Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Omron Corporation

Mayumi Komatsu

Stephen William John

Kenta Murakami

Yasunao Okazaki

Shinobu Adachi

Jun Ozawa

Shinichi Kuratani

Yumi Tsutsumi

Hideaki Ito

Fuminori Ozaki

Hiroshi Ueno

An apparatus includes a first wire and a second wire which are coupled to a right upper ankle belt and a right lower ankle belt, a third wire and a fourth wire which are coupled to a left upper ankle belt and a left lower ankle belt, an obtainer obtaining user information about a user and information about walking action of the user, and a controller controlling tensions of the first wire and the second wire at the same time and controlling tensions of the third wire and the fourth wire at the same time using a first stiffness target value corresponding to the first wire, a second stiffness target value corresponding to the second wire, a third stiffness target value corresponding to the third wire, and a fourth stiffness target value corresponding to the fourth wire that are determined based on the user information and the walk information.

Apparatus for fall prevention during walking, control device, control method, and recording medium

A walking assistance apparatus includes a knee fastener, a heel fastener, a first wire and a second wire connected to the knee fastener and the heel fastener, a first motor connected to the first wire, a second motor connected to the second wire, and a control circuit that controls the first motor and the second motor. The first wire is connected to a first position included in a right-half region of the heel fastener. The second wire is connected to a second position included in a left-half region of the heel fastener. The control circuit acquires gait information of the user, and, based on the gait information, the control circuit controls the first motor to reduce a length of the first wire and the second motor to reduce a length of the second wire at a predetermined timing.

Walking assistance apparatus

An assist system includes a fist belt worn on an upper body part of a user, a second belt worn on a knee of the user, a wire, a motor coupled with a first end of the wire and disposed on the first or second belt, a drive controller that controls drive of the motor, a gyro sensor that is disposed on the second belt and that measures an angular velocity about a direction perpendicular to the direction of the wire, and a controller. When the angular velocity is greater than or equal to a first threshold with a first tension being applied to the wire using the motor, the controller outputs first information. A second end of the wire is coupled with the second belt when the motor is disposed on the first belt but coupled with the first belt when the motor is disposed on the second belt.

Assist system, assist method, and storage medium

A walking assistance apparatus includes a suit to be worn on a knee and waist of a user, a first wire that couples a portion included in the suit and worn above the knee to a portion included in the suit and worn on the waist, a second wire that couples a portion included in the suit and worn above a back of the knee to a portion included in the suit and worn on the waist, and motors coupled to the first and second wires. The motors are controlled to generate tensions so that each of the first and second wires has a stiffness greater than 200 N/m during a first period including a period of 95% or more and 100% or less of a first gait cycle of the user and a period of 0% or more and 50% or less of a second gait cycle subsequent to the first gait cycle.

Walking assistance apparatus and control method

An apparatus includes a first wire and a second wire which are coupled to a right upper ankle belt and a right lower ankle belt, a third wire and a fourth wire which are coupled to a left upper ankle belt and a left lower ankle belt, an obtainer obtaining information about a road surface where a user walks, and a controller controlling tensions of the first wire and the second wire at the same time and controlling tensions of the third wire and the fourth wire at the same time using a first stiffness target value corresponding to the first wire, a second stiffness target value corresponding to the second wire, a third stiffness target value corresponding to the third wire, and a fourth stiffness target value corresponding to the fourth wire that are determined based on the information about the road surface.

An assistance apparatus includes first to eighth wires that couple an upper body belt to be worn on an upper body of a user to a first knee belt and a second knee belt to be worn above a left knee and a right knee of the user, respectively, and a motor. In a case of assisting the user in turning left, the motor generates, when a left leg is in a swing phase and a right leg is in a stance phase, a tension in each of the second, third, sixth, and seventh wires at an identical timing. In a case of assisting the user in turning right, the motor generates, when the left leg is in a stance phase and the right leg is in a swing phase, a tension in each of the second, third, sixth, and seventh wires at an identical timing.

Assistance apparatus and assistance method

An assistance apparatus includes wires that couple an upper body belt to be worn on an upper body of a user to first and second knee belts to be worn above left and right knees of the user, and a motor. In a case of assisting the user in turning left, the motor generates a tension in second and fourth wires in a period of 65% or more and 100% or less of a first gait phase of a left leg and a period of 0% or more and 20% or less of a second gait phase of the left leg, and generates a tension in sixth and eighth wires in a period of 65% or more and 100% or less of a first gait phase of a right leg and a period of 0% or more and 20% or less of a second gait phase of the right leg.

An assistance apparatus includes first to eighth wires that couple an upper body belt to be worn on an upper body of a user to a first knee belt and a second knee belt to be worn above a left knee and a right knee of the user, respectively, and a motor. In a case of assisting the user in moving to turn left, the motor generates a tension larger than or equal to a first threshold in each of the second wire, the third wire, and the fourth wire at an identical timing in a swing phase of a left leg of the user, and generates a tension larger than or equal to the first threshold in each of the fifth wire, the sixth wire, and the eighth wire at an identical timing in a swing phase of a right leg of the user.

An assist device includes an upper-body belt attached to the upper body of a user, first and second belts attached to the knees, a first wire coupling the upper-body belt to the first belt, a second wire crossing the first wire, a third wire coupling the upper-body belt to the second belt, a fourth wire crossing the third wire, and a motor coupled to one end of each of the first to fourth wires. When assisting users with walking, tensions equal to a first threshold value or greater are applied to one of the first and second wires and one of the third and fourth wires by the motor at different times. When detecting slacking of the upper-body belt, tensions equal to the first threshold value or greater are simultaneously applied to one of the first and second wires and one of the third and fourth wires by the motor.

Assist device, assist method, and recording medium

An assistance apparatus includes first to eighth wires that couple an upper body belt to be worn on an upper body of a user to a first knee belt and a second knee belt to be worn above a left knee and a right knee of the user, respectively, and a motor. When the assistance apparatus assists the user in turning left, the motor generates a tension larger than or equal to a first threshold in each of the second wire, the fourth wire, the sixth wire, and the eighth wire. When the fourth wire or the second wire is broken, the motor changes the wire in which a tension is generated.

Assistance apparatus

An assistance apparatus includes first to eighth wires that couple an upper body belt to be worn on an upper body of a user to a first knee belt and a second knee belt to be worn above a left knee and a right knee of the user, respectively, and a motor. In a case of assisting the user in turning left, the motor generates, when a right leg of the user is in a stance phase, a tension larger than or equal to a first threshold in each of the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth wires at an identical timing. In a case of assisting the user in turning right, the motor generates, when a left leg of the user is in a stance phase, a tension larger than or equal to the first threshold in each of the first, third, fifth, and seventh wires at an identical timing.

A robot determines whether or not an operator or an object is jammed between a robot arm and an external structure, classifies an area in which an end portion of the robot arm moves into a restricted area and an unrestricted area, and sets a restriction period. If a period after detection of the jam is in the restriction period and the end portion is in the restricted area, restriction on movement is imposed on one or more joints of the robot arm. The restriction on movement is a stoppage of movement of one or more joints. If the period after detection of the jam is after the restriction period, the restriction on movement is removed. If the period after detection of the jam is in the restriction period and the end portion is in the unrestricted area, the restriction on movement is not imposed on the joints.

Robot, device and method for controlling robot, and computer-readable non-transitory recording medium

A robot arm temporarily stops when a contact detector detects contact. A holding motion selecting unit then selects one of continuously stopped motion, directionally limited motion, and directionally unlimited motion in accordance with information including one or both of a distance between the robot arm and a contacted object and force applied to the robot arm by a person. A motion controller causes the selected motion to achieve holding motion.

Robot, robot control apparatus, robot control method, and robot control program

An inner pressure of an actuator is measured by a pressure measuring unit, and an amount of displacement of a movable mechanism is measured so that a position error compensation unit to which a desired value for the displacement and the measured value are inputted is allowed to compensate for a position error, and a desired value for a pressure difference of actuators that are competitively driven from the desired value is calculated by a desired pressure difference calculation unit, and an adjusted correcting value of the desired value for the pressure difference, obtained from the desired value of displacement and the measured value, is adjustably outputted from an adjustable desired inner-state correction unit, and thus, the outputs of these unit are inputted to a pressure difference error compensation unit so that a pressure difference error is compensated therewith.

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Kyoto, Japan

Mayumi Komatsu