Abstract: A resonance device is provided that includes a resonator including a base, a plurality of vibration arms having arms on a fixed end side connected to the base and weight portions on an open end side. A frame is around a periphery of the vibration arms and holds the base. The vibration arms extending parallel to each other and vibrating in an out-of-plane bending vibration mode as a main vibration. A lower cover and an upper form a vibration space for the resonator. A protrusion protrudes into the vibration space from an inner surface of the lower or upper cover. The frame has projections formed in positions facing the weight portions in a plan view.

Abstract: A control device for a bipedal mobile robot generates a desired motion of a bipedal mobile robot. When causing the robot to perform a one-leg hopping operation, a desired motion of the robot is generated such that the proximal end portion of a free leg of the robot is positioned at a relatively higher level than the proximal end portion of a supporting leg thereof in the state wherein the supporting leg has landed on a floor after leaving from the floor and such that the horizontal distance between the total center-of-gravity point of the robot and the proximal end portion of the supporting leg in the aforesaid state is shorter than the horizontal distance therebetween in a state wherein the robot is standing in an upright posture.

Abstract: A control device for a bipedal mobile robot generates a desired motion of a bipedal mobile robot. When causing the robot to perform a one-leg hopping operation, a desired motion of the robot is generated such that the proximal end portion of a free leg of the robot is positioned at a relatively higher level than the proximal end portion of a supporting leg thereof in the state wherein the supporting leg has landed on a floor after leaving from the floor and such that the horizontal distance between the total center-of-gravity point of the robot and the proximal end portion of the supporting leg in the aforesaid state is shorter than the horizontal distance therebetween in a state wherein the robot is standing in an upright posture.

Abstract: In a system for driving a mobile robot having a body, a plurality of legs each comprising a thigh link and a shank link, a first electric motor and a second motor for driving the thigh link in a forwarding direction, a power line connecting a power source to the first and the second motors, and a motor driver that supplies drive voltage to the first and second motors, a booster that boosts the drive voltage to be supplied to the first and second motors is provided such that the booster and the motor driver are installed in the thigh link where the first and second motors are installed, thereby enabling to satisfy both the low-voltage demand and high-voltage demand and to supply drive voltage to the motors effectively.

Abstract: The joint rotational angles of joints 9, 11 and 13 of each leg 2 of a bipedal walking body 1 are detected to grasp the positions/postures of the corresponding rigid bodies 10, 12 and 14 of each leg 2 on a leg plane passing the joints 9, 11 and 13 of each leg 2. At the same time, the acceleration of a reference point (the origin of a body coordinate system BC) of the bipedal walking body 1, the floor reaction force acting on each leg 2 and the position of an acting point thereof are grasped in terms of three-dimensional amounts. Two-dimensional amounts obtained by projecting the acceleration, the floor reaction force and the position of the acting point thereof, and the positions/postures of the corresponding rigid bodies of each 2 onto the leg plane are used to estimate the moments acting on joints of each leg on the basis of an inverse dynamic model.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot and a control program for the robot cancel a spin force, which is generated by motions of a lower body (242), a leg (2) or the like, by a twisting motion of an upper body (241) relative to the lower body (242) and a swinging motion of an arm (80).

Abstract: Displacements of respective joints corresponding to respective joint elements (J9 and the like) of a rigid link model (S1) representing a two-legged walking mobile body (1) are sequentially grasped. Also at the same time, values, in a body coordinate system (BC), of an acceleration vector of the origin of the body coordinate system (BC) fixed to a waist (6) as a rigid element, a floor reaction force vector acting on each leg (2), and a position vector of the point of application of the floor reaction force vector are sequentially grasped. With the use of the grasped values, joint moments respectively generated in an ankle joint (13), a knee joint (14), and a hip joint (9) of each leg (2) are sequentially estimated based on an inverse dynamics model using the body coordinate system. The estimation accuracy of the joint moments of the leg can be enhanced by reducing arithmetic processing using tilt information of the two-legged walking mobile body relative to the gravity direction as much as possible.

Abstract: While a biped walking mobile body is in a motion, such as level-ground walking, the position of the center of gravity (G0) of the biped walking mobile body, the position of an ankle joint (12) of each leg (2), and the position of a metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) of a foot (13) are successively grasped. The horizontal position of any one of the center of gravity (G0), the ankle joint (12), and the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) is estimated as the horizontal position of a floor reaction force acting point on the basis of the combination of the contact or no contact with the ground at a spot directly below the metatarsophalangeal joint 13a of the foot 13 and a spot directly below the ankle joint 12, which is detected by ground contact sensors 51f and 51r, respectively, provided on the sole of the foot 13. The vertical position of the floor reaction force acting point is estimated on the basis of the vertical distance from the ankle joint (12) to a ground contact surface.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot and a control program for the robot cancel a spin force, which is generated by motions of a lower body (242), a leg (2) or the like, by a twisting motion of an upper body (241) relative to the lower body (242) and a swinging motion of an arm (80).

Abstract: In a system for driving a mobile robot having a body, a plurality of legs each comprising a thigh link and a shank link, a first electric motor and a second motor for driving the thigh link in a forwarding direction, a power line connecting a power source to the first and the second motors, and a motor driver that supplies drive voltage to the first and second motors, a booster that boosts the drive voltage to be supplied to the first and second motors is provided such that the booster and the motor driver are installed in the thigh link where the first and second motors are installed, thereby enabling to satisfy both the low-voltage demand and high-voltage demand and to supply drive voltage to the motors effectively.

Abstract: A method and processor for obtaining torques to be applied to joints of a leg of a biped walking system include obtaining moments acting around the joints of the leg, using the vertical component of the ground reaction force acting on the leg at the point of application of the ground reaction force and incorporating the attitude of the leg and the vertical component of acceleration of the center of gravity of the whole body including the leg.

Abstract: A generated torque control method for a leg body exercise assistive apparatus enabling a person to make a leg motion in such a feeling that the person is not wearing the leg body exercise assistive apparatus as much as possible by reducing the weight of the leg body exercise assistive apparatus attached to the person acting on the person. On the assumption that a person (A) not wearing the assistive apparatus (1) is making the same motion as a leg motion of the person (A) wearing the leg body exercise assistive apparatus (1) during the leg motion of the person (A), an estimation is made for a person-side joint moment to be generated in each joint of the leg of the person (A), and on the assumption that the assistive apparatus (1) is independently making the same motion as the leg motion, an estimation is made for an apparatus-side joint moment to be generated in the joint regions (4), (6), and (10) of the leg sections of the assistive apparatus (1).

Abstract: A method for obtaining an assist torque to be applied to a human joint, in a human assist system for applying an assist torque to the human joint to reduce load of muscles, and the human assist system are provided. The method comprises the step of obtaining a moment due to gravity, acting on a joint of each human segment, based on equations of force and moment balance on each segment. The method further comprises the step of obtaining an assist torque to be applied to the joint to compensate for the moment due to gravity, acting on the joint. The human assist system comprises a motor for delivering an assist torque to a joint and a motor driver for driving control of the motor. The system further comprises a controller for determining a desired value of an assist torque, comprising a processor and a memory.

Abstract: A generated torque control method for a leg body exercise assistive apparatus enabling a person to make a leg motion in such a feeling that the person is not wearing the leg body exercise assistive apparatus as much as possible by reducing the weight of the leg body exercise assistive apparatus attached to the person acting on the person. On the assumption that a person (A) not wearing the assistive apparatus (1) is making the same motion as a leg motion of the person (A) wearing the leg body exercise assistive apparatus (1) during the leg motion of the person (A), an estimation is made for a person-side joint moment to be generated in each joint of the leg of the person (A), and on the assumption that the assistive apparatus (1) is independently making the same motion as the leg motion, an estimation is made for an apparatus-side joint moment to be generated in the joint regions (4), (6), and (10) of the leg sections of the assistive apparatus (1).

Abstract: While a biped walking mobile body is in a motion, including level-ground walking, the position of the center of gravity (G0) of the biped walking mobile body, the position of an ankle joint (12) of each leg (2), and the position of a metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) of a foot (13) are successively grasped, and the horizontal position of a floor reaction force acting point of the leg (2) in contact with the ground is estimated on the basis of the relative positional relationship among the aforesaid positions. Depending on whether the center of gravity (G0) is behind the ankle joint (12), between the ankle joint (12) and the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a), or before the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) with respect to the advancing direction of the biped walking mobile body, the horizontal position of the ankle joint (12), the center of gravity (G0), or the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) is defined as the horizontal position of a floor reaction force acting point.

Abstract: While a biped walking mobile body is in a motion, such as level-ground walking, the position of the center of gravity (G0) of the biped walking mobile body, the position of an ankle joint (12) of each leg (2), and the position of a metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) of a foot (13) are successively grasped. The horizontal position of any one of the center of gravity (G0), the ankle joint (12), and the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) is estimated as the horizontal position of a floor reaction force acting point on the basis of the combination of the contact or no contact with the ground at a spot directly below the metatarsophalangeal joint 13a of the foot 13 and a spot directly below the ankle joint 12, which is detected by ground contact sensors 51f and 51r, respectively, provided on the sole of the foot 13. The vertical position of the floor reaction force acting point is estimated on the basis of the vertical distance from the ankle joint (12) to a ground contact surface.

Abstract: While a biped walking mobile body is in a motion, including level-ground walking, the position of the center of gravity (G0) of the biped walking mobile body, the position of an ankle joint (12) of each leg (2), and the position of a metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) of a foot (13) are successively grasped, and the horizontal position of a floor reaction force acting point of the leg (2) in contact with the ground is estimated on the basis of the relative positional relationship among the aforesaid positions. Depending on whether the center of gravity (G0) is behind the ankle joint (12), between the ankle joint (12) and the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a), or before the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) with respect to the advancing direction of the biped walking mobile body, the horizontal position of the ankle joint (12), the center of gravity (G0), or the metatarsophalangeal joint (13a) is defined as the horizontal position of a floor reaction force acting point.

Abstract: Displacements of respective joints corresponding to respective joint elements (J9 and the like) of a rigid link model (S1) representing a two-legged walking mobile body (1) are sequentially grasped. Also at the same time, values, in a body coordinate system (BC), of an acceleration vector of the origin of the body coordinate system (BC) fixed to a waist (6) as a rigid element, a floor reaction force vector acting on each leg (2), and a position vector of the point of application of the floor reaction force vector are sequentially grasped. With the use of the grasped values, joint moments respectively generated in an ankle joint (13), a knee joint (14), and a hip joint (9) of each leg (2) are sequentially estimated based on an inverse dynamics model using the body coordinate system. The estimation accuracy of the joint moments of the leg can be enhanced by reducing arithmetic processing using tilt information of the two-legged walking mobile body relative to the gravity direction as much as possible.

Abstract: Whether a motion state of leg bodies (2) is a single stance state or a double stance state is sequentially determined and a total reaction force (F) is estimated on the basis of an equation of motion for a center of gravity (G0) of a bipedal walking body (1). If the motion state is the single stance state, then the estimated value of the total floor reaction force (F) is directly used as an estimated value of the floor reaction force of the leg body (2). If the motion state is the double stance state, then a floor reaction force (Fr) of the leg body (2) at the rear side is determined, using measurement data of elapsed time of the double stance state and moving speed of a bipedal walking body (1) and pre-established characteristic data, and the floor reaction force (Fr) is subtracted from the total floor reaction force (F) to determine a floor reaction force (Ff) of the leg body (2) at the front side.

Abstract: A security robot that boards a mobile unit to protect the mobile unit from theft is provided. The robot has an internal sensor such as an acceleration sensor installed at the robot and generating an output indicative of condition inside the robot, an external sensor such as CCD cameras installed at the robot and generating an output indicative of condition outside the robot, an abnormality degree discriminator discriminating a degree of abnormality that the mobile unit is experiencing based on information obtained from the outputs of the internal sensor and the external sensor, and an action controller taking preventive action in response to the discriminated degree of abnormality. With this, it becomes possible to discriminate the degree of abnormal situations and act accordingly in response.