公开(公告)号：US10294966B2

公开(公告)日：2019-05-21

申请号：US15641056

申请日：2017-07-03

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Katsuhiko Asai ,  Jun Ozawa ,  Takayuki Nagata ,  Kazuo Inoue

IPC: F15B15/10 ,  B25J15/12 ,  B25J15/00

Abstract: An actuator body includes a tube that has a space therein and is wound spirally about a first axis. The tube has a plurality of first portions and a plurality of second portions, the tube has one or more grooves in at least one of an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface thereof, and the one or more grooves are provided spirally about a longitudinal axis of the tube, the space is in contact with the inner circumferential surface, and the outer circumferential surface is a surface opposite to the inner circumferential surface, each of the plurality of first portions has higher torsional rigidity than each of the plurality of second portions, the plurality of first portions are aligned along the first axis, and the plurality of first portions do not overlap the plurality of second portions.

公开(公告)号：US10288089B2

公开(公告)日：2019-05-14

申请号：US15671918

申请日：2017-08-08

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Katsuhiko Asai ,  Takayuki Nagata ,  Kazuo Inoue

IPC: F15B15/10 ,  B25J9/10 ,  B25J9/14 ,  F15B15/06

Abstract: An actuator includes a displaceable portion, first to fourth artificial muscles, a pressure adjuster that changes a pressure of a fluid filled in the first and second artificial muscles, an open-close valve that allows a fluid to flow into or out of the third and fourth artificial muscles, and a controller that drives the pressure adjuster and controls the open-close valve. Each of the first to fourth artificial muscles includes a coiled elastic tube. In an outer circumferential surface of the tube, grooves are helically formed about an axis of the tube. The tube is filled with a fluid. In the first artificial muscle, a direction in which the tube is coiled is opposite to a direction in which the grooves extend helically. In each of the second to fourth artificial muscles, a direction in which the tube is coiled is the same as a direction in which the grooves extend helically.

公开(公告)号：US10278882B2

公开(公告)日：2019-05-07

申请号：US15006231

申请日：2016-01-26

Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Inventor： Takayuki Nagata ,  Stephen William John ,  Katsuhiko Asai

IPC: A61H3/00 ,  A61H1/02 ,  A61F2/70 ,  A61F2/72 ,  A61F5/01 ,  A61F2/68 ,  A61F2/50

Abstract: An assist wear item is worn on a portion of a living body and has an inner surface brought into contact with the portion. The assist wear item includes assisting actuators, contact sensors, and a controller. Each assisting actuator is driven to expand and contract. The assisting actuators are linearly arranged along an expansion/contraction direction of a muscle at the portion. Each contact sensor detects a contact with an outer surface of the assist wear item. The contact sensors include a first contact sensor and a second contact sensor. The controller increases or decreases a driving power of expansion/contraction driving of an assisting actuator corresponding to a region ranging from the first contact sensor to the second contact sensor if the controller continuously receives a detection result indicating a contact from at least one contact sensor between the first and second contact sensors during a certain time period.