Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide for automatic angular adjustment of an end effector thereby improving on the operability of a medical instrument. The medical system of the invention comprises a medical instrument including a driver for driving adjustment of the angle of the end effector relative to a shaft, a trocar having an insertion opening through which the medical instrument is inserted, a sensor that produces a sensor signal including at least an angle of a shaft in a reference coordinate system, and a driver for enabling follow-up control processing for driving the driver based on a sensor signal produced out of the sensor such that the angle of the end effector follows a follow-up criterion in a reference coordinate system.

Abstract: There is provided a structure in a driving support system of a vehicle equipped with a steering assist mechanism and a torque vectoring mechanism of right and left wheels, the system capable of reducing an occurrence of a driver's sense of incongruity as much as possible also during the operation of a control based on a machine input and reflecting a driver's steering in the control. The inventive device comprises a steering assist torque controller which controls a steering assist torque given by the steering assist mechanism, a right and left braking-driving force difference controller which controls the braking-driving force difference between the right and left wheels given by the torque vectoring mechanism and a control target value determiner which determines the target values of the steering assist torque and braking-driving force difference for driving support control, based on the steering torque by the driver.

Abstract: A driving assistance control apparatus of a vehicle includes a blind area detector, a driving operation detector, and an electronic control unit. The blind area detector is configured to detect the presence or absence of a blind area as seen from the vehicle in a traveling direction of the vehicle. The driving operation detector is configured to detect driving operation of the driver. The electronic control unit is configured to perform automatic deceleration control of the vehicle based on detection of the presence of the blind area by the blind area detector. The electronic control unit is configured to start the automatic deceleration control, by referring to the driving operation of the driver after detection of the presence of the blind area by the blind area detector.

Abstract: A driving assistance control device for a vehicle includes: a moving object detection sensor configured to detect a moving object moving along a roadside in a traveling direction of the vehicle; a driving operation detection sensor configured to detect a driving operation of a driver; an actuator; and an Electronic Control Unit configured to perform automatic steering control of the vehicle by the actuator to avoid the moving object based on a detection result of the moving object, the Electronic Control Unit being configured to start the automatic steering control based on a driving steering of the driver after the moving object is detected.

Abstract: An apparatus as an aspect of the invention acquires a vehicle motion index value, a driving state index value of a driver, a driving characteristic value that is estimated based on the vehicle motion index value and the driving state index value, and a vehicle motion target value and a driving state target value that are determined regardless of the driver's driving. Using these values, the apparatus determines a target value of a steering assist torque and a target value of a difference in braking/driving force between right and left wheels that converge at least one of a difference between the vehicle motion target value and the vehicle motion index value and a difference between the driving state target value and the driving state index value. The apparatus controls the steering assist torque and the difference in braking/driving force between the right and left wheels to their respective target values.

Abstract: A surgical instrument device includes a surgical instrument portion which is used in a surgical operation, a slave arm which holds the surgical instrument, a driving rod which is formed in a shaft shape, of which one end portion in the axial direction is connected to the surgical instrument and the other end portion in the axial direction is supported by the slave arm, and which transmits a force between the surgical instrument and the slave arm, a distance change detecting unit which detects a change in distance between two points in the axial direction of the driving rod based on a distance when no load is applied to the surgical instrument, and a force calculating unit which calculates a force applied from the surgical instrument or the slave arm to the driving rod based on the change in distance detected by the distance change detecting unit.

Abstract: In a driving support system of a vehicle, there is provided a structure that, even during operating a control based on a machine input, a driver's sense of incongruity can be reduced as much as possible and/or the steering of the driver be can reflected. The vehicle is equipped with a steering assist mechanism and a braking-driving force distribution mechanism of right and left wheels. In operations of the inventive device, a steering assist torque, applied by the steering assist mechanism, is controlled to a target value determined with reference to a target steering torque to achieve the target route, determined without depending on steering of a driver, and a driver's steering torque; and a braking-driving force difference between the right and left wheels is controlled to a target value based on a steering angle of the driver.

Abstract: An endoscope system includes: an endoscope having an image-acquisition optical system at a distal end of an elongated insertion portion; a trocar attached to a body surface so as to penetrate the body surface and having a through-hole though which the portion is made to pass; a rotation sensor provided on the trocar and detecting an amount of rotation of the portion about a longitudinal axis, the portion being located in the through-hole in a passing-through state; a sign disposed at a position where it can be imaged by the image-acquisition optical system when the portion is inserted into the trocar and with which the position in a circumferential direction of the through-hole can be identified; and an detecting unit detecting a relative angle between the portion and the through-hole at the time of insertion on the basis of the sign in an image acquired by the image-acquisition optical system.

Abstract: An endoscope system is provided with an operation part, an elongated part, an imaging part, a control part, a display part, a rotation operation input part, and a rotation coupling part that rotates an imaging field of view in the imaging part around the optical axis in accordance with the rotation amount provided to the control part, wherein the control part outputs to the display part an image which has been captured by the imaging part and is brought into a state in which the field of view is rotated by the rotation coupling part.

Abstract: A manipulator including an elongated shaft, at least one joint disposed at a distal end of the shaft, a manipulating part via which a movement instruction for the joint is input, and a driving unit that drives the joint according to the movement instruction input via the manipulating part. The manipulating part includes a handle fixed to the shaft and gripped in one hand of an operator, a displaceable member that is disposed at a position along which at least one finger of the hand gripping the handle can be extended and that can be displaced by a movement of the finger extending therealong, and a sensor that detects displacement of the displaceable member and outputs it as the movement instruction.

Abstract: A trocar sensor unit including a base that is configured to be attached to and detached from a trocar and that has a through-hole through which an insertion section to be inserted into the trocar is inserted; a moving member that has a pressing surface forming at least a portion of an inner surface of the through-hole of the base and that is configured to be moved in a radial direction of the through-hole; and a sensor that is disposed in at least one of the moving member and a portion of the inner surface of the through-hole opposite the pressing surface and that detects the amount of movement of a surface of the insertion section in the through-hole.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a steering assist torque determination unit and a steering assist torque control unit. The steering assist torque determination unit determines a steering assist torque including a first component that is determined on the basis of a deviation between an actual steering angle and a target steering angle for achieving a target path determined irrespective of driver's steering. The steering assist torque control unit controls a steering assist mechanism such that the steering assist torque is applied. The ratio of the magnitude of the first component of the steering assist torque to the deviation between the target steering angle and the actual steering angle is determined on the basis of the magnitude of the deviation between the steering assist torque and the driver's steering torque in a past predetermined period.

Abstract: A medical-system control method including a switching-instruction step in which an instruction for switching between two different control states of the bendable section provided at a distal end of the insertion section is received; an angle-difference calculation step in which the difference between the current angle of the bendable section at the time when the instruction is received and the final target angle of the bendable section in the control state after being switched is calculated; a target calculation step in which, when the calculated difference exceeds a predetermined threshold, a minute angle, smaller than the threshold, is added to the current angle to calculate the target angle, and, when the difference is less than or equal to the threshold, the difference is added to the current angle to calculate the target angle; and a driving step in which the bendable section is driven to the calculated target angle.

Abstract: The endoscope system includes an endoscope including an imaging unit that is capable of taking an image of a subject of interest, a display unit for displaying an image taken by the imaging unit, an endoscopic position sensor for detecting a position of the endoscope in the body cavity, a distance measurement unit for measuring a distance from a distal end of the endoscope to the subject of interest, a position calculation unit for computing the positions of the distal end of the endoscope and the subject of interest on the basis of information from the endoscopic position sensor and the distance measurement unit, a position storage unit for storing a position of the subject of interest computed by the position calculation unit, and a direction indication unit for indicating a direction in which the subject of interest is present on the display unit.

Abstract: An endoscope system computes a distal end position of the endoscope or a position of the desired imaging target. An image taken of the desired imaging target is recorded. A position of the desired imaging target is computed and recorded. A current image taken by the imaging unit is compared with the image of the desired imaging target already recorded. A first driving amount for driving the field-of-view adjustment mechanism is computed such that the desired imaging target is positioned on an axis of sighting of the imaging unit. A second driving amount for driving the field-of-view adjustment mechanism is computed in such a way as to include a center of the image of the desired imaging target. The field-of-view adjustment mechanism is driven from either one of the first driving amount or the second driving amount.

Abstract: A surgery assistance device includes an operation input section, a motion section which is formed with a channel into which a surgical instrument is insertable and is capable of moving through the channel, a movement amount detection means detecting a treatment section movement amount, a motion section information calculation means calculating motion section information, and a motion control unit controlling motion in the motion section based on a manipulation order.

Abstract: A method of measuring distance by an endoscope includes a step of imaging and a step of measuring distance. the step of imaging includes a step of producing out an image taken by an imaging unit. The step of measuring distance includes a step of moving the axis of sighting of the imaging unit and a step of computing a distance to a subject of interest on the basis of a first image taken before the step of moving, a second image taken during the step of moving and the amount of distance-measurement control.

Abstract: An apparatus as an aspect of the invention acquires a vehicle motion index value, a driving state index value of a driver, a driving characteristic value that is estimated based on the vehicle motion index value and the driving state index value, and a vehicle motion target value and a driving state target value that are determined regardless of the driver's driving. Using these values, the apparatus determines a target value of a steering assist torque and a target value of a difference in braking/driving force between right and left wheels that converge at least one of a difference between the vehicle motion target value and the vehicle motion index value and a difference between the driving state target value and the driving state index value. The apparatus controls the steering assist torque and the difference in braking/driving force between the right and left wheels to their respective target values.

Abstract: In a driving support system of a vehicle, there is provided a structure that, even during operating a control based on a machine input, a driver's sense of incongruity can be reduced as much as possible and/or the steering of the driver be can reflected. The vehicle is equipped with a steering assist mechanism and a braking-driving force distribution mechanism of right and left wheels. In operations of the inventive device, a steering assist torque, applied by the steering assist mechanism, is controlled to a target value determined with reference to a target steering torque to achieve the target route, determined without depending on steering of a driver, and a driver's steering torque; and a braking-driving force difference between the right and left wheels is controlled to a target value based on a steering angle of the driver.

Abstract: There is provided a structure in a driving support system of a vehicle equipped with a steering assist mechanism and a torque vectoring mechanism of right and left wheels, the system capable of reducing an occurrence of a driver's sense of incongruity as much as possible also during the operation of a control based on a machine input and reflecting a driver's steering in the control. The inventive device comprises a steering assist torque controller which controls a steering assist torque given by the steering assist mechanism, a right and left braking-driving force difference controller which controls the braking-driving force difference between the right and left wheels given by the torque vectoring mechanism and a control target value determiner which determines the target values of the steering assist torque and braking-driving force difference for driving support control, based on the steering torque by the driver.