公开(公告)号：US11548151B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-10

申请号：US16382390

申请日：2019-04-12

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Gina Christine Fay ,  Benjamin Swilling

IPC: G06F17/00 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B62D57/024 ,  B62D57/032

Abstract: A method for negotiating stairs includes receiving image data about a robot maneuvering in an environment with stairs. Here, the robot includes two or more legs. Prior to the robot traversing the stairs, for each stair, the method further includes determining a corresponding step region based on the received image data. The step region identifies a safe placement area on a corresponding stair for a distal end of a corresponding swing leg of the robot. Also prior to the robot traversing the stairs, the method includes shifting a weight distribution of the robot towards a front portion of the robot. When the robot traverses the stairs, the method further includes, for each stair, moving the distal end of the corresponding swing leg of the robot to a target step location where the target step location is within the corresponding step region of the stair.

公开(公告)号：US11447195B2

公开(公告)日：2022-09-20

申请号：US16570152

申请日：2019-09-13

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman

IPC: B62D57/032 ,  B25J9/16

Abstract: A method of planning a swing trajectory for a leg of a robot includes receiving an initial position of a leg of the robot, an initial velocity of the leg, a touchdown location, and a touchdown target time. The method also includes determining a difference between the initial position and the touchdown location and separating the difference between the initial position and the touchdown location into a horizontal motion component and a vertical motion component. The method also includes selecting a horizontal motion policy and a vertical motion policy to satisfy the motion components. Each policy produces a respective trajectory as a function of the initial position, the initial velocity, the touchdown location, and the touchdown target time. The method also includes executing the selected policies to swing the leg of the robot from the initial position to the touchdown location at the touchdown target time.

公开(公告)号：US20220179420A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-09

申请号：US17652318

申请日：2022-02-24

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Gina Christine Fay

IPC: G05D1/02 ,  G06T7/593

Abstract: A method for terrain and constraint planning a step plan includes receiving, at data processing hardware of a robot, image data of an environment about the robot from at least one image sensor. The robot includes a body and legs. The method also includes generating, by the data processing hardware, a body-obstacle map, a ground height map, and a step-obstacle map based on the image data and generating, by the data processing hardware, a body path for movement of the body of the robot while maneuvering in the environment based on the body-obstacle map. The method also includes generating, by the data processing hardware, a step path for the legs of the robot while maneuvering in the environment based on the body path, the body-obstacle map, the ground height map, and the step-obstacle map.

公开(公告)号：US20210147017A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-20

申请号：US17158748

申请日：2021-01-26

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Swilling ,  Eric Whitman ,  Stephen Berard ,  Alfred Anthony Rizzi ,  Alex Yu Khripin ,  Gina Christine Fay

IPC: B62D57/032 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J9/00

Abstract: A legged robot may seek to operate according to a target gait. The legged robot may include leg members and leg joints. Possibly based on the target gait and state of the legged robot, an ordered list of gait controllers may be obtained. The gait controllers in the ordered list may define respective gaits of the legged robot, and may include respective validity checks and output parameters for the respective gaits. The ordered list may begin with a target gait controller that defines the target gait. The ordered list may be traversed in order from the target gait controller until a validity check associated with a particular gait controller passes. The legged robot may be instructed to actuate the leg members and/or leg joints according to output parameters of the particular gait controller.

公开(公告)号：US10266220B2

公开(公告)日：2019-04-23

申请号：US16166673

申请日：2018-10-22

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Benjamin Swilling ,  Eric Whitman ,  Stephen Berard ,  Alfred Anthony Rizzi ,  Alex Yu Khripin ,  Gina Christine Fay

IPC: B62D57/032 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J9/00

Abstract: A legged robot may seek to operate according to a target gait. The legged robot may include leg members and leg joints. Possibly based on the target gait and state of the legged robot, an ordered list of gait controllers may be obtained. The gait controllers in the ordered list may define respective gaits of the legged robot, and may include respective validity checks and output parameters for the respective gaits. The ordered list may begin with a target gait controller that defines the target gait. The ordered list may be traversed in order from the target gait controller until a validity check associated with a particular gait controller passes. The legged robot may be instructed to actuate the leg members and/or leg joints according to output parameters of the particular gait controller.

公开(公告)号：US12214497B2

公开(公告)日：2025-02-04

申请号：US17810130

申请日：2022-06-30

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Alex Khripin

IPC: B25J13/08 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B62D57/02 ,  B62D57/024 ,  B62D57/028 ,  B62D57/032

Abstract: A method of footstep contact detection includes receiving joint dynamics data for a swing phase of a swing leg of the robot, receiving odometry data indicative of a pose of the robot, determining whether an impact on the swing leg is indicative of a touchdown of the swing leg based on the joint dynamics data and an amount of completion of the swing phase, and determining when the impact on the swing leg is not indicative of the touchdown of the swing leg, a cause of the impact based on the joint dynamics data and the odometry data.

公开(公告)号：US20240367315A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-07

申请号：US18774604

申请日：2024-07-16

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Alex Khripin

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  G05B13/04 ,  G06N5/01

Abstract: A dynamic planning controller receives a maneuver for a robot and a current state of the robot and transforms the maneuver and the current state of the robot into a nonlinear optimization problem. The nonlinear optimization problem is configured to optimize an unknown force and an unknown position vector. At a first time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a first linear optimization problem and determines a first solution to the first linear optimization problem using quadratic programming. At a second time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a second linear optimization problem based on the first solution at the first time instance and determines a second solution to the second linear optimization problem based on the first solution using the quadratic programming. The controller also generates a joint command to control motion of the robot during the maneuver based on the second solution.

公开(公告)号：US12070863B2

公开(公告)日：2024-08-27

申请号：US17898278

申请日：2022-08-29

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Alex Khripin

IPC: G05B13/04 ,  B25J9/16 ,  G06N5/01

CPC classification number: B25J9/1653 ,  G05B13/042 ,  G06N5/01

Abstract: A dynamic planning controller receives a maneuver for a robot and a current state of the robot and transforms the maneuver and the current state of the robot into a nonlinear optimization problem. The nonlinear optimization problem is configured to optimize an unknown force and an unknown position vector. At a first time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a first linear optimization problem and determines a first solution to the first linear optimization problem using quadratic programming. At a second time instance, the controller linearizes the nonlinear optimization problem into a second linear optimization problem based on the first solution at the first time instance and determines a second solution to the second linear optimization problem based on the first solution using the quadratic programming. The controller also generates a joint command to control motion of the robot during the maneuver based on the second solution.

公开(公告)号：US20230008677A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-12

申请号：US17933066

申请日：2022-09-16

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Gina Christine Fay ,  Benjamin Swilling

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  B62D57/024 ,  B62D57/032

Abstract: A method for negotiating stairs includes receiving image data about a robot maneuvering in an environment with stairs. Here, the robot includes two or more legs. Prior to the robot traversing the stairs, for each stair, the method further includes determining a corresponding step region based on the received image data. The step region identifies a safe placement area on a corresponding stair for a distal end of a corresponding swing leg of the robot. Also prior to the robot traversing the stairs, the method includes shifting a weight distribution of the robot towards a front portion of the robot. When the robot traverses the stairs, the method further includes, for each stair, moving the distal end of the corresponding swing leg of the robot to a target step location where the target step location is within the corresponding step region of the stair.

公开(公告)号：US20220374024A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-24

申请号：US17811840

申请日：2022-07-11

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Gina Christine Fay ,  Alex Khripin ,  Max Bajracharya ,  Matthew Malchano ,  Adam Komoroski ,  Christopher Stathis

IPC: G05D1/02 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B62D57/032

Abstract: A method of constrained mobility mapping includes receiving from at least one sensor of a robot at least one original set of sensor data and a current set of sensor data. Here, each of the at least one original set of sensor data and the current set of sensor data corresponds to an environment about the robot. The method further includes generating a voxel map including a plurality of voxels based on the at least one original set of sensor data. The plurality of voxels includes at least one ground voxel and at least one obstacle voxel. The method also includes generating a spherical depth map based on the current set of sensor data and determining that a change has occurred to an obstacle represented by the voxel map based on a comparison between the voxel map and the spherical depth map. The method additional includes updating the voxel map to reflect the change to the obstacle.