Legged Robot Stair Climbing with Safe Step Region Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robots face challenges in navigating stairs due to the lack of natural coordination, which can result in missteps, slips, or falls, as they require precise leg movements and foot placement that existing systems fail to provide effectively.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for a robot to navigate stairs by determining safe step regions and adjusting weight distribution and body height using data processing hardware, along with movement controllers to ensure precise leg movements and avoid collisions, by analyzing image data and kinematics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If robots use traditional leg movement control, then the control system is simple, but the robot cannot accurately place feet on stairs leading to missteps and falls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the stair navigation task into distinct phases: image data acquisition, step region determination, collision region identification, weight distribution adjustment, and leg movement control. By dividing the complex control problem into manageable segments, the system achieves precise foot placement while maintaining organized control architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining safe step regions and identifying collision regions before the robot actually moves its legs. Weight distribution is adjusted in advance before foot placement. This preliminary planning ensures that when leg movement occurs, the robot already has a pre-calculated safe trajectory, improving precision without requiring overly complex real-time control.
2Productivity
If the robot moves legs quickly to traverse stairs, then productivity increases, but stability decreases leading to slips and falls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts weight distribution based on the robot's current position and the determined step regions. As the robot progresses through each stair, the center of mass is continuously repositioned to maintain stability. This dynamic adaptation allows the robot to move efficiently while maintaining balance, resolving the contradiction between speed and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses image data feedback to continuously monitor the robot's position relative to determined step regions and collision regions. This feedback loop allows real-time adjustments to leg movement and weight distribution, enabling the robot to traverse stairs at higher speeds while maintaining stability through constant correction based on visual feedback.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the robot adjusts body posture frequently to maintain balance, then stability improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines weight distribution adjustments in advance based on pre-identified step regions and collision regions. By calculating the necessary center of mass adjustments before movement occurs, the robot can maintain balance with minimal frequent corrections, reducing energy consumption while preserving stability.
4Measurement precision
If the robot uses detailed image analysis to determine safe step regions, then measurement precision improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the critical information needed for safe navigation from the full image data - specifically identifying step regions and collision regions. By extracting only the essential geometric features rather than processing complete image details, the system achieves high measurement precision for foot placement while minimizing processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for negotiating stairs includes receiving image data about a robot maneuvering in an environment with stairs. Here, the robot includes two or more legs. Prior to the robot traversing the stairs, for each stair, the method further includes determining a corresponding step region based on the received image data. The step region identifies a safe placement area on a corresponding stair for a distal end of a corresponding swing leg of the robot. Also prior to the robot traversing the stairs, the method includes shifting a weight distribution of the robot towards a front portion of the robot. When the robot traverses the stairs, the method further includes, for each stair, moving the distal end of the corresponding swing leg of the robot to a target step location where the target step location is within the corresponding step region of the stair.