JP2003266364A - Robot device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out interaction with a human smoothly. <P>SOLUTION: A recessed part is formed with a light transmission member 232 as an inner wall at a position of the eye of a robot device 1. A lens 233 and a CCD camera 203 are provided on a bottom face of the recessed part, and the CCD camera 203 converts an image formed on the lens 233 into an electrical signal. The recessed part is for restricting a range where the lens 233 can be seen from outside, and a depth of the recessed part is made so that the range where the lens 233 can be seen from outside coincides with a field of vision of the lens 233. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a robot apparatus, and more particularly to a robot apparatus that executes an autonomous operation based on an external information and an external action and / or an internal state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, practical robots have been developed to support life as a human partner, that is, to support human activities in various situations in daily life such as living environment. Unlike industrial robots, such practical robots have the ability to learn by themselves how to adapt to humans with different personalities or various environments in various aspects of human living environments. For example,
A "pet-type" robot that imitates the body mechanism and movement of a four-legged animal such as a dog or cat, or a "human-type robot" designed based on the body mechanism and movement of an animal that walks upright on two legs. Or “humanoid” robot (Hu
Leg-type mobile robots such as manoid Robot) are already in practical use.

These legged mobile robots are sometimes called entertainment robots because they can perform various actions with an emphasis on entertainment properties as compared with industrial robots.

In cognitive psychology, there is an idea of affordance. This affordance is given by cognitive psychologist Gibson
It is a coined word made from the word
It is interpreted as "behavior given by the environment" or "behavior recollected by the environment".

According to Gibson, animals do not recognize the environment by processing information obtained from sensory organs in their brains, but information that depends on the environment (other animals, plants, objects) itself is directly detected. We are aware of it.

For example, assume that there is a door. When the handle is flat, the door afords to "push" against the human. In addition, if the handle part is ring-shaped, "pulling" is offered. That is, in the example of this door, when the "push-in" side is a flat plate, the handle part on the exit side is a ring, which is a natural correspondence based on the affordance theory.

[0007] Also, a single stick struck a person with actions such as gripping, tapping, swinging, and folding.
For example, even a person who does not know the game of "tennis" grasps the handle portion when grasping the racket. This is because the handle has an affordance to the "grasping" action rather than the tip of the racket.

As described above, the idea that the shape of an object itself reminds a human of its function and performance is very important when imparting some function to an object.

[0009]

The affordance theory can be applied to the design of a robot device. The foot of the robot device reminds us of the function of “walking”, and the eyes and ears of the robot remind us of the functions of “seeing” and “listening”.

In humanoid robots or animal robots that imitate humans or animals, "affordance"
The concept of becomes even more important. These robots
Since they appear to have almost the same physical characteristics as humans and animals, looking at these robots, we recall that they are equivalent to humans and animals in terms of nature and their functions and performances.

However, some robot devices are only made in a shape imitating a human being or an animal, and their performance or physical characteristics are different from those of the human being or the animal.
These differences may be that there is no function itself, or that there is a function but different performance.

[0012] For example, even a robot provided with a portion corresponding to a leg portion cannot move at all due to its design only, or it does not perform a "walking" operation even if it has a leg portion, and proceeds with wheels on the soles of the feet. There are also robots. Similarly, even a robot provided with “eyes” does not actually have a visual function, a PSD (Position Sensitive Detector).
In some robots, a simple optical sensor or the like functions as a substitute.

If there is a humanoid robot that has exactly the same form as a human,
For example, "clap or wave your hand", "call me" Oh "," call my name "," call me here "," push "," tap " May try an interaction such as ". However, if the humanoid robot does not have a visual function or an auditory function, or if it has a visual function or an auditory function but cannot recognize a human action based on this input, The robot will not react to any human interaction.

As described above, when the function recalled from the design is not actually provided, or when the function or performance recalled by a human is far from the actual performance, the human feels uncomfortable or There is a situation where communication between the robot and the robot is not performed smoothly.

Here, as an example, consider the function and performance that the eyes of the robot remind the human. When we look at a robot that uses an eye-corresponding design, humans said, "This robot has eyes.""This robot has an" environment visible "." , "Respond to what you see""This robot knows that something has moved""This robot can recognize a human face""Thisrobot"
Recall the functions and actions of a robot such as "looking at you".

As described above, a human assumes a viewing angle equivalent to that of a human or an animal with respect to the eyes of the robot, and imagines a visual field corresponding to the viewing angle. The human field of vision is about 12 with one eye
Since the eyes have a viewing angle of 0 degree and 180 degrees or more with both eyes, a person assumes that he / she is in the field of vision of the other party when the other party's eyes are visible.

Therefore, when the eyes of the robot (the center of the eye) are visible, the human thinks that he / she can see himself, and expects some interaction with the robot. However, in reality, the viewing angle of the robot is determined by the characteristics of the CCD camera, so that it does not have the viewing angle of human beings.

As described above, human beings try to communicate with the robot by recalling the performance and function of the robot from the aspect of the robot. Especially, the difference between the human and the robot in the visual function becomes very important when communicating between the human and the robot.

A specific example of a conventional visual device in a robot will be described. FIG. 22 shows a pet robot having a shape imitating a dog or a lion. The CCD camera, which is the eyes of this robot, is installed in the mouth. Further, a plurality of LEDs are installed in a portion corresponding to the mouth of this robot, and the LEDs are covered with a canopy.
This robot expresses the emotion of the robot by the color of the light emitted by the LED installed in its mouth.

Further, FIG. 23 shows a pet robot having a bear as a motif. A CCD camera, which is the eyes of the robot, is also installed in the mouth of the robot.
A spherical plastic is installed in the robot's eye, but the plastic eye has no special function.

In the above-mentioned two pet type robots, a CCD camera corresponding to the eyes of the robot is installed at a portion located at the tip of the nose or the mouth of the robot. Even in the case of such a robot, since humans assume the function of the robot from the appearance of the robot, they try to interact with the robot on the assumption that the eyes of the robot are present. For example, when showing a ball to a robot device, an ordinary person presents the ball not to the mouth where the CCD camera is installed but to the part of the eye where no sensor is installed. Therefore, the visual field of the robot assumed by a human and the visual field of the actual robot are separated from each other, and the interaction between the human and the robot is deviated.

FIG. 24 shows a humanoid robot imitating the shape of a human. CC, the robot's eye
The D camera is installed in the center of the robot's face. LEDs that express the emotions of the robot are arranged in the eyes of the robot. The front of the robot's face is covered with a black canopy, and its eyes are invisible to humans.

In the above-mentioned humanoid robot, the CCD camera corresponding to the eyes of the robot is installed at almost the same position as the human eye, but since this CCD camera is covered with a black canopy, the robot is nowhere. Humans don't know what to look at. This creates the misconception that humans are looking at the entire canopy.

FIG. 25 shows a humanoid robot imitating a human shape. The CCD camera corresponding to the eyes of the robot is installed at substantially the same position as the human eyes, and the eyes of the robot are exposed to the outside. Humans assume that the robot's external view angle is almost the same as that of a human, but this robot's view angle is
From the characteristics of the CCD camera, it is around 50 degrees. In this case as well, the visual field of the robot assumed by the human and the visual field of the actual robot are separated from each other, which causes a gap in the communication between the human and the robot.

A human determines the function and characteristics of an object based on the shape of the object. Therefore, there is a possibility that a person who sees a robot imitating the shape of a human being or an animal may misunderstand that it has the same function or characteristic as the human being or the animal. Due to such a difference between the functions of the robot recognized by humans and the functions of actual robots, there are cases in which communication between humans and robots cannot be performed smoothly. Furthermore, you will feel stress and inconvenience.

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the conventional situation as described above, and provides a robot apparatus which enables smooth communication with a human and improves entertainment. With the goal.

[0027]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a robot apparatus according to the present invention executes an autonomous operation based on external information, an operation in response to an external action, and / or an internal state. A robot apparatus, which is arranged at an apparent eye position to acquire external information, and
It is characterized in that the image pickup means is provided with a shielding portion for limiting a range visually recognized from the outside.

Here, the shielding portion is provided so that the range in which the image pickup means is viewed from the outside and the angle of view of the image picked up by the image pickup means are substantially the same. Further, the shielding part is formed as a recess, and the image pickup means is installed at the bottom of the recess. Further, the depth of the recess defines the range in which the image pickup means can be visually recognized.

Further, the shielding portion is a tubular portion formed around the image pickup means, and the height of the tubular portion defines the visible range of the image pickup means.

Further, the shielding portion is formed as a member having a substantially conical shape with the bottom face of the opening as the imaging direction, and the imaging means is installed at the apex of this conical member. Further, the range in which the image pickup means can be visually recognized is defined by the apex angle of the conical member.

[0031]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A bipedal walking type robot apparatus 1 shown as a configuration example of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This humanoid robot device 1
Is a practical robot that supports human activities in various situations in the living environment and other daily lives. It can act according to internal conditions (anger, sadness, joy, enjoyment, etc.) It is an entertainment robot that can express its movements.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the robot apparatus 1, a head unit 3 is connected to a predetermined position of a torso unit 2, two left and right arm units 4R / L, and two left and right legs. The units 5R / L are connected to each other (however, each of R and L is a suffix indicating each of right and left. The same applies hereinafter).

The degrees of freedom of the joints of the robot apparatus 1 are schematically shown in FIG. The neck joint supporting the head unit 3 includes a neck joint yaw axis 101 and a neck joint pitch axis 102.
And the neck joint roll shaft 103 has three degrees of freedom.

Further, each arm unit 4R / L constituting the upper limb has a shoulder joint pitch axis 107, a shoulder joint roll axis 108, an upper arm yaw axis 109, and an elbow joint pitch axis 11.
0, forearm yaw axis 111, wrist joint pitch axis 112
And a wrist joint roll shaft 113 and a hand portion 114. The hand portion 114 is actually a multi-joint / multi-degree-of-freedom structure including a plurality of fingers. However, since the movement of the hand portion 114 has little contribution or influence to the posture control and the walking control of the robot apparatus 1, it is assumed in this specification that the degree of freedom is zero. Therefore, each arm has seven degrees of freedom.

Further, the trunk unit 2 has three degrees of freedom: a trunk pitch axis 104, a trunk roll axis 105 and a trunk yaw axis 106.

Each leg unit 5R / L constituting the lower limb has a hip joint yaw axis 115 and a hip joint pitch axis 1
16, a hip joint roll shaft 117, and a knee joint pitch shaft 11
8, ankle joint pitch axis 119, and ankle joint roll axis 1
20 and a foot 121. In this specification,
The intersection of the hip joint pitch axis 116 and the hip joint roll axis 117 defines the hip joint position of the robot apparatus 1. The foot 121 of the human body is actually a structure including a multi-joint, multi-degree-of-freedom foot, but the foot of the robot apparatus 1 has zero degrees of freedom. Therefore, each leg has 6 degrees of freedom.

In summary, the robot apparatus 1 as a whole has 3 + 7 × 2 + 3 + 6 × 2 = 32 degrees of freedom. However, the robot device 1 for entertainment is not necessarily limited to 32 degrees of freedom. It goes without saying that the degree of freedom, that is, the number of joints, can be appropriately increased or decreased in accordance with design / production constraint conditions and required specifications.

Each degree of freedom of the robot apparatus 1 as described above is actually implemented by using an actuator.
It is preferable that the actuator be small and lightweight in view of requests such as eliminating extra bulges in appearance to approximate the shape of a human natural body and performing posture control on an unstable structure of bipedal walking. .

Next, the head unit 3 of the robot apparatus 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Figure 3
FIG. 4 shows a front appearance of the head unit 3, and FIG. 4 shows a side appearance of the head unit 3. The head unit 3 includes a head 201
And a neck 202. The head 201 has a CCD camera 203, a distance sensor 204 for measuring a distance to an object located in front, a microphone 205 for collecting an external sound, a speaker 206 for outputting a sound, and the like. Are arranged at predetermined positions.

In this embodiment, in particular, this robot device 1
A CCD camera 20 for taking a picture of an external situation in order to increase the familiarity with and enhance the entertainment property.
3 is provided at the position of the "eye" of the human, the microphone 205 is provided at the position of the "ear" of the human, and the speaker 206 for outputting sound is provided at the position corresponding to the "mouth" of the human. ing.

The head 201 is protected by a head exterior housing 207, and the head exterior housing 207 includes an eye opening 208, a sensor opening 209, a microphone mounting portion 210, and a speaker opening 211. It has a predetermined shape and has a head shape that reminds the user of "human."

The head 201 has a head driving mechanism 221 for driving the head 201, and the neck 202
Has a neck drive mechanism 222 for driving the neck. The head 201 and the neck 202 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 in which the head exterior casing 207 and the neck exterior casing 216 of the head unit 3 are removed. FIG. 5 shows a front appearance of the robot apparatus 1, and FIG.
Shows a side view of the robot apparatus 1.

The head 201 is rotatably attached to the head bowl-shaped member 223 integrated with the head drive mechanism 221, and the head bowl-shaped member 223 via the head drive mechanism 221. And a head chassis 224. An image processing circuit or the like may be installed in the head bowl-shaped member 223, and the head bowl-shaped member 223 plays a role of protecting the circuit or the like arranged inside as described above and a robot device. It composes part of the face and jaw.

A camera fixing member 225 is attached to the head chassis 224 at a position corresponding to the front surface of the face. The camera fixing member 225 includes the CCD camera 20.
3 are installed. Also, the camera fixing member 225 is
The distance sensor mounting portion 226 is provided, and the distance sensor 204 is mounted here. Head exterior housing 207
When worn on the head, the eye opening 2 is placed at a position corresponding to the CCD camera 203 and the distance sensor 204, respectively.
08, since the distance sensor opening 209 is provided, CCD camera 203 and distance sensor 204 from here
Is exposed to the outside.

On the front surface of the camera fixing member 225, LE used for displaying the internal state of the robot apparatus 1 and the like.
The fundus substrate 230 as shown in FIG. 7 including the D231 and the light guide member 232 for uniformly guiding the light from the LED 231 to the eye periphery is installed. The outside is covered with the head exterior casing 207.

Therefore, as described above, the head 201
At the head chassis 224, the camera fixing member 22
5, the fundus substrate 230, the head exterior casing 207 and the like are combined, the light guide member 23 provided on the fundus substrate 230
2 serves as an inner wall of the eye, and a substantially cylindrical recess is formed on the surface of the head exterior casing.

The recess thus formed has a function of reminding a person of the visual field of the robot apparatus 1. Recalling the field of view of the robot apparatus 1 to a human means the robot apparatus 1
This means that a person can understand the actual field of view of the robot apparatus 1 from the shape. As described above, since the robot device 1 imitates the shape of a human, the human tends to illusion that the robot device 1 has a field of view similar to that of the human.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the robot apparatus 1 having no recessed portion as viewed from above. The robot apparatus 1 of FIG. 8 has a CCD camera and a lens, and the CCD camera converts an image formed on the lens surface into an electric signal. The lens is exposed on the face of the robot apparatus 1, and people around the robot apparatus 1 can see the lens of the robot. A person who looks at the lens of the robot device 1 feels that the robot device 1 is looking at him.
A human feels that the viewing angle of the robot device 1 is about 120 degrees, which is the same as the human viewing angle.

However, the actual viewing angle of the robot device 1 is not as wide as that of a human being, and there is a gap between the recognition of the human being and the mounting of the robot, which not only deteriorates the interaction between the robot device 1 and the human being, but also the human being. Make you feel stressed.

FIG. 9 shows a robot apparatus 1 according to this example.
It is the sectional view which looked at from above. The robot device shown in FIG. 9 is similar to the robot device 1 of FIG.
And a lens 233, and this CCD camera 203
The lens 233 is installed on the bottom surface of the recess. The concave portion has a function of shielding the lens 233 from the outside, and the lens 2 of the robot apparatus 1 is provided unless a person stands in a predetermined position.
33 is not visible. The dotted line in FIG. 9 indicates the range in which the lens 233 of the robot apparatus 1 is within the field of view of a human. The range that humans can see is the position where a person can stand and see the lens.
It is formed inside the space connecting the inner circumference of the recess and the lens. In this specific example, the angle formed by the visual axis of the lens and the critical surface within the range in which the lens enters the field of view of the human is called the critical angle, and the critical angle is used to express the size of the space in which the human can visually recognize the lens. To do.

An experiment for investigating the influence of the shape of the recess formed in the robot apparatus 1 on the visual field angle (referred to as the estimated visual field angle) of the robot assumed by humans will be described below.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the eye structure of the robot apparatus 1 used in this experiment. In this robot apparatus 1, a cylindrical concave portion is formed at a position corresponding to a human "eye", and a CCD camera 203 is installed on the bottom surface of the concave portion. A lens 233 is fixed to the front surface of the CCD camera 203, and the lens 233 has a predetermined angle of view. Here, when the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1 is θ, the inner diameter of the concave section is r, and the depth of the concave section is a, the critical angle θ of the robot apparatus 1 is
It is calculated by the formula θ = 2 * ATAN (r / a) (ATAN means arc tangent). According to the above equation, the critical angle θ of the robot apparatus 1 is changed by changing the inner diameter r of the recess or the depth a of the recess.
Can be changed. Therefore, in this experiment, the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1 is changed by changing the depth a of the concave portion, and how the estimated viewing angle assumed by a human changes according to the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1. Find out.

As shown in FIG. 11, the change in the estimated viewing angle is examined by a person moving at points A to E around the robot apparatus 1. That is, the position at which a human moves around the robot apparatus 1 and feels that the person has left the field of view of the robot apparatus 1 is set as the estimated viewing angle of the robot apparatus 1.
The upper diagram of FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the appearance of the robot apparatus 1 when the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1 is 60 degrees. Here, since the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1 is set to 60 degrees, the lens 233 of the robot apparatus 1 becomes less visible as a person moves from the front of the robot apparatus 1. Then, when the human moves to the position of C in FIG. 11, that is, the critical angle, the lens 233 of the robot apparatus 1 becomes invisible. Further, the lower diagram of FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the appearance of the robot apparatus 1 when the depth a of the recess is 0 and the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1 is 180 degrees. Here, since the critical angle of the robot apparatus 1 is set to 180 degrees, FIG.
Even if the human moves to the position E, the human can see the lens 233 of the robot apparatus 1.

FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the estimated viewing angle and the critical angle. The critical angle and the estimated viewing angle have a critical angle of 1
The relationship of estimated viewing angle = critical angle holds until the angle reaches 20 degrees. Therefore, if the shape of the concave portion of the robot apparatus 1 is designed so that the angle of view of the lens 233 of the robot apparatus 1 matches the critical angle, the relationship of the angle of view of the lens 233 = estimated viewing angle is established, and the relationship between The field of view of the assumed robot apparatus 1 and the field of view of the actual robot apparatus 1 match.
Thus, the angle of view of the lens is equal to the estimated viewing angle,
When the shape of the concave portion of the robot apparatus 1 is determined, the human does not misunderstand the field of view of the robot apparatus 1, and the human and the robot apparatus 1 can smoothly communicate with each other.

In the graph of FIG. 13, the critical angle is 12
When the angle exceeds 0 degrees, the estimated viewing angle becomes constant, and the estimated viewing angle =
The relationship of the critical angle disappears, but this is a human viewing angle of 12
This is because it is around 0 degree, and when the critical angle exceeds 120 degrees, it is felt that the user has left the field of view.

Next, another specific example to which the present invention is applied will be described. As another specific example, as shown in FIG.
A lens 233 is attached to the front surface of the CD camera 203, and a cover 234 having the same opening angle as the angle of view of the lens 233 is attached around the lens 233. As described above, when the cover 234 having the same opening angle as the angle of view of the lens 233 is attached, the person cannot see the lens 233 until the person enters the space inside the cover 234. Therefore, the relationship of human estimated viewing angle = aperture angle is created, and further the relationship of estimated viewing angle = angle of view of the lens 233 is created. As described above, when the cover 234 having the same opening angle as the angle of view of the lens 233 is provided around the lens 233, the human's estimated viewing angle becomes the same as the angle of view of the lens 233, and the robot apparatus assumed by the human is assumed. The visual field of 1 and the actual visual field of the robot apparatus 1 match. As a result, the human does not misunderstand the field of view of the robot apparatus 1, and the human and the robot apparatus 1 can smoothly communicate with each other.

If the opening angle of the cover 234 in this example is widened, the cover 234 exists outside the viewing angle range of the lens 233. Therefore, even if the cover 234 is formed of a light guide member and the cover 234 emits light due to an LED or the like, the light emitted from the cover 234 is not incident on the CCD camera 203 and expresses the emotion of the robot apparatus 1. Therefore, even if the cover 234 around the eyes is illuminated, the light does not change the image captured by the CCD camera 203. The opening angle of the cover 234 is
It is suitable that the angle of view of the lens is wider by about 5 degrees.

FIG. 15 schematically shows the control system configuration of the robot apparatus 1. As shown in the figure, the robot device 1 performs a coordinated operation between the trunk unit 2, the head unit 3, the arm unit 4R / L, the leg unit 5R / L, which represent human limbs, and the respective units. And a control unit 10 that performs adaptive control for realizing the above.

The overall operation of the robot apparatus 1 is controlled by the control unit 10. Control unit 10
Is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or DRA
An interface (not shown) for exchanging data and commands between the main control unit 11 including main circuit components (not shown) such as M and a flash ROM, and the power circuit and each component of the robot apparatus 1. And the peripheral circuit 12 including.

In realizing the present invention, the installation place of the control unit 10 is not particularly limited. Although it is mounted on the trunk unit 2 in FIG. 15, it may be mounted on the head unit 3. Alternatively, the control unit 10 may be provided outside the robot apparatus 1 to communicate with the body of the robot apparatus 1 by wire or wirelessly.

The degree of freedom of each joint in the robot apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by an actuator corresponding to each joint. That is, the head unit 3 includes a neck joint yaw axis 101, a neck joint pitch axis 102, and a neck joint roll axis 10.
3, the neck joint yaw axis actuator A ₂ representing each of
A neck joint pitch axis actuator A ₃ and a neck joint roll axis actuator A ₄ are arranged.

Further, the head unit 3 is provided with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera for picking up an image of an external situation, and a distance sensor for measuring a distance to an object located in front, A microphone for collecting external sound, a speaker for outputting voice, a touch sensor for detecting the pressure received by the physical action of the user such as "stroking" or "striking" are provided. ing.

The trunk unit 2 includes a trunk pitch axis actuator A ₅ , a trunk roll axis actuator A ₆ , which expresses the trunk pitch axis 104, trunk roll axis 105, and trunk yaw axis 106, respectively. A trunk yaw axis actuator A ₇ is provided. Also, in the trunk unit 2,
The robot apparatus 1 is provided with a battery as a power source. This battery is composed of a chargeable / dischargeable battery.

The arm unit 4R / L is subdivided into an upper arm unit 4 ₁ R / L, an elbow joint unit 4 ₂ R / L, and a forearm unit 4 ₃ R / L. 107, shoulder joint roll axis 108, upper arm yaw axis 109, elbow joint pitch axis 110, forearm yaw axis 111, wrist joint pitch axis 112, wrist joint roll axis 113, respectively, shoulder joint pitch axis actuator A ₈ , shoulder joint roll An axis actuator A ₉ , an upper arm yaw axis actuator A ₁₀ , an elbow joint pitch axis actuator A ₁₁ , an elbow joint roll axis actuator A ₁₂ , a wrist joint pitch axis actuator A ₁₃ , and a wrist joint roll axis actuator A ₁₄ are provided.

The leg unit 5R / L is used for the thigh unit.
Knit 5₁R / L and knee unit 5 _TwoR / L and shin
Knit 5_ThreeAlthough it is subdivided into R / L, the hip joint yaw axis 11
5, hip pitch axis 116, hip roll axis 117, knee
Joint pitch axis 118, ankle joint pitch axis 119, ankle function
Hip joint yaw axis actuation expressing each of the knot roll axes 120
Player A₁₆, Hip joint pitch axis actuator
A₁₇, Hip joint roll axis actuator A₁₈,Knee joint
Pitch axis actuator A₁₉, Ankle joint pitch axis
Cheetah A₂₀, Ankle joint roll axis actuator A
₂₁Has been deployed. Actuator used for each joint
Data A_Two, A_ThreeIs more preferably a direct gear type
Motor unit with integrated servo control system in one chip
Small type AC servo actuator mounted inside
Can be composed of

For each mechanical unit such as the trunk unit 2, the head unit 3, each arm unit 4R / L, each leg unit 5R / L, etc., the sub-control units 20, 21, 22R / of the actuator drive control unit are provided. L, 23R / L are deployed. Furthermore, a ground contact confirmation sensor 30R / L that detects whether or not the sole of each leg unit 5R / L has landed is attached, and a posture sensor 31 that measures a posture is provided in the trunk unit 2. is doing.

The ground contact confirmation sensor 30R / L is composed of, for example, a proximity sensor or a micro switch installed on the sole of the foot. Further, the posture sensor 31 is composed of, for example, a combination of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor.

By the output of the ground contact confirmation sensor 30R / L, it is possible to determine whether each of the left and right legs is currently standing or swinging during an operation period such as walking or running. Further, the output of the posture sensor 31 can detect the inclination and posture of the trunk.

The main control section 11 uses the sensors 30R / L, 3
The control target can be dynamically corrected in response to the output of 1. More specifically, the sub control units 20, 21,
By performing adaptive control on each of 22R / L and 23R / L, it is possible to realize a whole-body movement pattern in which the upper limbs, the trunk, and the lower limbs of the robot apparatus 1 are cooperatively driven.

The whole body motion of the robot apparatus 1 on the body is
Foot control, ZMP (Zero Moment Point) trajectory, trunk movement, upper limb movement, waist height, etc. are set, and commands for instructing movements according to these setting contents are issued to the sub control units 20, 21, 22R. / L, 23R / L. The sub-control units 20, 21, ... Interpret the received commands from the main control unit 11 and output drive control signals to the actuators A ₂ , A ₃ ,. . The “ZMP” mentioned here is a point on the floor surface where the moment due to the floor reaction force during walking becomes zero, and the “ZMP trajectory” is, for example, the robot device 1
Means a locus of movement of the ZMP during the walking motion period. Regarding the concept of ZMP and the application of ZMP to the stability criterion of walking robots, see Miomir Vukobratovi.
c "LEGGED LOCOMOTION ROBOTS" (Ichiro Kato, "Walking Robot and Artificial Feet" (Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun)).

As described above, in the robot apparatus 1, each of the sub-control units 20, 21, ... Interprets the received command from the main control unit 11, and the respective actuators A ₂ , A ₃
A drive control signal is output to ... to control the drive of each unit. As a result, the robot apparatus 1 makes a stable transition to the posture of the eye target and can walk in a stable posture.

Further, in the control unit 10 in the robot apparatus 1, in addition to the attitude control as described above, various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a touch sensor, a ground contact confirmation sensor, image information from the CCD camera 203, and a microphone. The voice information etc. are centrally processed. In the control unit 10, although not shown, various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a touch sensor, a distance sensor, a microphone and a speaker, each actuator, CC
The D camera 203 and the battery are connected to the main control unit 11 via the corresponding hubs.

The main controller 11 sequentially takes in sensor data, image data, and audio data supplied from the above-mentioned sensors, and sequentially stores them in a predetermined position in the DRAM through the internal interface. Further, the main control unit 11 sequentially takes in the battery remaining amount data representing the battery remaining amount supplied from the battery, and stores this in the DRAM.
It is stored in a predetermined position inside. Each sensor data, image data, voice data, and battery remaining amount data stored in the DRAM are used when the main control unit 11 controls the operation of the robot apparatus 1.

The main controller 11 reads out the control program and stores it in the DRAM at the initial stage when the power of the robot apparatus 1 is turned on. In addition, the main control unit 11 uses the sensor data, the image data, the audio data, and the battery remaining amount data that are sequentially stored in the DRAM from the main control unit 11 as described above, based on the self and surrounding conditions and the user. Judging whether or not there are instructions and actions.

Further, the main control section 11 determines an action according to its own situation based on the result of this determination and the control program stored in the DRAM, and drives a necessary actuator based on the determined result. The robot apparatus 1 is caused to take actions such as so-called “gesture” and “hand gesture”.

In this way, the robot apparatus 1 can judge its own and surroundings based on the control program and can act autonomously in accordance with instructions and actions from the user.

By the way, the robot apparatus 1 can act autonomously according to the internal state. Therefore, a software configuration example of the control program in the robot apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 16, the device driver layer 40 is located at the lowest layer of the control program and is composed of a device driver set 41 consisting of a plurality of device drivers. In this case, each device
The driver is an object that is allowed to directly access hardware used in a normal computer such as the CCD camera 203 and a timer, and receives an interrupt from the corresponding hardware to perform processing.

The robotic server object 42 is located in the lowest layer of the device driver layer 40 and has access to hardware such as the above-mentioned various sensors and actuators A ₂ , A ₃ ... A virtual robot 43, which is a software group that provides an interface for operating, a power manager 44 that is a software group that manages switching of power supplies, and a device driver that is a software group that manages various other device drivers. A manager 45 and a designed robot 46 that is a software group that manages the mechanism of the robot apparatus 1.

The manager object 47 includes an object manager 48 and a service manager 49.
It consists of Object manager 48
Is a software group that manages activation and termination of each software group included in the robotic server object 42, the middleware layer 50, and the application layer 51, and the service manager 49.
Is a software group that manages the connection of each object based on the connection information between each object described in the connection file stored in the memory card.

The middleware layer 50 is located on the upper layer of the robotic server object 42 and is composed of a software group which provides basic functions of the robot apparatus 1 such as image processing and voice processing. There is. Further, the application layer 51 is located above the middleware layer 50, and the middleware layer 50
It is composed of a software group for determining the action of the robot apparatus 1 based on the processing result processed by each software group forming the layer 50.

Note that the specific software configurations of the middleware layer 50 and the application layer 51 are shown in FIG.

The middleware layer 50, as shown in FIG. 17, is for noise detection, temperature detection, brightness detection,
Each signal processing module 6 for scale recognition, distance detection, posture detection, touch sensor, motion detection, and color recognition
A recognition system 70 having 0 to 68 and an input semantics converter module 69, an output semantics converter module 78, and posture management, tracking, motion reproduction, walking, fall recovery, LED
Signal processing modules 71 to 77 for lighting and sound reproduction
And an output system 79 having the same.

Each signal processing module 60 of the recognition system 70
68 captures corresponding data of each sensor data, image data, and audio data read from the DRAM by the virtual robot 43 of the robotic server object 42, performs a predetermined process based on the data, The processing result is given to the input semantics converter module 69. Here, for example, the virtual robot 43 is configured as a portion that exchanges or converts a signal according to a predetermined communication protocol.

The input semantics converter module 69 detects "noisy", "hot", "bright", "ball detected", and "fall" based on the processing results given from the respective signal processing modules 60 to 68. The user's self and surroundings, such as "Yes", "Stabbed", "Struck", "I heard Domito's scale", "A moving object was detected", or "An obstacle was detected", and the user. It recognizes the command and the action from, and outputs the recognition result to the application layer 41.

The application layer 51 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the action model library 80, the action switching module 81, the learning module 82, the emotion model 83, and the instinct model 84 are composed of five modules.

In the behavior model library 80, as shown in FIG. 19, "when the battery level is low",
Corresponding to several preselected condition items such as "falling back", "avoiding obstacles", "expressing emotions", "detecting a ball", etc.
Each has an independent behavior model.

Each of these behavior models will be described later as necessary, when a recognition result is given from the input semantics converter module 69, or when a fixed time has passed since the last recognition result was given. As described above, each subsequent action is determined with reference to the corresponding emotional parameter value held in the emotion model 83 and the corresponding desire parameter value held in the instinct model 84, and the decision result is determined by the action switching module 81. Output to.

In the case of this embodiment, each action model is
As a method of determining the next action,
One node (state) NODE₀~ NODE_nFrom others
Throat node NODE₀~ NODE_nTo transition to each
Node NODE₀~ NODE _nArc A connecting between
RC₁~ ARC_n1The transition probability set for each
Rate P₁~ P_nFinite probability that is determined stochastically based on
It uses an algorithm called Tomaton.

Specifically, each behavior model is
NODE that forms the behavior model of the child₀~ NODE_n
To correspond to each of these nodes NODE₀~ NO
DE _nEach has a state transition table 90 as shown in FIG.
There is.

In this state transition table 90, the node NO.
Input events (recognition results) that are transition conditions in DE _{0 to} NODE _n are listed in order of priority in the column of “input event name”, and further conditions regarding the transition conditions are listed in the columns of “data name” and “data range”. It is described in the corresponding line.

Therefore, in the node NODE ₁₀₀ represented by the state transition table 90 of FIG. 21, "ball detection (B
ALL) ”is given, the“ size (SIZ) of the ball given together with the recognition result is given.
"E)" is in the range of "0 to 1000" and the recognition result of "obstacle detection (OBSTACLE)" is given, the "distance (DISTANCE) to the obstacle given together with the recognition result is given. ) ”Is in the range of“ 0 to 100 ”is a condition for transition to another node.

Further, in this node NODE ₁₀₀ , even if there is no recognition result input, the parameter values of each emotion and each desire held in the emotion model 83 and the instinct model 84 which the behavior model periodically refers to are stored. Among them, "Joy" held by emotion model 83,
When the parameter value of either "Surprise" or "Sadness" is in the range of "50 to 100", it is possible to transit to another node.

Further, in the state transition table 90, the node names that can transit from the nodes NODE _{0 to} NODE _n are listed in the row of “transition destination node” in the column of “transition probability to other node”, and “ Input event name ",
Other nodes that can be transitioned when all the conditions described in the "Data name" and "Data range" columns are met
The transition probabilities from DE _{0 to} NODE _n are respectively described in the corresponding places in the column of “probability of transition to other node”, and the action to be output when transitioning to the nodes NODE _{0 to} NODE _n is “other It is described in the row of “output action” in the column of “transition probability to node”. In addition, the sum of the probabilities of each row in the column of "probability of transition to other node" is 100.
It is [%].

Therefore, in the node NODE ₁₀₀ represented by the state transition table 90 of FIG. 21, for example, "ball is detected (BALL)", and the "SIZE" of the ball is in the range of "0 to 1000". If the recognition result that is, is given, there is a probability of "30 [%]"
ODE ₁₂₀ (node 120) ", at that time" A
The action of “CATION 1” will be output.

Each behavior model has nodes NODE ₀ to NO described as such a state transition table 90.
The DE _n are configured to be connected to each other, and when the recognition result is given from the input semantics converter module 69, the corresponding nodes NODE _{0 to} NDE _{0 to} N.
The next action is stochastically determined using the state transition table of ODE _n , and the determination result is output to the action switching module 81.

The action switching module 81 shown in FIG.
Among the actions output from the action models of the action model library 80, the action output from the action model having a predetermined high priority is selected, and a command to execute the action (hereinafter, action command That.)
To the output semantics converter module 78 of the middleware layer 50. In addition, in this embodiment, the lower the action model shown in FIG. 19, the higher the priority is set.

Further, the action switching module 81 notifies the learning module 82, the emotion model 83, and the instinct model 84 that the action is completed based on the action completion information given from the output semantics converter module 78 after the action is completed. .

On the other hand, the learning module 82 inputs the recognition result of the teaching received as an action from the user such as “struck” or “stroked” among the recognition results given from the input semantics converter module 69. To do.

Then, based on the recognition result and the notification from the action switching module 71, the learning module 82 lowers the probability of the action being expressed when "struck (scored)" and "stroked ( Praised) ”, the corresponding transition probability of the corresponding behavior model in the behavior model library 70 is changed so as to increase the occurrence probability of that behavior.

On the other hand, the emotion model 83 is "joy (Jo
y) ”,“ Sadness ”,“ Anger ”,
With respect to a total of 6 emotions of “Surprise”, “Disgust”, and “Fear”, a parameter indicating the strength of the emotion is held for each emotion. Then, the emotion model 83 gives specific recognition results such as “struck” and “stabbed” given from the input semantics converter module 69 to the parameter values of each emotion, the elapsed time and the action switching module 81. It is updated periodically based on notifications from

Specifically, the emotion model 83 is determined based on the recognition result provided from the input semantics converter module 69, the action of the robot apparatus 1 at that time, the elapsed time from the last update, and the like. The amount of change in emotion at that time calculated by the arithmetic expression is ΔE
[T], E [t] of the current parameter value of the emotion, the coefficient representing the sensitivity of the emotion as k _e, (1) the parameter value of the emotion in a next period by equation E [t +
1] is calculated, and this is used as the current parameter value E of the emotion.
The parameter value of the emotion is updated by replacing it with [t]. Further, the emotion model 83 updates the parameter values of all emotions in the same manner.

[0102]

[Equation 1]

The degree of influence of each recognition result and the notification from the output semantics converter module 78 on the variation amount ΔE [t] of the parameter value of each emotion is predetermined, and for example, “beating The recognition result such as “ta” is the variation amount ΔE of the parameter value of the emotion of “anger”
[T] has a great influence, and the recognition result such as “struck” is the variation amount ΔE of the parameter value of the emotion of “joy”.
It has a great influence on [t].

Here, the notification from the output semantics converter module 78 is so-called action feedback information (action completion information), which is information about the appearance result of the action, and the emotion model 83 is also based on such information. Change emotions. This is, for example, that the behavior level of anger is lowered by the action of "screaming". The notification from the output semantics converter module 78 is sent to the learning module 8 described above.
2 is also input, and the learning module 82 changes the corresponding transition probability of the behavior model based on the notification.

The feedback of the action result may be provided by the output of the action switching module 81 (action added with emotion).

On the other hand, the instinct model 84 is "exercise desire (exer
cise), “affection”, “appetite”
e) ”and“ curiosity ”independent of each other 4
For each desire, a parameter indicating the strength of the desire is held for each of these desires. And the instinct model 84
Update the parameter values of these desires periodically based on the recognition result given from the input semantics converter module 69, the elapsed time, the notification from the action switching module 81, and the like.

Specifically, the instinct model 84 determines the "motility", "love" and "curiosity" based on the recognition result, the elapsed time, the notification from the output semantics converter module 78, and the like. The variation amount of the desire at that time calculated by the arithmetic expression is ΔI [k], the current parameter value of the desire is I [k], and a coefficient k _i representing the sensitivity of the desire is set in a predetermined cycle (2). The parameter value I [k + 1] of that desire in the next cycle using the formula
Is calculated, and the calculation result is replaced with the current parameter value I [k] of the desire, and the parameter value of the desire is updated. Further, the instinct model 84 updates the parameter value of each desire except “appetite” in the same manner.

[0108]

[Equation 2]

The degree of influence of the recognition result and the notification from the output semantics converter module 78 on the variation amount ΔI [k] of the parameter value of each desire is predetermined, and for example, the output semantics converter is used. The notification from the module 78 has a great influence on the fluctuation amount ΔI [k] of the “tiredness” parameter value.

In this embodiment, each affect
And each desire (instinct) parameter value is 0 to 10
It is regulated to fluctuate within the range of 0, and
A few k _e, K_iThe value of is also set individually for each emotion and each desire.
Has been.

On the other hand, the output semantics converter module 78 of the middleware layer 50, as shown in FIG. 17, is "forward" and "pleasant" given from the action switching module 81 of the application layer 51 as described above. , An abstract action command such as “squeal” or “tracking (chasing the ball)” is given to the corresponding signal processing modules 71 to 77 of the output system 79.

Then, these signal processing modules 71 to 7
When an action command is given, 7 generates a servo command value to be given to a corresponding actuator to take the action, sound data of sound output from a speaker, and / or drive data given to the LED, based on the action command. Then, these data are sequentially transmitted to the corresponding actuator or speaker or LED via the virtual robot 43 of the robotic server object 42 and the signal processing circuit.

In this way, the robot apparatus 1 can perform an autonomous action according to its own (internal) and surrounding (external) situations, and instructions and actions from the user, based on the above-mentioned control program.

The control program as described above is provided via a recording medium recorded in a format readable by the robot apparatus 1. As a recording medium for recording the control program, a magnetic reading type recording medium (for example, a magnetic tape, a flexible disk, a magnetic card), an optical reading type recording medium (for example, CD-ROM, MO, CD-R, DV).
D) and the like are possible. The recording medium also includes a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory (so-called memory card (rectangular type, square type, or the like), IC card) or the like. Also,
The control program may be provided via the so-called Internet or the like.

These control programs are reproduced via a dedicated read driver device, a personal computer or the like, and transmitted to the robot device 1 by a wired or wireless connection to be read. Further, when the robot device 1 includes a drive device for a miniaturized storage medium such as a semiconductor memory or an IC card, the control program can be directly read from the storage medium.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific examples, and modifications and improvements within the scope including the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention. Here, the gist of the present invention is to narrow the range in which a human can visually recognize the “eye” of the robot device, and to match the range in which the human can visually recognize the “eye” of the robot device and the actual viewing angle of the robot device That is.

[0117]

As described in detail above, the robot apparatus according to the present invention is a robot apparatus that executes an autonomous operation based on external information, an external action, and / or an internal state. A range in which a human can visually recognize the “eye” of the robot apparatus by including an image pickup unit arranged at an apparent eye position to acquire external information and a shielding unit that limits a range in which the image pickup unit is visually recognized from the outside. Can be narrowed so that the range in which the eyes of the robot apparatus can be visually recognized matches the actual visual field of the robot apparatus.

As a result, communication between the human and the robot device can be carried out smoothly, and the entertainment property of the robot device can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a robot apparatus according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a degree-of-freedom configuration model of the robot apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a front appearance of a head unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a side surface appearance of a head unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a front appearance of the robot apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a side appearance of the robot apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of a fundus substrate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a visual field of a robot apparatus assumed by a human.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a critical angle formed by a recess.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an eye structure of the robot apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an experimental method for investigating the relationship between the estimated viewing angle and the critical angle.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an appearance of a robot apparatus having different critical angles.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a relationship between an estimated viewing angle and a critical angle.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an eye structure of a robot apparatus according to another specific example.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a robot apparatus.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of a robot apparatus.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a middle wear layer in the software configuration of the robot device.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an application layer in the software configuration of the robot device.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an application layer behavior model library.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a finite probability automaton that serves as information for determining the action of the robot device.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a finite probability automaton that serves as information for determining the behavior of the robot device.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an appearance of a conventional pet robot.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an appearance of a conventional pet robot.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an appearance of a conventional pet robot.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an appearance of a conventional humanoid robot.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 1 robot device, 203 CCD camera, 207 head exterior housing, 208 eye opening, 230 fundus substrate, 233 lens, 232 light guide member, 234 cover, a recess depth

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masaki Nagatsuka             2170 Omigawa, Omigawa-cho, Katori-gun, Chiba Prefecture             Knee Component Chiba Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H105 CC01                 3C007 AS36 CS08 KT03 KT04 MT04                       WA03 WA13 WC25                 5C022 AA01 AC42 AC77

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A robot apparatus for executing external information, an operation in response to an external action and / or an autonomous operation based on an internal state, and an image pickup unit arranged at an apparent eye position to acquire the external information. A robot apparatus comprising: a shielding unit that limits a range in which the imaging unit is visually recognized from the outside. 2. The shielding unit is provided so that a range in which the image pickup unit is visually recognized from the outside and a view angle of an image picked up by the image pickup unit are substantially coincident with each other. 1. The robot apparatus according to 1. 3. The shielding part is formed as a recess, the image pickup means is installed at the bottom of the recess, and the depth of the recess defines the visible range of the image pickup means. The robot apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The shielding portion is a tubular portion formed around the image pickup means, and a height of the tubular portion defines a visible range of the image pickup means. The robot apparatus according to claim 1. 5. The shielding portion is formed as a substantially conical member having an opening bottom face as an image pickup direction, and the image pickup means includes:
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the robot apparatus is installed at the apex of the conical member, and defines a range in which the image pickup means can be visually recognized by an apex angle of the conical member.