公开(公告)号：US10144465B1

公开(公告)日：2018-12-04

申请号：US16006943

申请日：2018-06-13

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

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

IPC: G06F19/00 ,  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：US09969086B1

公开(公告)日：2018-05-15

申请号：US15714324

申请日：2017-09-25

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman

IPC: G05B19/04 ,  G05B19/18 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J13/00 ,  B25J5/00

CPC classification number: B25J9/1664 ,  B25J5/00 ,  B25J9/1628 ,  B25J9/1666 ,  B25J13/006 ,  Y10S901/01

Abstract: Based on input steering commands, a legged robot may select a target gait. Based on the target gait, the legged robot may obtain a list of gait controllers. Each gait controller may define a gait of the legged robot, and include validity tests and steering commands. The legged robot may apply a cost function to the gait controllers, where the cost for a gait controller is based on a difference between the steering commands of the gait controller and the input steering commands, and a proximity of the legged robot to obstacles should the legged robot operate according the gait controller. The legged robot may reorder the list in increasing magnitude of the cost function, and traverse the list until a validity test associated with a particular gait controller passes. The legged robot may actuate its legs according to the steering commands of the particular gait controller.

公开(公告)号：US20240075998A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-07

申请号：US18509108

申请日：2023-11-14

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Gina Christine Fay ,  Alex Yu Khripin ,  Eric Whitman

IPC: B62D57/032 ,  B25J9/16

CPC classification number: B62D57/032 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J9/1664

Abstract: An example implementation involves controlling robots with non-constant body pitch and height. The implementation involves obtaining a model of the robot that represents the robot as a first point mass rigidly coupled with a second point mass along a longitudinal axis. The implementation also involves determining a state of a first pair of legs, and determining a height of the first point mass based on the model and the state of the first pair of legs. The implementation further involves determining a first amount of vertical force for at least one leg of the first pair of legs to apply along a vertical axis against a surface while the at least one leg is in contact with the surface. Additionally, the implementation involves causing the at least one leg of the first pair of legs to begin applying the amount of vertical force against the surface.

公开(公告)号：US20230066343A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-02

申请号：US17820063

申请日：2022-08-16

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：US20220410390A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17898278

申请日：2022-08-29

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Alex Khripin

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  G05B13/04 ,  G06N5/00

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：US20220324104A1

公开(公告)日：2022-10-13

申请号：US17810130

申请日：2022-06-30

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc.

Inventor： Eric Whitman ,  Alex Khripin

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

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：US11416003B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-16

申请号：US16573284

申请日：2019-09-17

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.

公开(公告)号：US11319005B2

公开(公告)日：2022-05-03

申请号：US16520695

申请日：2019-07-24

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：US20210138650A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-13

申请号：US17157298

申请日：2021-01-25

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：US20210041887A1

公开(公告)日：2021-02-11

申请号：US16573284

申请日：2019-09-17

Applicant: Boston Dynamics, Inc

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

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

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.