Abstract: A remote controller enables a user to manipulate behavior of a robot so that the robot does not stray away from a given area and also avoids contact with an object. If a route designated by the user satisfies a stable movement requirement, a first command signal is transmitted from the remote controller to the robot. By doing so, it is possible to move the robot according to the designated route. On the other hand, if the route designated by the user does not satisfy the stable movement requirement, the first command signal is not transmitted from the remote controller to the robot. Therefore, it is possible to stop the robot from moving according to the designated route, and further to avoid the situation where the robot strays away from the designated region, or comes into contact with the object.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling a mobile robot having movement mechanisms and work mechanisms both connected to a body, a battery connectable to an external power supply through a charging connector, actuators powered by the battery to drive the mechanisms, and a controller for controlling an action of the movement mechanisms and the work mechanisms through the actuators, the controller comprises a connector connection determiner to determine whether the charging connector is connected to the external power supply and an action restrictor to restrict one of the actions of the movement mechanisms and the work mechanisms performed through the actuators when the external power supply is determined to be connected.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling a mobile robot having leg locomotion mechanisms for traveling and walking and work mechanisms both connected to a body, actuators for driving them, and a controller for controlling the operation of the locomotion mechanisms and work mechanisms by supplying the actuators with a control value calculated by multiplying a deviation between a detected value and a desired value by a gain and to control operation of a speech input/output unit to recognize a human voice inputted through a microphone and utter a generated response to the human voice from a speaker, the controller calculates the gain of the control value to be supplied to at least one of the actuators at a minimum value when controlling only the operation of the speech input/output unit.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling a mobile robot having movement mechanisms and work mechanisms both connected to a body, actuators for driving them, and a controller for controlling an action of the movement mechanisms and the work mechanisms through the actuators, the controller comprises a person detector to detect a person located in a vicinity of the robot, a position determiner to determine whether the position of the detected person is within a first range or a second range, and a regulator to regulate the actions of the movement mechanisms and the work mechanisms when the position of the detected person is determined to be within the first range or the second range.

Abstract: A control method for a legged mobile robot includes exercising a body of a robot such that a center of gravity of the robot obtains a momentum or the body obtains an angular momentum in a direction in which an object is to be moved while restraining a force from being applied to the object from the robot in a state wherein the robot opposes the object, and applying a force to the object from a hand of an arm body provided in the body of the robot so as to start moving the object in a state wherein the center of gravity has obtained the momentum or the body has an angular momentum. With this arrangement, when moving an object by a robot, a motion of the robot can be smoothly changed while preventing a significant change in ZMP before and after starting to move the object.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling a mobile robot having leg locomotion mechanisms for traveling and walking and work mechanisms both connected to a body, actuators for driving them, and a controller for controlling the operation of the locomotion mechanisms and work mechanisms by supplying the actuators with a control value calculated by multiplying a deviation between a detected value and a desired value by a gain and to control operation of a speech input/output unit to recognize a human voice inputted through a microphone and utter a generated response to the human voice from a speaker, the controller calculates the gain of the control value to be supplied to at least one of the actuators at a minimum value when controlling only the operation of the speech input/output unit.

Abstract: A target object detection server is a detection server which communicates by wireless to a detector which detects whether or not a target object exists within a surrounding area of the detector by means of a detection tag mounted on the target object. Furthermore, the target object detection server connects through a network with one or more receivers which are arranged in a surrounding area of the target object, and receives a radio wave transmitted from the detection tag. According to the target object detection server mentioned above, it is possible to increase reliability for detecting the target object more accurately.

Abstract: A gait generating system of a legged mobile robot is provided with a device for determining a desired trajectory of an external force to be applied to a robot 1, a device for determining a parameter of a desired gait (current time gait) for a predetermined period on the basis of a desired trajectory of an external force or the like, a device for determining a parameter of a virtual cyclic gait that follows the current time gait on the basis of the desired trajectory of the external force or the like, a device for correcting the current time gait parameter such that a body motion trajectory of the robot 1 of the current time gait converges to a body motion trajectory of the cyclic gait, and a device for sequentially determining an instantaneous value of the current time gait on the basis of the corrected current time gait parameter.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an autonomous moving robot capable of visibly showing the human an initial check result for a sound input means in the initial stage after the robot device is turned on and activated, and whether or not the input sound was normally recognized. The robot has ears 9a, 9b respectively comprising microphones 10a, 10b for external sound input, and LED displays 11a, 11b with a plurality of luminescent portions around the respective microphones. The luminescent portions of the LED displays 11a, 11b indicate the judgment of the initial check on whether or not the ears 9a, 9b (the microphones 10a, 10b and the LED displays 11a, 11b) are normally functioning when the robot is turned on and activated, by means of the lighting states of the displays.

Abstract: In a legged mobile robot control system having leg actuators each driving the individual legs and arm actuators each driving the individual arms, an external force acting on the right arm is detected, operation of the right arm actuators is controlled to produces a handshake posture, and operation of the leg actuators is controlled based on the detected external force acting on the right hand during handshaking, thereby improving communication capability by enabling it to shake hands with humans and to maintain a stable posture during the handshaking.

Abstract: In a control system of a legged mobile robot having a body and legs connected to the body and driven by a leg actuator, there is provided an operation controller which generates gaits based on an external force, more specifically gaits for walking by taking a hand of a human being or with the hand being taken by the hand of the human being and controls operation of at least the leg actuator based on the generated gaits. With this, it becomes possible to control the robot to come contact with a human being to establish communication therewith, while enabling to keep a stable posture during the contact.

Abstract: A target object detection apparatus for identifying a target object by using at least a camera and a wireless tag provided on the target object which exists outside of the target object detection apparatus, comprising: a target detector for reading a first identification information documented in the wireless tag; an image processor for extracting a first image information of the target object imaged by the camera; a personal identifier for identifying an imaged target object by comparing the first image information extracted by the image processor and a second image information specific to the target object; and an integration processor for determining a third identification information of the target object based on at least a second identification information identified by the personal identifier and the first identification information read by the target detector.

Abstract: A remote controller enables a user to manipulate behavior of a robot so that the robot does not stray away from a given area and also avoids contact with an object. If a route designated by the user satisfies a stable movement requirement, a first command signal is transmitted from the remote controller to the robot. By doing so, it is possible to move the robot according to the designated route. On the other hand, if the route designated by the user does not satisfy the stable movement requirement, the first command signal is not transmitted from the remote controller to the robot. Therefore, it is possible to stop the robot from moving according to the designated route, and further to avoid the situation where the robot strays away from the designated region, or comes into contact with the object.

Abstract: A target object detection server is a detection server which communicates by wireless to a detector which detects whether or not a target object exists within a surrounding area of the detector by means of a detection tag mounted on the target object. Furthermore, the target object detection server connects through a network with one or more receivers which are arranged in a surrounding area of the target object, and receives a radio wave transmitted from the detection tag. According to the target object detection server mentioned above, it is possible to increase reliability for detecting the target object more accurately.

Abstract: In an abnormality detection system of a mobile robot, it is configured such that it is self-diagnosed whether the quantity of state is an abnormal value, or whether at least one of the internal sensor, etc., is abnormal and when an abnormality is self-diagnosed, abnormality information is outputted, then the degree of abnormality is discriminated based on the outputted abnormality information and the robot is driven into a stable state in response to the discriminated degree of abnormality. With this, it becomes possible to effectively utilize the abnormality detection result. In addition, since the robot is driven into a stable state in response to the discriminated degree of abnormality, it becomes possible to render the driving appropriate.

Abstract: A gait generating system of a legged mobile robot is provided with a device for determining a desired trajectory of an external force to be applied to a robot 1, a device for determining a parameter of a desired gait (current time gait) for a predetermined period on the basis of a desired trajectory of an external force or the like, a device for determining a parameter of a virtual cyclic gait that follows the current time gait on the basis of the desired trajectory of the external force or the like, a device for correcting the current time gait parameter such that a body motion trajectory of the robot 1 of the current time gait converges to a body motion trajectory of the cyclic gait, and a device for sequentially determining an instantaneous value of the current time gait on the basis of the corrected current time gait parameter.

Abstract: In an abnormality detection system of a mobile robot, it is configured such that it is self-diagnosed whether the quantity of state is an abnormal value, or whether at least one of the internal sensor, etc., is abnormal and when an abnormality is self-diagnosed, abnormality information affixed with a time on which the abnormality occurred is outputted to be stored in an internal memory and in an external memory. With this, it becomes possible to improve the reliability of abnormality detection of the mobile robot and by storing the information affixed with a time on which the abnormality occurred, it becomes possible to ascertain accurately the course of events leading up to the abnormality. It is further configured such that in addition to a time on which the abnormality occurred, the information is stored in an external memory together with a parameter indicative of the quantity of state.

Abstract: A control method for a legged mobile robot includes exercising a body of a robot such that a center of gravity of the robot obtains a momentum or the body obtains an angular momentum in a direction in which an object is to be moved while restraining a force from being applied to the object from the robot in a state wherein the robot opposes the object, and applying a force to the object from a hand of an arm body provided in the body of the robot so as to start moving the object in a state wherein the center of gravity has obtained the momentum or the body has an angular momentum. With this arrangement, when moving an object by a robot, a motion of the robot can be smoothly changed while preventing a significant change in ZMP before and after starting to move the object.

Abstract: In a control system of a legged mobile robot having a body and legs connected to the body and driven by a leg actuator, there is provided an operation controller which generates gaits based on an external force, more specifically gaits for walking by taking a hand of a human being or with the hand being taken by the hand of the human being and controls operation of at least the leg actuator based on the generated gaits. With this, it becomes possible to control the robot to come contact with a human being to establish communication therewith, while enabling to keep a stable posture during the contact.

Abstract: A method of appropriately controlling functions of a moving body having a joint such as a robot in view of the content of an error detected in the functions of the moving body. A mode setting section (112) sets “a first mode” for halting first and second functions at least after the end of a starting period of the robot (200) in response to the detection of “a first error” by an error detecting section (111). The mode setting section (112) halts the first function at least after the end of the starting period in response to the detection of “a second error” by the error detecting section (111), while setting “the second mode” for adjusting control unit (100) or the like using the second function during the starting period. Furthermore, the mode setting section (112) sets “the third mode” for moving the robot (200) using the first and second functions in response to the detection of “a third error” by the error detecting section (111).