EP0818283A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Robot apparatus
Assignee: Sony Corp
•
Filing: 1997-07-04
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-07-04
Abstract
Abstract In order to realize a robot apparatus which can be applied to a configuration including two or more separate groups of arbitrary component units (3A-3D, 4A-4D, 5, 6) combined into a complete assembly, and thus facilitate the architecture of a new form, the apparatus includes first storage means (16) for storing shape information for determining shapes of the component units, second storage means (16) for storing motion information required to describe motions of the component units, and third storage means (16) for storing characteristic information on electronic parts (15) contained in the component units. Detecting means (14) detect the coupling states of the respective component units, whereby a control means (10) can automatically recognize the entire structure and motion characteristics of the respective component units based on the detection results of the detecting means (14), thus making it possible to realize a robot apparatus which can be applied to a configuration including two or more separate groups of arbitrary component units combined into a complete assembly.
Inventors
- 👤 Masahiro c/o Sony Corporation Fujita
- 👤 Koji c/o Sony Corporation Kageyama
- 👤 Takyuki c/o Sony Corporation Sakamoto
- 👤 Naohiro c/o Sony Corporation Fukumura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 17:33
CPC Classifications
B; B25; B25J; B25J9/00; B25J9/16; B25J9/1615; B25J9/1617; B25J9/1602; B25J9/161; B25J13/00; B25J13/08; B25J19/00; B25J19/02; G; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/18; G05B19/414
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A robot apparatus composed of control means for
controlling the entire robot apparatus and a plurality of
component units each containing electronic parts including
an actuator and a sensor for measuring a predetermined
physical amount, said robot apparatus comprising: first storage means for storing shape information for
determining shapes of said component units; second storage means for storing motion information
required to describe motions of said component units; third storage means for storing characteristic
information on said electronic parts contained in said
component units; and detecting means for detecting coupling states of said
respective component units.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
83 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said shape information includes, when assuming a
predetermined coordinate system and coordinate axes for
said component units, coupling positions of said component
unit with one or more of the remaining component units, the
position of the center of rotation and the direction of
rotation on said coordinate system when said component unit
is rotated, and the position of the origin of a linear
motion on said coordinate system when said component unit
is linearly moved.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said motion information includes, when assuming a predetermined
coordinate system and coordinate axes for said component units, the
position of center of gravity for said component unit on the coordinate
system, mass of said component unit, and magnitude of rotation moment
of said component unit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said characteristic information on said electronic parts
includes a number corresponding to an indexed characteristic table
previously contained in said control means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
133 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: said detecting means comprising: first information detecting means for detecting, in order from
said component unit on a zeroth layer holding said control means,
information including said shape information on said component unit on
a first layer coupled to an arbitrary coupling position of said
component unit on the zeroth layer; and second information detecting means for detecting, when said
component unit on a layer other than an (L-1)th layer coupled to said
component unit on an Lth layer is said component unit on an (L+1)th
layer, information including said shape information on said component
unit on the (L+1)th layer coupled to an arbitrary coupling position of
said component unit on the Lth layer, where L is an integer equal to or
larger than zero.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means repeatedly checks the coupling states of
said respective component units at predetermined intervals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means detects the coupling states when said
respective component units have changed the coupling state.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 1, comprising display means for visually displaying said coupling states of
said respective component units based on outputs of said detecting
means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 8, comprising driving information output means for specifying a predetermined
one of said component units and for outputting information for driving
said specified component unit in a predetermined state, wherein said control means forces said corresponding component unit to
execute a specified operation based on an output of said driving
information output means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
160 words
A robot apparatus composed of one or a plurality of component
units, comprising: logical means for logically combining said component units in
accordance with a tree structure to configure one or more sites; goal generating means for forcing each of said sites to
independently generate a predetermined first action goal; input means for inputting a second action goal outputted from a
higher rank of said tree structure; selecting means for selecting one of said first and second
action goals from said first and second action goals; output means for outputting said first or second action goal
selected by said selecting means to a lower rank of said tree
structure; generating means for generating an action at a current time fror
said first or second action goal selected by said selecting means; and operation instruction generating means for generating an
operation instruction to an actuator for driving a corresponding one of
said component units from said action at the current time.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
100 words
A robot apparatus comprising: control means for controlling the entire robot apparatus; and a plurality of component units each containing electronic parts
including at least an actuator and/or a sensor for measuring a
predetermined physical amount, wherein each of said component units has storage means for storing a
conversion program for converting first data represented in a
predetermined data format commonly determined beforehand for each
function of said electronic parts by a control program used by said
control means for controlling said component units into second data
represented in a data format used by said electronic parts for each
function.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
60 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said storage means in said respective component units stores a
data structure representing characteristic information on at least said
electronic parts corresponding thereto, and an information reading
program for reading said data structure, which is common for all of
said electronic parts, representing the characteristic information on
at least said electronic parts.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
104 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said control means reads said conversion program and said
information reading program from said storage means of said component
units and reads said data structure based on said information reading
program, and then converts, based on said first program, first data
represented in a predetermined data format commonly determined
beforehand for each function of said electronic parts into second data
represented by a data format used by said electronic parts for each
function, and sends a control signal corresponding to said second data
to said electronic parts, in order to control operations of said
electronic parts.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
63 words
The robot apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said storage means of said respective component units stores
characteristic information on said electronic parts corresponding
thereto, shape information for determining the shape of said component
unit corresponding thereto, a data structure representing motion
information required to describe motions of said component unit
corresponding thereto, and an information reading program for reading
said data structure.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
JPS63241613A
Cited
JPH01296350A
Cited
WO1990006546A1
Cited
EP0400624A2
Cited
JPH054181A
Cited
JPH05245784A
Cited
US5428713A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.