JPH11210021A - Reaction force indicating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily indicate a reaction force by providing a convertion means receiving a reaction signal from a device to the controlled and converting it to a stimulation signal, and stimulation electrodes connected to the convertion means and attached to an operator's body to impart the stimulation signal. SOLUTION: When an operator controls an operating device 3 while watching the movements of a device 1 to be controlled such as a back hoe on an indicator such as a CRT 23 or the like, an operation signal 11 is transmitted to a controller 21 on a control means of a control device 2. The operation signal 11 is converted to an operation signal operating the device 1 to be controlled by the control device 2. When the device 1 is operated, a reaction signal 12 is transmitted to a convertion means 22 of the control device 2 to convert it to a stimulation signal 13. Further, the stimulation signal 13 is imparted to an operator through stimulation electrodes 4 attached to the operator's body such as his arm or the like to impart the reaction force. In this way, the reaction force can easily be indicated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to the presentation of a reaction force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 9, when a controlled device (slave) 1 such as a backhoe or a construction robot is remotely operated, an operator operates a display device 2 such as a CRT.
While looking at 3, the lever 31 is operated. The operation amount is transmitted to the controlled device 1 via the control device 2, and the controlled device 1
Operate. When a reaction force is generated as a result of the operation of the controlled device 1, the reaction force signal 12 is returned to the lever 31 via the control device 2, so that the reaction force is applied to the lever 31. as a result,
The operator can feel as if he / she is directly operating the controlled device 1.

A device for applying a reaction force to an operation lever requires a complicated structure as shown in FIG. 10 as a remote control unit of a backhoe, for example. The operation lever requires a plurality of link mechanisms and motors. τmi (i = 1: boom axis,
(2: arm axis, 3: bucket axis) is the operation torque of the master mechanism, and τwi is the DC motor torque. The master mechanism matches the movable range as a miniature of the shovel used for the slave mechanism with the center distance, and makes the geometrical similarity. Each rotating part is indicated by a ball bearing, and each ring is equipped with a counterweight to offset the imbalance by gravity. The operator operates with a handle at a location located on the bucket of the master mechanism. A four-axis torque sensor is mounted on the rotation axis of the operation handle, and a potentiometer for detecting angular displacement is mounted on each axis. The actuator is a combination of a DC servomotor and a ball speed reducer.

However, the conventional motor drive system has the problems that the mechanism of the master arm is complicated, lacks versatility, is heavy, and has a reaction force only in the handle portion.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to easily present a reaction force.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a converting means for receiving a reaction force signal from a controlled device and converting it into a stimulus signal;
A stimulus electrode for applying a stimulus signal, a reaction force presenting device, or, in the reaction force presenting device, an electromyograph for measuring a myoelectric potential attached to an operator's site, and a measurement measured by the electromyograph A feedback device for applying a feedback to a stimulus signal by a signal, or an operation device that is operated by an operator in the reaction force presentation device and outputs an operation signal to a control device, and an operation from the operation device. And a control means for receiving a signal and outputting an operation signal for operating the controlled device.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<A> Outline of Reaction Force Presenting Device As shown in FIG. 1, the reaction force presenting device receives a reaction force signal 12 from a controlled device 1 such as a backhoe or a handling machine by a control device 2 and converts the signal. The stimulus electrode 13 converts the stimulus signal 13 into a stimulus signal 13 and applies the stimulus signal 13 to a part such as an arm of an operator who operates the controlled device 1 with the stimulus electrode 4 to apply a reaction force to the operator.

A system for applying a stimulus signal 13 to a human body and moving an arm or the like is a functional electrical stimulus FES (Functional
Muscle 6 that has lost its nervous system due to disorders such as spinal cord injury, known in the medical field as Electrical Stimulation).
2, by applying an electrical stimulus from the outside to cause contraction or relaxation of the muscle 62 to assist or control the biological function (Bioengineering Co., Ltd. Shokodo Nozomi Hoshimiya, February 28, 1990 First edition 1st edition Electronic, communication and information curriculum series C-1 oriented to the 21st century
No. 137, especially the five motion control system and its substitute system,
Pp. 192).

According to the present invention, as an application of the functional electrical stimulation technique, the muscle 62 is contracted or relaxed, and the operator of the controlled device 1 feels the reaction force from the controlled device 1.

The controlled device 1 is controlled by an operator by C
The operation device 3 is operated while observing the movement of the controlled device 1 on a display device such as an RT, and the operation signal 11 generated by the operation device 3 is transmitted to the control means 21 of the control device 2. Is performed in place of the operation signal 11 for operating the controlled device 1.

<B> Stimulation signal The stimulation signal 13 applied to the operator's site
And the muscle 62. As the stimulation signal 13, for example, a pulse current having a short duration is used. The modulation method of the stimulation pulse train for controlling the contraction amount of the muscle 62 includes amplitude modulation AM for changing the amplitude A, pulse width modulation PWM for changing the pulse width Tw in the pulse waveform data 14 as shown in FIG. There is a frequency modulation FM that changes the repetition frequency (1 / period T). This is approximately true even when stimulating nerve bundles.

For example, in the operating device 3 using the lever 31 as shown in FIG. 3, when the force Fm by which the operator pushes the lever 31 is larger than the reaction force Ff felt by the stimulus signal 13 of the waveform data 14, the operator can use the lever 31. , While moving the lever 31 in the direction of the force Fm. When the force Fm is equal to the reaction force Ff, the forces are opposed and the lever 31 stops. When the force Fm is smaller than the reaction force Ff,
It receives a force from the lever 31 and moves in an opposite direction.
When there is no stimulus signal 13 and only the force Fm, the lever 31 is moved in the direction of the force Fm without feeling the reaction force.

<C> Stimulation electrode 4 Stimulation electrode 4 for applying a stimulus signal 13 to the operator's site
Has an important role as an interface for transmitting a signal to a living body, and can be arranged, for example, as shown in FIGS. In FIG. 4, it is arranged on the surface of the skin 61. As a material, conductive rubber or the like is used in addition to metal. In FIG. 5, the wire electrode 41 is embedded from the skin 61 to the internal muscle 62. FIG. 6 shows that the stimulating device is embedded in the skin 61 and the stimulating signal 13 is generated by an external signal.

<D> Feedback Aside from the stimulating electrode 4, the measuring electrode 5 is attached to the operator as shown in FIG. This measuring electrode 5 is, for example,
The myoelectric potential can be measured by an electromyograph, and an electric potential corresponding to the degree of the stimulation signal 13 is measured. The measurement signal measured by the measurement electrode 5 is returned to the control device 2 and fed back to the stimulus signal 13, so that an appropriate stimulus signal 13 can be obtained.

For example, in the flowchart as shown in FIG. 8, when a reaction force of a slave is detected (S1), a stimulus signal 13 having a stimulus waveform pattern corresponding to the reaction force is generated by calculation (S2). This stimulation signal 13 is applied to the stimulation electrode 4 (S3). EMG from the measurement electrode 5
It measures at 1 (S4), and returns to step S2 to apply feedback. At the same time, operate the slave (S
5).

[0017]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. <B> A reaction force such as backhoe excavation can be easily presented. <B> The reaction force can be presented without changing the hardware configuration. <C> A fine reaction force can be realized for each finger. <D> It can be applied to a wide range such as various kinds of robots. <E> A feeling (reaction force) such as unevenness of a distant object can be presented. <F> By recognizing the shape of the virtual object on the computer together with the visual sense, it is possible to provide a highly realistic virtual system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the presentation of a reaction force.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a pulse signal.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of lever operation and reaction force.

FIG. 4 is a layout diagram of stimulation electrodes arranged on the surface of the skin

FIG. 5 is an arrangement diagram of stimulation electrodes arranged inside from the surface of the skin.

FIG. 6 is a layout diagram of a stimulation electrode arranged inside the skin.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a measurement signal for feedback.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a feedback flowchart.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional remote operation.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a conventional reaction force presenting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Controlled device 11 ... Operation signal 12 ... Reaction force signal 13 ... Stimulation signal 14 ... Waveform data 2 ... Control device 21 ... Control means 22 ... Conversion means 3 ... Operation device 31 ··· lever 4 ··· stimulation signal 41 ··· line electrode 5 ··· measurement electrode 51 ··· electromyograph 61 ··· skin 62 ··· muscle 63 ··· nerve

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A conversion device for receiving a reaction force signal from a controlled device and converting it into a stimulus signal, and a stimulus electrode connected to the conversion device, attached to an operator's site, and applying a stimulus signal. Reaction force presentation device. 2. The reaction force presenting device according to claim 1, wherein the stimulus signal is fed back by an electromyograph which is attached to an operator's part and measures an electromyogram and a measurement signal measured by the electromyograph. A reaction force presenting device. 3. The reaction force presenting device according to claim 1, wherein the operation device is operated by an operator to output an operation signal to the control device, and an operation of receiving the operation signal from the operation device and operating the controlled device. A reaction force presenting device, comprising: control means for outputting a signal.