Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing an electric vehicle which makes an assisting movement based on an operation by an operator without making a movement when an operator is not operating the electric vehicle or a movement which widely differs from a movement intended by the operator in direction or distance, and a method of controlling the electric vehicle.

Abstract: A transfer supporting apparatus is provided with actuators for actuating supporting members and a controller for controlling the actuators based on the operation of operating units. The controller includes a movement path setting unit for setting movement paths of the supporting members and an operation correcting unit for correcting movements of the supporting members based on the operation of the operating units by driving the actuators so that the supporting members move along the movement paths set by the movement path setting unit.

Abstract: A traveling vehicle (12) is self-propelled and docked in a quadrilateral docking area (20) having an entrance (55) on one side thereof, and includes: a docking point obtainment unit which obtains first to fourth points indicating positions of four corners of the docking area and represented in relative coordinates with respect to a position of the traveling vehicle (12); a reference distance detection unit (35) which obtains a reference distance indicating a distance between the traveling vehicle (12) and the docking area (20); and a movement control unit (33) which controls movement of the traveling vehicle (12) moving to the docking area (20), based on the first and second points when the reference distance Ls is not shorter than a first correction distance N1, and based on at least the third and fourth points when the reference distance Ls is shorter than the first correction distance N1.

Abstract: A movable bed of the present invention, which includes a mat portion of a bed to lie thereon, and is composed of a fixed portion and a moving portion, is designed as a wheel chair in such a manner that the moving portion can be separated from or joined to the fixed portion and be transformed from a lying posture state to a sitting posture state, and when the moving portion is joined to the fixed portion so as to form the movable bed, an upper surface of a resting portion, allowing a person to carry thereon, of the moving portion and an inner surface of an armrest portion are configured to form a mat surface of the mat portion of the movable bed.

Abstract: A power assisted vehicle includes a wheel drive unit that transmits power of a motor as assist power to wheels via clutches capable of connecting and disconnecting power transmission, input rotation angle detection units that detect rotation angles of input shafts of the clutches, output rotation angle detection units that detect rotation angles of output shafts of the clutches, and assist power calculation units, that calculate the relative angle difference between the rotation angles of the input shafts of the clutches and the rotation angles of the output shafts of the clutches, and while clearing the relative angle difference in a predetermined period, calculate the assist power on the basis of the relative angle difference before it is cleared.

Abstract: The transfer assist device has a supporter for lifting a human body placed on the placement base, joint portions for changing the posture of the supporter landing sensors for detecting whether the lower surface of the supporter has landed onto a placement surface, a leg portion for moving the supporter up and down, and a control section for controlling pivotal movements of the joint portions or an elevating movement of the leg portion based on outputs from the landing sensors. The control section is operable to move at least one of the joint portions and the leg portion so as to define and hold at least one of a parallel state and an adjusted state between the placement surface of the placement base and the lower surface of the supporter, based on the outputs from the landing sensors.

Abstract: A loading/unloading unit is formed with an oblique surface and an upper surface having contact areas to come into contact with a cared person, and the oblique surface and the upper surface of the loading/unloading unit are vibrated in a load direction and an unload direction upon loading the cared person on the loading/unloading unit or unloading the cared person from the loading/unloading unit. Therefore, a transfer apparatus can safely transfer the cared person while preventing an occurrence of the entanglement of the hair and the like of the cared person.

Abstract: An adjustable bed includes a platform having a flexible surface, a flex mechanism adapted to flex the platform to form a flexion position that includes at least one of a sitting-up position and a knee break, and a tilt mechanism adapted to tilt the platform surface laterally, the flex and tilt mechanisms both being operable with the other mechanism in an operational state. Furthermore, the adjustable bed includes a side member disposed on a side of the platform, and a side-member lift mechanism adapted to raise the side member relative to the platform surface, the tilt mechanism tilting the platform surface toward the side member raised by the side-member lift mechanism.

Abstract: A mattress for a movable bed, laid on a floor portion of the movable bed whose bed face is deformable. A fixing element that is the floor portion is provided on a mattress surface opposite the floor portion. The movable bed may be constructed such that meshes are formed on a surface of the floor portion, and that the fixing element is fitted in gaps of the meshes to fix the mattress.

Abstract: An adjustable bed includes a moving mechanism operable to at least tilt or move up and down a platform of the bed, and a safety switch operable to turn ON and OFF in response to movement of the platform. The moving mechanism is suspended when a power ON-OFF state of the safety switch is changed due to displacement of the safety switch from a predetermined position. In addition, a cover may be disposed over the moving mechanism from an outer surface. The safety switch is disposed at a position determined relative to a position of the cover. The power ON-OFF state of the safety switch is changed upon displacement of the cover from the position.

Abstract: To provide an adjustable bed that assists a user to turn comfortably in his or her sleep without mental stress. Once an automatic mode starts, measurement on the depth of sleep of the user lying on the bed is launched. The depth of sleep is measured by detecting biological information such as brain waves, heart rate, and respiratory rate of the user using electrode sensors or the like, and analyzing the biological information according to a polysomnography method or the like. If the depth of sleep is 0, i.e., the user is in REM sleep, and if one hour or more has passed since the measurement is launched or since an immediately preceding turn operation, a turn operation is performed to turn the user.

Abstract: An adjustable bed including a laterally tiltable platform, a tilt mechanism that tilts the platform laterally, and a load-applying unit that applies, in a state in which the platform is tilted within a predetermined angle range during operation of the tilt mechanism, a load to the platform in a direction that suppresses an expansion of the tilt angle, so as to prevent one of a compression load and a tension load exerted on the tilt mechanism by the platform from reversing to the other load type. The adjustable bed may be structured so that the predetermined angle range includes a tilt angle at which a gravitational center of the platform during the tilt operation traverses a vertical line containing a rotational center of the platform with the load-applying unit in a non-operational state.