Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOTORIZED HUMANOID ROBOT
The invention relates to a motorized humanoid robot which can in
particular be in a professional context or in a family context with the
possibility of interactions with children.
A humanoid robot should be understood to be a robot exhibiting
similarities with the human body. It may the top of the body, or only an
articulated arm ending in a clamp that can be likened to a human hand. In the
present invention, the top of the body of the robot is similar to that of a
human trunk. A humanoid robot can be more or less sophisticated. It can
control its own balance statically and dynamically and walk on two limbs,
possibly in three dimensions, or simply roll on a base. It can collect signais
from the environment (sound, sight, touch, etc.) and react according to one or
more more or less sophisticated behaviors, and interact with other robots or
human beings, either by speech, or by gestures. For a current generation of
humanoid robots, programmers are capable of creating scenarios, more or
less sophisticated, such as sequences of events for the robot and/or actions
performed by the robot. These actions can be conditional on certain
behaviors of people interacting with the robot.
For any mobile vehicle, and therefore also for a robot that is
capable of moving, it is very important to take account of the safety of the
mobile vehicle and of the elements of its environment. The safety of the robot
and of the elements of its environment particularly involves avoiding dropping
the robot, even if it is toppled over, in order not to damage the robot and/or
any element in its environment. Similarly, it is desirable for the robot not
to
fall on children. If is also essential to avoid any risk of pinching on
contact
with the robot. For example, if a person enters into contact with the robot
and
even if that person interacts with certain limbs of the robot, it is essential
to
avoid having the person, for example a finger of the person, pinched under
an arm of the robot. Finally, it is ideally desirable to address these safety
criteria as inexpensively as possible.
For any motorized robot desired to be mobile there is the issue,
during its design, of how to obtain the mobility. There are humanoid robots
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with two limbs similar to two legs. This solution is very complex to implement
and involves significant costs. Furthermore, this solution is unsatisfactory
from a point of view of safety since such a robot can easily be unbalanced
and fall if it is toppled or turned over, and remain on the ground without
necessarily having the capacity to rise up again. There are also humanoid
robots whose mobility is ensured by a pedestal comprising three wheels. This
solution, naturally stable in the static phases, is fairly costly and does net
exclude a risk of falling during the dynamic phases since the projected center
of mass can momentarily depart from the support triangle. There are also
mobility solutions with a pedestal c,omprising two wheels facing one another
based on the principles of the inverted pendulum. This solution offers the
advantage of being less costly than the solution with three wheels but is
absolutely flot safe. Indeed, in case of failure of the control members or of
the
active stabilization algorithms, a robot provided with such a mobility
solution
can fall, be damaged and possibly injure a person situated in its environ
ment.
There are finally systems with a single point of contact on the ground, driven
on three axes by ball friction (robots of ballbot type), based also on the
principle of inverted pendulua. For the same reasons as in the preceding
case, in case of failure of the control members or of the active stabilization
algorithms, such robots provided with such a mobility solution can fall, be
damaged and possible injure a person situated in their environments. The
patent application FR2820985 describes an interactive mobile toy with
spontaneous recovery but the configuration of its two wheels facing one
another does not resolve the damping of the inpacts. Indeed, the
spontaneous recovery is ensured in a front to back movement, but a lateral
toppling can make it fall in which case the toy is net able to directly
recover.
Once tilted to the side, the toy rolls slightly so as to assume the position
stretched out on its back, to allow it to recover. The result thereof is that,
upon a lateral impact, the robot is unable to damp the impact. On entering
into collision with an abject upon a laterel impact, the object receives the
effect of a blow since such a toy is net able to tilt evenly and continuously
se
as to minimize the forces perceived by the object.
The invention aims to overcome all or some of the problems cited
above by proposing an anti-pinching motorized humanoid robot, of specific
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form and of a weight distribution which are such that it recovers
spontaneously whatever the angle of inclination which is imposed on it and
whatever the direction in which the robot is inclined.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a motorized humanoid
robot having a positioning axis extending along a reference axis in a
reference position and capable of moving on a horizontal plane, comprising:
= a first wheel and a second wheel in contact with the horizontal plane,
the first wheel having a first center and the second wheel having a
second center,
= a motorization unit intended to rotationally drive the first and second
wheels, so that the robot moves on the horizontal plane,
characterized in that the robot comprises a base having a warped surface
which, in a vertical plane passing through the first center of the first wheel
and the second center of the second wheel, extends on either side of each of
the first and second wheels, the warped surface being able to form, at any
point of the warped surface, a first point of contact with the horizontal
plane,
defining, for any first point of contact, a center of rotation, and in that
the
robot is configured in such a way that the center of rotation and the center
of
gravity of the robot are offset so as to generate a torque tending to return
the
robot from any position in which its positioning axis forms a non-zero angle
with the reference axis to the reference position.
According to one embodiment, the first wheel having a first rolling
surface and the second wheel having a second rolling surface, the base is
substantially ellipsoid of center 0, the first rolling surface coincides
substantially with the perimeter of a first section of the base and the second
rolling surface coincides substantially with the perimeter of a second section
of the base, the first and second rolling surfaces protruding from the base,
so
that the robot has a ground clearance greater than or equal to zero.
Advantageously, the warped surface and the rolling surfaces are
configured to allow, at any point of the warped surface, a return of the robot
from any position in which its positioning axis forms a non-zero angle with
the
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reference axis to the reference position by following the shortest path on the
warped surface.
According to another embodiment, the first wheel being in contact
with the horizontal plane at a second point of contact and having a first
outer
point diametrically opposite the second point of contact and the second
wheel being in contact with the horizontal plane at a third point of contact
and
having a second outer point diametrically opposite the third point of contact,
the distance between the second and third points of contact is less than the
distance between the first and second outer points.
According to another embodiment, the robot comprises a top part
positioned on the base and a first articulation linking the top part to the
base,
and the first articulation has at least one degree of freedom in rotation
about
the positioning axis relative to the base.
Advantageously, the robot comprises at least one upper limb and
a second articulation linking the at least one upper limb to the top part, and
the second articulation has at least one degree of freedom in rotation
relative
to the top part.
Advantageously, the top part comprises:
= a thorax, the first articulation linking the thorax to the base,
= a head and a third articulation linking the head to the thorax, and the
third articulation has a degree of freedom in rotation about the positioning
axis relative to the thorax.
Advantageously, the second articulation links the at least one
upper limb to the thorax, and the second articulation has at least one degree
of freedom in rotation relative to the thorax.
According to another embodiment, the motorization unit is
configured to drive the first and second wheels in a differential manner.
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According to another embodiment, the robot comprises a
motorized counterweight intended to move the center of gravity of the robot
within the base.
5 Advantageously,
the at least one upper limb comprises a flexible
zone capable of facing the base or the top part.
According to another embodiment, the robot is configured so as to
translate the first wheel along an axis passing through a diameter of the
first
wheel and the second wheel along an axis passing through a diameter of the
second wheel.
The invention will be better understood and other advantages will
become apparent from reading the detailed description of an embodiment
given by way of example, the description being illustrated by the attached
drawing in which:
- figures la, lb, 1 c and 1 d schematically represent several
possible configurations of a humanoid robot according to the invention,
- figures 2a and 2b schematically represent several possible
configurations of an ellipsoid base for a humanoid robot according to the
invention,
- figure 3 represents, seen from the front, a humanoid robot
according to the invention,
- figure 4 schematically represents lateral movements of the
humanoid robot according to the invention,
- figure 5 schematically represents front to back movements of
the humanoid robot according to the invention,
- figure 6 highlights the anti-pinching features of the humanoid
robot according to the invention in zones prone to pinching,
- figure 7 illustrates the capacity of the humanoid robot according
to the invention to vary its ground clearance.
In the interests of clarity, the same elements will bear the same
references in the different figures.
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Figures la, lb, 1 c and 1 d schematically represent several
possible configurations of a humanoid robot according to the invention. The
humanoid robot 10 is motorized and has a positioning axis 11 extending
along a reference axis 12 in a reference position as represented in figure la.
The robot 10 is able to move on a horizontal plane 13 and it comprises a first
wheel 14 and a second wheel 15 in contact with the horizontal plane 13, the
first wheel 14 having a first center and the second wheel 15 having a second
center, a motorization unit 16 intended to rotationally drive the first and
second wheels 14, 15 so that the robot moves on the horizontal plane.
According to the invention, the robot 10 comprises a base 17 having a
warped surface 18 which, in a vertical plane passing through the first center
of the first wheel 14 and the second center of the second wheel 15, extends
on either side of each of the first and second wheels 14, 15, the warped
surface 18 being able to form, at any point of the warped surface, a first
point
of contact 19 with the horizontal plane 13, defining, for any first point of
contact 19, a center of rotation 0, and the robot 10 is configured in such a
way that the center of rotation 0 and the center of gravity G of the robot 10
are offset so as to generate a torque tending to return the robot 10 from any
position around the base 17 in which its positioning axis 11 forms a non-zero
angle 20 with the reference axis 12 (as illustrated in figure lb) directly to
the
reference position, the positioning axis 11 sweeping the angle 20 until it
coincides with the reference axis 12. In other words, the robot 10 can be
inclined such that its positioning axis 11 is in a cone whose vertex is the
point
of contact between the base 17 and the horizontal plane 13 and whose cane
base is parallel to the horizontal plane 13. The angle 20 between the
positioning axis 11 and the reference axis 12 can lie between 0 and 90 ,
within the limit possible according to the form of the base 17. The
positioning
axis 11 of the robot 10 can be inclined for example by 450 relative to the
reference axis 12.
In other words, the positioning axis 11 and the reference axis 12
form a plane and the torque generated tends to return the robot 10 tram any
possible position at 360 around the base 17 to the reference position 12, the
positioning axis 11 being moved in the plane formed by the two axes until it
coincides with the reference axis 12.
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Thus, when the robot 10 has been inclined, the reaction of the
horizontal plane 13 and of the weight of the robot form a torque which returns
the robot 10 into its reference position. This torque depends on the distance
between the center of rotation 0 and the center of gravity G of the robot 10,
the center of gravity G being always situated between the horizontal plane 13
and the plane parallel to the horizontal plane 13 containing the center of
rotation O. Also, this torque allows the robot 10 a spontaneous recovery of
the robot, whatever the angle of inclination which has been imposed on it and
whatever the direction in which the robot 10 has been inclined. This recovery,
or return to the stable position of equilibrium, is due solely to the action
of
gravity applied to the physics of solids and is in no case active or the
result of
a mechanical action driven by an algorithm, and therefore takes place without
electronic or computing intervention, rendering the platform intrinsically
stable.
As represented in figures la, lb, 1 c, the wheels 14, 15 can be
parallel to one another or not. Figure 1 d illustrates the fact that the base
17
can have any form. One condition necessary to the invention is that the base
17 has a warped surface 18 forming a point of contact 19 with the horizontal
plane 13 and that the distance between the center of rotation of the base 17
at this point of contact 19 and the center of gravity G of the robot 10 is
such
that a return torque is formed, that is to say a torque tending to return the
robot 10 from any position into its reference position. The result thereof is
that the robot 10 can be toppled for example forward or backward, but also
laterally in any direction. In this case, the robot 10 is in the so-called
tilted
position. In other words, its positioning axis 11 forms a non-zero angle 20
with the vertical axis 12 and the torque generated by virtue of the offset
between the center of gravity G of the robot 10 and of the center of rotation
0
locally relative to the point of contact 19 tends to return the robot 10 to
the
reference position, that is to say the positioning axis 11 coinciding with the
reference axis 12.
It should be noted that the reference axis 12 is represented as
being the axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane 13. The invention applies
also for any reference axis 12 not perpendicular to the horizontal plane 13.
lndeed, depending on the configuration of the robot 10, it is perfectly
possible
=
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to position the center of gravity G of the robot 10 in such a way that the
robot
is in the inclined position relative to the vertical in the reference
position.
This effect can be obtained for example through the form of the robot 10
and/or by adding a counterweight in the base 17 of the robot 10. Said
5 counterweight can advantageously be motorized in the space to dynamically
change the inclination of the reference axis.
It should also be noted that while the description talks of
movement of the robot 10 on a horizontal plane 13, the robot 10 is capable of
moving on any plane, horizontal or inclined.
10 Figures 2a and
2b schematically represent several possible
configurations of an ellipsoid base 17 for a humanoid robot according to the
invention. The first wheel 14 has a first rolling surface 24 and the second
wheel 15 has a second rolling surface 25. In figures 2a and 2b, the base 17
is substantially ellipsoid of center O. The first rolling surface 24 coincides
substantially with the perimeter of a first section of the base 17 and the
second rolling surface 25 coincides substantially with the perimeter of a
second section of the base 17, the first and second rolling surfaces 24, 25
protruding from the base 17, such that the robot has a ground clearance
greater than or equal to zero. The substantially ellipsoid base 17 includes
any
base having a surface of revolution like an ovoid, but also like a spheroid.
Such a base 17 offers the advantage of allowing the robot 10 to have, in ail
the directions and whatever the angle that its positioning axis 11 forms with
the reference axis 12, a point of contact 19 with the horizontal plane 13, and
a center of rotation 0 associated with this point of contact, and such that
the
center of rotation 0 and the center of gravity G of the robot 10 are offset so
as to generate a torque tending to return the robot 10 from this position to
the
reference position. It can clearly be seen that the angle between its
positioning axis 11 and the reference axis 12 can reach 90 and that the
robot according to the invention having such a base recovers spontaneously
because of the offset between the points 0 and G. Similarly, if the angle
between its positioning axis 11 and the reference axis 12 exceeds 90 , the
return to the stable position of equilibrium remains possible as long as the
rolling surface remains ellipsoid or spheroid.
The fact that the first rolling surface 24 coincides substantially with
the perimeter of a first section of the base 17 means that the outer surface
of
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the first wheel 14 is substantially the same as the surface of the base 17 at
this point of the base 17. More specifically, the rolling surface 24 is in the
continuity of the surface of the base 17 on the top part of the base 17, as
represented in figure 2a. In other words, there is no open space between the
rolling surface 24 and the base 17, in the interests of safety, for example to
avoid any pinching of a finger between the wheel 14 and the base 17. The
same applies for the wheel 15 and the rolling surface 25. In the bottom part
of the base 17, the rolling surface 24, just like the rolling surface 25,
extends
substantially from the outline of the base 17 in order to ensure a certain
ground clearance for the robot 10. The rolling surfaces 24 and 25 must
therefore extend from the bottom part of the base 17 to ensure an
appropriate ground clearance, that is to say corresponding to the curvature of
the bottom part of the base 17 between the two wheels 14, 15. Moreover, it is
shrewd practice for the rolling surfaces 24 and 25 not to extend tao far from
the bottom part of the base 17 in order for the robot 10 not to lose its
naturel
stability. Indeed, if the robot 10 has wheels 14, 15 whose rolling surfaces
24,
extend too clearly from the bottom part of the base 17, a simple lateral
impact can make it fall without the possibility of reverting to its reference
position. Furthermore, the wheels 14, 15 and the rolling surfaces 24, 25 are
20 advantageously configured sa as not to prevent the spontaneous recovery
of
the robot 10. The warped surface 18 and the rolling surfaces 24, 25 are
configured to allow, at any point of the warped surface 18, a return of the
robot 10 from any position in which its positioning axis 11 forms a non-zero
angle 20 with the reference axis 12 to the reference position by following the
25 shortest path on the warped surface 18. In other words, whatever the
angle
20, in ail the directions, to 360 around the reference axis 11, the robot 10
can spontaneously recover from its tilted position to its reference position.
Even after a lateral impact, the robot 10 recovers directly following the
shortest path on the warped surface 18 by exceeding the protuberance of the
wheel 14 or 15.
Since the rolling surfaces 24, 25 extend from the bottom part of
the base 17 and they are, at ail points, outside the outline of the base 17,
they can also ensure the raie of damper in case of impact with an element of
its environment. For example, if the robot 10 is directed toward a wall, the
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rolling surfaces 24, 25 corne first into contact with the wall and ensure the
bumper function. Similarly, these rolling surfaces 24 and 25 entering first
into
contact with a tread, make it possible to climb the tread. These surfaces can
then be sculpted in order to improve the capacity for adherence on the edge
5 of the tread and therefore the traversing capability of the robot.
The first wheel 14 is in contact with the horizontal plane 13 at a
second point of contact 34 and has a first outer point 44 diametrically
opposite the second point of contact 34 and the second wheel 15 is in
10 contact with the horizontal plane 13 at a third point of contact 35 and
has a
second outer point 45 diametrically opposite the third point of contact 35.
Here, wheels of circular form are considered. The invention applies also to
the case of wheels of elliptical form in which case the diameter should be
understood to be one of the axes of the ellipse and the diametrically opposite
points should be understood to be the two points situated on the wheel each
at one end of one of its axes.
Advantageously, the distance between the second and third points
of contact 34, 35 is less than the distance between the first and second outer
points 44, 45. As shown in figure lb, the invention applies also to the case
where the distance between the second and third points of contact 34, 35 is
greater than the distance between the first and second outer points 44, 45.
Nevertheless, the fact that the distance between the second and third points
of contact 34, 35 is less than the distance between the first and second outer
points 44, 45 guarantees a return to the reference position after a toppling
of
the robot 10 whatever the direction: front, rear or to the side.
Figure 3 represents, seen from the front, a humanoid robot 50
according to the invention. The motorized humanoid robot 50 comprises a
top part 51 positioned on the base 17 and a first articulation 52 linking the
top
part 51 to the base 17. The first articulation 52 has at least one degree of
freedom in rotation about the positioning axis 11 relative to the base 17.
The motorized humanoid robot 50 according to the invention
comprises at least one upper limb 61 and a second articulation 62 linking the
upper limb 61 to the top part 51. The second articulation 62 has at least one
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degree of freedom in rotation relative to the top part 51. The second
articulation 62 can allow the upper limb 61, that can be likened to an arm, to
be set in motion from a substantially vertical position along the base 17 to a
substantially vertical position, arm extended forward or backward, or to a
vertical position, arm extended upward. The second articulation 62 can also
allow the upper limb 61 to be rotationally mobile relative to the top part 51,
the upper limb 61 extending away from the base 17 in a plane containing the
positioning axis 11 and the upper limb 61. The second articulation 62 can
have several degrees of freedom in rotation relative to the top part 51, in
which case the upper limb 61 is able to be set in motion according to a
combination of several rotations.
The robot 50 according to the invention can comprise a second
upper limb, or even several others. The presence of two upper limbs
contributes more to the humanoid nature of the robot 50.
The top part 51 can comprise a thorax 53. In this case, the first
articulation 52 links the thorax 53 to the base 17, in such a way that the
thorax is rotationally mobile about the positioning axis 11 relative to the
base
17. The top part 51 can also comprise a head 54. In this case, a third
articulation 55 links the head 54 to the thorax 53, and the third articulation
55
has a degree of freedom in rotation about the positioning axis 11 relative to
the thorax 53. Thus, the head 54 is rotationally mobile about the positioning
axis 11 relative to the thorax 53, which is itself rotationally mobile about
the
positioning axis 11 relative to the base 17.
The second articulation 62 can link the upper limb 61 to the thorax
53, and have at least one degree of freedom in rotation relative to the thorax
53. This configuration can for example allow the robot 50, when it moves
around using its wheels 14, 15 driven by the motorization unit 16, to rotate
its
thorax 53 so that its upper limb 61 (or its upper limbs if there are two
thereof,
one on each side of the thorax 53) to be positioned in front of it along the
base 17 (and behind it along the base 17 for the second upper limb) in order
to reduce its lateral bulk and allow the robot 50 to be able to pass between
two elements of its environment spaced apart by a distance lying between
the width of its base 17 and the overall width of the robot 50, upper limb(s)
included.
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The upper limb 61 can comprise a flexible zone 63 that can be
facing the base 17 or the top part 51. The flexible zone 63 has an anti-
pinching role. Indeed, if an object or a body part of a human being is located
between the upper limb 61 and the base 17 and/or the top part 51 and the
upper limb 61 moves closer to the base 17 and/or the top part 51, the flexible
zone 63 is deformed to avoid the pinching or the crushing of the object or of
the body part.
In the case of a robot 50 with at least two upper limbs 61, the
flexible zone 63 on each of the upper limbs can have a gripping role. For
example, the robot 50 is capable of placing its two upper limbs 61 in front of
it
because of the degree of freedom of the second articulations 62, as
explained previously. By bringing its two upper limbs 61 closer to one
another, the flexible zone 63 of one facing the flexible zone 63 of the other,
an object can be positioned between the two upper limbs 61 and held by
pressure of the two upper limbs 61, the flexible zones 63 being deformed on
contact with the object without damaging it.
The motorization unit 16 can be configured to drive the first and
second wheels 14, 15 differentially. It can for example comprise a set of
pinions or a differential gear to allow the two wheels 14, 15 to rotate at a
different speed, or else two motors, each associated with one wheel, coupled
to a computer making it possible to control the two motors as a function of
the desired trajectories of the robot. The differential driving of the two
wheels
14, 15 thus allows the robot to have movennents which are not necessarily
linear. It is also possible for it to revolve around itself, by having one of
the
two wheels turn and flot the other, or to rotate on itself by having its two
wheels rotate in opposite directions.
Moreover, the motorized humanoid robot according to the
invention can comprise a motorized counterweight intended to move the
center of gravity G of the robot 50 within the base 17. The counterweight can
assume different positions using a motor, which can possibly be a motor of
the motorization unit 16. Depending on the position of the counterweight, the
center of gravity G of the robot 50 can change position in the base 17. This
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can result in a change in the reference position of the robot. For example, a
robot 50 having a vertical reference axis can have a reference axis inclined
by several degrees relative to the vertical after the movement of the
motorized counterweight, and vice versa. The possibility of movement of the
center of gravity of the robot is in particular advantageous when the robot
grasps an object between its two upper limbs 61 as explained previously. For
example, by grasping a water bottle, because of the weight of the water
bottle, the robot, for example initially in the vertical reference position,
will
naturally be inclined. In other words, its positioning axis then forms a non-
zero angle with its reference axis. By virtue of the motorized counterweight,
the center of gravity of the robot is moved within the base 17 and the
positioning axis 11 of the robot with the water bottle can then be
repositioned
so as to coincide with its initial reference axis.
Figure 4 schematically represents possible lateral movements of
the humanoid robot 50 according to the invention. The robot 50 being
configured so that the center of rotation 0 and the center of gravity G of the
robot 50 are offset so as to generate a torque tending to return the robot 50
from a position in which its positioning axis 11 forms a non-zero angle 20
with the reference axis 12 to the reference position. In figures 4 and 5, at a
given instant, the robot 50 is in a position in which its positioning axis 11
forms a non-zero angle 20 with the reference axis 12, for example following a
force which has been applied to it laterally. The offset between points 0 and
G will cause a return torque to be generated to return the robot 50 to its
reference position, that is to say to return its positioning axis 11 along the
reference axis 12. In this returning to the reference position, the robot 50
may
oscillate about the reference axis 12, until if is in the position of balance,
its
positioning axis 11 coinciding with its reference axis 12.
Figure 5 schematically represents possible forward and backward
movements of the humanoid robot 50 according to the invention, similarly to
the lateral movements of the robot 50 of figure 4. It is important to note
that,
by virtue of the warped surface 18 of the base forming, at any point of the
warped surface 18, a first point of contact 19 with the horizontal plane 13,
and by virtue of the substantially ellipsoid base 17 containing the outline of
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the wheels 14, 15, the motorized robot 50 can have this reciprocating
movement laterally, from front to back but also in any direction around the
robot 50. The maximum possible amplitude, that is to say the maximum
angle between the positioning axis 11 and the reference axis 12, can reach a
value of 1800, provided that the form of the base 17 pernnits it.
Figure 6 highlights the anti-pinching features of the humanoid
robot 50 according to the invention in zones prone to pinching. As already
mentioned, the first rolling surface 24 coincides substantially with the
perimeter of a first section of the base 17, which means that the outer
surface
of the first wheel 14 is substantially the same as the surface of the base 17
at
this point of the base 17. More specifically, the rolling surface 24 is in the
continuity of the surface of the base 17 on the top part of the base 17. There
is therefore no open space between the rolling surface 24 and the base 17, in
the interests of safety, particularly to avoid any pinching of a finger
between
the wheel 14 and the base 17. The same applies for the wheel 15 and the
rolling surface 25.
The third articulation 55 linking the head 54 to the thorax 53 is
advantageously positioned in the robot 50. The head 54 and the thorax 53
each have a contact surface complementing one another, so that no space is
present between the head 54 and the thorax 53. Thus, the head 54 is
rotationally mobile relative to the thorax 53 without the risk of pinching of
a
finger or of an object of small size between the head 54 and the thorax 53.
Similarly, the second articulation 62 linking the upper limb 61 to
the top part 51 (at the level of the thorax 53 in figure 6) allows the upper
limb
61 to be rotationally mobile relative to the thorax 53 while avoiding any risk
of
pinching at the second articulation 62.
Finally, the flexible zone 63 facing the base 17 or the top part 51
has an anti-pinching role. Any object or body part of a human being
positioned between the upper limb 61 and the base 17 (and/or the top part 51
if the upper limb is in the raised position) can risk, without the presence of
the
flexible zone 63, being crushed or pinched if the upper limb 61 moves closer
to the base 17 (and/or the top part 51 if the upper limb is in the raised
position). Since the zone 63 is flexible, in the case where the upper limb 61
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moves closer against the base 17, the flexible zone 63 is deformed to avoid
the pinching or the crushing of the object or of the body part.
Figure 7 illustrates the capacity of the humanoid robot 50
5 according to the invention to vary its ground clearance. In the bottom part
of
the base 17, the rolling surface 24, just like the rolling surface 25, extends
substantially from the outline of the base 17 in order to ensure a certain
ground clearance for the robot 10. The rolling surfaces 24 and 25 must
therefore extend from the bottom part of the base 17 to ensure a suitable
10 ground clearance, that is to say corresponding to the curvature of
the bottom
part of the base 17 between the two wheels 14, 15. As represented in
figure 7, the motorized humanoid robot 50 according to the invention can be
configured in such a way as to be able to translate the first wheel 14 along
an
axis 74 passing through a diameter of the first wheel 14 and the second
15 wheel 15 along an axis 75 passing through a diameter of the second wheel
15. By thus translating the wheels 14 and 15, the ground clearance of the
robot 50 is increased. This configuration can allow the robot 50 to cross an
obstacle of small size by moving over it, without the base 17 entering into
contact with the obstacle. More generally, this configuration allows the robot
50 to move around on any type of terrain, notably outside on a lawn or a
terrace whose covering is flot perfectly uniform. The capacity of the robot 50
to translate its wheels 14, 15 can allow it to cross obstacles of stair tread
type. In effect, it is generally considered that a non-smooth wheel can cross,
heightwise, up to half its diameter by adhesion. By translating the wheels 14,
15, substantially forward, only the wheels 14, 15 enter into contact with the
tread, and the robot can cross the tread without the base 17 touching the
stair tread. Moreover, by shrewdly choosing the covering of the rolling
surfaces 24, 25, the robot can nnove around easily on any terrain. If is even
possible to envisage sculpted rolling surfaces 24, 25, of crampon type, to
increase the adhesion of the robot in its movements. This is particularly
advantageous for outdoor use (terrace, lawn, path) of the robot 50 but also
for an indoor use, for example in a space in which there are differences of
levels or of floor roughness.
CA 03005651 2018-05-17
16
Finally, by translating the wheels 14, 15, it is possible to translate
the robot 50 along its reference axis 12. The result thereof is that the robot
50
is raised or lowered. This translation of the wheels 14, 15 can be obtained by
offsetting the center of rotation of the wheels 14, 15. The offsetting of the
center of rotation of the wheels 14, 15 can be done by means of a motor, that
can be included in the motorization unit 16 and by the use of cams, for
example.
Moreover, it is perfectly possible to envisage providing for a
scenario in which the wheels 14, 15 are translated so as to increase the
ground clearance of the robot when the latter is mobile in order to facilitate
the movement of the robot. Similarly, it is possible provide for, in the event
of
an impact, the wheels 14, 15 to be translated, that is to say retracted, so as
to reduce, or even cancel, the ground clearance of the robot, so that the
robot can tilt on its warped surface 18 in order to spontaneously recover and
revert to its reference position without involving contact of the wheels on
the
ground.
The wheels 14 and 15 can also be translated independently of one
another so as to provoke an inclination to the side and translated
simultaneously, increasing the expressivity of the robot which can then
waddle from one wheel to the other or give the impression of settling down or
of rising up on its supports.
