Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Tohoku University

Yoshiteru Omura

Motohiro Fujiyoshi

Yutaka Nonomura

Kouji Tsukada

Yoshiyuki Hata

Teruhisa Akashi

Hirofumi Funabashi

Norio Fujitsuka

Takahiro Nakayama

Jiro Sakata

Kentaro Mizuno

Shoji Hashimoto

Keiichi Shimaoka

Takeshi Morikawa

Takashi Ozaki

Isao Aoyagi

Kanae Murata

Sadayuki Hayashi

Yumi Masuoka

Masayoshi Esashi

Hiroyuki Matsubara

Shuji Tanaka

Hitoshi Yamada

Ui Yamaguchi

Kazuyoshi Tomita

Masaharu Takeuchi

Tomoya Jomori

Susumu Sugiyama

Yuichi Tanaka

Megumi Suzuki

Tetsuo Narita

Katsuaki Goto

Masayuki Matsui

Masanori Muroyama

Mitsutoshi Makihata

Sanae Tokumitsu

Kazuyoshi Kawaguchi

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 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

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

An alerting illumination device, which includes a detecting component, a danger degree estimating component, a danger assuming component, an illuminating component and a controlling component, is provided. The danger degree estimating component estimates a degree of danger, with respect to a subject vehicle, of the person detected by the detecting component. The danger assuming component, on the basis of the estimated degree of danger, assumes whether or not the person detected by the detecting component is a danger with respect to the subject vehicle. The illuminating component illuminates light. The controlling component, in a case in which the danger assuming component assumes that the person is a danger, controls the illuminating component such that light, which shows a direction of the person who is assumed to be a danger and a distance to the person, is illuminated onto a road surface.

Alerting illumination device

A force sensing element is provided with a gauge portion and a plurality of electrodes. The gauge portion is formed of an n-type semiconductor substrate whose (100)-face serves as a main face, a p-type semiconductor substrate whose (110)-face serves as a main face, or a p-type semiconductor substrate whose (111)-face serves as a main face, and is pressed in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate upon receiving a force. The electrodes are electrically connected to the gauge portion such that a current path extending in a direction corresponding to the thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate is formed in the gauge portion. The force sensing element thus constructed makes it possible to detect a force with high precision.

Force sensing element

Force detection devices may have high detection precision and may prevent current leakage through a strain gageto the outside. For example, a force detection blockmay include a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating layerand a semiconductor layer(strain gage). The strain gagepreferably includes a site where resistance changes in accordance with the stress acting thereon. The strain gagepreferably constitutes at least a portion of a ridgeprojects from the surface of the force detection block. A force transmission blockmay be attached to a top surface of the ridge. The width of the first insulating layeris preferably greater than the width of the semiconductor layer

Piezoresistive transducers

A pressure sensor has a housing having a first block and a second block provided therein. A force to be measured applies upon a upper face of the first block. An upper face of the second block makes contact with a base face of the first block. Piezoresistive elements are formed within the base face of the first block. The resistance values of these piezoresistive elements change as contacting pressure between the first block and the second block changes. A first electrode is formed on an upper face of the first block. A second electrode is formed on a base face of the second block. Electrical characteristics between the first electrode and the second electrode change following change in the contacting pressure between the first block and the second block.

Force sensors

A pressure sensor is realized wherein output error of sensor element can be reduced even in the case where the pressure sensor is utilized in high temperature conditions. A pressure sensor is provided with a housing, a diaphragmthat partitions the interior and the exterior of the housing, a sensor elementprovided within the housing, output value of the sensor elementvarying in accordance with force exerted thereupon, and a force transmitting rodprovided within the housing, the force transmitting rodmoving downwardly when a pressure is exerted upon the diaphragm, the force transmitting rodthereby exerting force upon the sensor element. The diaphragmhas a central regioncontacting with the force transmitting rod, and a surrounding regionsurrounding the periphery of the central regionand connecting the central regionwith the housing. The surrounding region, viewed cross-sectionally along the radius, is V-shaped or U-shaped, and cancels thermal expansion.

Pressure sensor

A detector has first and second excitation beams extending along X-axis and Y-axis directions. These beams are fixed to a substrate via an intersecting portion. Mass portions are disposed at free ends of the beams. Sensing electrodes are disposed at the central portions of the mass portions to face the mass portions. By electrostatic force generated between the excitation electrodes and the mass portions, two mass portions vibrate in the Y-axis direction, while the remaining two mass portions vibrate in the X-axis direction. When an angular velocity .OMEGA..sub.x acts about the X axis, Z-axis Coriolis forces F.sub.1a and F.sub.1b act on the mass portions that are vibrating in the Y-axis direction. When an angular velocity .OMEGA..sub.y acts about the Y axis, Z-axis Coriolis forces F.sub.2a and F.sub.2b act on the mass portions that are vibrating in the X-axis direction. These vibrations are detected by the sensing electrodes in order to detect the angular velocities .OMEGA..sub.x and .OMEGA..sub.y.

Growing community of inventors

Seto, Japan

Yoshiteru Omura