Position and force control system, mounting unit, control unit, position and force control method and program

Abstract

[Problem] To realize control for presenting a force-tactile sense in a more appropriate system configuration. [Solution] A position / force control system 1 comprises a worn unit 10 and a control unit 20. The worn unit 10 is worn on a user's body and presents a force-tactile sense by means of an actuator 13. The control unit 20 acquires data regarding a position in the space of the worn unit on the basis of data regarding a space where an object to be touched is present. The worn unit 10 comprises a control part 11 that acquires the position data from the control unit 20 and presents the force-tactile sense by controlling the drive of the actuator 13 on the basis of the position data as well as impedance and outline information regarding the object to be touched in the space.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a position and force control system, a wearing unit, a control unit, a position and force control method, and a program for presenting a position and a force to a user.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, devices that present a force sensation when an object is touched to a user's body are known. For example, an exoskeleton-type device that is worn on a user's finger and transmits a force sensation to each finger of the user by using an actuator to transmit the sensation when an object is touched is commercially available. By using such a device, it becomes possible to present to the user the sensation of an object in a virtual space in a net game or the like. A device that presents a force sensation to a user's body is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology for presenting a force sensation to a user's body, the control of a device (such as an exoskeleton-type wearing unit) worn on the user's body is performed from a PC (Personal Computer) or a server or the like. Therefore, the delay of the control signal for the device worn on the user's body becomes large, and there is a possibility that appropriate control cannot be performed. An object of the present invention is to realize control for presenting a force sensation with a more appropriate system configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] To solve the above problems, a position and force control system according to one aspect of the present invention is: The system includes a wearable unit that is attached to the user's body and provides force and tactile feedback via actuators, and a control unit that acquires positional data of the wearable unit in the space based on data of the space in which the object to be contacted exists. The mounting unit is characterized by comprising a control means that acquires position data from the control unit and controls the drive of the actuator based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, thereby providing force tactile sensation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, control that provides force and tactile feedback can be realized with a more appropriate system configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the concept of the feel of an object in the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the concept of the feel of an object when its stiffness, viscosity, and inertia are assumed to change at each point of contact. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a position and force control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the network topology of position and force control system 1. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the mounting unit 10 and the control unit 20 in the position and force control system 1. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the control algorithm implemented in the control unit 11. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the position information transmission process performed by the control unit 20. [Figure 8]This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of force-feedback processing performed by the mounting unit 10. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a mounting unit 10 that is ring-shaped and worn on the fingertip. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the pen-shaped mounting unit 10. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a wearable unit 10 shaped like a mouse and used as a pointing device. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the mounting unit 10, which is shaped like a game controller. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the basic principles applicable to this invention will be explained.

[0009] [Basic principle] In this invention, the force sensation when an object comes into contact with another object is treated as information, including the texture representing the feel of the object's surface, and presented to the user by a device. In this process, the force sensation upon contact with the object is processed as information by utilizing the rigidity, viscosity, and inertia (impedance of the object) of the object being contacted. Furthermore, the position and force control system according to the present invention comprises a control unit composed of an information processing device such as a PC, and a wearable unit worn on the user's body. The control unit acquires information regarding the position of the object to be contacted in the space where the object exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) (such as the position of the wearable unit in the virtual space or remote space). The wearable unit is composed of a device worn on the user's body (such as an exoskeleton-type robot) and transmits force sensations to the user by driving actuators that simulate the creation of a reaction force from an object.

[0010] In such a configuration, the control unit acquires (calculates) information regarding the position of the wearing unit in the space where the contact object exists (hereinafter referred to as "in-space position information"), and sequentially transmits the acquired in-space position information to the wearing unit without calculating information representing the force sensation output by the wearing unit (such as the position and force output by the actuator). The wearing unit stores physical parameters (here, the impedance and contour information of the object) corresponding to the position of the space where the contact object exists. Then, based on the in-space position information transmitted from the control unit and information regarding the position of the output axis of the actuator (or a member that operates corresponding to the output axis) (hereinafter referred to as "output position information"), the wearing unit calculates information representing the force sensation from the contact object including texture using the physical parameters of the object that is the contact object, and controls the actuator to present the force sensation to the user.

[0011] By adopting the configuration as described above, compared with the case where the control unit calculates and transmits information regarding the force sensation output by the wearing unit, the amount of data transmitted from the control unit to the wearing unit can be reduced, so that an increase in the delay of the control signal can be suppressed. Therefore, the control for presenting the force sensation can be realized with a more appropriate system configuration.

[0012] Next, in the present invention, a method for handling the force sensation when contacting an object as information will be described. [Acquisition of Object Impedance] In the present invention, in order to handle the force sensation when contacting an object as information, the impedance of the object to be contacted is used. Since the impedance of an object is represented by the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia of the contact object, when the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia of the contact object are known, these values can be acquired and used for control. Also, when the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia of the contact object are not known, the values of the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia (the impedance of the object) estimated by actually contacting the contact object can be used for control. When estimating the impedance of an object, in order to perform calculations related to force sensation when contacting the object, the parameters in the real space are coordinate-transformed into a coordinate system in which position and force can be handled independently. This coordinate transformation is defined as a transformation representing the control function of force sensation, and for example, those shown as coordinate transformations representing the force sensation transmission function in International Publication No. 2015 / 041046 can be used. Note that the concept of the control function of force sensation includes controlling the force sensation felt by a human and controlling the position, speed, or force output by a machine, etc.

[0013] Then, based on the output position information of the actuator, an input vector representing the position and force in the real space is coordinate-transformed into a vector in the above coordinate system, and in this coordinate system, an operation is performed to make the state value (element of the vector) obtained by the coordinate transformation follow the target value for realizing the control function of force sensation. Furthermore, the operation result in the above coordinate system is inverse-transformed into the parameters in the real space, and by controlling the actuator based on these parameters, the control function of force sensation is realized, and based on the parameters obtained in this series of controls, the impedance (rigidity, viscosity, and inertia) of the object being contacted is estimated. Note that when estimating the impedance of the object being contacted in this way, a form including an actuator on the side contacting the object being contacted and an actuator on the side transmitting force sensation to the user, like a master-slave system, or a device in a form including one actuator with a predetermined reference value (such as a reference value representing a predetermined contact force) as an input can be used.

[0014] [Presentation of the feeling of the object surface] By using the impedance estimated in this way, the feeling of the object surface in the real space or virtual space (specifically, force sensation including the texture representing the feeling of the object surface) can be presented. In order to present the feel of an object's surface, the present invention assumes that the rigidity, viscosity, and inertia (impedance) of the object to be contacted are inherent, and defines the reaction force from the object as a function corresponding to the position on the object's surface in the planar direction and the position perpendicular to the plane, thereby digitizing the texture that represents the feel of the object's surface. Specifically, the feel of an object in contact is defined based on equations of motion in which stiffness, viscosity, and inertia are constants, and the position that determines the action and reaction with an object is expressed as a function whose elements are the position in the plane direction and the position perpendicular to the plane on the object's surface.

[0015] Furthermore, when the position of the object surface in the planar direction and the position perpendicular to the plane are given as input in real space or virtual space, a value determined by a function that defines the feel of the object to be contacted is input as a reference value, and calculations are performed to make it track the target value in the aforementioned coordinate system, thereby controlling the output of the actuator and providing force feedback including texture representing the feel of the object surface. Furthermore, since position and velocity (or acceleration) or angle and angular velocity (or angular acceleration) are parameters that can be substituted using calculus, when performing operations related to position or angle, it is possible to appropriately substitute them with velocity or angular velocity, etc.

[0016] [A function that represents the feel of an object] As described above, in this invention, the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia (impedance) of the object to be contacted are assumed to be unique, and the feel of the object is defined as a function corresponding to the position in the planar direction and the position perpendicular to the plane on the object's surface, thereby digitizing the texture that represents the feel of the object's surface. The feel of an object (including force and tactile sensation, which represents the feel of the object's surface) is influenced not only by the shape of the object's surface but also by the physical properties of the object itself. Therefore, when defining the feel of an object, it is effective to reflect the impedance of the object.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the concept of the feel of an object in the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, when the surface of an object being contacted has minute irregularities rather than being a smooth plane, the impedance (stiffness, viscosity, and inertia) of the object itself does not change, but rather the shape (contour) of the surface is considered to have changed. In this case, the parameter Z representing the impedance of the object remains unchanged, and it is more appropriate to consider that the reaction force from the object changes depending on the contact point (the position x in the plane direction and the position y perpendicular to the plane on the object's surface). Therefore, in this invention, the feel of an object is defined by its inherent rigidity, viscosity, and inertia, as well as the contour information of its surface. Specifically, the feel of an object is defined by the following equations (1) and (2).

[0018]

number

[0019] In equations (1) and (2), f is the reaction force from the object being contacted, m is inertia, d is viscosity, k is stiffness, g is a function representing the contour of the object's surface, and t is time. Since the function representing the contour of the object's surface is a function of time t, equation (2) represents the contour of the object's surface, whose shape changes in response to contact, etc. In this case, the parameters that need to be controlled in acquiring or presenting tactile sensations are the object's inherent stiffness, viscosity, and inertia (impedance), as well as the position of the object's surface in the planar direction and the position perpendicular to the plane, allowing for the acquisition or presentation of tactile sensations with fewer parameters. Furthermore, if we consider that the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia of the object being contacted change at each contact point (i.e., the impedance differs depending on the contact point), then the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia of the object being contacted can be considered as functions corresponding to the position in the plane direction of the contacting object's surface.

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the concept of the feel of an object when its stiffness, viscosity, and inertia are assumed to change at each contact point of the object being touched. In the concept shown in Figure 2, the impedances Z1 to Z5 are assumed to change according to the planar position x of the contacting object surface, and the feel of the object can be expressed by the following equation (3).

[0021]

number

[0022] In this case, since data for stiffness, viscosity, and inertia must be held for each position, the number of parameters to be managed becomes relatively larger compared to defining the feel of an object as in equations (1) and (2), which may increase implementation costs and computational complexity. Therefore, in the present invention, textures including the feel of an object's surface are dealt with by defining the feel of an object as shown in formulas (1) and (2).

[0023] Furthermore, even when the feel of an object is represented according to equation (3) and the impedances Z1 to Z5 are treated as changing according to the planar position x of the contacting object surface, the system configuration of the present invention will still produce certain effects. That is, when the feel of an object is defined as in equation (3), the amount of computation in the mounting unit increases compared to when the feel of an object is defined as in equations (1) and (2). However, by transmitting position information from the control unit to the mounting unit, force tactile sensation including the texture representing the feel of the object surface can be presented, thus suppressing a large delay in the control signal.

[0024] [composition] Next, the system configuration of the present invention will be described. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a position and force control system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the position and force control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a mounting unit 10 that is attached to the user (in this case, the user's hand) and provides the user with force and tactile sensations, a control unit 20 that controls the mounting unit 10, a display unit 30 that provides the user with visual information, and a plurality of imaging devices C that detect the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10.

[0025] These mounting units 10, control unit 20, display unit 30, and multiple imaging devices C are configured to communicate with each other via a network 40. The network 40 includes wired or wireless communication paths and enables communication between the mounting units 10, control unit 20, display unit 30, and multiple imaging devices C via public networks such as the Internet, dedicated lines, or direct connections via communication cables.

[0026] The wearable unit 10 is configured as an exoskeleton-type device with multiple joints corresponding to human fingers, and controls the drive of actuators that rotate each joint based on spatial position information transmitted from the control unit 20. The spatial position information can be a position corresponding to a specific reference part (e.g., the center of the wrist) set on the wearable unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists (reference position). In this case, the wearable unit 10 calculates the relative position from the reference position to each finger. However, it is also possible to use the position corresponding to each finger in the space where the object to be contacted exists (individual position) as the spatial position information.

[0027] Furthermore, the mounting unit 10 stores parameters that represent the physical properties of the object to be contacted in the space where the object exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space). These parameters can include, for example, the stiffness, viscosity, and inertia (impedance of the object) of the object to be contacted.

[0028] The feel of an object (including force and tactile sensation, which represents the feel of the object's surface) is influenced not only by the shape of the object's surface but also by the physical properties of the object itself. Therefore, when defining the feel of an object, it is effective to reflect the impedance of the object. Then, by controlling the drive of each actuator (position and force of each joint) based on spatial position information in the space where the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space), physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object), and output position information of the actuator, it is possible to present force-tactile sensations, including the feel of the object.

[0029] In this embodiment, physical parameters corresponding to the position of the object to be contacted in the space are transmitted in advance from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10. When performing control to present force tactile sensation, only spatial position information of the object to be contacted in the space is sequentially transmitted to the mounting unit 10. Then, the mounting unit 10 calculates parameters for presenting force tactile sensation, including the feel of the object (parameters for controlling the drive of the actuator), based on the spatial position information, physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object), and the output position information of the actuator.

[0030] This makes it possible to suppress delays in control signals compared to when the control unit 20 calculates parameters for presenting force and tactile sensations, including the feel of an object (parameters for controlling the drive of the actuator) and transmits them from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10. In other words, control that provides force and tactile feedback can be implemented with a more appropriate system configuration.

[0031] In this embodiment, images of the mounting unit 10 captured from multiple directions by multiple imaging devices C are sequentially transmitted to the control unit 20. The control unit 20 then detects the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 based on the images of the mounting unit 10 captured by the multiple imaging devices C. This allows for distinguishing and controlling whether the object being contacted is on the front or back side, for example, when the object being contacted is a thin material such as a sheet. Therefore, it becomes possible to reflect the weight of the components in the force-tactile sensation, and to present force-tactile sensations, including the feel of the object, more appropriately. In addition to acquiring the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 with multiple imaging devices C, it is also possible to acquire them with various devices such as a 3D laser scanner.

[0032] The control unit 20 is composed of an information processing device such as a PC or server computer. The control unit 20 generates data of the space in which the object to be contacted exists (virtual space or remote space, etc.) by performing 3D modeling. For example, the control unit 20 generates an image of a 3D modeled virtual reality space based on captured image data, or generates an image of a 3D modeled virtual reality space based on 3D computer graphics data. The control unit 20 also detects the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 based on images of the mounting unit 10 captured by multiple imaging devices C. Then, based on the detected position and orientation of the mounting unit 10, the control unit 20 acquires (calculates) spatial position information of the mounting unit 10 in the space in which the object to be contacted exists (virtual space or remote space, etc.), and sequentially transmits the acquired spatial position information to the mounting unit 10 without calculating the force-tactile information (position and force output by the actuator, etc.) output by the mounting unit 10.

[0033] Furthermore, the control unit 20 transmits the physical parameters of the object to be contacted in the space where the object to be contacted exists to the mounting unit 10. In this embodiment, when the position of the mounting unit 10, indicated by the spatial position information, reaches (or is about to reach) the position of an object to be contacted having different physical parameters (the boundary of the object to be contacted) in the space where the object to be contacted exists, the control unit 20 transmits the physical parameters of the new object to be contacted. However, the physical parameters of each object to be contacted in the space where the objects to be contacted exist may be transmitted in advance from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10. Furthermore, the control unit 20 generates image data for displaying the space in which the object to be contacted exists, and also generates an image of a virtual mounting unit 10 in the space in which the object to be contacted exists. The control unit 20 then sequentially transmits the generated image data for displaying the space in which the object to be contacted exists and the image data of the virtual mounting unit 10 to the display unit 30.

[0034] The display unit 30 is configured, for example, as an information processing device such as a PC with a display, and displays an image of the space where the object to be contacted exists and an image of the virtual wearable unit 10 in this space, according to the image data transmitted from the control unit 20. The display unit 30 can also be configured as various image display devices such as a head-mounted display, a stationary display, or a projector.

[0035] In the position and force control system 1 having the above configuration, in the network topology, the control unit 20 that generates data of the space in which the object to be contacted exists and the attachment unit 10 that presents a virtual force sensation in the space in which the object to be contacted exists are located on opposite sides of the network 40. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the network topology of the position and force control system 1. As shown in Figure 4, in the position and force control system 1, data that triggers control to present force and tactile sensations (spatial position information) is transmitted from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10 via the network 40 and the communication interface (communication I / F). In addition, the mounting unit 10 calculates parameters for presenting the feel of an object (parameters for controlling the drive of the actuator) based on the spatial position information received from the control unit 20, and the actuator is driven.

[0036] In Figure 4, the network 40 and communication interface constitute, for example, the network layer / data link layer / physical layer in the OSI reference model, and the internet layer / network interface layer in the TCP / IP protocol. In this embodiment, the control that presents force feedback is performed at the application layer in either the OSI reference model or the TCP / IP protocol.

[0037] In other words, in the application layer of the control unit 20, after acquiring spatial position information, only the process of sequentially transmitting spatial position information is executed without performing any processing for controlling the mounting unit 10. On the other hand, in the application layer of the mounting unit 10, parameters for controlling the drive of the actuator (control parameters) are sequentially calculated based on the spatial position information received from the control unit 20, the physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object) stored in the mounting unit 10, and the output position information of the actuator. Then, by sequentially outputting the calculated control parameters from the application layer of the mounting unit 10 to the actuator, the presentation of force and tactile sensations, including the feel of the object, is realized. Therefore, since no data transmission or reception occurs via the network 40 and communication interface (communication I / F) in the actuator control loop of the mounting unit 10, delays in control signals can be suppressed.

[0038] Next, the specific configurations of the mounting unit 10 and the control unit 20 in the position and force control system 1 will be described. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the mounting unit 10 and the control unit 20 in the position and force control system 1. In Figure 5, the mounting unit 10 of the position and force control system 1 includes a control unit 11, a driver 12, an actuator 13, a position sensor 14, a storage unit 15, and a communication unit 16. The control unit 20 includes a control unit 21, an input unit 22, an output unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a communication unit 25. Although not shown in Figure 5, the position and force control system 1 also includes a display unit 30 and a plurality of imaging devices C, as described above.

[0039] In the mounting unit 10, the control unit 11 includes a processor and semiconductor memory (ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.), and performs various processes according to the program stored in the storage unit 15. For example, the control unit 11 transforms real-space parameters (such as the output position information of the actuator 13) into a coordinate system that can handle position and force independently, and in this coordinate system, it performs calculations to make the state values ​​(elements of a vector) obtained by the coordinate transformation follow target values ​​for realizing force-tactile control functions. Then, the control unit 11 transforms the calculation results in the above coordinate system back into real-space parameters, and by controlling the actuator 13 based on these parameters, it can present force-tactile sensations, including textures that represent the feel of the object surface.

[0040] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the control algorithm implemented in the control unit 11. As shown in Figure 6, the algorithm implemented in the control unit 11 is expressed as a control law that includes a function-specific force-velocity assignment conversion block FT, at least one of an ideal force source block FC or an ideal velocity (position) source block PC, and an inverse conversion block IFT. In this embodiment, the controlled system S is composed of a driver 12 and an actuator 13.

[0041] The Functional Force / Velocity Assignment Conversion Block FT is a block that defines the conversion of control energy to the velocity (position) and force domains set according to the function of the controlled system S. Specifically, the Functional Force / Velocity Assignment Conversion Block FT defines a coordinate transformation that takes a reference value (reference value) for the function of the controlled system S and the current position of the actuator 13 (output position information) as inputs. This coordinate transformation generally converts an input vector with the reference value and current velocity (position) as elements into an output vector consisting of velocity (position) for calculating the control target value of velocity (position), and also converts an input vector with the reference value and current force as elements into an output vector consisting of force for calculating the control target value of force.

[0042] By setting the coordinate transformation in the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT according to the function to be implemented, various actions can be realized, and actions involving scaling can be reproduced. In other words, in this embodiment, the function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block FT "converts" the individual actuator 13 variables (variables in real space) into a group of system-wide variables (variables in space after coordinate transformation) that represent the function to be realized, and assigns control energy to the velocity (position) control energy and the force control energy. Therefore, compared to the case where control is performed using the individual actuator variables (variables in real space), it is possible to independently assign the velocity (position) control energy and the force control energy. In this embodiment, for example, the state value in the space after coordinate transformation can be calculated under the condition that the difference in position and the sum of forces are zero (equal forces in opposite directions are output) between the input position and force calculated from the output position information of the actuator 13 and the reference value.

[0043] The Ideal Force Source Block FC is a block that performs calculations in the force domain according to the coordinate transformation defined by the Functional Force-Velocity Assignment Conversion Block FT. In the Ideal Force Source Block FC, a target value for force is set when performing calculations based on the coordinate transformation defined by the Functional Force-Velocity Assignment Conversion Block FT. This target value is set as a fixed value or a variable value depending on the function to be realized. For example, when realizing a function similar to the function indicated by the reference value, the target value can be set to zero, or when scaling can be performed, a value that is an enlarged or reduced version of the information representing the function indicated by the reference value can be set.

[0044] The Ideal Velocity (Position) Source Block PC is a block that performs calculations in the velocity (position) domain according to the coordinate transformation defined by the Functional Force / Velocity Assignment Conversion Block FT. In the Ideal Velocity (Position) Source Block PC, a target value for velocity (position) is set when performing calculations based on the coordinate transformation defined by the Functional Force / Velocity Assignment Conversion Block FT. This target value is set as a fixed or variable value depending on the function to be realized. For example, when realizing a function similar to the function indicated by the reference value, the target value can be set to zero, or when scaling can be performed, a value that is an enlarged or reduced version of the information indicating the function to be reproduced can be set.

[0045] The inverse transformer block IFT is a block that converts values ​​in the velocity (position) and force domains into values ​​in the input domain to the controlled system S (e.g., voltage value or current value). Under this control algorithm, the control unit 11 receives time-series position detection values ​​from the position sensor 14. These time-series position detection values ​​represent the operation of the actuator 13, and the control unit 11 applies coordinate transformations set according to the function to the velocity (position) and force information derived from the input detection values ​​(position).

[0046] The driver 12 supplies current to drive the actuator 13 based on the value of the input region to the actuator 13, which has been inverted by the control unit 11. The actuator 13 is driven by the current supplied from the driver 12 and controls the position of the object to be controlled. The position sensor 14 detects the position of the output shaft (or controlled object) of the actuator 13 and outputs the detected value (output position information) to the control unit 11.

[0047] The storage unit 15 is composed of a memory device such as a semiconductor memory. The storage unit 15 stores the physical parameters of the object to be contacted (impedance and contour information of the object). The storage unit 15 also stores functions (equations (1) and (2)) that define the feel of the object to be contacted. Alternatively, instead of the functions (equations (1) and (2)) that define the feel of the object to be contacted, table-formatted data calculated based on these functions may be stored. The communication unit 16 communicates with other devices via communication cables such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) cables or communication networks such as the Internet.

[0048] In the control unit 20, the control unit 21 includes a processor and semiconductor memory (ROM and RAM, etc.), and executes various processes according to the program stored in the storage unit 24.

[0049] The control unit 21 is functionally configured to include an image display control unit 211, a spatial position information acquisition unit 212, a spatial position information transmission unit 213, and a physical parameter transmission unit 214. The image display control unit 211 generates data of the space in which the object being contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) by performing 3D modeling. For example, the image display control unit 211 generates an image of a 3D modeled virtual reality space based on the data of an captured image, or generates an image of a 3D modeled virtual reality space based on 3D computer graphics data.

[0050] The spatial position information acquisition unit 212 detects the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 based on images captured by multiple imaging devices C. Furthermore, based on the detected position and orientation of the mounting unit 10, the spatial position information acquisition unit 212 sequentially acquires (calculates) the spatial position information of the mounting unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space). The spatial position information transmission unit 213 sequentially transmits the spatial position information of the mounting unit 10, acquired by the spatial position information acquisition unit 212, to the mounting unit 10. The physical parameter transmission unit 214 transmits the physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object) of the object to be contacted in the space in which the object to be contacted exists to the mounting unit 10. In this embodiment, when the position of the mounting unit 10, indicated by the spatial position information, reaches (or is about to reach) the position of the object to be contacted having different physical parameters (boundary of the object to be contacted) in the space in which the object to be contacted exists, the physical parameter transmission unit 214 transmits the physical parameters of the new object to be contacted.

[0051] The input unit 22 consists of a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse, and inputs various types of information according to the user's instructions and operations. The output unit 23 consists of a display and a speaker, and displays information and outputs sound according to the control unit 21. The memory unit 24 is composed of a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk, and stores various data and programs used in the three-dimensional object manufacturing apparatus 1. The memory unit 24 also stores the physical parameters of the object to be contacted (impedance and contour information of the object) in the space in which the object to be contacted exists, in correspondence with the position of the object to be contacted in that space. The communication unit 25 communicates with other devices via communication cables such as USB cables or communication networks such as the Internet.

[0052] [Operation] Next, the operation of the position and force control system 1 will be explained.

[0053] [Location information transmission process] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the position information transmission process performed by the control unit 20. The location information transmission process is initiated in response to an instruction to execute the location information transmission process via the input unit 22 or the communication unit 25. In step S1, the image display control unit 211 generates data of the space in which the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) by performing 3D modeling.

[0054] In step S2, the physical parameter transmission unit 214 transmits to the mounting unit 10 the physical parameters of the object to be contacted (impedance and contour information of the object) corresponding to the initial position of the mounting unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists. In step S3, the spatial position information acquisition unit 212 detects the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 based on images captured by multiple imaging devices C. In step S4, the spatial position information acquisition unit 212 acquires (calculates) spatial position information of the mounting unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists (virtual space or remote space, etc.), based on the detected position and orientation of the mounting unit 10.

[0055] In step S5, the spatial position information transmission unit 213 transmits the spatial position information of the mounting unit 10, which has been acquired by the spatial position information acquisition unit 212, to the mounting unit 10. In step S6, the physical parameter transmission unit 214 determines whether or not it is necessary to update the physical parameters of the object in the space in which the object is to be contacted. Whether or not it is necessary to update the physical parameters of the object in the space in which the object is to be contacted can be determined by whether or not the position of the mounting unit 10, indicated by the spatial position information, has reached (or is about to reach) the position of the object having different physical parameters (the boundary of the object), etc.

[0056] If it is not necessary to update the physical parameters of the object in contact in the space where the object exists, the result is determined to be NO in step S6, and the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if it is necessary to update the physical parameters of the object in contact in the space where the object exists, the result is determined to be YES in step S6, and the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the physical parameter transmission unit 214 transmits to the mounting unit 10 the physical parameters of the object to be contacted (impedance and contour information of the object) corresponding to the current position of the mounting unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists.

[0057] In step S8, the spatial position information acquisition unit 212 determines whether the conditions for terminating the position information transmission process have been met. Whether the conditions for terminating the position information transmission process have been met can be determined, for example, by whether the termination of the position information transmission process has been instructed via the input unit 22 or the communication unit 25, or by whether the mounting unit 10 is no longer detected in the images captured by the multiple imaging devices C.

[0058] If the conditions for terminating the location information transmission process are not met, step S8 is determined to be NO, and the process proceeds to step S3. On the other hand, if the conditions for terminating the location information transmission process are met, the result in step S8 is determined to be YES, and the location information transmission process is terminated.

[0059] [Hypertactile feedback processing] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of force tactile feedback processing performed by the mounting unit 10. The force-feedback processing starts when the power to the mounting unit 10 is turned on. In step S11, the control unit 11 receives physical parameters from the control unit 20 via the communication unit 16. At this time, the control unit 11 stores the received physical parameters in the storage unit 15. In step S12, the control unit 11 receives spatial position information of the mounting unit 10 via the communication unit 16.

[0060] In step S13, the control unit 11 acquires output position information of the actuator 13 via the position sensor 14. In step S14, the control unit 11 calculates the value of the input region (in this case, the current value) to the actuator 13 for presenting force tactile sensation, including texture representing the feel of the object surface, based on the output position information of the actuator 13 and the spatial position information of the mounting unit 10.

[0061] At this time, the control unit 11 calculates a reference value corresponding to the contact position of the object to be contacted from the force-tactile definition formula (see formulas (1) and (2)) which is set by the physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object) stored in the memory unit 15 according to the spatial position information of the mounting unit 10. The control unit 11 also takes the calculated reference value and the output position information of the actuator 13 as input, performs a coordinate transformation to a coordinate system in which position and force can be handled independently, and performs a calculation to make the state value obtained by the coordinate transformation follow a target value for realizing the force-tactile control function. Then, the control unit 11 transforms the calculation result in the above coordinate system back into a value in the input area to the actuator 13.

[0062] In step S15, the driver 12 supplies current to drive the actuator 13 based on the value of the input region to the actuator 13 that has been inverted by the control unit 11. In step S16, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received new physical parameters from the control unit 20 via the communication unit 16. If no new physical parameters are received from the control unit 20 via the communication unit 16, the result is determined to be NO in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if new physical parameters are received from the control unit 20 via the communication unit 16, the result is determined to be YES in step S16, and the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the control unit 11 updates the physical parameters stored in the memory unit 15 with the newly received physical parameters.

[0063] In step S18, the control unit 11 determines whether the conditions for terminating the force-tactile feedback processing have been met. Whether the conditions for terminating the force-tactile feedback processing have been met can be determined, for example, by whether an operation to turn off the power of the mounting unit 10 has been performed, or whether an instruction to terminate the force-tactile feedback processing has been input via the communication unit 16. If the conditions for terminating the force tactile feedback process are not met, the result is determined to be NO in step S18, and the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if the conditions for terminating the force-tactile feedback process are met, the result is determined to be YES in step S18, and the force-tactile feedback process is terminated.

[0064] As described above, according to the position and force control system 1 of this embodiment, the control unit 20 acquires (calculates) information regarding the position of the mounting unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists (in-spatial position information), and transmits the acquired in-spatial position information to the mounting unit 10 sequentially without calculating information representing force tactile sensation output by the mounting unit 10 (position and force output by the actuator 13, etc.). The mounting unit 10 stores physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object) corresponding to the position in the space where the object to be contacted exists. Then, based on the in-spatial position information transmitted from the control unit 20 and information regarding the position of the output shaft of the actuator 13 (or a member that operates in correspondence with the output shaft) (output position information), the mounting unit 10 uses the physical parameters of the object to be contacted to calculate information representing force tactile sensation from the object to be contacted, including texture, and controls the actuator 13 to present force tactile sensation to the user.

[0065] By adopting the configuration described above, the amount of data transmitted from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10 can be reduced compared to when the control unit 20 calculates and transmits force and tactile information output by the mounting unit 10, thereby suppressing large delays in the control signals. Therefore, control that provides force and tactile feedback can be implemented with a more appropriate system configuration.

[0066] Furthermore, in the position and force control system 1 of this embodiment, the feel of an object is defined as shown in equations (1) and (2), and the texture, including the feel of the object's surface, is handled. Therefore, the parameters that need to be managed in acquiring or presenting the feel are the object's inherent stiffness, viscosity, and inertia (impedance), as well as the position of the object's surface in the planar direction and the position perpendicular to the plane, allowing for the acquisition or presentation of the feel with fewer parameters. Furthermore, the position and force control system 1 of this embodiment can provide force and tactile feedback, including texture, that represents the feel of the object's surface when it comes into contact with an object in a virtual space or remote space (such as a virtual object in a game using a virtual space, a product in a virtual space sold in e-commerce, or an object located in a remote location).

[0067] [Modified example of mounting unit 10] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which the mounting unit 10 is configured as an exoskeleton-type device having multiple joints corresponding to human fingers. In contrast, if the device can be attached to the user and provide the user with force and tactile feedback, the configuration of the attachment unit 10 can take on various forms as follows. In the following example, we will describe a configuration in which power is supplied and communication is performed via a cable, but it is also possible to use a configuration in which power is supplied by a battery and communication is performed wirelessly (wireless type).

[0068] [Example of a ring shape designed to be worn on the fingertip] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the mounting unit 10, which is a ring-shaped device worn on the fingertip. As shown in Figure 9, the mounting unit 10, which is ring-shaped and worn on the fingertip, has a movable element that is operated by an actuator attached to the inside of the ring-shaped member (on the palm side of the finger), and force-tactile sensation is presented through this movable element. Specifically, when a user attaches a ring-shaped attachment unit 10 to their fingertip and performs actions such as touching or stroking a touchpad or touchable screen, an actuator for providing force feedback moves (advances and retracts) a movable element in a direction that protrudes from the touch surface, thereby providing tactile feedback. With this configuration, the user can perceive the impedance of the space in which the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) through the ring-shaped mounting unit 10.

[0069] [Example of pen shape configuration] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the pen-shaped mounting unit 10. As shown in Figure 10, the pen-shaped mounting unit 10 includes a contact portion that contacts a touchpad or touchable screen, and a rod portion that is held by the user. The contact portion is equipped with an actuator for providing force feedback, and the rod portion is connected to a movable element operated by the actuator. The contact portion is made of a material that can be operated by contacting a touchpad or touch panel. Then, when the user holds the rod and makes contact with the touch surface, the actuator for providing force feedback moves (advances and retracts) a movable element in a direction that protrudes from the touch surface (in a direction that causes the rod to protrude from the contact surface), thereby providing a tactile sensation. With this configuration, the user can sense the impedance of the space in which the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) through the pen-shaped attachment unit 10.

[0070] [Example of mouse shape configuration] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a mouse-shaped attachment unit 10 used as a pointing device. As shown in Figure 11, the mouse-shaped wearable unit 10 has a button at its tip (where the user's finger rests), and an actuator for providing tactile feedback is located below the button inside the wearable unit 10. The button is connected to a movable element that is operated by the actuator. The mouse-shaped wearable unit 10 also functions as a pointing device to move the mouse cursor, just like a regular mouse. Then, when the user holds the mouse-shaped attachment unit 10 in their hand and moves the mouse cursor, performing actions such as touching or stroking the space where the object to be touched present on the screen exists (virtual space or remote space, etc.), an actuator for providing force feedback moves (advances and retracts) a movable element in a direction that causes the button to protrude from the attachment unit 10, thereby providing a tactile sensation. With this configuration, the user can perceive the impedance of the space in which the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) through the mouse-shaped wearable unit 10.

[0071] [Example of game controller configuration] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of the mounting unit 10, which is shaped like a game controller. As shown in Figure 12, the game controller-shaped mounting unit 10 has two control sections, one on the left and one on the right. For example, the left control section functions as a key for movement (for movement in a planar direction), and the right control section functions as a button for click operations. These two control units are equipped with actuators within the controller body to provide force feedback. For example, the left control unit is connected to the movable element of the actuator that moves (forward and backward) in the left-right direction, and to the movable element of the actuator that moves (forward and backward) in the front-back direction. The right control unit is connected to the movable element of the actuator that moves (forward and backward) in a direction that protrudes from the controller body. Then, when the user holds the game controller-shaped attachment unit 10 with their fingertips and performs actions such as touching or stroking the space where the object to be touched on the screen exists (virtual space or remote space, etc.), actuators for providing force feedback move (advance and retract) the movable parts of the left and right buttons in the direction of forward, backward, left, right, or in the direction of protruding from the controller body, thereby providing a tactile sensation. With this configuration, the user can perceive the impedance of the space in which the object to be contacted exists (such as a virtual space or a remote space) through the game controller-shaped wearable unit 10.

[0072] As described above, the position and force control system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a mounting unit 10 and a control unit 20. The mounting unit 10 is attached to the user's body and provides force and tactile feedback via the actuator 13. The control unit 20 acquires positional data of the mounting unit 10 in space based on data of the space in which the object to be contacted exists. The mounting unit 10 includes a control unit 11 that acquires position data from the control unit 20 and provides force feedback by controlling the drive of the actuator 13 based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in space and the position data. This reduces the amount of data transmitted from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10 compared to when the control unit 20 calculates and transmits force and tactile information output by the mounting unit 10, thereby suppressing large delays in the control signals. Therefore, control that provides force and tactile feedback can be implemented with a more appropriate system configuration.

[0073] The control unit 11 calculates reference values ​​for position and force based on the impedance and contour information of the object in contact in space and position data. Taking the calculated reference values ​​and position information based on the action of the actuator 13 as input, it performs a transformation to a coordinate system in which position and force are independent. After performing a calculation to make the state values ​​in that coordinate system follow the target values ​​for position and force, it performs an inverse transformation on the calculation results to calculate parameters for controlling the actuator 13, thereby controlling the drive of the actuator 13. This makes it possible to set independent target values ​​for position and force, and to control the actuator 13 to achieve these target values.

[0074] The mounting unit 10 has pre-stored impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in space. The control unit 11 provides force feedback by referring to the stored impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted, and by sequentially acquiring position data obtained by the control unit 20 to control the drive of the actuator 13. As a result, the mounting unit 10 can acquire position data from the control unit 20, thereby controlling the drive of the actuator 13 and providing force feedback.

[0075] The control unit 11, when the position of the mounting unit 10 in space reaches the boundary of the object to be contacted, or at least immediately before reaching the boundary, refers to the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted obtained from the control unit 20, and sequentially acquires position data obtained by the control unit 20 to control the driving of the actuator 13, thereby providing force feedback. As a result, the mounting unit 10 can appropriately acquire necessary physical parameters (impedance and contour information of the object being contacted) from the control unit 20, and acquire position data to control the drive of the actuator 13 and provide force feedback.

[0076] The control unit 20 acquires data on the reference position of the mounting unit 10 in space. The mounting unit 10 acquires reference position data from the control unit 20, calculates the relative position representing the part of the mounting unit 10 in space based on the reference position data, and controls the drive of the actuator 13. This means that only the data for the reference position of the mounting unit 10 needs to be transmitted from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10, thus reducing the amount of data transmitted from the control unit 20 to the mounting unit 10.

[0077] The control unit 20 acquires positional data representing the portion of the mounting unit 10 in space. The mounting unit 10 obtains position data representing the part of the mounting unit 10 from the control unit 20 and controls the drive of the actuator 13. This allows the control unit 20 to acquire positional data for the mounting unit 10 (such as the part that contacts the object to be contacted), thereby reducing the amount of computation required in the mounting unit 10.

[0078] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and any modifications, improvements, etc., that can achieve the objectives of the present invention are included within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the control unit 20 was described as calculating spatial position information by detecting the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 based on images captured by a plurality of imaging devices C, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, spatial position information may be calculated by inputting the position and orientation of the mounting unit 10 in the space where the object to be contacted exists using an input device such as a mouse. Furthermore, while we have described an example where a reference value (or target value after coordinate transformation) determined based on a function defining the object's texture is used as a scaling-compatible value when emphasizing or suppressing the texture of an object's surface, this is not the only approach. In other words, other methods can be used to emphasize or suppress the texture presented to the user. For example, it is possible to enlarge or reduce the texture presented to the user by applying a gain to the input to an actuator.

[0079] Furthermore, the processing in the above-described embodiment can be performed by either hardware or software. In other words, the position and force control system 1 only needs to be equipped with a function capable of performing the above-described process, and the functional and hardware configurations used to realize this function are not limited to the examples given above. When the above process is performed by software, the programs that make up that software are installed on the computer from a network or storage medium.

[0080] The storage medium for storing programs consists of removable media distributed separately from the main unit, or storage media pre-installed in the main unit. Removable media consists of, for example, semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, optical disks, or magneto-optical disks. Optical disks consist of, for example, CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark), etc. Magneto-optical disks consist of, for example, MD (Mini-Disk). Furthermore, storage media pre-installed in the main unit consists of, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), hard disks, or semiconductor memory on which programs are stored.

[0081] The above embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be applied and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention can be modified in various ways, such as by omitting or substituting, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and various embodiments other than those described above are possible. The various embodiments that the present invention can take and their variations are included within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1 Position / force control system, 10 Mounting unit, 11, 21 Control unit, 211 Image display control unit, 212 Spatial position information acquisition unit, 213 Spatial position information transmission unit, 214 Physical parameter transmission unit, 12 Driver, 13 Actuator, 14 Position sensor, 15, 24 Memory unit, 16, 25 Communication unit, 20 Control unit, 22 Input unit, 23 Output unit, 30 Display unit, 40 Network, 50 Position sensor, 60 Memory unit, FT Function-specific force / velocity assignment conversion block, FC Ideal force source block, PC Ideal velocity (position) source block, IFT Inverse conversion block, S Controlled system

Claims

1. The system includes a wearable unit that is attached to the user's body and provides force and tactile feedback via actuators, and a control unit that acquires positional data of the wearable unit in the space based on data of the space in which the object to be contacted exists. The mounting unit includes a control means that acquires position data from the control unit and controls the drive of the actuator based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, thereby presenting force-tactile sensation including a tactile sensation that reflects the impedance of the object to be contacted. The contour information of the object to be contacted and the reaction force based on the impedance of the object to be contacted are defined in correspondence. The control means performs control to output the reaction force corresponding to the contour information at the position of the contour information identified by the position data, and calculates the reaction force when contact is made at any position on the surface represented by the contour information of the object to be contacted, based on the position in the direction along the surface of the object to be contacted, the position in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and the impedance of the object to be contacted.

2. The position and force control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means calculates reference values ​​for position and force based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, takes the calculated reference values ​​and position information based on the operation of the actuator as input to perform a transformation to a coordinate system in which position and force are independent, performs a calculation to make the state values ​​in the coordinate system follow target values ​​for position and force, and then performs an inverse transformation of the calculation result to calculate parameters for controlling the actuator, thereby controlling the drive of the actuator.

3. The mounting unit has pre-stored impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space. The position and force control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means provides force feedback by referring to stored impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted, and by sequentially acquiring the position data obtained by the control unit and controlling the drive of the actuator.

4. The position and force control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means, when the position of the mounting unit in the space reaches the boundary of the object to be contacted, or at least immediately before reaching the boundary, refers to the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted obtained from the control unit, and sequentially acquires the position data obtained by the control unit to control the drive of the actuator, thereby providing force tactile sensation.

5. The control unit acquires data of the reference position of the mounting unit in the space, The position and force control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the mounting unit acquires data of the reference position of the mounting unit from the control unit, calculates a relative position representing a portion of the mounting unit in space based on the reference position data, and controls the drive of the actuator.

6. The control unit acquires position data representing the portion of the mounting unit in the space, The position and force control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the mounting unit acquires position data representing a portion of the mounting unit from the control unit and controls the drive of the actuator.

7. A mounting unit in a position and force control system, comprising a mounting unit that is attached to the user's body and provides force and tactile sensations by actuators, and a control unit that acquires positional data of the mounting unit in the space based on data of the space in which an object to be contacted exists, The control means acquires position data from the control unit and controls the drive of the actuator based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, thereby providing force-tactile sensation including a tactile sensation that reflects the impedance of the object to be contacted. The contour information of the object to be contacted and the reaction force based on the impedance of the object to be contacted are defined in correspondence. The mounting unit is characterized in that the control means performs control to output the reaction force corresponding to the contour information at the position of the contour information identified by the position data, and calculates the reaction force when contact is made at any position on the surface represented by the contour information of the object to be contacted, based on the position in the direction along the surface of the object to be contacted, the position in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and the impedance of the object to be contacted.

8. A control unit in a position and force control system, which includes a mounting unit that is attached to the user's body and provides force and tactile sensations by actuators, and a control unit that acquires positional data of the mounting unit in the space based on data of the space in which an object to be contacted exists, The system acquires the position data of the mounting unit in the space, and sequentially transmits the position data to the mounting unit in order to control the drive of the actuator based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, in order to present force-tactile sensation including a tactile sensation that reflects the impedance of the object to be contacted. The contour information of the object to be contacted and the reaction force based on the impedance of the object to be contacted are defined in correspondence. A control unit characterized by causing the mounting unit to perform control to output the reaction force corresponding to the contour information at the position of the contour information identified by the position data, and sequentially transmitting the position data to calculate the reaction force when the object is in contact with any position on the surface represented by the contour information of the object to be contacted, based on the position in the direction along the surface of the object to be contacted, the position in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and the impedance of the object to be contacted.

9. A position and force control method performed in a position and force control system that includes a mounting unit attached to the user's body and which provides force and tactile feedback by actuators, and a control unit that acquires positional data of the mounting unit in the space based on data of the space in which an object to be contacted exists, The mounting unit includes a control step of acquiring position data from the control unit and controlling the drive of the actuator based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, thereby presenting force-tactile sensation including a tactile sensation that reflects the impedance of the object to be contacted. The contour information of the object to be contacted and the reaction force based on the impedance of the object to be contacted are defined in correspondence. The position and force control method is characterized in that, in the control step, control is performed to output the reaction force corresponding to the contour information at the position of the contour information identified by the position data, and the reaction force when contact is made at any position on the surface represented by the contour information of the object to be contacted is calculated based on the position in the direction along the surface of the object to be contacted, the position in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and the impedance of the object to be contacted.

10. A computer controls a position and force control system which includes a wearable unit that is attached to the user's body and provides force and tactile feedback via actuators, and a control unit that acquires positional data of the wearable unit in the space based on data of the space in which the object being contacted exists. The mounting unit acquires the position data from the control unit and controls the drive of the actuator based on the impedance and contour information of the object to be contacted in the space and the position data, thereby realizing a control function that presents force-tactile sensation including a tactile sensation that reflects the impedance of the object to be contacted. The contour information of the object to be contacted and the reaction force based on the impedance of the object to be contacted are defined in correspondence. The control function is a program characterized by causing the program to perform control to output the reaction force corresponding to the contour information at the position of the contour information identified by the position data, and to calculate the reaction force when contact is made at any position on the surface represented by the contour information of the object to be contacted, based on the position in the direction along the surface of the object to be contacted, the position in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and the impedance of the object to be contacted.

Images