Abstract: An object is to provide a mechanism that can ensure safe operation of a continuum robot. A block FTL calculates a target bending angle ?fFTL and a target rotational angle ?fFTL of a following bending section on the basis of a target bending angle ?lt and a target rotational angle ?lt of a distal-most bending section and a displacement of a base. A switch unit 330 selects the target bending angle ?fFTL and the target rotational angle ?fFTL of the following bending section obtained from the block FTL or a target bending angle ?lf and a target rotational angle ?lf of the following bending section obtained from a block Pl corresponding to following operating means. A kinematic computing unit 340 computes, on the basis of the target bending angle and the target rotational angle, a drive displacement by which a driving unit drives a wire in the following bending section.

Abstract: A continuum robot having independently manipulateable bendable section for advancing the robot through a passage, without contacting fragile elements within the passage, wherein the robot incorporates a system, method and apparatus for transitioning between modes for ease of use by a physician, as well as a transitional park mode for ensuring correct manipulation of the continuum robot.

Abstract: A control system for a continuum robot including at least one curvable unit driven by a wire and configured to be curvable, and a driving unit driving the wire includes: a position control unit performing control so that an error between a target displacement of push-pull driving of the wire by the driving unit and a displacement of a wire holding mechanism holding the wire obtained from a continuum robot is compensated; a force control unit performing control so that an error between a target generated force corresponding to a target tension of the wire output from the position control unit and a generated force corresponding to a tension of the wire obtained from the continuum robot is compensated; and wherein a first loop control system including the force control unit and a second loop control system including the position control unit.

Abstract: A continuum robot having at least two independently manipulatable bendable section for advancing the robot through a passage, without contacting fragile elements within the passage, wherein the robot incorporates a system, method and apparatus including a ‘relax mode’ capable of relaxing at least one of the bendable sections, allowing the bendable section to conform to the surrounding anatomy.

Abstract: A control system for a continuum robot including at least one curvable unit driven by a wire and configured to be curvable, and a driving unit driving the wire includes: a position control unit performing control so that an error between a target displacement of push-pull driving of the wire by the driving unit and a displacement of a wire holding mechanism holding the wire obtained from a continuum robot is compensated; a force control unit performing control so that an error between a target generated force corresponding to a target tension of the wire output from the position control unit and a generated force corresponding to a tension of the wire obtained from the continuum robot is compensated; and wherein a first loop control system including the force control unit and a second loop control system including the position control unit.

Abstract: An inductor includes a magnetic core obtained by pressure-molding a mixture of a magnetic material powder and a binding agent, and coil elements buried in the magnetic core. The coil elements include two tabular coils that are a first coil element and a second coil element provided overlappingly in stated order from a first side face side to a second side face side. End portions of the coil elements protrude from the bottom face and are bent along the bottom face to configure external electrodes. One of first external electrodes extends toward a first end face and an other one of the first external electrodes extends toward the second end face, and second external electrodes extend toward a second side face.

Abstract: An object of the present disclosure is to achieve a small-sized inductor capable of handling a high current, and having a high coupling coefficient. Inductor includes magnetic core and coil element embedded in magnetic core. Coil element includes at least four flat coils, and first coil element, second coil element, third coil element, and fourth coil element are provided in an overlapping manner. Ends of each coil element protrude from bottom surface, and are bent along bottom surface, to form external electrode. Ends of first coil element and ends of third coil element are bent toward first side surface. Ends of second coil element and ends of fourth coil element are bent toward second side surface.

Abstract: A control unit that controls the motion of a continuum robot including a bendable unit having a plurality of bending sections, defines a predetermined position on a wire guide located most distal from a base in the second bending section, which is a follower bending section, as an origin, sets reference axes for a direction in which the wire guide is facing, and causes a drive unit in the base to drive a wire of the third bending section so that the third bending section, which is a distal bending section, is bent on the basis of a relative coordinate system in which the origin and the reference axes relating to the wire guide vary in accordance with the movement of the continuum robot.

Abstract: A continuum robot includes: a first wire; a second wire; a distal guide configured to hold the first wire and the second wire; a proximal guide slidable relative to the first wire and the second wire; a plurality of wire guides provided between the distal guide and the proximal guide; a driving unit configured to drive the first wire and the second wire; and a control unit configured to control the driving unit. The first wire is fixed to the plurality of wire guides, the second wire is slidable relative to the plurality of wire guides, and the control unit controls the driving unit so as to keep a distance between the proximal guide and a wire guide among the plurality of wire guides provided nearest to the proximal guide constant.

Abstract: An object is to obtain an inductor that has a low inductance and can withstand a large current. Inductor includes magnetic core obtained by mixing a powder magnetic material and a binder and compression-molding a mixture, and flat conductive wire embedded in magnetic core and extending linearly with an end portion protruding from an end surface of magnetic core. When viewed from a top surface, magnetic core includes central portion covering flat conductive wire, side surface portions provided on both sides of central portion, and tapered portions provided between central portion and side surface portions, and a thickness of side surface portions is thinner than a thickness of central portion.

Abstract: A continuous robot control system executes control which brings a continuous robot into a state where a most distal bending portion (leading bending portion) bends at a third bending angle between a bending angle b (second bending angle) and a bending angle e (first bending angle) with respect to a reference axis while a base is being located at a position between a position c (third position) and a position e (first position), when the distal bending portion is extracted from a tube by making the continuous robot move backward, after the distal bending portion is inserted into an inner portion of the tube by making the continuous robot move forward.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mechanism which can avoid narrowing of a range in which a continuum robot can be driven and suppress damage to the continuum robot and an object. A continuum robot control apparatus controlling an operation of a continuum robot having a bendable portion bending in response to driving of at least some of a plurality of wires includes an external force estimating unit configured to estimate an external force applied to the bendable portion based on compressive/tensile forces applied to two or more wires of the plurality of wires, and a driving control unit configured to control driving of the wires to be driven based on the external force estimated by the external force estimating unit.

Abstract: The control system includes: a kinematics computing unit that calculates a drive amount of a wire; a low back-drivability drive control unit that controls the drive amount of the wire based on a result of the kinematics computation; a high back-drivability drive control unit with which the drive unit is more easily driven in a reverse direction than in a case of drive control performed by the drive control unit when the curvable portion is subjected to an external force, the drive control unit being configured to control the drive amount of the wire based on the result of the kinematics computation; and a switching control unit that performs control to switch between the drive control unit and the second drive control unit in accordance with a mode signal indicating a drive control unit to be selected or a result of detecting a force applied to the wire.

Abstract: An inductor includes: an exterior member having a bottom surface and a side surface; and an electric conductive member partially covered by the exterior member. The electric conductive member includes a coil portion covered by the exterior member; lead portions connected to both ends of the coil portion, extending toward the bottom surface, and covered by the exterior member; and terminal electrodes connected to the lead portions and exposed from the bottom surface. The side surface includes recesses recessed inward of the exterior member from the side surface and connected to the bottom surface. The terminal electrodes extend along the bottom surface toward the recesses, are bent from the bottom surface toward the recesses, and housed therein. At least a part of each lead portion is opposite to the recess. Each lead portion has a thickness smaller than a diameter or a thickness of a wire of the coil portion.

Abstract: A kinematic model arithmetic portion calculates a coordinate value (ze1 (?e)) as distance information indicating the distance between a member that serves as a reference surface for the curve shape of a curvable portion and a member in the curvable portion that is closest to the reference surface. A switch determination unit determines based on the coordinate value whether to drive a wire for driving the curvable portion by a drive displacement calculated for the wire along with the coordinate value by the kinematic model arithmetic portion.

Abstract: A continuum robot having at least two independently manipulateable bendable section for advancing the robot through a passage, without contacting fragile elements within the passage, wherein the robot incorporates control algorithms that enable the continuum robot to operate and advance into the passage, as well as the systems and procedures associated with the continuum robot and said functionality.

Abstract: An object is to provide a mechanism that can ensure safe operation of a continuum robot. A block FTL calculates a target bending angle ?fFTL and a target rotational angle ?fFTL of a following bending section on the basis of a target bending angle ?lt and a target rotational angle ?lt of a distal-most bending section and a displacement of a base. A switch unit 330 selects the target bending angle ?fFTL and the target rotational angle ?fFTL of the following bending section obtained from the block FTL or a target bending angle ?lf and a target rotational angle ?lf of the following bending section obtained from a block Pl corresponding to following operating means. A kinematic computing unit 340 computes, on the basis of the target bending angle and the target rotational angle, a drive displacement by which a driving unit drives a wire in the following bending section.

Abstract: In a wire-driven continuum robot, in accordance with a profile of a first bending angle regarding a bending angle of a follow-up bending section that corresponds to a forward movement of a continuum robot, and is set in accordance with an input first target bending angle of a distal bending section, a bending angle of the following-up bending section is controlled to reach the first target bending angle. Before a movement amount of a forward movement reaches a first movement amount, the control is performed as follows. More specifically, a profile of a second bending angle that is different from the profile of the first bending angle is set, and by a further forward movement of the continuum robot, a bending angle of the following-up bending section reaches the second target bending angle in accordance with the profile of the second bending angle.

Abstract: A control system for a continuum robot including at least one curvable unit driven by a wire and configured to be curvable, and a driving unit driving the wire includes: a position control unit performing control so that an error between a target displacement of push-pull driving of the wire by the driving unit and a displacement of a wire holding mechanism holding the wire obtained from a continuum robot is compensated; a force control unit performing control so that an error between a target generated force corresponding to a target tension of the wire output from the position control unit and a generated force corresponding to a tension of the wire obtained from the continuum robot is compensated; and wherein a first loop control system including the force control unit and a second loop control system including the position control unit.

Abstract: A puncture planning apparatus has: a simulation unit that simulates movement of an organ and a puncture needle by simulation using an organ model; and a planning unit that plans, based on the simulation result, how to move the puncture needle when an actual organ is punctured. The simulation unit executes a plurality of times of the simulation of an operation to advance the puncture needle while correcting an angle of the puncture needle so as to follow the movement of the target segment due to deformation of the organ, conditions of an advancement speed of the puncture needle are changed for each of the plurality times of the simulation, and the planning unit performs planning using the best simulation result out of the plurality of simulation results acquired under different conditions of the advancement speed.