Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Robot control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-21
2002-11-12
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Robot control
C700S246000, C700S247000, C700S251000, C700S253000, C700S260000, C318S568100, C318S568110, C318S568120, C318S568160, C318S568170, C318S568200, C901S001000, C901S009000, C701S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06480761
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to intelligent movable robots which are freely movable along unlimited paths in operational areas. In particular, the present invention relates to a movable robot which is freely movable along an unlimited path in an operational area by using a rechargeable battery and without being restricted by an external power-source cable.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of controlling an electrical power for a movable robot which is freely movable along an unlimited path in an operational area so that the movable robot does not operate uncontrolled or tumble even when the remaining power of the battery becomes low at a position in the operational area.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mechanical apparatus, which performs movements similar to those of a human being by using electrical and/or magnetic effects, is called a “robot”. The term “robot” is said to be originated from a Slavic word “robota” which means a slave-machine. In Japan, the robots began to be widely used in the late 1960s, most of which were industrial robots, such as manipulators and transfer robots, serving for automated and unmanned manufacturing operations in factories.
A stationary robot, such as an arm-type robot which is fixed so as to be used in a particular place, is operated only in a limited small operational area such as for assembly and selection of component parts. On the other hand, a movable type robot can operate in an unlimited operational area, is movable along a predetermined or unlimited path, and performs a predetermined or any operation on behalf of human beings, so as to provide various wide services which replace for those offered by live bodies including human beings, dogs, and others. Particularly, a movable legged robot is superior to the other movable type robots, in that a flexible walking or traveling motion, such as ascending and descending steps and chairs and climbing over barriers, is possible regardless of the condition of walking or traveling area of the legged robot, although attitude control and movement control are difficult because the legged robot is instable compared with a crawler-type robot or a robot having tires.
Recently, studies have been advanced concerning legged robots including a pet-type robot which copies the physical mechanism and motions of four-legged animals, such as cats and dogs, and a “man-shaped” or “man-type” (humanoid) robot which is designed by using the physical mechanism and motions of two-legged lives, such as human beings, as models, and practical applications of these robots are more expected.
Most of the working and residential areas of the human beings are formed in accordance with the physical mechanism and operation patterns of the human beings which move by using two legs. In the residential area of the human beings, there are too many obstacles for existing mechanical systems which use wheels and the like as driving mechanisms for moving. The mechanical system, that is, a robot is preferably formed to have substantially the same range of movement as that of the human beings so that the robot can assist or substitute for the human beings in their operations and further penetrate into the human life. This is the reason why the practical use of legged robots is looked forward. It is indispensable for the robots to have shapes of the human beings so that the robots can be adapted to the human life.
The man-shaped robots perform various operations of industrial production activities and the like for the human beings, for example, maintenance operations for nuclear and thermal power generation plants and petrochemical plants, transfer and assembly operations for component parts in manufacturing plants, cleaning of high-rise buildings, and rescue works in sites of fires which are operations dangerous or difficult to the human beings to perform.
The man-shaped robots may be also used in a “symbiotic relationship” and for “entertainment”. In these types of use, the robots are characterized more in living together with the human beings than in assistance of the human life.
The robots described above are electric-motor-driven mechanical devices; therefore, the electrical supply to the devices is indispensable.
In a stationary robot such as an arm-type robot which is fixed so as to be used in a particular place, or in a movable robot of which the action radius or operation patterns are limited, the power can be supplied from a commercial AC power source via a power cable.
On the other hand, in an independent type robot which freely moves, the power supply from the commercial AC power source is not possible because the action radius of the robot is restricted by the power cable. Therefore, the movable robot is independently driven by a rechargeable battery. The battery-driven movable robot is independently movable in a residential area of the human beings or in various operational areas without considering physical restriction of the position of power sockets and the length of a power cable.
For example, in a mechanical device such as the man-shaped robot, which has a multidegree of freedom, that is, numbers of joint-actuators, of which the power consumption is great, a high-capacity and high-output battery is required for supplying an inrush current when starting actuators. Particularly, strong actuators are required for leg members, thereby consuming large power. Therefore, the weight of a battery increases so as to occupy 10 to 20% of the total weight of the robot, and, in turn, the increase of the weight causes greater consumption of the power. However, the robot is still preferably driven by a battery in order to be free from interference of legs of the robot with the power cable and restriction of the action radius due to a limited length of the power cable and to maintain the freedom of action of the robot.
A difficult point of a battery-driven mechanical device is a battery-charge operation. Particularly, although the movable robot is used as an automatic device or unmanned machine, charging operation cannot be automatically performed. The operation of battery replacement and connection to a power source for charging is a laborious work for users.
For example, when the man-shaped robot must suspend its operations so as to manually perform charging of the battery every time when the capacity of the battery decreases while the robot is assisting or substituting for the human beings in various occasions happening in a residential area, it cannot be said that the robot performs its roll as a partner of the human beings, but it must be said that the human beings serve as assistants to the robot.
In order to automate the battery-charging operation for movable robots, so-called a “charging station” is used. The charging station is an exclusive space for charging batteries of the movable robots.
A method of charging a battery of a battery-driven robot at a charging station, which freely moves along an unlimited path in an operational area, is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 11-308224, the right of which has been transferred to the assignee of the present invention, in which visible identification data are disposed in a predetermined position of the charging station, and a legged movable robot is provided with an imaging unit, a computing unit for computing the distance and direction of the charging station from the movable robot in accordance with a captured image, and a searching unit for making the movable robot to search the charging station in accordance with the result of computation by the computing unit. The legged movable robot can search the charging station by chasing the visible identification data by a camera, thereby automating the charging operation.
Another method of charging a battery of a movable robot at the charging station is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 11-366651, the right of which has been transferred to the assignee of the present invention, in which a legged movab
Koyama Osamu
Ueno Kenichiro
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Frommer William S.
Frommer & Lawrence & Haug LLP
Marc McDieunel
LandOfFree
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