Abstract: A composite material structure reinforced against stress concentration in peripheral edge portions of holes and enabled to be reduced in weight. A wing (1) is formed in a box structure. A lower surface outer plate (3) of the wing (1) includes: a center section (3b) made of metal extending in one direction and having access holes (5) formed therein; a front section (3a); and a rear section (3c) made of fiber reinforced plastics extending in the one direction and connected to both side portions of the center section (3b). As the metal used for the center section (3b), a titanium alloy or an aluminum alloy is suitable.

Abstract: Provided is a composite material structure enabled to be reduced in weight. The composite material structure includes a front section (3a) extending in one direction and formed as a composite material made of fiber reinforced plastics, a rear section (3c) separated from the front section (3a) by a predetermined space, extending in the one direction, and formed as a composite material made of fiber reinforced plastics, and access panels (5) provided between the front section (3a) and the rear section (3c) and having a dimension in the one direction shorter than the front section (3a) and the rear section (3c). The access panels (5) are fixed to the front section (3a) and the rear section (3c) in an orthogonal direction substantially orthogonal to the one direction and set to be displaceable in the one direction and are removable.

Abstract: The novelty of this invention is that the vehicle's two degrees of freedom in motion is controlled by a single action of a driver. With this method, a driver can control a vehicle easily and intuitively. This invention might make it possible for impaired people to drive vehicles at their will for the first time. First, a sensor unit of a vehicle detects the Cartesian coordinates (x, y) that are specified by the driver. Second, a computing unit of the vehicle converts the coordinates (x, y) into a desired translation speed and a desired rotation speed, or into a desired translation speed and a desired curvature. Third, the motion control unit of the vehicle controls its motion using the desired translation speed and rotation speed, or the translation speed and curvature.

Abstract: Provided is a composite material structure reinforced against stress concentration in the peripheral edge portions of holes and enabled to be reduced in weight. A wing (1) is formed in a box structure. A lower surface outer plate (3) of the wing (1) includes a center section (3b) made of metal extending in one direction and having access holes (5) formed therein, a front section (3a) and a rear section (3c) made of fiber reinforced plastics extending in the one direction and connected to both side portions of the center section (3b). As the metal used for the center section (3b), a titanium alloy or an aluminum alloy is suitable.

Abstract: Provided is a composite material structure enabled to be reduced in weight. The composite material structure includes a front section (3a) extending in one direction and formed as a composite material made of fiber reinforced plastics, a rear section (3c) separated from the front section (3a) by a predetermined space, extending in the one direction, and formed as a composite material made of fiber reinforced plastics, and access panels (5) provided between the front section (3a) and the rear section (3c) and having a dimension in the one direction shorter than the front section (3a) and the rear section (3c). The access panels (5) are fixed to the front section (3a) and the rear section (3c) in an orthogonal direction substantially orthogonal to the one direction and set to be displaceable in the one direction and are removable.

Abstract: A method of mapping an operation area by a team of a human and a mobile robot 200 includes the steps of defining a graph representing the area by a human 201, guiding the robot by human along an edge 203, stopping at a vertex in the graph by the team 203, creating a vertex record if stopped at a new vertex 205, localizing the robot and vertices if stopped at an existing vertex 206, creating an edge record if finished a new edge 208, and outputting an area's map including a set of vertex records and a set of edge record by the robot 210. The robot's human-tracking step 203 includes the steps of obtaining a 2-DOF motion command from sensors that detect the human's action and executing a 2-DOF motion based on the motion command.

Abstract: A method of mapping an operation area by a team of a human and a mobile robot 200 includes the steps of defining a graph representing the area by a human 201, guiding the robot by human along an edge 203, stopping at a vertex in the graph by the team 203, creating a vertex record if stopped at a new vertex 205, localizing the robot and vertices if stopped at an existing vertex 206, creating an edge record if finished a new edge 208, and outputting an area's map including a set of vertex records and a set of edge record by the robot 210. The robot's human-tracking step 203 includes the steps of obtaining a 2-DOF motion command from sensors that detect the human's action and executing a 2-DOF motion based on the motion command.

Abstract: A method of planning paths for autonomous carrier vehicles, such as a mobile robots, capable of planning curved paths consisting of cubic spirals smoother than those planned by conventional path planning methods. The path planned by the method of the invention is defined by one or two of cubic spirals with curvature expressed by a quadratic function of distance measured along the cubic spiral with zero curvatures at its opposite ends. The path is designed so that curvatures at the junctions are zero and the integral of the square of the derivative of curvature function between the opposite ends of the path is minimized. The mobile robot is able to travel very smoothly across the junctions when the integral of the square of the derivative of curvature is minimized.

Abstract: A mobile robot navigating method for navigating an autonomous mobile robot utilizes a path planning unit, a posture control unit, a command signal converting unit, a current posture computing unit and a running mechanism, such as an autonomous carrier vehicle, capable of quickly and accurately controlling the mobile robot for steady running to a desired posture along a specified path. The mobile robot is controlled for running by a speed command including a desired speed for feed-forward control a speed correction for feed back control, and an angular velocity command including a desired angular velocity for feed-forward control and an angular velocity correction for feedback control. The mobile robot is controlled in a feed back and feed-forward control mode using the speed command and the angular velocity command so as to run steadily along an optimum path to a desired posture without meandering.

Abstract: A locomotion-command method for a mobile robot of the type having a master section and a locomotion module wherein a travelling route is specified by a command sent from the master section to the locomotion module and wherein travelling on a given direction line is set as a basic motion, and a travelling route can be arbitrarily set by sending a command which specifies changes in the position, direction and angle of the direction line, to thereby enable a robot to freely travel with simple commands and to realize effective control of the robot.