A system for controlling locomotion of a legged mobile robot walking in a working space. The system is provided with optical detects which are disposed in a line array at the both sides of a foot member of the robot. On the other hand, a landmark is provided in the working space. The landmark comprises of a line or an arc which divides the space into two regions with different attributes, i.e. different in brightness. The optical detectors generate different signals depending on the brightness. With the generated signals, a relative position of the robot to the landmark is detected. Moreover, when the landmark is an arc, its center is located in line with a work for the robot. a relative direction of the robot to the landmark or the work is detected. Based on the detection, locomotion of the robot is controlled in such a manner that the robot can stably ascend/descent stairs or spiral staircases.

System for detecting and controlling the position of a mobile robot

An audible traffic signal adding apparatus for visually impaired persons includes two speakers and a control section The two speakers are disposed at two ends of a crosswalk The control section navigates a visually impaired person crossing the crosswalk by alternately outputting different sounds as in "back and forth call" operation from the two speakers disposed at the two ends of the crosswalk to the visually impaired person for a period during which crossing is permitted

Audible traffic signal for visually impaired persons using multiple sound outputs

PURPOSE:To enhance printing characteristics by incorporating photoconductive zinc oxide particles, hydrophilic resin particles having an average particle diameter not above the maximum particle diameter of the former, and specified binder resins CONSTITUTION:The photoconductive layer contains the photoconductive zinc oxide particles, and the hydrophilic resin particles having an average particle diameter not above the maximum particle diameter of the former particles, and the first binder resin having a weight average molecular weight of 1X10 - 2X10 and repeating units represented by formula I in an amount of >=30wt% of this polymer and a polar group, such as -PO3H2 or -SO3H, at one terminal of the polymer chain and the second binder resin having a weight average molecular weight of 3X10 - 1X10 and repeating units represented by formula I in an amount of >=50wt% of this polymer, and a polar group, such as -PO3H2 or -SO3H, in an amount of 0 - 5wt% of this polymer In formula I, each of a1 and a2 is H, halogen, or the like, and R1 is a hydrocarbon group, thus permitting electrostatic characteristics, dark potential stability, and photosensitivity to be enhanced

Electrophotographic planographic printing original plate

PURPOSE:To press the circumferential part of a wafer by uniform force and prevent the fall and adhesion of dust to the wafer at the time of opening and closing a cramper in an ion implanting device having a wafer-pressing cramper. CONSTITUTION:Semi-circular ring crampers 2a, 2b are pivotally supported by support arms 4a, 4b, respectively, and both the crampers generate uniform pressing forces to the circumferential part of a waver 11 by the spring forces of compression springs 15a, 15b acting on the protruding members 13a, 13b of the semicircular ring crampers. Even if the support arms 4a, 4b are rotated at the time of opening and closing the crampers 2a, 2b, both the semicircular ring crampers 2a, 2b are never moved on the wafer 11, and the dusts from the crampers 2a, 2b are never fallen nor adhered onto the wafer 11.

Ion implanting device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a protector for a roll product that can prevent the protector from being damaged by absorbing an impact, and further, can detect the impact being applied, and can detect a time or the like at which the impact is applied. SOLUTION: The protector 1 for the roll product includes a side plate part 2, and a supporting shaft 3 projecting from a center part of the side plate part 2. A shock absorbing part 4 for absorbing the impact is provided on an outer circumference of the side plate part 2. If needed, impact displaying means, such as an ink sealed in a container which breaks when receiving the impact, and a timer, which is stopped when receiving the impact, may be incorporated into the protector 1. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Protector for roll product

PURPOSE:To attain a low-cost and high-precision controller, by picking up an optical reflective tape in the front and the rear with a single camera to detect the front part and the rear part divisionally. CONSTITUTION:A camera 10 is mounted on an unattended vehicle 1a, and an optical reflective tape 2 stuck to a running course is picked up and detected by this camera to guide the unattended vehicle 1a. The single camera 10 is used for this picking-up and detection, and the first visual field 2-1a in the front of the vehicle 1a and the second visual field 2-2a in the rear are detected divisionally through a lens 11, a reflective mirror 14, and a V-shaped mirror 15 by two image pickup elements 12 provided in parallel. The deviation of the vehicle 1a from the running course is calculated on a basis of said both detection values by a processing circuit, and steering control is performed automatically to guide the vehicle 1a.

Controller for self-traveling dolly

PURPOSE:To detect the sloping angle of a character string to a horizontal scan line in a short time and to recognize characters of the character string, by obtaining the centroid point of the character string and the sloping angle of an inertia main axis in case the character string has an inclination in an optional direction when viewed from the upper surface of a cylindrical matter. CONSTITUTION:The video signal of a camera 1 is binary coded 4 and sampled in a proper interval to be supplied to a memory 5. A circle segmenting circuit 13 and a character string segmenting circuit 14 segments an upper surface 19 of a matter 12 and the part of a character string 3 on the memory 5. The segmented train 3 is considered as a graphic, and the centroid point of this graphic is calculated by a centroid point calculating circuit 15. While the inertia main axis of the graphic is calculated by an inertia main axis calculating circuit 16. A coordinate conversion circuit 25 turns said graphic round the centroid point to set a bit pattern of the train 3 horizontal to the scan line of the camera 1. This character string pattern is temporarily stored to a memory 5a. Using these data, a character recognizing circuit 26 recognizes characters.

Sloping angle detector for character string

PURPOSE:To reduce the cost with reduction of number of photodetectors and to improve the guiding performance, by performing the steering control of a vehicle after detecting the position of an optical tape provided on the surface of a road by a one-dimensional image-pickup device. CONSTITUTION:Light sources 7 are provided at both front sides of an unmanned vehicle 3' to illuminate the front floor surface together with a camera 8 containing a one-dimensional image-pickup device such as a CCD image-pickup element, etc. At the same time, an optical tape 2 which can be optically discriminated is provided on a road surface 1 such as a flower surface, etc. along the traveling course of the vehicle 3'. The vehicle 3' is guided by detecting the position of the tape 2. The one-dimensional image-pickup device 8 detects the position (edge part) of the tape 2 within a viewfield 26 (the front surface 1 to the traveling direction) to perform the steering control of the vehicle 3'. The detection is possible without contacting despite the presence of an obstacle at the front side, and at the same time a wide viewfield larger than the width of the vehicle 3' is ensured along with a wide range of detection.

Guiding device of unmanned vehicle

PURPOSE:To make the lay of a tape and an electric wire unnecessary, and to form a self-running truck control device with high accuracy and few memories by prescribing a course pattern by plural passing points, and also interpolating a part between the passing points at minute pitches. CONSTITUTION:A memory 10 stores a coordinate data of plural passing points for prescribing a course pattern. In this state, when a vehicle starts to move, an interpolation calculating part 12 calculates suitably a target position data every moment, and outputs it to an error calculating part 17. At the same time, outputs of encoders 8-1, 8-2, and an output of a rate sensor 9 are inputted to a running locus calculating part 16 through counters 13-1, 13-2 and a mean value part 14, and through an integration circuit 9, respectively. A result of this calculation is inputted as a present value data to the error calculating part 17, and the result of this calculation is inputted as a command value to a steering motor control part 18. In this way, it is unnecessary to lay a tape and an electric wire, and a self-running truck control device having a high accuracy and few memories can be formed.

Self-running truck control device

PURPOSE:To prevent exactly the sudden variation of an attitude angle by providing a rate gyro on a truck, and stopping the running of the truck when its output exceeds a prescribed value. CONSTITUTION:A rate gyro 11 for detecting the angular speed of an attitude agle is loaded on a truck. In this state, when the truck changes suddenly its attitude angle, an output from the rate gyro 11 is changed greatly in accordance with said change and outputted. This output is provided to a Schmitt circuit 12. In this case, a Schmitt level of the Schmitt circuit 12 is set in advance, by which an output is generated when an input exceeds the Schmitt level. By this output, a switch SW1 is turned off, and driving of a running motor 2 is not executed, therefore, the truck stops at that position. In this way, a sudden change of the attitude angle can be prevented exactly.

Kenmochi Keiichi

Papers

Controller for self-traveling dolly

Sloping angle detector for character string

Guiding device of unmanned vehicle

Self-running truck control device

Self-running truck