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KR-102960294-B1 - APPARATUS FOR TRAVERSING AN APERTURE BY A WALKING ROBOT USING MAGNETIC FEET, AND METHOD THEREOF

KR102960294B1KR 102960294 B1KR102960294 B1KR 102960294B1KR-102960294-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for overcoming an opening, wherein, when executed by data processing hardware of a robot, said data processing hardware performs the following operations, the robot comprises: a body; and a pair of front legs coupled to the front of the body and a pair of rear legs coupled to the rear of the body, wherein each leg comprises an upper link, a lower link, a hip joint, and a knee joint, and includes an attachment portion provided at the end of each leg that is optionally attachable and detachable from a steel surface, and the method comprises the following steps: (a) attaching the feet to a vertical surface adjacent to the opening to assume a ready position and applying a forward driving force to the hip joint and the knee joint to maintain an angle between the upper link and the lower link within a first range; (b) sequentially detaching the front legs from the vertical surface to move them in the direction opposite to the opening and applying a reverse driving force to the hip joint or the knee joint at least once to attach them to a wall in the direction opposite to the opening; (c) a step of controlling the center of the torso to pass through the opening after the pair of front legs are fixed to the opposite surface; (d) a step of sequentially separating the rear legs to move them in the opposite direction of the opening and applying at least one reverse driving force to the hip joint or knee joint to attach them to the wall in the opposite direction of the opening.

Inventors

  • 권순표
  • 김준하
  • 신영하
  • 엄용

Assignees

  • 주식회사 디든로보틱스

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20260108

Claims (12)

  1. A computer-implemented method for overcoming an opening, wherein, when executed by the data processing hardware of a robot, the data processing hardware performs the following steps, The above robot is, Body; and It includes four legs connected to the above body, Each leg is, It consists of an upper link, a lower link, a hip joint, and a knee joint, and It includes an attachment part provided at the end of each leg that can be selectively attached and detached from a steel surface, The above method is, (a) attaching feet to a vertical surface adjacent to the opening to assume a ready position, and applying a forward driving force to the hip joint and knee joint to maintain the angle between the upper link and the lower link within a first range; (b) sequentially detaching the front legs from the vertical surface and moving them in the direction opposite to the opening, and attaching them to the wall opposite to the opening by applying at least one reverse driving force to the hip joint or knee joint; (c) after the pair of front legs are fixed to the opposite surface, a reverse driving force is provided between the upper and lower links of the front legs to control the angle between the upper and lower links of the front legs to increase, and a forward driving force is provided between the upper and lower links of the rear legs to control the angle between the upper and lower links of the rear legs to decrease, thereby controlling the center of the body to pass through the opening; and (d) a step of sequentially separating the rear legs and moving them in the opposite direction of the opening, and applying at least one reverse driving force to the hip joint or knee joint to attach them to the wall in the opposite direction of the opening, The above step (b) is, A step of separating by deactivating the attachment of one of the front legs attached to a vertical surface; and The method includes the step of bringing a front leg separated from a vertical surface into contact with a surface opposite the opening, and then activating and attaching an attachment portion provided on the front leg attached to the surface opposite the opening. The above step (d) is, A step of separating by deactivating the attachment of one of the rear legs attached to a vertical surface; and A method comprising the step of bringing a rear leg separated from a vertical surface into contact with a surface opposite the opening, and then activating and attaching an attachment provided on the rear leg attached to the surface opposite the opening. method.
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Description

Apparatus for Traversing an Aperture by a Walking Robot Using Magnetic Feet and Method Thereof The present invention relates to a technology for passing through openings of a walking robot using magnetic feet. The present invention relates to an obstacle overcoming technology for a multi-legged walking robot, and more specifically, to an intelligent robot control method for overcoming various obstacles existing in complex and irregular environments, such as ships. With the recent increase in demand for automation in industrial settings, the importance of multi-legged walking robots capable of performing tasks in complex environments that are difficult for conventional wheeled or tracked robots to access is growing. In particular, the environments for shipbuilding, inspection, and maintenance are typical irregular spaces composed of numerous bulkheads, pipes, and unpredictable obstacles. To enable robots to move freely and perform tasks in such environments, obstacle-overcoming capabilities similar to or greater than those of humans are essential. The marine environment contains specialized obstacles that are difficult to overcome using only standard walking techniques. For instance, robots encounter "surface transition" situations where they must move from a horizontal deck to a vertical bulkhead or vice versa. Additionally, it is common for robots to navigate through narrow manholes or "access holes" installed in bulkheads to move to other areas. Furthermore, they must overcome obstacles that require maneuvers such as lunges over high door sills on the deck or jumping over wide gaps like pipes. However, conventional multi-legged walking robot technology primarily focuses on stable walking on flat surfaces or gentle slopes. This stability relies on positioning the robot's center of gravity within a 'support polygon' formed by connecting the points where the robot's feet touch the ground. This support polygon-based control method has inherent limitations that severely restrict the robot's movement. For example, lifting a leg or making large body movements requires shifting the center of gravity within the support polygon first, resulting in slow and inefficient operations. In particular, there were clear limitations in performing complex 3D movements, such as 'wall transitions' or 'passing through openings,' where the robot's center of gravity must narrowly cross the boundaries of the support polygon. Existing technology struggles to stably control rapid posture changes within such a restricted support polygon, and even when using magnetism, there is a lack of control algorithms capable of precisely ensuring stability in response to changing support conditions. Therefore, to maximize the utilization of robots in complex industrial environments such as ships, there is an urgent need for a new concept of robot obstacle-overcoming technology that goes beyond the existing limited support polygon concept and can climb up and down walls, pass through narrow holes, and dynamically jump over wide obstacles. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a robot and an obstacle environment according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the magnetic support polygon of the present invention through a comparison with the prior art. FIG. 4 is a diagram sequentially illustrating the obstacle overcoming steps of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating the stability of a robot during the walking process according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the prediction of a support polygon according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the control for securing the stability of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for overcoming obstacles according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a robot and an opening environment according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a drawing that sequentially illustrates the steps of overcoming an opening of a robot according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating forward and reverse driving forces according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining the operation of verifying the attachment stability of a leg according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a drawing sequentially illustrating the process of a robot transitioning from a vertical surface to a horizontal surface according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for overcoming an opening according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a robot and a wall switching environ