Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090276058 | MOVEMENT ASSISTING DEVICE AND MOVEMENT ASSISTING METHOD - A movement assisting device including a plurality of attachments to be attached over a joint of a user; an actuator suspended between the plurality of attachments; a sensor, attached to the user, for detecting movement of a muscle; and a control unit for controlling the actuator based on the movement of the muscle detected by the sensor is provided. | 11-05-2009 |
20100244743 | LIGHTING EQUIPMENT - An illumination apparatus, which controls a supply power supplied to a lamp according to an accumulated interval of on-time and a light control signal, is configured in which a maximum supply power supplied to the lamp according to the accumulated interval of on-time is supplied to the lamp when the supply power to the lamp corresponding to the light control signal is above the maximum supply power to the lamp according to the accumulated interval of on-time at a point when the illumination apparatus is turned on or the lamp starts lighting. When the light control signal is operated so as to exceed a level of the maximum supply power to the lamp according to the accumulated interval of on-time or the light control signal varies more than a prescribed level, the supply power is shifted to an adjustable condition so as to be higher than the maximum supply power to the lamp according to the accumulated interval of on-time. | 09-30-2010 |
20100249675 | MOTION ASSIST APPARATUS - A motion assist apparatus is provided with an attaching member that has a glove shape with finger portions and a middle hand portion that is attachable to one of hands of a user, a back-side actuator that is freely expanded and contracted, and bridged between a tip of each of the finger portions and the middle hand portion on the back side of the attaching member, and a palm-side actuator that is freely expanded and contracted, and bridged between the tip of each of the finger portions and the middle hand portion on the palm side of the attaching member, and in this structure, the palm-side actuator is provided with a wire unit formed of two wires that are disposed on each of the finger portions on the palm side from the tip of each of the finger portions on the back side to the middle hand portion along the finger portion, passing through two side portions of the finger portion, so that intervals therebetween are made different at respective positions corresponding to joints of the finger portion, and rubber artificial muscle is coupled to the wire unit and is formed on the middle hand portion. | 09-30-2010 |
20100249948 | WRIST ASSISTING APPARATUS - A wrist assisting apparatus can smoothly bend and stretch a joint even if a turning shaft of a joint and a rotation shaft of a wearing tool are deviated from each other. Also, an excessive load is not applied to a user. The wrist assisting apparatus of the present invention includes a palm support member for supporting a hand, angle changing members connected to sides of the palm support member, a front arm wearing tool disposed along the front arm, and joint members for forming a rotation shaft of the angle changing member with respect to the front arm wearing tool, wherein the angle changing members are provided on both sides of the palm support member, the joint members are provided on the angle changing members, respectively, and the joint members are located on both sides of a wrist. | 09-30-2010 |
20100280423 | MUSCLE FORCE ASSISTING DEVICE (AS AMENDED) - A muscle force assisting device includes a first attachment arranged along one bone of a joint, a second attachment arranged along the other bone of the joint, and an artificial muscle having one end provided on the first attachment and having the other end provided on the second attachment, in which an actuator is used as the artificial muscle, the muscle force assisting device assists motion of a user's joint such as an elbow, a knee and a wrist, the first attachment and the second attachment are connected to each other through spring joints, coil springs are used as the spring joints, the coil springs are deformed to moderate a deviation, smooth motion of the joint is secured, and even when a turning axis of the joint and rotation shafts of the attachments are deviated from each other, and the joint can smoothly bend and stretch. | 11-04-2010 |
20100280424 | MUSCLE FORCE ASSISTING DEVICE - A muscle force assisting device includes a first attachment arranged along one bone of a joint, a second attachment arranged along the other bone of the joint, and a stretching-artificial muscle having one end provided on the first attachment and having the other end provided on the second attachment, in which an actuator that is extensible by supplying or discharging a substance such as gas, liquid and solid, or a mixture thereof is used as the stretching-artificial muscle, the muscle force assisting device assists motion of a user's joint such as an elbow, a knee and a wrist, a protecting member is provided on the first attachment as a path-restricting section that restricts a path of the stretching-artificial muscle, the protecting member restricts approach of the stretching-artificial muscle toward the joint, the stretching-artificial muscle is prevented from pressing a human body even if the path of the artificial muscle is changed by bending or stretching motion, and the a driving force of the artificial muscle can efficiently be converted into a stretching torque. | 11-04-2010 |
20100280425 | MUSCLE FORCE ASSISTING DEVICE AND ITS OPERATING METHOD - A muscle force assisting can increase a bending angle of a second attachment with respect to a first attachment. The muscle force assisting device includes the first attachment arranged along one bone of a joint, the second attachment arranged along the other bone of the joint, and an artificial muscle having one end provided on the first attachment and having the other end provided on the second attachment, an actuator that is extensible or contractible by supplying or discharging a substance such as gas, liquid and solid, or a mixture thereof is used as the artificial muscle, and the muscle force assisting device assists motion of a user's elbow, knee and wrist, the one end of the artificial muscle can be displaced with respect to the first attachment, the one end of the artificial muscle is displaced, and a bending angle of the second attachment with respect to the first attachment is increased as compared with a case where the one end of the artificial muscle is not displaced. | 11-04-2010 |
20110095698 | ILLUMINATION LIGHTING APPARATUS, ILLUMINATION APPARATUS, AND ILLUMINATION SYSTEM - An illumination lighting apparatus is connected to, as an external apparatus, any of a human body sensing sensor configured to detect presence/absence of a person, an illuminance sensor configured to detect space illuminance, and a dimmer which arbitrarily adjusts the space illuminance, and is configured to produce an output control signal for controlling an optical output of a light source based on a signal output from the external apparatus. The illumination lighting apparatus includes: an external apparatus determining unit configured to determine which kind of the external apparatus is connected based on the signal output from the external apparatus; and a signal processing unit configured to produce the output control signal based on the signal output from the external apparatus. | 04-28-2011 |
20120187847 | LED DRIVER WITH END-OF-LIFE DETECTION CIRCUITRY - An LED lighting device includes a DC/DC power converter having output terminals coupled to respective lamp sockets. A controller receives signals from a current sensor and a voltage sensor, and controls the DC/DC power converter to increase/decrease an output voltage based on a sensed output current with respect to a target value. A sensed output voltage is compared to predetermined upper and lower limit values, and the DC/DC power converter is disabled when the output voltage exceeds the predetermined upper limit value or falls below the predetermined lower limit. The controller further measures an accumulated lighting time of the device, and after the accumulated lighting time has exceeded a predetermined switching time, decreases the upper limit value monotonously or in increments as the accumulated lighting time passes. | 07-26-2012 |