ROBOT WITH INERTIA SHIFTING ASSEMBLY PROVIDING SPIN CONTROL DURING FLIGHT

Number: 20190022858
Published: 2019-01-24
Filed: 2017-09-29
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: NIEMEYER; GUNTER D., POPE; MORGAN T.
CPC: B25J11/003; B25J11/0035; B25J13/08; B25J13/089; B25J19/0008; B25J9/1607; B25J9/1615; B64C17/02; G05D1/0808; G05D1/105
Verdict: High Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Robot with inertia shifting assembly spin control during flight (droid).

Abstract

A robot configured to provide accurate control over the rate of spin or rotation of the robot. To control the rate of spin, the robot includes an inertia shifting (or moving) assembly positioned within the robot's body so that the robot can land on a surface with a target orientation and “stick the landing” of a gymnastic maneuver. The inertia shifting assembly includes sensors that allow the distance from the landing surface (or height) to be determined and that allow other parameters useful in controlling the robot to be calculated such as present orientation. In one embodiment, the sensors include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a laser range finder, and a controller processes their outputs to estimate orientation and angular velocity. The controller selects the right point of the flight to operate a drive mechanism in the inertia shifting assembly to achieve a targeted orientation.

Background

BACKGROUND1. Field of the Description

The present description relates, in general, to robots and robotic motion control technology, and, more particularly, to robots and robot control methods adapted to control spin during flight such as during a drop or fall to provide a desired or target orientation and/or pose upon landing on a surface.2. Relevant Background

There are a number of applications where it is desirable to control the rotation or spin of a robot as it flies or falls from a raised platform or support onto a landing surface. For example, robots may be used in entertainment settings or shows, and it may be desirable for a robot to make an exciting and energetic entrance onto a stage. This may involve the robot being launched or released in the air such that it is rapidly spinning, and the show designers may call for the robot to land with precision such as on its “feet” (or with a particular vertical pose) and with a particular orientation (position of its body's central axis relative to a horizontal plane).

To date, though, it has proven difficult to create robots that tumble through the air at high speeds and high spin rates. To date, most efforts at controlling a robot's movements while in the air or flying have involved relatively complex robotic devices and controls. For example, some robots have been designed with a tail, and the tail is moved while the robot is in the air in an attempt to control the robot's orientation upon landing. In ano

Claims

1. A robot adapted to have spin control, comprising: a body with an interior space; and an inertia shifting assembly, comprising: a sensor assembly collecting sensor data for the robot during a freefall; a controller processing the sensor data to generate a control signal; and a drive mechanism operating in response to the control signal to shift the moment of inertia of the robot to modify rotation during the freefall. 10. A robot adapted to have spin control, comprising: an inertia shifting assembly comprising: an external-facing sensor; a controller processing data from the external-facing sensor to determine a height of the robot above a landing surface during a freefall by the robot and wherein the controller further generates, based on the height, a predicted orientation upon contact with the landing surface at an end of the freefall and outputs a control signal based on the predicted orientation; and a drive mechanism operating in response to the control signal to shift inertia of the robot to reduce or increase a spin rate of the robot. 16. A robot adapted to have spin control, comprising: a sensor assembly collecting sensor data for the robot during a freefall; a controller processing the sensor data to generate a control signal; and a drive mechanism operating in response to the control signal to shift the moment of inertia of the robot, wherein the controller processes the sensor data to predict an orientation of the body at a point of the freefall, to compare the predicted orientation to a target orientation for the body at the point of the freefall, and to generate the control signal to cause the predicted orientation to match the target orientation, wherein the sensor assembly includes an external-looking sensor and an internal sensor, wherein the controller determines a present orientation of the body and a height of the body above a landing surface, and wherein the present orientation and the height are used to determine the predicted orientation.