Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Canon U.s.a., Inc.

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Konica-minolta Holdings, Inc.

The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.

Nippon Light Metal Company, Ltd.

Kiyoshi Takagi

Yusuke Tanaka

Hidekazu Kose

Takahisa Kato

Ichiro Okumura

Nobuhiko Hata

Shinya Fujisawa

Hitoshi Nakamura

Hitoshi Koyanagi

Takenori Kitada, I

Hideo Yoshioka

Kazusei Takahashi

Fumitaro Masaki

Tomoyuki Yoshida

Kenichirou Hiramoto

Yoshito Katagiri

Akio Hashimoto

Yujiro Ohara

Sanji Kitaoka

Sei Koh

Eizaburo Nakanishi

Yoji Namekawa

Ken Kanasashi

Makoto Oiyama

An object is to provide a mechanism that can ensure safe operation of a continuum robot. A block FTL calculates a target bending angle θand a target rotational angle ζof a following bending section on the basis of a target bending angle θand a target rotational angle ζof a distal-most bending section and a displacement of a base. A switch unitselects the target bending angle θand the target rotational angle θof the following bending section obtained from the block FTL or a target bending angle θand a target rotational angle ζof the following bending section obtained from a block Pcorresponding to following operating means. A kinematic computing unitcomputes, 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.

Continuum robot control system and control method, and program

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.

System and method for controlling continuum robot, and continuum robot

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.

Continuum robot and continuum robot control system

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.

Continuum robot control apparatus, continuum robot control method and program

A kinematic model arithmetic portion calculates a coordinate value (z(&#x3b8;)) 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.

Continuum robot control system and continuum robot control method

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.

Continuum robot control methods and apparatus

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.

Puncture planning apparatus and puncture system

A control apparatus for a continuum robot including a curved portion that is curved by driving a wire with a driving mechanism includes an image DB/torsional-amount acquisition unit that obtains the torsional amount of the continuum robot and a kinematic operation unit that sets the driving displacement amount of the wire driven by the driving mechanism on the basis of the torsional amount obtained by the image DB/torsional-amount acquisition unit.

Apparatus and method for controlling continuum robot, and computer-readable storage medium

A continuum robot includes a curvable first curvable portion, a curvable second curvable portion provided adjacent to the first curvable portion, a first wire connected to the first curvable portion, a second wire connected to the second curvable portion, and a control unit which controls curves of the first curvable portion and the second curvable portion by controlling driving of the first wire and the second wire. The control unit controls driving of the first wire and the second wire on the basis of a kinematic model in consideration of a curve of the second curvable portion accompanying driving the first wire and a curve of the first curvable portion accompanying driving of the second wire. Alternatively, the control unit controls driving of the first wire and the second wire so that a curve target value of the first curvable portion is achieved by the sum of curved amounts of the first curvable portion and the second curvable portion.

Continuum robot, modification method of kinematic model of continuum robot, and control method of continuum robot

To provide a technology of reducing a difference with respect to a target position of a curvable portion of a continuum robot which is to move forward substantially along a trajectory including a branched trajectory and a space. A continuum robot includes a plurality of curvable portions separately driven by wires, and control units which control positions of a plurality of curvable portions in accordance with a kinematic model. A modification value for modifying the kinematic model based on a target position and a measured position about each of the cases in which the plurality of curvable portions take a plurality of positions having at least one intersection is calculated. Modification uses a modification result in at least one of the plurality of positions as an initial value to modify the kinematic model in another position, and synthesizes the plurality of modification values.

The present application relates to a flexible manipulator including at least one flexible member (bend) controlled by an input device in the form of a joystick. Specifically, to prevent the flexible manipulator inserted into a narrow space from contacting surrounding objects, the flexible manipulator according to the present invention is configured to maintain the shape when the operator releases the joystick. However, when the flexible manipulator is shaped to be at a target position and subsequently needs to be returned to the original shape, the operator manipulates the joystick using complicated and time consuming manipulation techniques. A control device in communication with the flexible manipulator is configured to allow the operator to select an input method for maintaining the shape of the flexible manipulator after the joystick is released. In addition, an input method for returning the flexible manipulator to the original shape may be selected. This enables the operator to use an appropriate input method in accordance with the purpose of a medical procedure.

Method for controlling a flexible manipulator

A wire-driven manipulator including a driver, a first deforming section including a first distal member, a plurality of first guide members, and a plurality of first wires, and a second deforming section provided between the first deforming section and the driver with the second deforming section including a second distal member, a plurality of second guide members, and a plurality of second wires. The plurality of first wires are fixed to the first distal member, and at least one of the plurality of first wires is further fixed to the plurality of first guide members and other wires of the plurality of the first wires are slidable with respect to the plurality of first guide members. The plurality of second wires are fixed to the second distal member, and at least one of the plurality of second wires is further fixed to the plurality of second guide members and the other wires of the plurality of the first wires are slidable with respect to the plurality of second guide members. In addition, the length of the first deforming section is shorter than the length of the second deforming section.

Apparatus of continuum robot

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for controlling a flexible manipulator including a plurality of bendable mechanisms via a control apparatus. The control apparatus includes a drive-mode selecting unit allows for the selection of a movement mode which may provide a bending movement, an angled view movement, or a remote center movement.

Method and apparatus for controlling manipulator

An apparatus including a tendon-driven device such as an endoscope comprising a bendable body, a tendon attached to and extending a length of said body, and an actuator that will actuate said tendon based on a control signal from a controller. The controller is configured to send said control signal to said actuator and comprises a forward-kinematic-mapping unit that estimates an angular displacement, wherein the kinematic-mapping unit is configured for: providing a tension value of the tendon to obtain a desired angular displacement wherein the tension has a nonlinear relationship with the desired angular displacement based on information of friction where the tension is greater that would be calculated without including the effect of friction. The friction coefficient may be determined as it changes over time.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kiyoshi Takagi