Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Strawb Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Tokyo Institute of Technology

Keiji Saneyoshi

Hideaki Tsuchiya

Keiji Hanawa

Makoto Ito

Kazuo Okuda

Hikaru Izumitani

Junya Ueno

Yuichi Imai

Masatoshi Nakata

Tomio Uchi

Hiroaki Iwata

To provide a simply-structured multilayer electrostatic actuator that exhibits a sufficient stroke and a sufficient contraction force in a specific drive range, and rapidly hardens upon an attempt to widen the interval between electrodes beyond the drive range. A multilayer electrostatic actuator () is configured by a plurality of actuator parts () each including: a first film () having a plurality of first connection regions () formed on one surface in a predetermined pattern; and a second film () connected to the first film via the first connection regions, and having a plurality of second connection regions () formed on a surface opposite to the first film in the identical pattern. The actuator parts are connected and layered via the second connection regions. On both the first film and the second film of one actuator part (), a non-connection region () is formed having a substantially fixed width between connection regions adjacent to each other as viewed in a layering direction (Z). The first connection regions and the second connection regions are arranged so as not to overlap each other as viewed in the layering direction. Axes of the patterns between two actuator parts () connected intersect each other at a predetermined angle (θ, except θ=0°) as viewed in the layering direction. When the multilayer electrostatic actuator is pulled in the layering direction due to an external force, the non-connection region, in particular mainly the non-connection region of the second film, is bending-deformed to separate the first film and the second film, resulting in the multilayer electrostatic actuator extending in the layering direction. Further pulling makes the non-connection region tensile-deformed and hardened. When a voltage is applied, the multilayer electrostatic actuator contracts in the layering direction due to the electrostatic attractive force.

Multilayer electrostatic actuator

The present invention is directed to providing an electrostatic actuator that can generate a large electrostatic force even if composed of a ribbon-shaped electrode film. In an electrostatic actuatorincluding a ribbon-shaped first electrode filmand a ribbon-shaped second electrode film, a plurality of first electrodesformed of the first electrode filmand a plurality of second electrodesformed of the second electrode filmare folded and laminated between one endand the other endof the electrostatic actuator, and the plurality of first electrodesinclude a pair of end electrodesthat are adjacent to each other in a direction in which the first electrode filmextends in a ribbon shape and are respectively positioned at the one endand the other endwhen laminated and at least one intermediate electrodethat is positioned between the end electrodeswhen laminated.

Electrostatic actuator

A stacked electrostatic actuator exhibits a sufficient contraction force even when pulled by a large external force and the contraction rate thereof does not decrease even under a light load. A stacked electrostatic actuator includes a plurality of electrode films each including a three-layer structure including a first insulating layer, a conductor layer, and a second insulating layer.

Stacked electrostatic actuator

There are provided a plurality of first electrode plates in each of which an adhesive is applied on one surface in a first pattern, and a plurality of second electrode plates in each of which the adhesive is applied on one surface in a second pattern which is different from the first pattern, in which the plurality of first electrode plates and the plurality of second electrode plates are alternately stacked without causing the surfaces on which the adhesive is applied to face each other.

Electrostatic actuator and method for manufacturing electrostatic actuator

A parallax calculating apparatus is provided with: a processor configured to perform, on each of a plurality of types of block shapes that are different from each other, (i) a parallax calculation process, (ii) a block group setting process, and (iii) a cost calculation process, by using a pair of images photographed by a stereo camera; and a selector configured to perform, on each of a plurality of pixels that constitute the image, a parallax selection process of setting a parallax value of a block in which a cost associated by the cost calculation process is minimum, as a parallax of a target pixel in which the parallax is to be obtained, from among a plurality of blocks, each of which includes the target pixel and which respectively correspond to the plurality of types of block shapes.

Parallax calculating apparatus

In a correction operating part three regions including two distant regions and one near region are selected on a reference image picked up by a main camera and distance data are added to the positions of the respective regions to define a range, in which corresponding regions exist, in a comparative image picked up by a sub-camera to search the range to determine the positions of the regions at a resolution of one pixel or less. Then, on the basis of one of the distant regions, a translation correction value and an angle of rotation for the comparative image are derived from the relationship between the positions of the respective regions to be added to the set value of an affine transforming circuit to parallel-displace and rotate the comparative image. Thereafter, an angle of rotation for causing the horizontal line of the main camera to be parallel to the base line of a stereo camera is derived to be added to the set value of an affine transforming circuit to rotate the reference image. Thus, the deviation of the optical axis of the stereo camera is automatically adjusted while carrying out a usual operation for picking up an image of an ordinary landscape to carry out the stereo image processing.

System and method for adjusting stereo camera

A three-dimensional image of a ground surface taken by a stereoscopic camera is converted to a distance image in a stereoscopic processing section. In an altitude calculating section, after peculiar points contained in the distance image are deleted and further the lens distortion is deleted from the distance image, the distance image is transferred to a real space coordinate. Then, an equation approximating to a plane is obtained from data of the distance image and a length of a perpendicular line to the plane is calculated as a ground altitude.

Altitude detection by use of planar approximation of a region of ground

A vehicle monitoring apparatus for obtaining a distance image including an image data and three-dimensional distance information and for monitoring surrounding conditions on the basis of the distance image, comprises: means for dividing the distance image into a plurality of blocks composed of picture elements, means for collecting the blocks having a similar distance data and for grouping the blocks into an independent group, means for calculating an area size of the independent group, means for extracting the image data as an object data if the area size of the group is larger than a predetermined value and for discarding the image data as a false data if the area size is smaller than the predetermined value, means for preparing a histogram having a lateral axis representing a deviation amount and a longitudinal axis representing a frequency corresponding to a number of the image data, and means for detecting an object and a distance to the object by deleting the frequency having a smaller number of the image data than a threshold value along the lateral axis on the histogram. Thereby, false data can be removed from the image data and a mismatching can be prevented.

Vehicle monitoring apparatus

A camera assembly 10 images a distant landscape and a downward landscape every a predetermined period of time. A position recognizing unit 30 of a moving object (autonomous running vehicle) detects the movement of the moving object on the basis of the movement between the imaged pictures of the distant and downward landscapes, which are imaged at different imaging times. That is, the movements of the distant-view and down-view images are converted to the moving amounts in the actual space on the basis of the distance images thereof, respectively, and the component of rotational speed based on the movement of the distant-view image is removed from the component of velocity based on the movement of the down-view image to derive a pure component of translation speed. Then, the pure component of translation speed is converted to a component of translation viewed from the ranging starting point to be accumulated to derive a navigation locus in a three-dimensional space to recognize the moving-object's own position. Thus, it is possible to analyze the surrounding environment in a three-dimensional space to cause the analyzed surrounding environment to be reflected on a navigation information, so that it is possible to obtain a precise and minute navigation information.

Position recognizing system of autonomous running vehicle

A running guide apparatus for a vehicle includes stereoscopic picture processing element for processing a pair of stereoscopic pictures of an object outside a vehicle imaged by a imaging system mounted on the vehicle, construction detection element for detecting a plurality of various constructions by using three dimensional position data calculated with each portion of the object corresponding to the distance distribution data from the stereoscopic picture processing element; gap distance calculation element for respectively calculating the nearest distance as right and left gap distances each between an extended line of right or left side of the vehicle and each of ends on the vehicle side of the plurality of various constructions detected by the construction detection element; and information element for informing the driver of data related to the right and left gap data calculated by the gap distance calculation element; so as to obtain a distance distribution of an entire picture in dependency upon a discrepancy amount positions corresponding to of the pair of the stereoscopic pictures in accordance with a principle of a triangulation.

Running guide apparatus for vehicle capable of keeping safety at passing

A distance between a running vehicle and an object is determined over an imaged picture with high reliability. Three-dimensional objects or a road shape along with accurate position or dimension are also detected. An object within a set region outside a vehicle is imaged by a stereoscopic optical system to input the imaged picture of the object into a stereoscopic picture processing apparatus. The stereoscopic picture processing apparatus processes the picture imaged by the stereoscopic optical system to calculate a distance distribution over the entire picture. A road/three-dimensional object detecting apparatus calculates three-dimensional positions of respective portions of objects corresponding to information of the distance distribution to detect the shape of the road and a plurality of three-dimensional objects by using information of these three-dimensional positions securely and with high reliability.

System for monitoring condition outside vehicle using imaged picture by

An automobile distance detection system includes an image camera system which photographs an object which exists in a required range external to an automobile, from a plurality of different directions and obtains a plurality of pictures, and a picture processing unit which processes the plural number of pictures photographed by the camera system and outputs a distance distribution for an entire picture. The image processing unit includes a coincidence calculation element which performs high-speed calculation of a degree of coincidence for each required region, and corresponding to the plural number of pictures photographed by the camera system, and a discrepancy amount determination element determines discrepancy amounts corresponding to the plural number of pictures on the basis of a minimum value for the coincidence, as information relating to the distance distribution.

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Tokyo, Japan

Keiji Saneyoshi