Hitachi, Ltd.

Thk Co., Ltd.

Mamoru Mitsuishi

Mitsuishi, Mamoru

Kazuo Yonenobu

Nobuhiko Sugano

Ichiro Sakuma

Yasuyuki Momoi

Takeyoshi Dohi

Toji Nakazawa

Shinichi Warisawa

Yoshinobu Sato

Takahiro Ochi

Yoshikazu Nakajima

Toshihiko Sasama

Tatsuya Ishizuka

Madoka Sugiura

Toji c/o Thk Co Ltd Nakazawa

A position measuring apparatus, for use in an assisting apparatus for surgical opertions, includes a position indicating apparatus for indicating a position and a direction of a tool, and three-dimensional position measuring apparatus for measuring a position and a direction of a surgical field and also the position and the direction of the tool. The position indicating apparatus and the three dimensional position measuring apparatus are unified in one body in the relative position thereof, so that a position for assistance of surgical operation is indicated in the form of an intersection line or an intersection point of the laser beams, irrespective of the position of the position measuring apparatus.

Position measuring apparatus

Tow forces can be measured only by providing one force sensor in a device structure, and a drive system is driven so as to assist an external force by detecting it. A value at a force sensor () at the moment when a foot switch () is set as the original point (detection reference) of a force to be assisted. Variations of the force after the original point setting is measured by the force sensor () the difference between the measured value and the assist original point is obtained, and a force to be assisted is detected. Depending on the magnitude of the force to be assisted, assist operation is performed by causing a drive force to act on a foot such that the force to be assisted is reduced. When the force is assisted reaches zero, the assist operation is completed. Then, two forces, or 'a force acting on a patient's foot' and 'a force applied to the foot' from the outside, are detected by the one force sensor ().

Power assistance controlling apparatus, power assistance controlling method, and physiotherapy apparatus

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Ashiya, Japan

Kazuo Yonenobu