Abstract: A control system (18) for an automotive vehicle (10) has a first roll condition detector (64A), a second roll condition detector (64B), a third roll condition detector (64C), and a controller (26) that uses the roll condition generated by the roll condition detectors (64A-C) to determine a wheel lift condition. Other roll condition detectors may also be used in the wheel lift determination. The wheel lift conditions may be active or passive or both.

Abstract: A system for anticipating the needs of at least one passenger onboard a mobile platform (such as a train, marine vessel, aircraft or automobile) is provided. The system includes a passenger seating area for receipt of the passenger. The passenger seating area includes a seat that has a seat back that moves into a reclined position, a tray table that is operable to be positioned to provide a surface for use by the at least one passenger, and a light source disposed for illumination of at least a portion of the passenger seating area. The system includes a camera that acquires an image of the passenger, and a gesture control module that generates activity data that includes at least one activity that the passenger is performing as recognized in the image of the at least one passenger acquired by the camera. The system further includes a smart control module that moves the seat back, positions the tray table, activates or deactivates the light source and performs combinations thereof based on the activity data.

Abstract: Disclosed is a level control system in which the operational readiness of the compressor (2) is tested by connecting the pressure sensor (10) to the output (6) of the compressor (2) via a compressed-air sensor line (8). All other compressed-air lines that are connected to the output (6) of the compressor (2) are locked by shutting directional control valves (201 to 20d and 30). The compressor (2) is then switched on and it is tested how rapidly the pressure increases on the pressure sensor (10). If the increase per interval exceeds a defined threshold value, the compressor is operationally ready.

Abstract: A navigation device provides support for a driver of a vehicle in merging from one road onto another road (main road). The navigation device receives traffic information including at least positions and speeds of other vehicles traveling the main road. The navigation device then detects at least positions of inter-vehicle spaces between those other vehicles, using the traffic information, and determines which one of the detected inter-vehicle spaces is most suitable for the driver's vehicle to enter for merging. A beam radiating unit provided in the driver's vehicle is used to form a moving first entry point mark on the road surface to indicate the inter-vehicle space the driver's vehicle is going to enter upon merging.

Abstract: A system and method for switching power sources for an aircraft electric brake system is disclosed. The method removes battery power from electric brake actuator controls during flight until landing gear extension occurs. The method utilizes a logic circuit to switch between available power sources based on a plurality of control signals. The method minimizes the total power drawn during flight, and saves battery power if the aircraft calls for operating on battery power only.

Abstract: The display method and apparatus for a navigation system interchangeably displays a normal map image and a simplified map image in accordance with a user's preference and complexity of the map image. The method includes the steps of checking whether a simple map mode or a normal map mode is set for displaying a map image on a monitor screen of the navigation system, determining which map elements are selected to be displayed when the simple map mode is set, and displaying the map image with only the selected map elements when the simple map mode is set while displaying the map image with all the map elements when the normal map mode is set. The navigation system is designed to switch between the normal map mode and the simple map mode either manually or automatically.

Abstract: A robotic surgical system has a robot arm holding an instrument for performing a surgical procedure, and a control system for controlling movement of the arm and its instrument according to user manipulation of a master manipulator. The control system includes a filter in its forward path to attenuate master input commands that may cause instrument tip vibrations, and an inverse filter in a feedback path to the master manipulator configured so as to compensate for delay introduced by the forward path filter. To enhance control, master command and slave joint observers are also inserted in the control system to estimate slave joint position, velocity and acceleration commands using received slave joint position commands and torque feedbacks, and estimate actual slave joint positions, velocities and accelerations using sensed slave joint positions and commanded slave joint motor torques.

Abstract: There is described hybrid powertrain operation and control. Preferred power flows from an engine to an electro-mechanical transmission and from an energy storage system to an electric machine are determined based upon an operator torque request. Operation of the engine, the electric machine, and the electro-mechanical transmission are controlled to substantially meet the operator torque request. Actual power flow from the energy storage device is monitored. The power flow from the engine is adjusted based upon a difference between the actual and preferred power flows from the energy storage device.

Abstract: A legged mobile robot which permits improved follow-up of an actual floor reaction force to a desired floor reaction force and which can be stably controlled is provided. According to a robot 1 in accordance with the present invention, a deformation amount (mechanism deformation amount) of a compliance mechanism 42 that occurs due to a desired floor reaction force of a foot (ground contacting portion) 22 is determined, and the operation of a leg 2 is controlled such that the foot 22 lands onto a floor at a predetermined velocity in a vertical direction or in a direction perpendicular to the floor surface on the basis of a component of the mechanism deformation amount in the vertical direction or a component thereof in the direction perpendicular to the floor surface.

Abstract: A system for determining a direction and a magnification of a means for viewing is described herein. The system can have a means for viewing, a marker means, and a processor in communication with a data storage. The means for viewing can have a means for viewing longitude, a means for viewing latitude, a means for viewing height, and a field of view. The system can have a marker means disposed within the field of view, and the marker means can have a certain point, which has a marker means longitude, a marker means latitude, and a marker means height. The marker means can have a first area of a certain shape and of at least one color.

Abstract: The inventive method consists in supplying motion instructions (300) at least including information about the path geometry (320) and load instructions (310) to a path generator (400), calculating an allied load signal (800), transmitting said applied load signal (800) to the path generator (400), calculating motion instructions (500) along the path in such a way that the deviation between the projection of the applied load on a tangent to said path and the projection of the instruction on said tangent is minimized and in transmitting said motion instructions (500) to means for actuating a robot (600). A device comprising means (200, 400, 700) for carrying out said control is also disclosed.

Abstract: When a new desired gait of a robot is generated, it is determined, on the assumption that the trajectory of an acting force between the robot and an object at a predetermined time point in the future changes to a trajectory different from a desired trajectory, whether a predetermined dynamical restrictive condition can be satisfied when a desired gait after the predetermined time point is generated. If the condition cannot be satisfied, then a moving schedule for the object is corrected, the desired trajectory or the like of the acting force between the robot and the object is re-determined, and a new desired gait is generated using the re-determined desired trajectory. With this arrangement, the gait of the robot to cause the robot to perform an operation for moving the object is generated such that the stability of the posture of the robot can be secured even if an acting force between the robot and the object in the future deviates from a desired value.

Abstract: A vehicle control system having a controller and a spatial database adapted to provide spatial data to the controller at control speed. The spatial data provided from the spatial database to the controller can be any kind of data or information that has some relationship or association with “real world” geographical location, or if it is stored somehow with reference to geographical location. The spatial data received by the controller from the database forms at least part of the control inputs that the controller operates on to control the vehicle. The fact that the controller operates directly on information that is inherently associated with “real world” geographic location represents a change in thinking compared with existing vehicle control systems. In particular, it means that the control system of the present invention “thinks” directly in terms of spatial location.

Abstract: A robot control system for controlling a position and an attitude of a robot head is provided with an operating head held by an operator and a sensor for detecting a position and an attitude of the operating head. An attitude recognition portion of the control means recognizes an initial attitude of the operating head when a control switch provided at the operating head is turned on, and acquires a displacement vector from the initial attitude by a change in the attitude of the operating head. An attitude conversion portion converts the displacement vector from the initial attitude to a displacement vector from the reference attitude corresponding to a predetermined reference attitude, and the control means makes the attitude of the robot head follow the displacement vector from the reference attitude. In whatever attitude the operator holds the operating head, the position and the attitude of the robot head can follow the change in the position and the attitude of the operating head.

Abstract: A robot system capable of checking the status of all robot controllers connected to the same network by using at least one robot controller, among the robot controllers, having a function for checking the status. The robot system includes a plurality of robots and a plurality of robot controllers for controlling the robots. The robot controllers are connected to each other via a control network and also connected to an information network. The at least one robot controller, having the function of checking the status, transmits and receives data to and from the other robot controllers and, further, indicates information, concerning the statuses of the networks and the robots, on a display of a teaching operation panel of the at least one robot controller.

Abstract: In a method for operating a drive unit, for at least one operating quantity of the drive unit, a deviation from an initial value is represented by an adaptation value, which adaptation value is determined at various times. In an extreme value storage unit, a first adaptation value, determined at a first point in time, is stored. A second adaptation value, determined at a second point in time after the first point in time, is compared with the first adaptation value stored in the extreme value storage unit to determine whether the second adaptation value exceeds the first adaptation value in a prespecified direction. In this case, the extreme value storage unit is overwritten by the second adaptation value.

Abstract: A gait generating system for a mobile robot determines a gait parameter that defines a gait of a mobile robot 1 to be generated by updating a value of a priority parameter of the gait parameter such that it approaches in steps to an original required value from a value of a priority gait parameter of a predetermined base gait parameter until it agrees with the original required value. Each time the value is updated, a search object parameter among non-priority parameters other than the priority parameter is determined in an exploratory manner such that a boundary condition of a gait is satisfied on a dynamic model of the robot 1, and a gait parameter that includes the determined search object parameter and the updated priority parameter is newly determined. The gait of the mobile robot 1 is generated using a gait parameter newly determined when the priority parameter is finally made to agree with the required value, and the dynamic model.

Abstract: A system for measuring a magnetic signature of a vehicle, including: at least a first set of sensors (Cxi) that are stationary and arranged along at least a first direction; at least a second set of sensors (Cyj) that are stationary and arranged along at least a second direction that intersects the first direction; a common sensor (Cxy0) arranged at a location where the first set of sensors and the second set of sensors intersect, said common sensor belonging to the first and the second sets of sensors, wherein the first set of sensors and the second set of sensors are arranged so that the vehicle passes above at least part of the sensors of the first and second set of sensors; and a calculation device for calculating a relation between a time signature So(t) of the vehicle passing above the common sensor and a spatial profile So(x) resulting from measurements made by the first set of sensors.

Abstract: The operating system for a construction machine gives advice on efficient operation to an operator. A specified state value relating to the operational condition of the construction machine, for example, the hydraulic oil pressure or engine speed, is detected (S101), and the frequency distribution of the state value in prescribed time intervals is calculated (S102). The variable range of the state value is classified into plural regions beforehand, and different target values are pre-set for each these regions. For each region, the frequency distribution is compared with the target value (S104, 106, 108, 110, 112), and as a result of the comparison, a applicable message is selected from the prescribed messages and output (S105, 107, 109, 111, 113). The output message may also be selected according to the combination of the comparison results for the plural state values such as the hydraulic oil pressure and engine speed.

Abstract: Conventional pet robots have the ability to distinguish users and take a different behavior pattern per each different user, and conventional pet robots have the ability to phase their behavior patterns based on their own behavior history to stage a growth process. The present invention provides an improvement to the conventional pet robots by, when in contact with a user in possession of a memory card, acquiring various types of information from the memory card, such as identification information of the memory card, information regarding the user, and history information regarding contact between the user and the robot. This provides the user a high degree of satisfaction by performing behavior that reflects the acquired information.