rotate largely unhindered. As such, a robot having legs controlled by the electric motor can collapse under the weight of the robot. However, the robot 100 comprises an electronic circuit 160 configured to slow down the collapse of the robot 100 in such a situation. More specifically, the electronic circuit 160 is configured to short-circuit phases of the motor if no power is supplied to the motor. By short-circuiting the phases of the motor, the motor is configured to resist motion, i.e. rotation of the rotor 1501 relative to the stator 1502. As such, the motor can slow down the collapse of the robot 100. In some examples, the electronic circuit 160 is configured to short-circuit some but not all of the phases of the motor. In some examples, the electronic circuit 160 is configured to short-circuit all phases, which can result in a greater damping effect than short-circuiting some but not all of the phases. Furthermore, the resistance to motion due to the short-circuiting of the phases can increase with an increase in the rotational speed of the motor and decrease with a decrease in the rotational speed, thereby providing a braking effect that depends on the rate at which the robot is collapsing.

[0074] Short-circuiting the phases of the motor is understood to mean making an electrical connection between the phases with a relatively low electrical resistance, such that a counter electromotive force (also known as back-EMF) is generated to counteract the rotation of the motor. This short-circuiting can be achieved by making an electrical connection between the lines carrying the phases or the terminals of the motor receiving the phases.

[0075] The short-circuiting of the phases of the motor causes the motor to experience damping, where the amount of damping experienced (e.g. the damping factor) can be in the range of 0.1 to 20 Nm*s / rad (Newton*metre*second / radian). The damping factor in the specified range can be small enough to avoid excessive damping that can cause the robot to tip over and also large enough to significantly impede the fall of the robot.

[0076] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A first actuator module 142 is shown, which comprises an electronic circuit 160 for controlling the first motor 152 and in particular short-circuiting the phases of the first motor 152. For illustrative purposes, only the first actuator module 142 is shown, and thus in Figure 3 and Figure 4 only the relevant circuitry for controlling the first motor 152 is shown, but the second actuator module 144 and the third actuator module 146 are configured identically.

[0077] In Figure 3 a first configuration of the electronic circuit 160 is depicted, whereby the electronic circuit 160 supplies power to the first actuator module 142. In contrast, in Figure 4In some examples, the second configuration of the electronic circuit 160 is shown, in which the phases of the motor 152 are short-circuited.

[0078] The electronic circuit 160 is configured to short-circuit the phases of the motor 152 in the absence of electrical power being supplied to the motor. The absence of electrical power to one motor or to multiple motors can occur in operation due to a fault (e.g. a fault in the battery directly resulting in no electrical power, or the deliberate cutting of electrical power in response to a fault condition indicating that a fault can have occurred).

[0079] The electronic circuit 160 is configured to automatically short-circuit the phases of the motor in the absence of electrical power being supplied to the motor. That is, the absence of electrical power causes the electronic circuit 160 to short-circuit the phases of the motor. The electronic circuit 160 therefore does not require a control signal to short-circuit the phases. There can be a time delay between the electrical power supply stopping and the electronic circuit 160 causing the short-circuit.

[0080] The electronic circuit 160 is configured to passively short-circuit the phases of the motor. That is, the electronic circuit 160 does not require electrical power to short-circuit the phases. The electronic circuit 160 therefore does not require a separate power supply for the switching elements 168.

[0081] The electronic circuit 160 comprises a microcontroller 161 (“MCU”) for generating a pulse width modulated signal 162 to commutate a multi-phase motor and modulate the power generated by the electric motor.

[0082] The electronic circuit 160 comprises a gate driver 163 for generating high current drive signals 164 for controlling the switching elements.

[0083] The electronic circuit 160 comprises a power stage 165 for switching the polarity of the voltage +Vmot supplied to the first motor 152 via the 3-phase terminals 167.

[0084] In some examples, the microcontroller 161, the gate driver 163 and the power stage 165 are provided together as a motor controller 166.

[0085] The electronic circuit 160 comprises a plurality of switching elements 168. The switching elements 168 are configured to short-circuit the three phases of the first motor 152 in the absence of electrical power being supplied to the motor 152. Suitably, the operation of the switching elements 168 does not require electrical power, i.e. the switching elements 168 are “passive”.

[0086] The switching elements 168 can be provided as electromechanical relays or solid state relays (with normally closed contacts) or any suitable electronic circuit to short-circuit at least two phases of the first motor 152 in the absence of a supply of electrical power. Equivalent circuits are provided for the second motor 154 and the third motor 156, and all of the legs 120 are configured accordingly.

[0087] In Figure 4 a short circuit configuration of the electronic circuit 160 is shown. The switching element 168 is configured to change from the short circuit configuration to Figure 3 their open position shown.

[0088] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A gearbox 149 is also shown, wherein the gearbox 149 and the motor 152 are connected by an input shaft.

[0089] Figure 5 A controller system 170 for controlling the robot 100 is shown. The controller system 170 is represented as a logic system comprising a plurality of logic units 172, 174, 176. A corresponding hardware implementation can involve one or more physical units. In Figures 9 to 12 an exemplary hardware implementation is shown.

[0090] The controller system 170 comprises a power controller 172. The power controller 172 is configured to control the supply of electrical power to the plurality of motors 150. More specifically, the power controller 172 determines for each motor whether electrical power can be supplied. The power controller 172 can stop (or disable) the supply of electrical power to a motor in response to detecting a fault condition related to said motor. Stopping the supply of electrical power to a given motor triggers the switching element 168 to short circuit the phase of that motor.

[0091] The controller system 170 comprises a communication controller 174 configured to receive communication signals related to the motors 150. The communication signals can be transmitted via wired or wireless communication means. The communication signals can for example be sent directly by the plurality of motors 150 or by the actuator module 140. Suitably, the actuator module 140 can comprise a communication module. The actuator module 140 can also comprise diagnostic hardware configured to monitor the operation of the motors 150.

[0092] The communication signals can be indicative of a fault condition, for example by containing corrupted data packets, out-of-sequence packets, missing data packets, non-authentic / out-of-range values (e.g. for joint position, velocity, torque or motor temperature) or with excessive delay. Another example of a fault condition described in detail below relates to the absence of a communication signal.

[0093] The communication controller 174 is configured to receive a communication signal related to each of the motors 150 on a regular basis. The absence of a communication signal is a fault condition related to said motor. Upon occurrence of a fault condition, the power controller 172 can stop the supply of electrical power to said motor.

[0094] When power is no longer supplied to the motor, the electronic circuit 160 short-circuits the phase of the motor after the time interval t1 has expired. That is, the electronic circuit 160 has a response time corresponding to the time t1.

[0095] The communication controller 174 is configured to receive communication signals at regular time intervals t2. The communication controller 174 determines that no communication signal is present after the time t2 has elapsed, at which time no further communication signal is received.

[0096] The time t1, i.e. the response time of the electronic circuit 160 to a loss of power, is longer than the time t2 after which the communication controller 174 determines the fault condition. This means that the communication controller 174 can trigger emergency measures before the electronic circuit 160 responds to the lack of power.

[0097] The controller system 170 comprises a motion controller 176 configured to control a plurality of actuator modules 140 comprising the motors 150 to achieve motion, i.e. to coordinate the operation of the plurality of legs 120 by the plurality of motors 150. Suitably, the motion controller 176 generates control signals to achieve a desired motion of the plurality of legs 120, e.g. the torque required to lift the foot 127 of the left front leg 121.

[0098] When the fault condition occurs, the motion controller 176 can actively control any motor that is not associated with the fault condition, i.e. those that are considered fully operational. For example, in the case of a loss of communication with the first motor 152 of the left front leg 121 and a resulting fault condition, the motion controller 176 can actively control the other motors 154, 156 of the left front leg 121 and the motors of all other legs 122, 123, 124 in response to the fault condition. In particular, the motion controller 176 can control the motors that are considered fully operational to reduce the severity of the anticipated impact due to the loss of power to the first motor 152. The motion controller 176 can further encourage the robot 100 to collapse vertically downwards rather than to tip over, thereby reducing the area affected by the anticipated impact. A tip over of the robot 100 can involve a forward or backward or sideways motion, which would result in the robot 100 falling sideways or even rolling.

[0099] The motion controller 176 is configured to detect or determine a tip over motion using suitable sensors or estimation means. For example, the motion controller 176 can use an accelerometer to detect a tip over motion, or can determine a tip over motion based on information contained in the communication signals received by the communication controller 174.

[0100] Passive and active control of the motors 150 can be used in combination or as an alternative. In the event of one motor experiencing a power loss, the motor will be passively controlled by shorting the motor phases, but the remaining motors 150 can be controlled passively (by cutting power and triggering the switching elements 168) or actively (by the motion controller 176).

[0101] Figure 6 The robot 100 is shown in a collapsed configuration, while in Figure 1 the robot 100 is shown in an upright configuration. In the upright configuration, the plurality of legs 120 are extended, providing a ground clearance between the ground 1000 and the underside 116 of the main body 110. In Figure 6 the collapsed configuration shown, the main body 110 rests on the plurality of legs 120, with each leg collapsed and the ground clearance significantly reduced. In this way, the robot 100 is considered to have collapsed within its own footprint.

[0102] In the event of the robot 100 collapsing within its own footprint, the collapse of the robot 100 affects a relatively small area, indicated by the small impact area 1100 in Figure 6 By contrast, if the robot 100 tips over due to a malfunction, a relatively large area will be affected, as shown by the large impact area 1200 in Figure 6 Due to the tipping motion, for example residual forward motion in the event of a malfunction in one of the motors 150, the robot 100 can tip over and come to rest anywhere within the large impact area 1200. The motion controller 176 can actively control the motors that remain operational by powering them to move the main body 110 to resist the tipping motion of the robot 100. This can involve, for example, actively retracting one or more of the legs 120 in order to counteract the tipping motion. As a result, the large impact area 1200 can be reduced to the small impact area 1100, thereby reducing the area that increases the risk of injury to a person. Furthermore, the size of the force exerted by the robot 100 when collapsing can be reduced by causing the robot 100 to move more slowly.

[0103] The motion controller 176 can control the motors that remain operational by adjusting the damping value of the motors from a first value to a second value, thereby adjusting the amount by which the motors are configured to resist motion. For example, the motion controller 176 can reduce the damping value of the motors to facilitate collapse of the respective legs in order to resist the tipping motion experienced by the robot 100.

[0104] Figure 7 and Figure 8 The robot 100 is shown in a fallen configuration. In Figure 7 the robot 100 has tipped over and rests on the top side 115 of the robot 100. In Figure 8In this case, the robot 100 has tipped over and rests on the left side 113. In general, the robot 100 can fall and rest on either side 113, 114 or the top side 115 of the robot 100. By means of the above emergency measures, the likelihood of the robot 100 tipping over, or tipping over and rolling, can be reduced.

[0105] Figure 9 An exemplary hardware configuration for controlling the electronics of the robot 100 is schematically shown.

[0106] The power controller 172 and the communication controller 174 are together arranged in a power and communication distribution system (abbreviated as “PCD” system).

[0107] The communication controller 174 of the PCD system is in bidirectional communication with the motors 150 of the legs 120. As Figure 9 shown, the communication controller 174 is in bidirectional communication with the first actuator module 142 comprising the first motor 152, the second actuator module 144 comprising the second motor 154 and the third actuator module 146 comprising the third motor 156. The communication controller 174 is likewise in bidirectional communication with the actuator modules 140 of the second leg 122, the third leg 123 and the fourth leg 124.

[0108] The communication controller 174 is also in bidirectional communication with the motion controller 176.

[0109] The battery management system 190 supplies power to the PCD system from which power is distributed to the legs 120, in particular to the actuator modules 140 comprising the motors 150.

[0110] The motion controller 176 is in bidirectional communication with the communication controller 174 of the PCD system.

[0111] Figure 10 、 11 and 12 show exemplary faults in the exemplary hardware configuration of Figure 9 .

[0112] In Figure 10 , the power supply to the PCD system is interrupted (indicated by the dashed arrow from the battery management system 190 to the PCD system) resulting in a loss of power to all motors 150. In this case, the motion controller 176 cannot control any of the motors 150. Instead, the electronic circuit 160 will passively short the phases of all motors 150.

[0113] In Figure 11In this case, the power to the third actuator module 146 of the first leg 121 is interrupted (indicated by the dashed arrow from the PCD system to the third actuator module 146). In this case, the motion controller 176 is able to actively control all other motors 150. Alternatively, the power controller 172 can stop supplying power to any of the other motors 150. Thus, active control will no longer be possible and the electronic circuit 160 will instead short the relevant phase.

[0114] In Figure 12 In this case, the power to the third actuator module 146 of the first leg 121 is interrupted (indicated by the dashed arrow from the PCD system to the third actuator module 146). In this case, the motion controller 176 is able to actively control all other motors 150. Alternatively, the power controller 172 can stop supplying power to any of the other motors 150. Thus, active control will no longer be possible and the electronic circuit 160 will instead short the relevant phase.

[0115] In the example described with reference to the figures, the actuator modules 140 are shown at particular positions, but this is merely for illustration. In some examples, the actuator modules 140 can be provided at other positions and operate the corresponding joints, for example, with a belt drive. For example, the third actuator module 146 configured to control the knee pitch can be in the same position as the second actuator module 144.

[0116] In some examples, at least some components of the actuator modules 140 can be spaced apart from other components of the actuator modules 140. For example, components such as motor drivers can be located in the robot body 110, for example, while the motors 150 can be located at or towards the joints.

Claims

1. A robot, comprising: main body; It has at least four legs for the robot's locomotion; Multiple multiphase motors are used to operate the legs; Electronic circuitry for controlling the plurality of motors; The electronic circuitry is configured to short-circuit at least two phases of the motors when no power is supplied to any of the plurality of motors.

2. The robot according to claim 1, It also includes a power controller configured to control the power supply to the motor; wherein The power controller is configured to stop supplying power to the motor in response to detecting a fault condition associated with the motor.

3. The robot according to claim 2, wherein, The power controller is configured to stop supplying power to the motor in response to detecting a fault condition associated with a communication signal involving the motor.

4. The robot according to claim 2 or 3, wherein The power controller is configured to control the power supply to the plurality of motors; The electronic circuitry is configured to short-circuit at least two phases of each motor when no power is supplied to it; and The power controller is configured to stop supplying power to the plurality of motors in response to detecting a fault condition associated with the plurality of motors.

5. The robot according to any one of the preceding claims further comprises: A motion controller configured to control the plurality of motors; The motion controller is configured to control one or more of the plurality of motors to cause the robot to assume a collapse configuration in response to the detection of a fault condition associated with the motor.

6. The robot of claim 5, wherein the motion controller is configured to control the one or more other motors by supplying power to the one or more other motors, so that the robot takes a collapse configuration in response to detecting a fault condition associated with the motors.

7. The robot according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, The motor is configured to operate the first joint of the first leg; The motion controller is configured to control another motor in response to detecting the fault condition, the other motor being configured to operate the second joint of the first leg, and / or In response to the detection of the fault condition, control is applied to another motor configured to operate the joint of the second leg.

8. The robot according to any one of claims 5 to 7, The motion controller is configured as follows: Detecting or determining a tilting motion of the robot due to a lack of power supply to the motor; and The robot's tilting motion is counteracted by supplying power to the one or more other motors to move the main body.

9. The robot of any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein, The motion controller is configured to adjust the damping value of at least one motor from a first value to a second value in order to adjust the amount by which the at least one motor is configured to resist motion.

10. The robot of any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein, The motion controller is configured to actively control one or more other motors to encourage the robot to collapse within its own footprint.

11. The robot according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: A communication controller, configured to receive communication signals associated with each of the motors, and Among them, the safety-related fault detected in the communication signal related to the motor is a fault condition related to the motor.

12. The robot according to claim 11, The electronic circuitry is configured to short-circuit at least two phases of the motor after time t1 in the absence of power. The communication controller is configured to determine the fault condition after the communication signal associated with the motor has terminated at time t2; and Wherein, time t2 is shorter than time t1.

13. The robot of any of the preceding claims, wherein, Short-circuiting the at least two phases causes the motor to resist motion with a damping factor in the range of 0.1 to 20 N*m*s / rad.

14. The robot according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The multiple multiphase motors are multiple three-phase motors.

15. The robot according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The multiple motors include three motors for each leg.

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