Humanoid robot and program

Abstract

This humanoid robot includes: an upper-half body part having at least one arm part; a leg part placed on the floor; and a connection part for rotatably connecting the upper-half body part to the leg part. The lower end portion of the leg part includes a wheel part.

Description

Humanoid robots and programs

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a humanoid robot and a program.

[0002] Humanoid robots are used in factory production lines to perform tasks automatically. Patent Document 1 describes posture control of a humanoid robot.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-093506

[0004] However, conventional humanoid robots are unstable when walking on two legs. They also cannot judge the distance or angle to an object. For this reason, they cannot pick up an object if it falls from the production line or if an object to be worked on is placed on the floor. Furthermore, there is a risk of the robot falling over when pushing or pulling an object on the production line.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to solve the above problems.

[0006] The humanoid robot according to the present disclosure comprises an upper body having at least one arm, legs that are placed on the floor, and connecting parts that rotatably connect the upper body to the legs, and the legs are provided with wheels at their lower ends.

[0007] In the humanoid robot according to the present disclosure, the connecting portion may be configured to allow the upper body portion to tilt relative to the leg portion as a rotational movement.

[0008] In addition, in the humanoid robot according to the present disclosure, the connecting portion may be configured to rotate the upper body portion relative to the legs in a horizontal direction of the floor as a rotational movement.

[0009] In addition, in the humanoid robot according to the present disclosure, four legs may be provided on the outer periphery of the connecting portion.

[0010] Furthermore, the humanoid robot according to the present disclosure may include an information acquisition unit that acquires information representing at least the distance and angle between the arm and an object that the arm is trying to work on, and a control unit that controls at least one of the movement of the leg, the movement of the arm, and the rotation of the connecting part based on the information.

[0011] The program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to function as a control unit of the humanoid robot according to the present disclosure.

[0012] It should be noted that the above summary of the disclosure does not list all of the necessary features of the present disclosure, and subcombinations of these features may also be disclosed.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a humanoid robot according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a side view of the humanoid robot according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a humanoid robot; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a processing routine executed by an information processing device; and FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of computer hardware that functions as an information processing device.

[0014] The present disclosure will be described below through the disclosed embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the disclosure according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the disclosed solution.

[0015] An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to designate identical or equivalent components and parts. The dimensional proportions of the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a front view of a humanoid robot according to a first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the humanoid robot 1 according to this embodiment comprises an upper body 2, legs 3, and a connector 4 that rotatably connects the upper body 2 to the legs 3. The humanoid robot 1 is placed, for example, on a factory production line to perform tasks on objects on the line or on the floor.

[0017] The upper body 2 has two arms 5. The arms 5 are attached to the left and right of the upper body 2 so as to be freely rotatable. Furthermore, a gripping part 5a for grasping an object is attached to the tip of the arm 5. The number of arms is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more.

[0018] The legs 3 are provided so as to extend from the lower side of the connecting part 4 toward the floor. Furthermore, wheels 6 are provided at the lower ends of the legs 3, allowing the humanoid robot 1 to move on the floor on which it is placed. Furthermore, four legs 3 are provided on the outer periphery of the connecting part 4. The number of legs 3 is not limited to four, and any number can be used as long as it is sufficient to support the humanoid robot 1, but four legs is preferable in order to stabilize the humanoid robot 1.

[0019] Furthermore, knees 7 are provided midway along the legs 3, and the angle between the leg 3 a on the wheel 6 side and the leg 3 b on the connecting part 4 side can be changed under the control of a control unit 142 (described later). This makes it easier to balance the humanoid robot 1. Furthermore, by changing the angle between the leg 3 a on the wheel 6 side and the leg 3 b on the connecting part 4 side, it is also possible to change the height of the humanoid robot 1. Specifically, by setting this angle to an acute angle, the upper body 2 can be lowered, and by setting it to an obtuse angle, the upper body 2 can be raised. This makes it possible to adjust the vertical position of the upper body 2 relative to the legs 3 to match the height of the workbench on the production line.

[0020] The connecting unit 4 rotatably connects the upper body 2 and the legs 3. Specifically, the connecting unit 4 includes a tilting mechanism using a motor or a cylinder. The motor and the cylinder can be electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic. This allows the upper body 2 to tilt forward and backward relative to the legs 3.

[0021] In the case of a motor-driven tilting mechanism, the motor fixed to one of the connecting part 4 and the upper body part 2 is driven to tilt the other of the connecting part 4 and the upper body part 2. As a result, the upper body part 2 tilts relative to the leg part 3.

[0022] In the case of a tilting mechanism using a cylinder, there is a fixed point where one end of the cylinder is fixed to one of the connecting part 4 and the upper body part 2, and an operating point where the other end of the cylinder is fixed to the other of the connecting part 4 and the upper body part 2. Then, by operating the cylinder to change the distance between the fixed point and the operating point, the upper body part 2 tilts relative to the legs 3.

[0023] Therefore, the humanoid robot 1 according to this embodiment can tilt the upper body 2 forward relative to the legs 3, as shown in FIG. 2, and pick up an object 100 that is placed on the floor F or that has fallen onto the floor F during work.

[0024] The legs 3 have a balancing function to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from falling over when the upper body 2 leans forward or backward relative to the legs 3 or when the humanoid robot 1 moves.

[0025] Furthermore, the connecting unit 4 of this embodiment is configured to rotate the upper body 2 relative to the legs 3 in a horizontal direction on the surface of the floor F. Specifically, the connecting unit 4 includes a rotation mechanism using a motor or a cylinder. The motor and cylinder may be of any of an electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic type.

[0026] In the case of a motor-driven rotation mechanism, the motor fixed to either the upper or lower part of the connecting part 4 is driven to rotate the other of the upper and lower parts of the connecting part 4. This causes the upper body part 2 to rotate relative to the leg part 3.

[0027] In the case of a rotation mechanism using a cylinder, there is a fixed point to which one end of the cylinder is fixed at one of the upper and lower parts of the connecting part 4, and an operating point to which the other end of the cylinder is fixed at the other of the upper and lower parts of the connecting part 4. Then, by operating the cylinder to change the distance between the fixed point and the operating point, the upper body part 2 rotates relative to the legs 3.

[0028] In addition, since a rotation mechanism using a cylinder has limitations on the angle of rotation, if the upper body 2 is to be rotated multiple times relative to the legs 3, it is better to use a crank mechanism or select a rotation mechanism using a motor.

[0029] The rotation mechanism of the connecting part 4 enables the following movements: For example, the humanoid robot 1 of this embodiment can move from a state facing a workbench to a state facing the workbench on the opposite side with the workbench and the humanoid robot 1 in between by driving the connecting part 4 to perform a horizontal rotation movement.

[0030] Furthermore, the horizontal rotation movement of the connecting part 4 not only rotates the upper body part 2 180 degrees, but also allows it to rotate in the range of 0 to 360 degrees, and it is possible to stop the upper body part 2 at any position.

[0031] The angle of rotation is, for example, 90 degrees, but is not limited to this, and may be 180 degrees or 360 degrees, or may be any arbitrary angle.

[0032] Furthermore, the driving of the humanoid robot 1 according to this embodiment is controlled by a control system 10 implemented within the humanoid robot 1.

[0033] 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a control system for a humanoid robot according to this embodiment. The control system 10 includes a sensor 12 mounted on the humanoid robot and an information processing device 14.

[0034] The sensor 12 sequentially acquires information representing at least the distance and angle between the arm 5 and an object 100 around the humanoid robot 1 on which the humanoid robot 1 is working. The sensor 12 may be a high-performance camera, a solid-state LiDAR, a multi-color laser coaxial displacement meter, or a variety of other sensors. Other examples of the sensor 12 include a vibration meter, a thermal camera, a hardness tester, radar, LiDAR, a high-resolution, telephoto, ultra-wide-angle, 360-degree, high-performance camera, vision recognition, minute sounds, ultrasound, vibrations, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, electromagnetic waves, temperature, humidity, spot AI weather forecasts, high-precision multi-channel GPS, low-altitude satellite information, and long-tail incident AI data.

[0035] In addition to the above information, the sensor 12 detects images, distance, vibration, heat, smell, color, sound, ultrasound, ultraviolet light, infrared light, etc. Other information detected by the sensor 12 includes the movement of the center of gravity of the humanoid robot 1, the material of the floor F on which the humanoid robot 1 is placed, the outside air temperature, the outside air humidity, the up / down / side / diagonal tilt angle of the floor F, the amount of moisture, etc.

[0036] The sensor 12 performs these detections, for example, every nanosecond.

[0037] The information processing device 14 includes an information acquisition unit 140 , a control unit 142 , and an information storage unit 144 .

[0038] The information acquisition unit 140 acquires information about the object 100 detected by the sensor 12 .

[0039] The control unit 142 uses the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 140 and AI (artificial intelligence) to control the movement of the legs 3, the rotational movement of the connecting unit 4, the movement of the arms 5, etc.

[0040] For example, the control unit 142 executes the following processes: (1) Controls the driving of the wheels 6 so that the humanoid robot 1 moves to the position of the object 100 on the floor F. Specifically, the control unit 142 controls the rotation direction and steering angle of each wheel 6 based on the distance to the object 100 detected by the sensor 12. (2) Drives the connecting units 4 to tilt the upper body 2 forward or backward so that the humanoid robot 1 can pick up the object 100 on the floor F. (3) Drives the arms 5 and the gripping units 5a so that the humanoid robot 1 can grasp the object 100. In this case, drives the connecting units 4 to tilt the upper body 2 forward or backward as necessary. (4) Maintains balance to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over. (5) Drives the connecting units 4 to rotate the upper body 2 horizontally. (6) Controls the driving of the wheels 6 so that the humanoid robot 1 can push a cart or the like.

[0041] The information storage unit 144 stores information about the object 100 detected by the sensor 12. It also stores a log of the operations of the humanoid robot 1 controlled by the control unit 142.

[0042] For example, when picking up the object 100 on the floor F, the information processing device 14 repeatedly executes the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0043] In step S100 , the information acquisition unit 140 acquires information about the object 100 detected by the sensor 12 .

[0044] In step S102, the control unit 142 picks up the object 100 on the floor F by controlling the legs 3, the connecting units 4 and the arms 5 using the information about the object 100 acquired in step S100 and AI.

[0045] In step S104, the control unit 142 moves the picked up object 100 to a predetermined position.

[0046] According to this embodiment, the humanoid robot 1 comprises an upper body 2, legs 3, and a connecting part 4 that rotatably connects the upper body 2 and the legs 3. The rotation of the connecting part 4 is controlled based on information acquired by a sensor 12. This allows the humanoid robot 1 to determine the distance and angle between the humanoid robot 1 and the object 100, thereby enabling the humanoid robot 1 to perform an action such as picking up the object 100 on the floor F.

[0047] Furthermore, the legs 3 have a balancing function to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over when the upper body 2 leans forward or backward relative to the legs 3. This prevents the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over when performing work such as pushing or pulling an object 100 on a production line. This prevents breakdown of the humanoid robot 1 due to tipping over, and prevents injuries to people around the humanoid robot 1.

[0048] Furthermore, the connecting part 4 is configured to be able to rotate horizontally in addition to tilting and extending / contracting, so that the humanoid robot 1 can carry the object 100 to a location on the rotation path by rotating the connecting part 4, or perform work in succession at multiple work sites on the rotation path.

[0049] The humanoid robot 1 of this embodiment may rotate the connecting part 4 with the upper body 2 tilted forward or backward. In other words, the humanoid robot 1 can swing the object 100 up or down.

[0050] As described above, when the upper body 2 tilts or rotates via the connecting part 4, the balance function described above is activated to prevent the humanoid robot 1 from tipping over. For example, the balance function maintains balance by changing the tilt or rotation angle of the upper body 2. In addition, for example, the balance function drives the wheels 6 to maintain balance by the drive torque.

[0051] 5 schematically illustrates an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as the information processing device 14. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the present embodiment, or can cause the computer 1200 to execute operations associated with the device according to the present embodiment or one or more "parts," and / or can cause the computer 1200 to execute a process according to the present embodiment or steps 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 herein.

[0052] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or the like. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0053] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or into the graphics controller 1216 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0054] 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.

[0055] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend 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, etc.

[0056] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or a method may be configured by implementing operations or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0057] For example, when communication is performed between computer 1200 and an external device, CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 1214 and instruct communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 1212, communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in RAM 1214, storage device 1224, a DVD-ROM, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0058] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or 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 may perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0059] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0060] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can also be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0061] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the present embodiments may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of a device responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), including AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0062] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture, including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, and semiconductor storage media. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0063] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0064] Computer-readable instructions may be provided locally or over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or programmable circuitry, such that the processor or programmable circuitry executes the computer-readable instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0065] Although the present disclosure has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0066] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order.

[0067] Although the present disclosure has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0068] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order.

[0069] The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-223065, filed on December 28, 2023, is incorporated herein by reference.

[0070] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Humanoid robot, 2 Upper body, 3 Legs, 4 Connecting portion, 5 Arms, 5a Grasping portion, 6 Wheels, 7 Knees, 10 Control system, 12 Sensor, 14 Information processing device, 100 Object, 1200 Computer, 1210 Host controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 Graphics controller, 1218 Display device, 1220 Input / output controller, 1222 Communication interface, 1224 Storage device, 1230 ROM, 1240 Input / output chip

Claims

1. A humanoid robot comprising an upper body portion having at least one arm portion, a leg portion placed on the floor, and a connecting portion that rotatably connects the upper body portion to the leg portion, wherein wheels are provided at the lower end of the leg portion.

2. The humanoid robot according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is configured to be able to tilt the upper body portion with respect to the leg portion as a pivoting operation.

3. The humanoid robot according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is configured to be able to rotate the upper body portion with respect to the leg portion in the horizontal direction of the floor as a pivoting operation.

4. The humanoid robot according to claim 1, wherein four leg portions are provided on the outer peripheral side of the connecting portion.

5. The humanoid robot according to claim 1, further comprising an information acquisition unit that acquires information representing at least the distance and angle between the arm portion and an object to be worked on, and a control unit that controls at least one of the operation of the leg portion, the operation of the arm portion, and the rotation of the connecting portion based on the information.

6. A program for causing a computer to function as the control unit of the humanoid robot according to claim 5.

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