Patents by Inventor Bruno Maisonnier

Bruno Maisonnier has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9333651
    Abstract: A system and a method for editing and controlling actions of a mobile robot allowing for the creation and modification of behaviors and of motions both according to an event logic and according to a time logic, the latter controlling the event logic and thus allowing for the synchronization of the behaviors and motions of different robot subassemblies. The system is organized in behavior and motion layers including action sequences and a timeline. The actions can be programmed in boxes interconnected by signals which convey information. The boxes are organized in a hierarchical structure, the lowest level of which comprises a script that can be interpreted by a virtual robot which simulates the execution of the commands and, where appropriate, by a physical robot. The motions of the robot can also be controlled graphically by motion screens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS S.A
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jérôme Monceaux
  • Patent number: 9205557
    Abstract: A system and a method for generating behaviors of a robot capable of reproducing a script, notably according to the meaning of the script and, possibly, reactions of the environment of the robot. For this, the system is provided with a library of command tags and a module for inserting said tags into the editor of the script to be reproduced by the robot or robots. The system and method enable a user who does not have particular programming knowledge to produce complex scenarios for use of his or her robot. These scenarios can also be swapped between different users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics S.A.
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jérôme Monceaux
  • Publication number: 20150142170
    Abstract: A computer program and a system for controlling walking of a mobile robot, notably a humanoid robot moving on two legs. Conventionally, control was guided by driving a zero moment point. Such driving was performed within a fixed coordinate system connected to a progression surface and assumed knowledge of the characteristics of said surface and the creation of a provisional trajectory. Such driving encountered significant limitations due to the nature of the progression surfaces on which walking can effectively be controlled and an obligation to have a perfect knowledge of their geometry; and also in respect to the necessary computing power, and the appearance of the walk which bore little resemblance to an actual human walk. The invention overcomes such limitations by providing a walk which includes a pseudo-free or ballistic phase, an impulse phase imparted by the heel of the robot, and a landing phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Bruno MAISONNIER, Pascal LAFOURCADE, Alain BERTHOZ
  • Publication number: 20150129340
    Abstract: A spherical wheel intended to move a vehicle and a vehicle implementing the wheel are provided, the wheel having its rotation motorized by a shaft able to rotate about an axis. The wheel comprises two shells of which the surface follows the spherical surface of the wheel and each of which is bounded by a plane. The shells are each articulated by means of a pivot connection with respect to the shaft, an axis of each of the pivot connections being perpendicular to the plane of the relevant shell. The planes bounding the two shells are secant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Vincent Clerc
  • Publication number: 20150122073
    Abstract: A spinal column for a humanoid robot comprises a lower base to be fixed to a pelvis of the robot and an upper base to be fixed to a neck of the robot, the spinal column allowing two rotations of the upper base with respect to the lower base, a first being about a sagittal axis and a second being about a transverse axis. The column comprises a flexible rod and linear actuators, the rod being inset at a first of its ends at a point in a first of the bases and at least guided at a point in a second of the bases, the actuators both being anchored between the two bases at anchor points. For each of the bases, the anchor points of the two actuators and the point of insetting or guidance of the rod are distant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2013
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventor: Bruno Maisonnier
  • Patent number: 8997599
    Abstract: A motorized joint having two degrees of freedom in rotation connecting two elements is provided. The joint includes two pivot connections such that a first one of the pivot connections establishes a first pivot axis, and a second one of the pivot connections establishes a second pivot axis. The first pivot axis is not parallel to the second pivot axis. A first motor is disposed in fixed relation to a first one of the two elements and has a drive shaft aligned with a first drive axis so as to cause by means of a first speed reducer with parallel axes the two elements to rotate about the first pivot axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Pascal Lafourcade, Romain Fischesser
  • Patent number: 8965573
    Abstract: A computer program and a system for controlling walking of a mobile robot, notably a humanoid robot moving on two legs. Conventionally, control was guided by driving a zero moment point. Such driving was performed within a fixed coordinate system connected to a progression surface and assumed knowledge of the characteristics of said surface and the creation of a provisional trajectory. Such driving encountered significant limitations due to the nature of the progression surfaces on which walking can effectively be controlled and an obligation to have a perfect knowledge of their geometry; and also in respect to the necessary computing power, and the appearance of the walk which bore little resemblance to an actual human walk. The invention overcomes such limitations by providing a walk which includes a pseudo-free or ballistic phase, an impulse phase imparted by the heel of the robot, and a landing phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Pascal Lafourcade, Alain Berthoz
  • Patent number: 8942849
    Abstract: A humanoid robot equipped with an interface for natural dialog with an interlocutor is provided. Previously, the modalities of dialog between humanoid robots equipped moreover with evolved displacement functionalities and human beings are limited notably by the capabilities for voice and visual recognition processing that can be embedded onboard said robots. The present disclosure provides robots are presently equipped with capabilities to resolve doubt on a several modalities of communication of the messages that they receive and for combining these various modalities which make it possible to greatly improve the quality and the natural character of dialogs with the robots' interlocutors. This affords simple and user-friendly means for carrying out the programming of the functions making it possible to ensure the fluidity of these multimodal dialogs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jéröme Monceaux
  • Publication number: 20140327548
    Abstract: A system for surveillance of a pool containing a liquid such as water-comprises at least one first element comprising at least one submersible robot provided with standalone propulsion capabilities for propelling the robot in the pool, onboard of which robot is installed at least one sensor capable of producing at least one measurement of a quantity representative of at least one disturbance of the pool relative to a reference state, the first element being furthermore provided with communication capabilities for communicating, in the submerged position, with at least one second element, the system being configured to process, in processing means, the output of the at least one sensor and to trigger at least one action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Publication date: November 6, 2014
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Fabien Bardinet
  • Publication number: 20130218339
    Abstract: A humanoid robot equipped with an interface for natural dialog with an interlocutor is provided. Previously, the modalities of dialog between humanoid robots equipped moreover with evolved displacement functionalities and human beings are limited notably by the capabilities for voice and visual recognition processing that can be embedded onboard said robots. The present disclosure provides robots are presently equipped with capabilities to resolve doubt on a several modalities of communication of the messages that they receive and for combining these various modalities which make it possible to greatly improve the quality and the natural character of dialogs with the robots' interlocutors. This affords simple and user-friendly means for carrying out the programming of the functions making it possible to ensure the fluidity of these multimodal dialogs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jerome Monceaux
  • Patent number: 8447428
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of editing movements of a robot on the basis of computer equipment able to communicate with the robot, the method comprising steps in which: —a plurality of reference positions of the robot are generated; —at least one time sequence of positions is generated, the time sequence of positions comprising the plurality of reference positions, and transitional movements between two successive reference positions; and the robot is made interdependent with the displacement means included in the computer equipment and causing the displacement of the robot. The robot is a real robot and/or a virtual robot displayed on a screen of the computer equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics S.A.
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jèróme Monceaux
  • Publication number: 20120197436
    Abstract: A system and a method for generating behaviors of a robot capable of reproducing a script, notably according to the meaning of the script and, possibly, reactions of the environment of the robot. For this, the system is provided with a library of command tags and a module for inserting said tags into the editor of the script to be reproduced by the robot or robots. The system and method enable a user who does not have particular programming knowledge to produce complex scenarios for use of his or her robot. These scenarios can also be swapped between different users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jérôme Monceaux
  • Publication number: 20120197435
    Abstract: A computer program and a system for controlling walking of a mobile robot, notably a humanoid robot moving on two legs. Conventionally, control was guided by driving a zero moment point. Such driving was performed within a fixed coordinate system connected to a progression surface and assumed knowledge of the characteristics of said surface and the creation of a provisional trajectory. Such driving encountered significant limitations due to the nature of the progression surfaces on which walking can effectively be controlled and an obligation to have a perfect knowledge of their geometry; and also in respect to the necessary computing power, and the appearance of the walk which bore little resemblance to an actual human walk. The invention overcomes such limitations by providing a walk which includes a pseudo-free or ballistic phase, an impulse phase imparted by the heel of the robot, and a landing phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Pascal Lafourcade, Alain Berthoz
  • Publication number: 20120136481
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and a method for editing and controlling actions of a mobile robot. It notably allows for the creation and modification of behaviors and of motions both according to an event logic and according to a time logic, the latter controlling the event logic and thus allowing for the synchronization of the behaviors and motions of the different robot subassemblies. To this end, the system is organized in behavior and motion layers which comprise action sequences and a timeline. The actions can be programmed in boxes interconnected by signals which convey information. The boxes are organized in a hierarchical structure, the lowest level of which comprises a script that can be interpreted by a virtual robot which simulates the execution of the commands and, where appropriate, by a physical robot. The motions of the robot can also be controlled graphically by motion screens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jérôme Monceaux
  • Publication number: 20110218672
    Abstract: The invention relates to a robot comprising storage means designed to store at least one computer program which, when executed, causes the robot to act according to a particular behavior, characterized in that it comprises loading means able to load, from remote computer equipment, a computer program which, when executed, causes the robot to act according to a particular behavior, and saving means able to save the duly loaded computer program in said storage means. Said loading means are designed to transmit a load request to the remote equipment to initiate the loading of the computer program from the remote equipment. The robot comprises at least one memory for storing evolution parameters, and the loading means are also designed to transmit the request according to the evolution parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS S.A
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Fabien Bardinet
  • Publication number: 20110048158
    Abstract: The invention relates to a motorized joint with two pivot connections and to a humanoid robot which implements the joint. The joint comprises two pivot connections, the axes of which are not parallel, a first motor (20) which drives a first one of the two pivot connections by means of a first speed reducer (21), and a second motor (22) which drives a second one (17) of the two pivot connections by means of a second speed reducer (23). According to the invention, one of the two reducers (23) comprises a bevel gear (34) between the motor (22) and the pivot connection (17) which are associated by this reducer (23).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Pascal Alain Lafourcade, Romain Matthieu Pascal Fischesser
  • Publication number: 20100198403
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of editing movements of a robot (1, 6) on the basis of computer equipment (2) able to communicate with the robot, the method comprising steps in which:—a plurality of reference positions (10) of the robot are generated;—at least one time sequence of positions (9a, 9b) is generated, the time sequence of positions comprising the plurality of reference positions (10), and transitional movements (11) between two successive reference positions; and the robot is made interdependent with the displacement means (7a, 7b, 7c) included in the computer equipment and causing the displacement of the robot. The robot is a real robot and/or a virtual robot displayed on a screen of the computer equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: ALDEBARAN ROBOTICS S.A
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Jerome Monceaux
  • Patent number: D574404
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Aldebaran Robotics
    Inventors: Bruno Maisonnier, Thomas Knoll, Erik Arlen