Abstract: In a frictional drive device comprising a pair of drive disks (48) each rotatably supported by a frame (10) around a central axial line (A) in a mutually opposing relationship and configured to be individually rotatively actuated by a pair of first actuators (45), a plurality of drive rollers (58) arranged along an outer periphery of each drive disk each via a roller bracket (52) which is rotatable around a center line (B) extending in a radial direction at an angle with respect to the central axial line of the drive disks, each roller bracket rotatably supports the corresponding drive roller so as to be rotatable along a prescribed plane of rotation, and an annular main wheel (100) disposed at least approximately coaxially with respect to the central axial line and engaged by the drive rollers of the drive disks, the main wheel comprising an annular member (102) and a plurality of driven rollers (106) supported along the annular member so as to be rotatable around a tangential line of the annular member, eac

Abstract: An inverted pendulum type vehicle provided with a body, a pair of wheels and that is attached to the pertinent body and that is arranged in parallel, drive mechanisms and that separately rotate the pertinent pair of wheels and around wheel axes, and a control member that controls the drive mechanisms and, wherein: the body is provided with a base to which the pair of wheels and is attached, a column disposed upright from the base, and a load-supporting part that is attached to the column and that sustains a payload; the column is joined to the base via a shaft that extends in a non-parallel direction relative to the wheel axes, and is provided so as to be capable of sliding around the shaft; and the shaft is provided with an actuator which imparts torque to the column that slides around the shaft with an orientation that is the reverse of the sliding direction of the column.

Abstract: An electric vehicle includes a base; a front wheel that can be driven omnidirectionaly; a rear wheel that is mounted on the base so that a symmetry axis is parallel with a symmetry axis of the front wheel; a seat member that is mounted so that a straight line connecting a wheel center of the front wheel and a wheel center of the rear wheel specifies a fore-and-aft direction; an controller that detects an acceleration and deceleration command and a turning command; an inclination sensor that detects inclination of the base; and a control unit that controls acceleration and deceleration of the base based on the acceleration and deceleration command detected by the controller, that controls turning of the base based on the turning command detected by the controller, and that controls translational motion of the base based on inclination of the base detected by the inclination sensor.

Abstract: In a frictional drive device comprising a pair of drive disks (48) rotatably supported by a frame (10) around a central axial line (AL, AR) in a mutually opposing relationship, a pair of motors (64) supported by the frame for individually rotatively actuating the drive disks, a plurality of drive rollers (56) arranged along an outer periphery of each drive disk at a regular interval and each having a rotational center line so as to be rotatable along a plane which is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the central axial line, and an annular main wheel (84) disposed approximately coaxially with respect to the central axial line and engaged by the drive rollers of the drive disks, the main wheel comprising an annular member (86) and a plurality of driven rollers (92) supported along the annular member so as to be rotatable around a tangential line of the annular member, the main wheel engaging an object to the actuated, the central axial line of at least one of the drive disks is tilted in an outward directio

Abstract: An inverted pendulum type omnidirectional vehicle includes: a pair of wheels; a drive mechanism; a control apparatus; an auxiliary wheel; and a vehicle body. Each of the wheels includes: a rotation member capable of rotating about the wheel axis; a plurality of free rollers which are disposed all around an outer circumference of the rotation member, and each of which is brought into contact with a road surface at a lowest position of the rotation member and is rotatable about a rotation axis diagonal with respect to the wheel axis. The free rollers on both sides in contact with the road surface at ground contact portions each have the rotation axis extending in parallel with the road surface, and are arranged in an orientation in which a distance between the rotation axes of the free rollers is shorter toward a side of the auxiliary wheel.

Abstract: A control device of an inverted pendulum type vehicle comprising: a drive unit driving a vehicle movable on a floor surface in all directions comprising a first direction and a second direction, the first direction being orthogonal to the second direction; a base body comprising a payload supporting part receiving a load of the drive unit and a passenger; and a control unit controlling the drive unit so that an inverted pendulum control is performed with respect to a vehicle system center-of-gravity point, wherein the inverted pendulum type vehicle comprises a periodic moving unit being comprised in the base body and receiving a predetermined periodic movement by the passenger, and a periodic detector detecting a period of the periodic moving unit; and the control unit controls the drive unit according to the period of the periodic moving unit.

Abstract: An inverted pendulum type moving body moving over a floor surface in a self standing manner, the inverted pendulum type moving body comprising: an information acquisition unit obtaining a state information indicating a current state of an another moving body; and a movement control unit controlling a movement of a self moving body, based on the state information, so that a state of the self moving body with respect to the current state of the another moving body satisfies a predetermined condition established so that the self moving body and the another moving body moves in alignment.

Abstract: In a frictional drive device comprising a pair of drive disks (48) rotatably supported by a frame (10) around a central axial line (A) in a mutually opposing relationship, a pair of motors (64) supported by the frame for individually rotatively actuating the drive disks, a plurality of drive rollers (56) arranged along an outer periphery of each drive disk at a regular interval and each having a rotational center line so as to be rotatable along a plane which is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the central axial line, and an annular main wheel (84, 110) disposed approximately coaxially with respect to the central axial line and engaged by the drive rollers of the drive disks, the main wheel comprising an annular member (86, 111) and a plurality of driven rollers (92) supported along the annular member so as to be rotatable around a tangential line of the annular member, a resiliency is incorporated either in the main wheel or in the drive rollers so that a relatively large number of driven rollers can be

Abstract: A frictional drive device comprises a pair of drive disks (48) each rotatably supported by a frame (2, 42) around a central axial line (A) in a mutually opposing relationship, and a pair of actuators (64) supported by the frame for individually rotatively actuating the drive disks and coaxially disposed with respect to the corresponding drive disks, a plurality of drive rollers (56) arranged along an outer periphery of each drive disk and each having a rotational center line so as to be rotatable along a plane which is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the central axial line, and an annular main wheel (85) disposed approximately coaxially with respect to the central axial line and engaged by the drive rollers of the drive disks, the main wheel comprising an annular member (86) and a plurality of driven rollers (92) supported along the annular member so as to be rotatable around a tangential line of the annular member.

Abstract: A drive unit includes a main wheel having an annular member, and a plurality of driven rollers that are rotatably attached to the annular member, a plurality of first drive rollers and a plurality of second drive rollers, which are provided with the annular member between them and arranged such that they make contact with the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers, a first holder and a second holder, which are arranged with the annular shaft between them and respectively hold the plurality of first drive rollers and the plurality of second drive rollers while allowing them to rotate, and a first drive unit and a second drive unit that rotationally drive the first holder and the second holder respectively; grooves are formed in the outer peripheral faces of the driven rollers at an angle to the circumferential direction thereof.

Abstract: An inverted pendulum type moving body comprising: a base body; a moving behavior unit movable in all directions on a floor surface; an actuator driving the moving behavior unit; and a control unit controlling the actuator so that at least a tilt angle of the base body equals a predetermined target angle, the control unit also controlling the actuator so that the moving behavior unit moves along a predetermined trajectory.

Abstract: A leg type mobile robot, in which a downsizing and wait-saving of floor reaction force detector to be installed on the foot is enabled. The center Pb of the force sensor is disposed on the position Pa where the distance to the remotest position of ground area provided on the bottom of each plate spring part S1 to S4 is minimum in the standing-still state of the robot R, and the distance L1, L2, L3, and L4 to the remotest point of the ground area of each plate spring part S1, S2, S3, and S4 is equal. The center Pc of the ankle joint is offset in a rearward direction with respect to the position Pa in a plane view.

Abstract: A control device for a mobile body makes it possible to smoothly correct the deviation of an actual posture of a base body of a mobile body, which travels with the base body thereof moving up and down, from a desired posture of the base body while restraining an overshoot or an undershoot from occurring. To determine a required manipulated variable according to a feedback control law in order to converge a state amount deviation related to the posture of the base body of the mobile body to zero, the feedback gain of the feedback control law is determined by using the time series in a period from current time to predetermined time in the future in the time series of a desired inertial force of the mobile body or the base body. The required manipulated variable is determined by the calculation of the feedback control law on the basis of the determined feedback gain and an observed value of the state amount deviation.

Abstract: When the placement of the elements (mass points, links having inertia, etc.) of a model expressing a robot 1 is determined according to a first geometric restrictive condition from an instantaneous desired motion of the robot 1 that has been created using a dynamic model, this placement is defined as a first placement, and the placement determined according to a second geometric restrictive condition from a corrected instantaneous desired motion that has been obtained by correcting the instantaneous desired motion is defined as a second placement. The corrected instantaneous desired motion is determined such that the moment component calculated from the difference between the first and the second placements approximates a predetermined value. The instantaneous desired motion is created using a dynamic model of the robot.

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: On the basis of at least a difference between a desired state amount related to a posture of a robot 1 about a vertical axis or a floor surface normal line axis and an actual state amount of the robot 1 and a permissible range of a restriction object amount, namely, a vertical component of a floor reaction force moment or a component of the floor reaction force moment in a floor surface normal line direction to be applied to the robot 1, instantaneous values of a desired motion and a desired floor reaction force are determined such that a difference between a floor reaction force moment balancing with the desired motion on a dynamic model and a floor reaction force moment of the desired floor reaction force approximates the aforesaid difference to zero, while having the restriction object amount, which is associated with the desired floor reaction force, fall within the permissible range.

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: A road surface frictional coefficient estimating apparatus has a device for determining a first estimated value of a yaw moment Mnsp_estm generated at an NSP of a vehicle due to the resultant force of road surface reaction forces acting on each wheel by using, for example, a frictional coefficient estimated value that has been determined, and a device for determining a second estimated value of a yaw moment Mnsp_sens generated at the NSP from the observed value of motional state amounts defining an inertial force moment at the NSP. The increasing/decreasing manipulated variable of the frictional coefficient estimated value is sequentially determined on an error (Mnsp_sens?Mnsp_estm) such that the error is converged to zero, and the road surface frictional coefficient is updated on the basis of the increasing/decreasing manipulated variable.

Abstract: A road surface frictional coefficient estimating apparatus includes a device which determines a first estimated value of a to-be-compared external force acting on a vehicle due to the resultant force of road surface reaction forces by using a determined frictional coefficient estimated value and the like, and a device which determines a second estimated value of the to-be-compared external force from the observed value of motional state amounts of the vehicle that define an inertial force corresponding to the to-be-compared external force. The estimated value of a road surface frictional coefficient is updated on the basis of the difference between the first estimated value and the second estimated value. In the case where the first estimated value and the second estimated value have polarities that are opposite from each other, the updating of the estimated value of the road surface frictional coefficient on the basis of the difference is not carried out.

Abstract: To generate a desired gait of a robot 1 such that a permissible range of a predetermined component (a translational floor reaction force horizontal component or the like) of a floor reaction force acting on the mobile robot 1, a gait generating system for a mobile robot creates a provisional motion, which indicates a provisional value of a desired motion, and repeats processing for correcting the provisional motion by using a first dynamic model and a second dynamic model having a dynamic accuracy that is higher than that of the first dynamic model until a predetermined condition is satisfied, thereby obtaining a final corrected motion as the desired motion.