Abstract: A method of producing a coil which comprises steps of bending each of straight coil wires into a rectangular wave shape including in-slot portions to be disposed in slots of a stator core and turned portions connecting between the in-slot portions, turning a coil bend-forming portion that is one of the in-slot portions of each coil wire which becomes a folded bend of a phase winding by 180° around an axis thereof, twisting the turned portions of the coil wires together to weave the coil wires into a wire bundle, and folding the wire bundle at the coil bend-forming portions of the coil wires to place sides of the wire bundle to overlap each other to make the coil, thereby eliminating the 180° twisting of the coil bend-forming portions to produce the coil without any undesirable deformation of the phase windings.

Abstract: A legged robot that can ensure a large step length while keeping the height of a body trunk at a low position without increasing a moment that is generated due to the gravitational force acting on the trunk and acting on roll joints of legs when standing on one leg is realized. In the legged robot, a pair of legs is connected so as to be able to rotate around a pitch axis (Y-axis) at lateral surfaces of a trunk. Thereby, it is possible to make the height H1 high while keeping the height of the trunk low. It is possible to ensure a large step length while keeping the height of the trunk at a low position. Legs have a structure in which roll joints are positioned below a bottom surface. Thereby, the length L1 in the pitch axis direction between the rotation axis C1 of these joints and the center of mass G of the trunk is limited. The moment acting on the roll joints of the grounding leg when standing on one leg is not increased.

Abstract: Technology is provided that can compute a center of gravity pathway for a robot in which the ZMP matches the target ZMP, even if the robot is caused to perform a crouching movement during a single leg ground phase.

Abstract: A legged robot is provided whose trunk link is not prone to wobble in the front-back direction during walking. The legged robot is equipped with a trunk link and a pair of legs. Each leg has a pitch joint capable of rotating the connected links in a plane that intersects with a line extending in a lateral direction of the robot. Rotation centers of the pitch joints are located above a center of gravity of the trunk link. The legged robot walks mainly by swinging the legs backward and forward around such rotation centers. Hence, the trunk link wobbles mainly in the front-back direction around the rotation centers as the robot walks. Because the center of gravity of the trunk link is located below the rotation centers, the gravitational force acting on the trunk link acts in a direction to suppress swinging of the trunk link during walking. Due to this, the trunk link of the legged robot is not prone to wobble in the front-back direction during walking.

Abstract: In a robot with two or more leg links having ankle joint respectively and pivotably linked to a torso, the robot walks naturally by making the ankle joint of a grounded leg link rotate freely by using passive movement. A controller executes controlling operation of calculating target joint angles of remaining joints other than the ankle joint of the grounded leg link based upon the measured joint angles of the ankle joint of the grounded leg link in the lateral and forward direction. The target joint angles of the remaining joints are calculated so as to satisfy the following condition that a tilting angle of the torso matches a target tilting angle determined based upon the measured joint angle of the ankle joint of the grounded leg link in the forward direction, a cycle period of the idle leg link from lifting to grounding, and a target stride of the idle leg link.

Abstract: A legged robot that runs while repeating a jump cycle including a ground-contact phase from a landing to a takeoff and an aerial phase from a takeoff to a landing is provided. The legged robot adjusts the landing timing after a jump in accordance with a planned timing, thereby attaining a smooth landing. A measuring unit of the legged robot measures an actual aerial phase period in a k-th jump cycle. A subtractor calculates a time difference between a target aerial phase period and the actual aerial phase period in the k-th jump cycle. A target velocity determining unit calculates a target vertical velocity of a center of gravity on a takeoff timing in a (k+1)-th jump cycle so as to eliminate the time difference. Motors in respective joints are controlled so as to realize the calculated target vertical velocity in the (k+1)-th jump cycle.

Abstract: A method of producing a coil which comprises steps of bending each of straight coil wires into a rectangular wave shape including in-slot portions to be disposed in slots of a stator core and turned portions connecting between the in-slot portions, turning a coil bend-forming portion that is one of the in-slot portions of each coil wire which becomes a folded bend of a phase winding by 180° around an axis thereof, twisting the turned portions of the coil wires together to weave the coil wires into a wire bundle, and folding the wire bundle at the coil bend-forming portions of the coil wires to place sides of the wire bundle to overlap each other to make the coil, thereby eliminating the 180° twisting of the coil bend-forming portions to produce the coil without any undesirable deformation of the phase windings.

Abstract: A legged robot is provided whose trunk link is not prone to wobble in the front-back direction during walking. The legged robot is equipped with a trunk link and a pair of legs. Each leg has a pitch joint capable of rotating the connected links in a plane that intersects with a line extending in a lateral direction of the robot. Rotation centers of the pitch joints are located above a center of gravity of the trunk link. The legged robot walks mainly by swinging the legs backward and forward around such rotation centers. Hence, the trunk link wobbles mainly in the front-back direction around the rotation centers as the robot walks. Because the center of gravity of the trunk link is located below the rotation centers, the gravitational force acting on the trunk link acts in a direction to suppress swinging of the trunk link during walking. Due to this, the trunk link of the legged robot is not prone to wobble in the front-back direction during walking.

Abstract: Technology is provided that can compute a center of gravity pathway for a robot in which the ZMP matches the target ZMP, even if the robot is caused to perform a crouching movement during a single leg ground phase.

Abstract: There is provided a legged robot that performs motion by changing a joint angle, which includes a section of generating a center-of-gravity trajectory of the legged robot based on a trinomial equation obtained by discretizing a ZMP equation and a target ZMP, a section of calculating time-varying data of a target value of the joint angle based on the generated center-of-gravity trajectory, and a section of rotating a joint of the legged robot based on the calculated time-varying data of a target value of the joint angle, wherein the ZMP equation involves an angular momentum according to a center-of-gravity velocity.

Abstract: There is provided a legged robot that performs motion by changing a joint angle, which includes a trajectory generating section to calculate a center-of-gravity trajectory in designated stepping motion from the stepping motion including at least one of walking motion, running motion and stopping motion, and generate a center-of-gravity trajectory by superimposing a designated travel velocity onto a travel velocity of a center of gravity in the calculated center-of-gravity trajectory in stepping motion, and a trajectory updating section to store the generated center-of-gravity trajectory and update all the stored center-of-gravity trajectories so as to be continuous, and a trajectory reproducing section to calculate time-varying data of a target value of the joint angle based on the updated center-of-gravity trajectory, and a joint driving section to rotate a joint of the legged robot based on the calculated time-varying data of a target value of the joint angle.

Abstract: A legged robot that can ensure a large step length while keeping the height of a body trunk at a low position without increasing a moment that is generated due to the gravitational force acting on the trunk and acting on roll joints of legs when standing on one leg is realized. In the legged robot, a pair of legs is connected so as to be able to rotate around a pitch axis (Y-axis) at lateral surfaces of a trunk. Thereby, it is possible to make the height H1 high while keeping the height of the trunk low. It is possible to ensure a large step length while keeping the height of the trunk at a low position. Legs have a structure in which roll joints are positioned below a bottom surface. Thereby, the length L1 in the pitch axis direction between the rotation axis C1 of these joints and the center of mass G of the trunk is limited. The moment acting on the roll joints of the grounding leg when standing on one leg is not increased.

Abstract: In a robot with two or more leg links having ankle joint respectively and pivotably linked to a torso, the robot walks naturally by making the ankle joint of a grounded leg link rotate freely by using passive movement. A controller executes controlling operation of calculating target joint angles of remaining joints other than the ankle joint of the grounded leg link based upon the measured joint angles of the ankle joint of the grounded leg link in the lateral and forward direction. The target joint angles of the remaining joints are calculated so as to satisfy the following condition that a tilting angle of the torso matches a target tilting angle determined based upon the measured joint angle of the ankle joint of the grounded leg link in the forward direction, a cycle period of the idle leg link from lifting to grounding, and a target stride of the idle leg link.

Abstract: A legged robot and a legged robot walking control method are disclosed, which enable stable walking without force sensors on leg tips. A legged robot of the present invention comprises a torso, a leg link, which is swingably connected to the torso, storing means 210 for storing leg tip gait data describing a time-series change in a target leg tip motion, storing means 210 for storing torso gait data describing a time-series change in a target torso motion, which realizes a target ZMP following the change in the target leg tip motion, torso motion detection means 218, 220 for detecting an actual torso motion, deviation calculation means 312 for calculating a deviation of the actual torso motion from the target torso motion, correction quantity calculation means 308 for determining a correction quantity from the calculated deviation based on a prescribed transfer function, and correction means 306 for correcting the target torso gait data based on the determined correction quantity.

Abstract: A legged robot and a legged robot walking control method are disclosed, which enable stable walking without force sensors on leg tips. A legged robot of the present invention comprises a torso, a leg link, which is swingably connected to the torso, storing means 210 for storing leg tip gait data describing a time-series change in a target leg tip motion, storing means 210 for storing torso gait data describing a time-series change in a target torso motion, which realizes a target ZMP following the change in the target leg tip motion, torso motion detection means 218, 220 for detecting an actual torso motion, deviation calculation means 312 for calculating a deviation of the actual torso motion from the target torso motion, correction quantity calculation means 308 for determining a correction quantity from the calculated deviation based on a prescribed transfer function, and correction means 306 for correcting the target torso gait data based on the determined correction quantity.

Abstract: A balancing apparatus for suppressing engine vibrations is disclosed. The balancer apparatus includes a helical drive gear that is rotatable together with the crank shaft. A first driven helical gear for is driven by the drive gear and a second driven helical gear is driven by the first driven gear. Support shafts are provided to carry each of the driven gears and a weight associated therewith. A case is provided about the driven gears and carries the support shafts.