Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Tohoku University

Denso Corporation

Toyota Jidoshakabushiki Kaisha/kinseki Limited

Motohiro Fujiyoshi

Yutaka Nonomura

Yoshiteru Omura

Takahiro Nakayama

Yoshiyuki Hata

Teruhisa Akashi

Hirofumi Funabashi

Masayoshi Esashi

Shuji Tanaka

Hitoshi Yamada

Ui Yamaguchi

Mitsutoshi Makihata

Masanori Muroyama

Sakae Matsuzaki

Norio Fujitsuka

Hisayoshi Sugihara

Takashi Ozaki

Nobuyoshi Sugitani

Keiichi Shimaoka

Kouji Tsukada

Kazuyoshi Tomita

Tomoya Jomori

Katsuaki Goto

Megumi Suzuki

Tetsuo Narita

Isao Aoyagi

Kanae Murata

Motoyasu Hanji

A sensor unit includes at least three kinesthetic-sense sensors arranged along a plane, each including a first force-receiving part configured to receive an external force. The sensor unit includes a connecting member including a second force-receiving part configured to receive an external force, configured to transfer the external force received by the second force-receiving part to each first force-receiving part and connecting the first force-receiving parts with each other. The sensor unit includes an output unit configured to output signals corresponding to a pressing force in an orthogonal-axis direction orthogonal to the plane and pressing forces in two axial directions parallel to the plane, respectively, the pressing forces being components of divided forces of the external force received by the second force-receiving part, received by the respective first force-receiving parts through the connecting member.

Sensor unit, sensor system, robot hand, robot arm, server device, calculation method, and program

A vibration gyroscope includes: a mass part supported to be displaceable in a first direction and a second direction; an exciter vibrating the mass part in the first direction; and a detector detecting a displacement amount of the mass part in the second direction. The first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other. A resonance frequency of the mass part in the first direction coincides with a resonance frequency of the mass part in the second direction. A Q-factor of vibration of the mass part in the second direction is smaller than a Q-factor of vibration of the mass part in the first direction.

Vibration gyroscope

A sensor system includes a substrate with a reference plane, a plurality of kinesthetic-sense sensors disposed on the substrate, each of the plurality of kinesthetic-sense sensors being configured to output signals of three axial directions corresponding to an orthogonal-axis direction orthogonal to the reference plane and two axial directions parallel to the reference plane, respectively, according to an external force from an object received at a force receiving part, a control unit configured to determine whether or not a value of each of the signals is larger than a predetermined threshold, and calculate a pressing force in the orthogonal-axis direction or a moment around the orthogonal axis received from the object based on a result of the determination, and an output unit configured to output a result of the calculation.

Sensor system for calculating pressing force or moment based on signals output by kinesthetic-sense sensors, robot hand including the sensor system, and method for calibrating the sensor system

A sensor system according to the present disclosure includes a substrate, a force sensor, a calculation unit, and an output part. The substrate includes a reference plane and an inclined surface. The force sensor is provided on the inclined surface and outputs signals in three-axis directions that correspond to an orthogonal axis direction that is orthogonal to the inclined surface and two-axis directions that are parallel to the reference plane. The calculation unit calculates a pressing force in each coordinate axis direction of rectangular coordinates formed of an axis vertical to the reference plane and two axes parallel to the reference plane and moments around the respective coordinate axes of the rectangular coordinates. The output part outputs calculation results.

Sensor system and robot hand

Teaching disclosed herein is an apparatus comprising a support layer. The support layer may be adapted for supporting a heat generator, wherein the support layer includes a flow passage. The flow passage may seal working fluid therein. The flow passage may extend along a thickness direction of the support layer.

Apparatus and method of manufacturing a support layer

A touch sensor system includes buses, a plurality of touch sensor devices disposed on the buses, and an information integrating device that is connected to all the buses and integrates information from the touch sensor device. The touch sensor device includes a sensor unit and a signal processing unit that transmits a sensor data signal generated by processing an analog sensor signal to the information integrating device through the bus. The signal processing unit includes a digital converting unit, a threshold evaluating unit that gives a start permission of the signal process when a sensor value exceeds a preset threshold, an ID adding unit that adds a transmitter identification number to the sensor signal, and a data transmitting unit that outputs the sensor data signal to a signal line of the bus. Fast responses are made possible without increasing the amount of data and host processing load while including many touch sensor elements.

Touch sensor system

A dynamic quantity sensor includes a force receiving portion, a first movable portion that rotates in a first rotational direction around a first rotational axis according to dynamic quantity in a first direction that the force receiving portion receives, and rotates in the first rotational direction around the first rotational axis according to dynamic quantity in a second direction different from the first direction that the force receiving portion receives; and a second movable portion that rotates in a second rotational direction around a second rotational axis according to the dynamic quantity in the first direction that the force receiving portion receives, and rotates in an opposite direction to the second rotational direction around the second rotational axis according to the dynamic quantity in the second direction that the force receiving portion receives.

Dynamic quantity sensor and dynamic quantity sensor system

Provided is a technique for packaging a sensor structure having a contact sensing surface and a signal processing LSI that processes a sensor signal. The sensor structure has the contact sensing surface and sensor electrodes. The signal processing integrated circuit is embedded in a semiconductor substrate. The sensor structure and the semiconductor substrate are bonded by a bonding layer, forming a sensor device as a single chip. The sensor electrodes and the integrated circuit are sealed inside the sensor device, and the sensor electrodes and external terminals of the integrated circuit are led out to the back surface of the semiconductor substrate through a side surface of the semiconductor substrate.

Sensor device having electrode draw-out portions through side of substrate

In a MEMS structure, a first trench which penetrates the first layer, the second layer and the third layer is formed, and a second trench which penetrates the fifth layer, the forth layer and the third layer is formed. The first trench forms a first part of an outline of the movable portion in a view along the stacked direction. The second trench forms a second part of the outline of the movable portion in the view along the stacked direction. At least a part of the first trench overlaps with the first extending portion in the view along the stacked direction.

MEMS structure and manufacturing method thereof

A structure having a first movable portion displaced perpendicular to a substrate surface and a second movable portion displaced parallel to the substrate surface is realized by a laminated structure employing a nested structure for the first portion and the second portion. The laminated structure is provided with inner and outer movable portions. A y spring is connected to the outer portion, and the outer portion is supported in a y-axis direction by the y spring at a height apart from an outer substrate. A z spring is connected to the inner portion, and the inner portion is supported in a z-axis direction by the z spring at a height apart from the outer substrate. The outer portion and the z spring are at different heights from the substrate, and the z spring overpasses across the outer portion at a height apart from the outer movable portion.

Laminated structure provided with movable portion

When forming a trench of a narrow width in a thick semiconductor layer, a trench can be formed without the occurrence of semiconductor residue. In this Specification, a semiconductor device in which a trench is formed in a semiconductor layer is disclosed. In the semiconductor layer of the semiconductor device, a compensation pattern which compensates for sudden changes in the width of the trench is formed at a place at which the width of the trench changes suddenly. In the semiconductor layer of the above-described semiconductor device, since a compensation pattern is formed at a place at which the trench width changes suddenly, in the case where forming the trench using a deep RIE method, the occurrence of steep inclined portions arising from semiconductor residue can be prevented. Consequently, when forming a trench of a narrow width in a thick semiconductor layer, the occurrence of semiconductor residue can be prevented.

Semiconductor device

Provided are multiple normal stress detection sensor units capable of detecting a normal stress, and a sheet layer portion. The sheet layer portion includes an exterior sheet layer portion, a force detection sheet layer portion incorporating normal stress detection units, and an intermediary layer sandwiched between the exterior sheet layer portion and the force detection sheet layer portion. The exterior sheet layer portion and the force detection sheet layer portion include multiple protrusions protruding in directions opposed to each other, and are disposed such that the protrusions engage each other with the intermediary layer interposed therebetween. Each normal stress detection sensor unit includes a central portion detection sensor device disposed immediately below a central portion of the protrusion provided on the force detection sheet portion, and at least two edge detection sensor devices disposed immediately below edge portions of the protrusion provided on the force detection sheet portion.

Sheet-like tactile sensor system

An apparatus with a second movable portion that moves along an x-axis direction and a z-axis direction and a first movable portion that only moves along the z-axis direction is disclosed. The apparatus is provided with a fixed portion fixed to a support portion, a plurality of first spring portions connected to the fixed portion, a first movable portion connected to the plurality of first spring portions, a second spring portion connected to the first movable portion, and a second movable portion connected to the second spring portion. A spring constant of each of the plurality of first spring portions in the z-axis direction is lower than spring constants of each of the plurality of first spring portions in the x-axis and a y-axis directions respectively, and a spring constant of the second spring portion in the x-axis direction is lower than spring constants of the second spring portion in the y-axis and the z-axis directions respectively. The first movable portion is configured to move along the z-axis but not to move along the x-axis and the y-axis nor to rotate around the z-axis, and the second movable portion is configured to move along the x-axis and the z-axis with respect to the support portion.

Apparatus having a movable body

The micro device includes a support substrate, and a movable structure configured to move with respect to the support substrate. At least one of the support substrate and the movable structure is provided with at least one protrusion protruding towards the other of the support substrate and the movable structure. Further, a base portion extending into the one of the support substrate and the movable structure is provided integrally with the at least one protrusion. With this configuration, the protrusion is securely held by the base portion, and the detachment of the protrusion can therefore be prevented even after repeated collisions between the support substrate and the movable structure via the protrusion.

Micro device having a movable structure

A sensor system includes a first sensing device that includes a sensor, and first and second surrounding portions that surround the sensor at least partially, a second sensing device that comprises a sensor, and first and second surrounding portions that surround the sensor at least partially, wherein at least one of a combination of shapes of the first and second surrounding portions of the respective first and second sensing devices and a combination of physical properties of the first and second surrounding portions of the respective first and second sensing devices is configured such that a detection characteristic of the first sensing device is different from a detection characteristic of the second sensing device.

Growing community of inventors

Seto, Japan

Motohiro Fujiyoshi