JP2006244411A - Motion transmitting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for bi-directional nonverbal communication supplementary to conversation by transmitting motion such as playing with hand operation on the phone. <P>SOLUTION: This motion transmitting device 10 comprises a control part 12 for measuring the deformation of a motion transmitting part 13 with gripping force to generate a control signal which is transmitted to a cell phone 20 via a cell phone connection part 11. The cell phone 20 transmits the control signal to another cell phone to which a motion transmitting device similar to the motion transmitting device 10 is connected, and it also transmits the control signal received from the cell phone to the control part 12 via the cell phone connection part 11. The control part 12 deforms the motion transmitting part 13 in accordance with the received control signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention measures its own deformation caused by an external force, generates a control signal and transmits it to another device, and at the same time transmits a motion that is deformed by a control signal measured and generated by another device or a control signal generated by a computer. Relates to the device.

Conventionally, other sensory information transmission during a mobile phone call includes video information of a TV phone state such as mutual appearance transmission by a built-in camera.
Note that Non-Patent Document 1 is known as a prior art.
Masahiko Inami, Continent Sekiguchi, Naoki Kawakami, Tsuji ▲ Susumu, “Object Sharing Communication with RobotPHONE”, Proc. Of the 95th Human Interface Study Group, Information Processing Society of Japan, pp.147-150, 2001.09.14

The above technology does not function as an intuitive auxiliary transmission means in real time during dialog communication because the screen resolution and transmission speed are low although the amount of information to be transmitted such as mutual appearance is large.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a means of interactive non-verbal communication that is supplementary to conversation by transmitting a hand comfort operation during a telephone call. It is to provide a motion transmission device.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. The invention according to claim 1 is directed to a shape changing means whose shape is changed by an external force, a driving means for changing the shape of the shape changing means, A measuring means for measuring deformation of the shape changing means, a communication means for transmitting / receiving a control signal to / from an external device, a control signal generated from a measurement result by the measuring means, and output to the communication means, and the communication And a control means for driving the drive means based on the control signal received by the means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the motion transmission device according to the first aspect, the shape changing means includes a plurality of bar-shaped members and a plurality of joint units that connect ends of the bar-shaped members. It is formed in a loop shape.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the motion transmission device according to the second aspect, the joint unit is formed in a U shape with a first frame and a second frame formed in a U shape. A connecting member, wherein the first frame is attached to be rotatable about a first axis, and the second frame is attached to be rotatable about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis; And an elastic member having both ends connected to the first frame and the second frame through the hollow portion of the connecting member, and the driving means connects the first frame to the first axis. A first actuator that rotates clockwise about the first axis, a second actuator that rotates the first frame counterclockwise about the first axis, and the second frame that rotates the second frame Rotate clockwise around the axis And a third actuator for rotating the second frame counterclockwise about the second axis, wherein the measuring means has the first frame in a neutral position. And whether the second frame is in a neutral position or rotated to a stop position, respectively.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the motion transmission device according to the first aspect, the shape changing means includes a plurality of joint units connected in a chain shape.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the motion transmission device according to the fourth aspect, the joint unit includes a frame formed in a U-shape, and the frame is rotatably attached around a predetermined axis. A box-shaped member, wherein the driving means includes a motor for rotating the frame about a predetermined axis, and the measuring means detects a rotation angle of a rotating shaft of the motor. And

  According to the present invention, it can be used as a non-verbal and intuitive auxiliary transmission means for expressing a sensory / emotional mood, and the quality of communication can be greatly improved.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a motion transmission device 10 according to the first embodiment. The motion transmission device 10 includes a mobile phone connection unit 11, a control unit 12, and a motion transmission unit 13. The motion transmission device 10 in this embodiment is connected to the mobile phone 20 and used as a strap or an accessory.

The mobile phone connection unit 11 is connected to a connection terminal (not shown) of the mobile phone 20, transmits a control signal transmitted and received between the mobile phone 20 and the control unit 12, and supplies power to the control unit 12.
The control unit 12 acquires a measurement value related to the shape from the motion transmission unit 13 to generate a control signal, transmits the control signal to the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11, and transmits the mobile phone connection unit 11 from the mobile phone 20. The control signal is received via the control signal, and the motion transmission unit 13 is deformed based on the control signal.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the movement transmitting unit 13 has end portions of nine bar-shaped members 31 to 39 joined at joint positions 41 to 49 by joint units 100 (FIGS. 3 and 4) described later, and is in a loop shape. Is formed. Since the joint of the joint unit 100 can be rotated by a predetermined angle around a predetermined axis by an external force or an actuator (drive device), the motion transmission unit 13 is grasped by a hand as shown in FIG. With the control from 12, the shape can be arbitrarily changed within a range in which the joint of each joint unit 100 can rotate. In addition, the motion transmission unit 13 measures its own deformation with a sensor provided in each joint unit 100.

  The bar members 31 to 39 are members formed in a bar shape. Use materials that do not deform easily even if you hold them with your hand. This is because the deformation of the motion transmission unit 13 due to the force grasped by the hand is appropriately measured in each joint unit 100 and the motion transmission unit 13 is appropriately deformed by the operation of the joint unit 100. A method of attaching the joint unit 100 to the rod-shaped members 31 to 39 will be described after the configuration and operation principle of the joint unit 100 are described.

  Here, with reference to FIG.3 and FIG.4, the structure of the joint unit 100 is demonstrated. 3 is a perspective view in a state where the joint of the joint unit 100 is bent, FIG. 4 (a) is a front view in a state where the joint of the joint unit 100 is not bent, and FIG. 4 (b) is a plan view. . Since the position overlaps with the spring 102, the shape memory alloy actuators 123 and 124 are omitted in FIG. 4A, and the shape memory alloy actuators 113 and 114 are omitted in FIG. 4B.

  The joint unit 100 is used for a small RUI (Robotic User Interface), that is, a user interface by a robot having a physicality existing in the real world, and operates with one joint and two degrees of freedom. Is what you do. For example, using the two joint units 100, the shape of the first joint unit 100 is changed, and the second joint unit 100 is operated based on the result of reading this with a sensor. By changing the shape of the joint unit 100 and operating the first joint unit 100 based on the result read by the sensor, simple shape synchronization is possible. Conventionally, a motor has been used to drive the joint, but here a bistable actuator made of a shape memory alloy, a spring or the like is used. Since the mechanism and weight increase are small with respect to the number of degrees of freedom, it is easy to reduce the size and is suitable for incorporation into a portable article.

  The U-shaped frames 110 and 120 of the joint unit 100 are coupled to both sides of the R-shaped connecting member 101 and rotate about axes that are perpendicular to each other. Here, the U-shaped frame 110 includes first and second side plate portions 110a and 110c and a connecting plate portion 110b for connecting them, and the U-shaped connecting member 101 includes an upper plate portion 101a and a right side plate portion. The U-shaped frame 120 includes an upper plate portion 120a, a side plate portion 120b, and a lower plate portion 120c.

  As the materials for the frames 110 and 120 and the connecting member 101, materials that are difficult to be deformed even if they are grasped by hand are used. This is because these members constitute the shape of the motion transmitting portion 13 in the same manner as the rod-shaped members 31 to 39 of the motion transmitting portion 13 described above, and therefore the deformation of the motion transmitting portion 13 due to the force grasped by the hand is changed to each joint unit 100. This is because the motion transmission unit 13 is appropriately deformed by the operation of the joint unit 100.

  At this time, the end portion of the first side plate portion 110a of the frame 110 and the central portion of the right side plate portion 101b of the connecting member 101 are rotatably coupled by the joint shaft 111, and the end of the second side plate portion 110c of the frame 110 is connected. The central portion of the left plate portion 101c of the connecting portion 101 and the connecting member 101 is rotatably coupled by the joint shaft 112. Similarly, the end portion of the upper plate portion 120a of the frame 120 and the central portion of the upper plate portion 101a of the connecting member 101 are rotatably coupled by the joint shaft 121, and the end portion of the lower plate portion 120c of the frame 120 and the connecting member. A central portion of the lower plate portion 101 d of 101 is rotatably coupled by a joint shaft 122.

The joint shafts 111, 112, 121, and 122 are attachment members in which both ends of the shaft are sandwiched by disks having a diameter larger than that of the shaft. The material is the same as the frames 110 and 120 and the connecting member 101, and is not easily deformed even if it is grasped by hand.
An example of how to attach is as follows. Drill holes through which the shaft passes through the upper and lower plates of the frames 110 and 120, remove one disk of the joint shaft, pass the shaft through this hole, and then attach the removed disk to the inside of each frame. The joint shaft disk and the connecting member 101 are joined at the position described above. Here, the joint axis 111 and the joint axis 112 are attached so that these axes are on the same line, and the joint axis 121 and the joint axis 122 are attached so that these axes are on the same line.

That is, the frame 110 is attached so as to be rotatable about a first axis passing through the axes of the joint shaft 111 and the joint shaft 112, and the frame 120 is orthogonal to the first axis and is connected to the joint shaft 121 and the joint shaft 122. It is attached so as to be rotatable around a second axis passing through the axis.
As a result, the joint unit 100 is a mechanism in which the frames 110 and 120 each perform a one-degree-of-freedom operation with respect to the connecting member 101, and can perform a two-degree-of-freedom operation as a whole. In order to operate this, the spring 102 and the shape memory alloy actuator 113, 114, 123, 124 are used.

  The springs 102 are elastic members whose ends are connected to the central part of the connecting plate part 110b of the frame 110 and the central part of the side plate part 120b of the frame 120 through the hollow part of the square-shaped connecting member 101, respectively. The force is working in the direction of contraction in the wet state.

As the shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124, it is possible to use a thin fibrous actuator (driving device) that contracts when an electric current is applied and extends to an original length when the electric current is stopped.
In order to attach the shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124, a rectangular attachment plate 117 is attached to the outside of the connecting plate portion 110 b of the frame 110, and a rectangular attachment plate 127 is attached to the outside of the side plate portion 120 b of the frame 120. . Then, two actuator attachment members 115 and 116 are attached to the surface of the attachment plate 117 opposite to the surface attached to the frame 110, and two surfaces of the attachment plate 127 opposite to the surface attached to the frame 120 are attached to 2 Two actuator mounting members 125 and 126 are mounted.

  Since the actuator mounting members 115 and 116 are used for mounting the shape memory alloy actuators 113 and 114 between the joint shafts 121 and 122, respectively, the corresponding joint shafts among the four sides of the rectangular mounting plate 117 are used. Actuator mounting members 115 and 116 are mounted on the closest sides, respectively. Similarly, the actuator mounting members 125 and 126 are used to mount the shape memory alloy actuators 123 and 124 between the joint shafts 111 and 112, respectively, and therefore correspond to the four sides of the rectangular mounting plate 127. Actuator mounting members 125 and 126 are respectively mounted on the side closest to the joint axis.

  Both ends of the shape memory alloy actuator 113 are connected to the central part of the disk opposite to the disk joined to the connecting member 101 of the joint shaft 121 and the actuator mounting member 115, and both ends of the shape memory alloy actuator 114 are connected to the joint shaft 122. Are connected to the central part of the disk opposite to the disk joined to the connecting member 101 and the actuator mounting member 116. Further, both ends of the shape memory alloy actuator 123 are connected to the central portion of the disk opposite to the disk joined to the connecting member 101 of the joint shaft 111 and the actuator mounting member 125, and both ends of the shape memory alloy actuator 124 are connected to the joint It connects with the center part of the disk on the opposite side to the disk joined to the connecting member 101 of the shaft 112 and the actuator mounting member 126.

  That is, the shape memory alloy actuator 113 is a first actuator that rotates the frame 110 clockwise around the first axis passing through the joint axes 111 and 112, and the shape memory alloy actuator 114 is 110 is a second actuator that rotates 110 counterclockwise about the first axis. The shape memory alloy actuator 124 is a third actuator that rotates the frame 120 clockwise around the second axis passing through the joint shaft 121 and the joint shaft 122. The shape memory alloy actuator 123 And a fourth actuator that rotates 120 in a counterclockwise direction around the second axis.

  Conductive wires for connecting to the power source are connected to both ends of each shape memory alloy actuator. The four shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124 are individually turned on and off.

Photo reflectors (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) are installed on the frames 110 and 120 of the joint unit 100 as sensors for reading the angles of the frames 110 and 120 with respect to the connecting member 101.
FIG. 5 is a view of the joint unit 100 as seen from the same direction as that in FIG. 4A, and is a view showing an example of the installation position of the photo reflector. The photo reflector 130 has a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the resistance value changes depending on the intensity of light received by the light receiving element. The light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged on the front surface of the upper plate portion 101a of the connecting member 101 in a state where the frame 120 is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6A and fully rotated to the stop position shown in FIG. It is installed so that That is, before the frame 120 rotates in one direction, the upper plate portion 101a of the connecting member 101 is not in a position where light from the light emitting element of the photoreflector 130 is reflected, but when the frame 120 rotates in one direction, the connecting member 101. Since the upper plate portion 101a comes to a position where the light from the light emitting element of the photo reflector 130 is reflected, the light receiving element receives the reflected light and the resistance value of the photo reflector 130 changes. By reading the change in the resistance value, it is possible to know the shape of the joint unit 100 although only in the bistable state.

  If this photoreflector 130 is a first photoreflector, in addition to this, a second photoreflector for detecting a state in which the frame 120 is fully rotated by moving in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in FIG. , A third photo reflector for detecting the state where the frame 120 has been moved and rotated in the direction toward the front of the sheet of FIG. 6A, and a fourth for detecting the state where the frame 120 has been moved and rotated in the opposite direction. The photo reflector is installed in the same way.

  Each photoreflector is connected with two conductors for supplying power and one conductor for measuring the resistance value of the light receiving element. It can be determined from the resistance value of each photoreflector whether or not each frame is fully rotated as follows. For example, the state where the frame 120 is fully rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6A and the state where the frame 120 is not rotated, that is, when the upper plate portion 101a of the connecting member 101 is present in front of the light receiving element of the photoreflector 130. The resistance value is measured in advance. Then, from the resistance value measured by moving the frame 120, whether or not the upper plate portion 101a of the connecting member 101 is in front of the light receiving element, that is, in a state where the frame 120 is fully rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. You can know if there is. The same applies to other photo reflectors.

Next, the operation principle of the joint unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124 are omitted.
When the joint of the joint unit 100 is not bent, that is, when the frame 110, the connecting member 101, and the frame 120 are in the neutral position shown in FIG. 4, the springs 102 connected to the frame 110 and the frame 120 are slightly extended. It has become. At this time, the spring 102 passes on the first axis passing through the joint shaft 111 and the joint shaft 112. At this time, although it is an unstable state, the joint unit 100 remains stationary.

Here, when the frame 120 is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6A, for example, the spring 102 is slightly displaced from the first axis. As a result, a contracting force of the spring 102 generates a force that rotates the frame 120 in the direction in which the spring 102 is displaced. When the frame 120 moves by a certain angle, the state becomes as shown in FIG. 6B and the rotation stops. In the state shown in FIG. 6B, a contraction force is applied to the spring 102. However, the spring 102 is in contact with the left side plate portion 101c of the connecting member 101. This is because 102 expands and tries to return to the position of FIG. The same applies when the frame 120 is moved in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.
Similarly, when the frame 120 is moved in the direction toward the front of the page of FIG. 6 and the spring 102 is displaced from the second axis passing through the joint shaft 121 and the joint shaft 122, the frame 120 is rotated about this axis. However, the rotation stops at a certain angle. The same applies to the case where the frame 120 is moved in the direction toward the back of the sheet of FIG.
That is, by shifting the spring 102 from the first axis or the second axis, it is possible to perform a stable operation with two degrees of freedom of the joint. The shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124 described above are used as actuators (drive devices) for shifting the spring 102 from these axes.

  For example, in order to move the frame 120 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6A as described above, the shape memory alloy actuator (not shown in FIG. 6A) attached to the joint shaft 122 and the actuator attachment member 116 is used. A current is passed through 114. That is, a lead wire is connected to both ends of the shape memory alloy actuator 114, and a circuit is configured by providing a switch connected to a power source. At this time, no current flows through the other shape memory alloy actuators 113, 123, and 124. Then, the shape memory alloy actuator 114 contracts, the frame 120 starts to move in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6A, and stops at the position shown in FIG.

In order to know the shape of the joint unit 100 operated in this way, the resistance values of the light receiving elements of the four photo reflectors installed on the frames 110 and 120 are read as described above.
First, power is supplied to each of the four photo reflectors to cause the light emitting element to emit light. Then, the resistance value is measured by a component for measuring the resistance value provided for each light receiving element, and compared with the resistance value measured in advance for the state in which the frames 110 and 120 are not fully rotated as described above. Thus, it can be determined whether or not each frame is fully rotated.

  Returning to FIG. 2, an example of how to attach the joint unit 100 described above to the rod-shaped members 31 to 39 will be described. First, the rod-shaped members 31 to 39 are arranged in a shape when the motion transmitting unit 13 is not used for motion transmission and is stationary. And in order to couple | bond the rod-shaped members 31 and 32 in the attachment position 42 by the joint unit 100, the angle which the rod-shaped members 31 and 32 make is the angle which makes in said stationary state, and the joint unit 100 is in the stationary state shown in FIG. In a manner, the rod-shaped member 32 (FIG. 2) and the frame 110 (FIG. 4) are fixed, and the rod-shaped member 31 (FIG. 2) and the frame 120 (FIG. 4) are fixed. The coupling at the other mounting positions 42 to 49 is the same.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a motion transmission device 15 having a motion transmission unit 14 having a configuration different from that of the motion transmission unit 13. As shown in FIG. 8, the movement transmitting unit 14 has 12 doll-like members 301 to 312 connected at their ends to 12 joint units 100 (FIG. 7) attached to attachment positions 401 to 412. It is configured. That is, the rod-shaped members 301 to 312 are joined in this order to form a closed loop, but the rod-shaped members 301 and 312 are the head of the doll, the rod-shaped members 302 and 303 are the right arm of the doll, and the rod-shaped members 305 and 306 are the doll's head. The right leg, rod-shaped members 307 and 308 are coupled at an acute angle so as to correspond to the left leg of the doll, and the rod-shaped members 310 and 311 respectively correspond to the left arm of the doll, and the rod-shaped members 304 and 309 are substantially parallel to correspond to the torso of the doll. .

For example, an animal doll having a head and limbs as shown in FIG. The material of this doll is flexible. This is to appropriately measure the deformation of the motion transmission unit 13 by the force grasped by the hand in each joint unit 100, and appropriately deform the motion transmission unit 13 by the operation of the joint unit 100 so as not to hinder these. It is to do. For example, the rod-shaped members 301 and 312 in FIG. 8 are the head of the doll, the rod-shaped members 302 and 303 are the right arm of the doll, the rod-shaped members 305 and 306 are the right leg of the doll, and the rod-shaped members 307 and 308 are the dolls. The left foot, rod-shaped members 310 and 311 are fixed to the doll's left arm, and the rod-shaped members 304 and 309 are fixed to the doll's torso, respectively.
In addition, the number of the rod-shaped members and the joint units 100 constituting the motion transmission unit, the coupling position when the rod-shaped members are coupled with each other by the joint unit 100, the shape configured by these, and the like are not limited to FIGS. Moreover, you may replace a rod-shaped member with the member of another shape.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the control unit 12 is connected to the motion transmission unit 13 described above and connected to the mobile phone connection unit 11, and is provided in each of the joint units 100 attached to the attachment positions 41 to 49. The measured value of the sensor, that is, the resistance value of the light receiving element of the photoreflector is read at a constant period to generate a control signal, which is transmitted to the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 and from the mobile phone 20 to the mobile phone. The motion transmitting unit 13 is deformed by operating each joint unit 100 based on the control signal received via the connecting unit 11.

Four shape memory alloy actuators and four photo reflectors are attached to each joint unit 100, and wiring in the control unit 12 is performed as follows.
Lead wires connected to both ends of each shape memory alloy actuator are drawn into the control unit 12 and connected to a power source supplied from the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 to constitute a circuit, and the current is turned on / off. A switch circuit is installed.
In addition, the power supplied from the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 is supplied to each photo reflector. The power supply does not need to be turned on and off for each photo reflector, so it may be supplied in parallel, for example, but the conductor for measuring the resistance value of the light receiving element of each photo reflector is controlled for each photo reflector. The measurement circuit for drawing in the part 12 and measuring the resistance value is attached.

  For example, when the motion transmission unit 13 is configured as shown in FIG. 2, the joint unit 100 is attached to each of the attachment positions 41 to 49, and four shape memories are provided for each of the nine joint units 100. It is necessary to control ON / OFF of the current for each alloy actuator and measure the resistance value for each of the four light receiving elements. Therefore, the switch circuit separately turns on and off the currents of the 36 shape memory alloy actuators, and the measurement circuit measures the resistance values of the 36 light receiving elements separately.

  The method of generating the control signal in the control unit 12 is as follows. By comparing the resistance value measured in the measurement circuit as described above with the resistance value measured in advance for the state in which the frames 110 and 120 are fully rotated and the state in which the frame 110 and 120 are not rotated as described above, For example, if each frame is in a fully rotated state, a sign “1” is assigned, and if not, a sign “0” is assigned, and each joint unit in the order of the attachment positions 41 to 49 is assigned. For 100, a control signal for specifying the shape of the motion transmitting unit 13 is generated by arranging "1" or "0" from the top in the order of the first photo reflector to the fourth photo reflector.

  The control unit 12 operates the joint units 100 based on the control signal received from the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 as follows. The control unit 12 reads out whether the sign is “1” or “0” from the head of the control signal, and in order of the attachment positions 41 to 49 in order from the head of the string of “1” or “0” in the control signal. In order, the shape memory alloy actuators 114, 113, 124, and 123 correspond to each joint unit 100 in order, and when the sign is “1”, the current of the corresponding shape memory alloy actuator is turned on in the switch circuit. Is turned off when is “0”. As a result, the shape memory alloy actuator with the current turned on contracts, the shape memory alloy actuator with the current turned off extends to the original length, and the frames 110 and 120 of each joint unit 100 operate to transmit motion. The part 13 is deformed.

  In the above description, the motion transmission device 10 transmits and receives control signals to and from the mobile phone 20 by wire via the mobile phone connection unit 11. For example, the mobile phone connection unit 11 connects the motion transmission device 10 to the mobile phone 20. As a string for this purpose, control signals are not transmitted and received, and both the control unit 12 and the mobile phone 20 are equipped with communication means for wireless communication between them, as an example, communication means by Bluetooth (Bluetooth, registered trademark), The control unit 12 may include a battery for supplying power to the communication unit and the motion transmission unit 13.

Next, the configuration of the mobile phone 20 used in this embodiment will be described. The mobile phone 20 has a function of connecting the motion transmission devices 10 by real-time two-way communication during a call, that is, a function of transmitting and receiving an audio signal to and from the other party's mobile phone 20 and simultaneously transmitting and receiving a control signal. . This is performed by, for example, storing a control signal in an empty data area in a protocol for transmitting / receiving a voice signal, or by transmitting / receiving the control signal as a background sound by converting the control signal into a voice signal and superimposing it on the voice signal of the call. .
Further, the transmission / reception of the control signal may be performed by another communication means. For example, the control unit 12 is provided with a function of a mobile phone separately from the mobile phone 20, and the other party also has the motion transmission device 10 having the same control unit 12. The control unit 12 is provided in the control unit 12 of the other party. A mobile phone provided in the control unit 12 of the other party's exercise transmission device 10 by a mobile phone provided in the control unit 12 when the exercise transmission unit 13 is deformed. The control signal may be transmitted and received.
In addition, when only transmitting exercise without performing a call, the mobile phone connection unit 11 of the exercise transmitting device 10 is connected to the microphone / earphone terminal of the mobile phone 20, and the control signal is converted into an audio signal for transmission / reception. Also good. In this case, the control unit 12 of the motion transmission device 10 converts the control signal generated from the measurement value of the motion transmission unit 13 into a voice signal and transmits the voice signal to the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11. The voice signal received from the mobile phone connection unit 11 is converted into a control signal to operate the joint unit 100 of the motion transmission unit 13. Alternatively, the mobile phone connection unit 11 may be connected to the data communication terminal of the mobile phone 20 to transmit / receive control signals as data.

  Next, with reference to FIG.9 and FIG.10, operation | movement of the motion transmission apparatus 10 mentioned above is demonstrated. FIG. 9 shows the transmission of motion between the motion transmission device 10 and the motion transmission device 10a during a call between the mobile phone 20 to which the motion transmission device 10 is connected and the mobile phone 20a to which the motion transmission device 10a is connected. It is a figure which shows a mode that it performs. Here, the mobile phone 20 a has the same configuration as the mobile phone 20, the motion transmission device 10 a has the same configuration as the motion transmission device 10, and the motion transmission portion 13 a of the motion transmission device 10 a has a rod shape like the motion transmission portion 13. It is assumed that the members 31a to 39a are coupled by the joint unit 100 at the attachment positions 41a to 49a, respectively.

After the caller of the mobile phone 20 makes a line connection with the mobile phone 20a, if the motion transmission unit 13 of the motion transmission device 10 is gripped and deformed by the hand, the control unit 12 causes the motion transmission unit 13 to periodically change. A resistance value of a photo reflector provided in each of the attached joint units 100 is read to generate a control signal and transmitted to the mobile phone 20. This control signal is transmitted from the mobile phone 20 to the mobile phone 20a as described above. The mobile phone 20a deforms the motion transmission unit 13a by operating each joint unit 100 attached to a corresponding position based on the control signal received from the mobile phone 20.
Similarly, when a caller of the mobile phone 20a grasps and deforms the motion transmission unit 13a of the motion transmission device 10a by hand, the control unit 12a is provided in each joint unit 100 attached to the motion transmission unit 13 at a constant period. The control signal is generated by reading the resistance value of the photo reflector and transmitted to the mobile phone 20a. This control signal is transmitted from the mobile phone 20a to the mobile phone 20 as described above. The mobile phone 20 deforms the motion transmission unit 13 by operating each joint unit 100 attached to a corresponding position based on the control signal received from the mobile phone 20a.
As described above, the shape synchronization of the motion transmitting units 13 and 13a is performed, the hand comfort operation is transmitted to each other, and used as a communication means by a touch operation.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state where motion is transmitted in the same manner as FIG. 9, but the motion transmission device is different. That is, the shape of the motion transmitters 14 and 14a during a call between the mobile phone 20 to which the motion transmitter 15 (FIG. 7) having the motion transmitter 14 is connected and the mobile phone 20a to which the motion transmitter 15a is connected. This is an example of performing synchronization. Here, the mobile phone 20 a has the same configuration as the mobile phone 20, the motion transmission device 15 a has the same configuration as the motion transmission device 15, and the motion transmission portion 14 a of the motion transmission device 15 a has a rod shape like the motion transmission portion 14. It is assumed that the members 301a to 312a are coupled by the joint unit 100 at the attachment positions 401a to 412a, respectively. In addition, it is assumed that the movement transmitting units 14 and 14a are covered with dolls as described above and fixed to the rod-shaped members 301a to 312a. The shape synchronization operation is the same as described above.

9 and 10 are examples in which movement is transmitted to each other using a motion transmission device having a motion transmission unit having the same configuration, but a motion transmission device having a motion transmission unit having a different configuration is used. When the movements are transmitted using each other, mutual tactile movement communication can be performed by performing movement conversion in consideration of differences in the degree of freedom of the joint unit 100, the shape of the movement transmission unit, and the like.
The control signal transmitted to the motion transmission device may be not only a control signal measured and generated by another motion transmission device, but also a control signal generated by a computer.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124 are used to operate the joint unit 100, but in this embodiment, a moving coil linear motor is used without using them. The moving coil type linear motor is a drive mechanism that is often used in small toys, in addition to being used for moving an arm to which a magnetic head is attached in a hard disk. Since this drive mechanism is composed of a coil and a magnet, it is suitable for downsizing. Hereinafter, other parts different from the above-described first embodiment will be described.

The moving coil type linear motor is attached as follows, for example. The joint shafts 111 and 121 in FIG. 3 are not attached, and the main body of the movable coil linear motor is attached to the connecting member 101 so that the rotation shaft of the movable coil linear motor comes to the position of each of the joint shafts 111 and 121. Fix it. That is, the main body of the first movable coil type linear motor is fixed to the center of the right side plate portion 101b, and the main body of the second movable coil type linear motor is fixed to the center of the upper plate portion 101a. Then, the rotation shaft of the first movable coil linear motor is fixed to the end of the first side plate portion 110a of the frame 110, and the rotation shaft of the second movable coil linear motor is fixed to the upper plate portion 120a of the frame 120. Secure to the end.
Further, a lead wire for controlling the rotation for each moving coil linear motor is drawn into the control unit 12. That is, the control unit 12 controls two moving coil linear motors for each joint unit 100.

  Here, the rotation direction of the first moving coil linear motor rotates clockwise in the direction in which the frame 110 rotates when the shape memory alloy actuator 114 contracts in the first embodiment, and the shape memory alloy actuator 113 contracts. Sometimes the direction in which the frame 110 rotates is counterclockwise. Further, the rotation direction of the second moving coil linear motor rotates clockwise in the direction in which the frame 120 rotates when the shape memory alloy actuator 124 contracts in the first embodiment, and when the shape memory alloy actuator 123 contracts. The direction in which the frame 120 rotates is counterclockwise.

The method of generating the control signal in the control unit 12 is the same as in the first embodiment. The control unit 12 operates the joint units 100 based on the control signal received from the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 as follows.
The control unit 12 reads out whether the sign is “1” or “0” from the head of the control signal, and in order of the attachment positions 41 to 49 in order from the head of the string of “1” or “0” in the control signal. In order, for each joint unit 100, the first moving coil linear motor is rotated clockwise, the first moving coil linear motor is rotated counterclockwise, the second moving coil linear Corresponding in order of the presence / absence of clockwise rotation of the motor and the presence / absence of counterclockwise rotation of the second movable coil type linear motor, if the sign is “1”, the corresponding movable coil type linear motor is indicated in the corresponding direction. Rotate to Thereby, the frames 110 and 120 of each joint unit 100 operate, and the motion transmission unit 13 is deformed.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the spring 102 and the shape memory alloy actuators 113, 114, 123, and 124 are used to operate the joint unit 100, and the photo reflector is used as a sensor that reads the angles of the frames 110 and 120 with respect to the connecting member 101. In this embodiment, an RC (radio control) servo motor is used without using them. The RC servo motor is a motor module including a control circuit made for a radio control. When a control pulse is transmitted to the control circuit, the RC servo motor rotates by an angle proportional to the pulse width and detects the rotation angle of the rotating shaft. be able to. Hereinafter, other parts different from the above-described first embodiment will be described.

The RC servo motor is attached as follows, for example. The joint shafts 111 and 121 in FIG. 3 are not attached, and the main body of the RC servo motor is fixed to the connecting member 101 so that the rotation shaft of the RC servo motor comes to the position of each of the joint shafts 111 and 121. That is, the main body of the first RC servo motor is fixed to the center of the right side plate portion 101b, and the main body of the second RC servo motor is fixed to the center of the upper plate portion 101a. Then, the rotation axis of the first RC servo motor is fixed to the end of the first side plate 110a of the frame 110, and the rotation axis of the second RC servo motor is fixed to the end of the upper plate 120a of the frame 120. To do.
In addition, a lead for transmitting a control pulse and detecting a rotation angle is drawn into the control unit 12 for each RC servo motor. That is, the control unit 12 controls two RC servo motors for each joint unit 100.

  The method of generating the control signal in the control unit 12 is as follows. A value indicating the rotation angle of the rotation axis detected in each RC servo motor is read, and in the order of the attachment positions 41 to 49, for each joint unit 100, in order of the first RC servo motor and the second RC servo motor, A control signal for specifying the shape of the motion transmission unit 13 is generated by arranging values indicating the rotation angle from the top.

  The control unit 12 operates the joint units 100 based on the control signal received from the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 as follows. The control unit 12 reads out the value indicating the rotation angle arranged as a control signal, and in order of the attachment positions 41 to 49 in order from the top, for each joint unit 100, the first RC servo motor and the second RC servo motor. And a control pulse for rotating the rotation shaft by the rotation angle indicated by the read value is transmitted to the RC servo motor. Thereby, the frames 110 and 120 of each joint unit 100 operate, and the motion transmission unit 13 is deformed.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the motion transmission unit 13 (FIG. 2) or the motion transmission unit 14 (FIG. 8) is used, but in this embodiment, the motion transmission unit 16 shown in FIG. 11 is used. Hereinafter, other parts different from the above-described first embodiment will be described.

  The motion transmission unit 16 is formed in a chain shape by connecting seven joint units 400 having one degree of freedom shown in FIG. The number of joint units 400 constituting the motion transmission unit 16 is not limited to this number.

  First, the configuration of the joint unit 400 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a right side view of the joint unit 400. In the joint unit 400, a U-shaped frame 410 is attached to a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member 420 so as to be rotatable about an axis 415. Here, the U-shaped frame 410 includes a right side plate portion 410a, a left side plate portion 410c, and a connecting plate portion 410b that connects them, and a rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped member 420 includes an upper plate portion 420a and a first side plate portion. 420b, a second side plate portion 420c, a third side plate portion 420d, a fourth side plate portion 420e, and a lower plate portion 420f. Since these members constitute the shape of the motion transmitting portion 16, a material that is not easily deformed even if it is grasped by hand is used.

For example, the frame 410 is attached to the box-shaped member 420 as follows. A shaft hole through which the rotation shaft of the RC servo motor passes is formed at a position where the second side plate portion 420c of the box-shaped member 420 intersects the axis 415. Then, the main body of the RC servo motor is fixed to the second side plate portion 420c from the inside of the box-shaped member 420 such that the rotation axis of the RC servo motor is on the axis 415. The rotation shaft of the RC servo motor is extended from the shaft hole to the outside of the second side plate portion 420c of the box-shaped member 420 and fixed to the bearing 440 provided at the end portion of the left side plate portion 410c of the frame 410. On the other hand, a joint shaft 430 is attached at a position where the axis 415 intersects the fourth side plate portion 420e of the box-shaped member 420 and the right side plate portion 410a of the frame 410. The joint shaft 430 has the same structure as the joint shaft 111 and the like in the first embodiment, and the attachment method is also the same.
In addition, a lead for transmitting a control pulse and detecting a rotation angle is drawn into the control unit 12 for each RC servo motor. The control unit 12 controls one RC servo motor for each joint unit 400.

The attachment member 450 is used for connection with another joint unit 400. That is, the center of the connecting plate portion 410 b of the frame 410 of one joint unit 400 and the center of the upper plate portion 420 a of the box-shaped member 420 of the other joint unit 400 are connected by the mounting member 450. This is an attachment member that fixes both ends of the shaft by sandwiching them with a disk having a diameter larger than that of the shaft. A shaft hole through which the shaft of the mounting member 450 passes is formed in the center of the connecting plate portion 410b of the frame 410. Similarly, a shaft hole 421 through which the shaft of the mounting member 450 passes is formed in the center of the upper plate portion 420a of the box-shaped member 420. A thick disk having a hole between the connecting plate portion 410b of the frame 410 of one joint unit 400 and the upper plate portion 420a of the box-shaped member 420 of the other joint unit 400 may be sandwiched.
The motion transmission unit 16 shown in FIG. 12 has seven joint units 400 described above connected to form an angle of 90 degrees with each other, and a box-shaped member 420 is coupled to the end far from the mobile phone connection unit 11. It is. In addition, the control part 12 is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  As described above, since the joint unit 400 constituting the motion transmission unit 16 can be rotated about each axis 415, the motion transmission unit 16 is the motion transmission unit 13 or the motion transmission unit 14 in the first embodiment. Similarly, the shape can be arbitrarily changed within a range in which each joint unit 400 can be rotated by hand gripping or control from the control unit 12. Moreover, the control part 12 can measure the deformation | transformation of the motion transmission part 16 by reading the rotation angle of the rotating shaft which the RC servomotor provided in each joint unit 400 detected.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the movement transmitting unit 16 may be covered with a stuffed toy 17 made of a flexible material in the shape of an animal tail. The stuffed toy 17 is attached by, for example, bonding the outside of the first side plate part 420 a and the second side plate part 420 c of the frame 410 of each joint unit 400 to the inside of the stuffed toy 17. The part to be bonded may be another part, or the motion transmitting portion 16 may be enclosed in the stuffed toy 17 and no part may be bonded.

  The wiring draws into the control unit 12 a conducting wire for transmitting a control pulse and detecting a rotation angle for each RC servo motor. The control unit 12 controls one RC servo motor for each joint unit 400. The method of generating the control signal in the control unit 12 and the method of operating the joint unit 400 based on the control signal received from the mobile phone 20 via the mobile phone connection unit 11 in the control unit 12 are the third implementation. It is the same as the form. Thereby, the joint unit 400 operates and the motion transmission part 16 deform | transforms.

Note that the above-described active deformation function can be used to perform various movements such as characteristic winding and dancing instead of manner mode vibration or ringing melody.
Cell phone straps have been increasingly decorated in recent years, and are often used as hand comfort during calls. In this case, the present invention is capable of transmitting the deformation of the strap in both directions, and is positioned as a device that enhances the effect by utilizing an existing communication style.

  The present invention is used for a device that transmits movement by being connected to a mobile terminal typified by a mobile phone via a wired or wireless connection.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the motion transmission apparatus 10 by the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the motion transmission part. It is a perspective view in the state where the joint of joint unit 100 bent. It is the front view and top view in the state where the joint of joint unit 100 is not bent. It is a figure which shows an example of the installation position of a photo reflector. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation principle of the joint unit 100. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a motion transmission device 15. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the motion transmission part. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the motion transmission apparatuses 10 and 10a via the mobile telephones 20 and 20a. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the motion transmission apparatuses 15 and 15a via the mobile telephones 20 and 20a. It is a figure which shows the structure of the motion transmission part 16 by the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view, a front view, and a right side view showing the configuration of the joint unit 400.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a, 15, 15a ... Movement transmission apparatus 11, 11a ... Cell-phone connection part 12, 12a ... Control part 13, 13a, 14, 14a, 16 ... Movement transmission part 17 ... Stuffed toy 20, 20a ... Cell-phone 31, 31a , 32, 32a, 33, 33a, 34, 34a, 35, 35a, 36, 36a, 37, 37a, 38, 38a, 39, 39a ... rod-shaped member 41, 41a, 42, 42a, 43, 43a, 44, 44a 45, 45a, 46, 46a, 47, 47a, 48, 48a, 49, 49a, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412 ... Mounting position 100 ... Joint Unit 101: Connecting member 101a ... Upper plate portion 101b ... Right plate portion 101c ... Left plate portion 101d ... Lower plate portion 102 ... Spring DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Frame 110a ... 1st side board part 110b ... Connection board part 110c ... 2nd side board part 111, 112, 121, 122 ... Joint shaft 113, 114, 123, 124 ... Shape memory alloy actuator 115, 116, 125, 126 ... Actuator mounting member 117, 127 ... Mounting plate 120 ... Frame 120a ... Upper plate portion 120b ... Side plate portion 120c ... Lower plate portion 130 ... Photo reflector 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312 ... Rod-shaped member 400 ... Joint unit 410 ... Frame 410a ... Right side plate portion 410b ... Connection plate portion 410c ... Left side plate portion 415 ... Axis 420 ... Box-shaped member 420a ... Upper plate portion 420b ... First side plate portion 420c: second side plate portion 420d: third side plate portion 420e The fourth side plate portion 420f ... lower plate portion 421 ... shaft hole 430 ... joint axis 440 ... bearing 450 ... mounting member

Claims (5)

A shape changing means whose shape changes due to an external force;
Driving means for changing the shape of the shape changing means;
Measuring means for measuring deformation of the shape changing means;
A communication means for transmitting / receiving control signals to / from an external device;
A control signal is generated from a measurement result by the measuring unit and is output to the communication unit, and the control unit drives the driving unit based on the control signal received by the communication unit;
A motion transmission device comprising:   2. The motion transmission according to claim 1, wherein the shape changing means includes a plurality of rod-shaped members and a plurality of joint units that connect ends of the rod-shaped members, and is formed in a loop shape. apparatus. The joint unit is
A first frame and a second frame formed in a U-shape;
The first frame is attached to be rotatable about a first axis, and the second frame is rotatable about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. A connecting member attached to,
An elastic member having both ends connected to the first frame and the second frame through a hollow portion of the connecting member;
Comprising
The driving means includes
A first actuator that rotates the first frame clockwise about the first axis;
A second actuator for rotating the first frame counterclockwise about the first axis;
A third actuator for rotating the second frame clockwise about the second axis;
A fourth actuator for rotating the second frame counterclockwise about the second axis;
Comprising
The measuring means includes
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein it is detected whether the first frame is in a neutral position or rotated to a stop position, and whether the second frame is in a neutral position or rotated to a stop position. The motion transmission device described.   The motion transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the shape changing unit includes a plurality of joint units connected in a chain shape. The joint unit is
A U-shaped frame;
A box-shaped member on which the frame is pivotally mounted around a predetermined axis;
Comprising
The driving means includes
Comprising a motor for rotating the frame about a predetermined axis;
The measuring means includes
The motion transmission device according to claim 4, wherein a rotation angle of a rotation shaft of the motor is detected.

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