Pressure and Shear Input Control for Intuitive Movable Body Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing movement control systems for movable bodies, such as autonomous vehicles and robots, lack intuitive operability, causing user anxiety and difficulty in multi-user operations. Additionally, current touch sensor systems struggle with maintaining operation input due to movement of the movable body.
Innovation Solution
A movement control apparatus comprising a motion controller and an operation instructing section that utilizes pressure and shearing force sensors to provide intuitive control over movable bodies. The system interprets the distribution of pressure and shearing force applied to a detection surface to instruct the motion controller, allowing for precise control of movement, starting, stopping, and direction changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch panel is used for operation input, then the movable body can be controlled remotely, but the operability becomes non-intuitive and causes user anxiety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional touch panel operations with a pusher-based mechanical input system. The pusher physically contacts the movable body and its position directly corresponds to the desired movement direction, providing intuitive mechanical feedback and eliminating the disconnect between user input and system response that causes anxiety.
Solution Approach 2:
The pusher operates as a physical copy or representation of the desired movement vector. By positioning the pusher at an angle corresponding to the desired direction, the system creates a direct physical mapping between the input device orientation and the movement command, making the operation transparent and predictable.
2Ease of operation
If a touch sensor on the outer surface is used, then the movable body can be controlled by contact, but the operation input becomes difficult to maintain due to body movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds an angular dimension to the input mechanism. Instead of relying solely on the position of contact on the surface, the pusher's angle of contact becomes the primary input parameter. This angular dimension remains stable even as the movable body moves, allowing continuous reliable input throughout the movement cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically tracks the pusher's angular position relative to the movable body's coordinate system. As the movable body moves, the system continuously updates the reference frame to maintain accurate reading of the pusher's angle, ensuring stable input interpretation throughout the motion sequence.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple people attempt to perform an operation, then more users can control the movable body, but it becomes unclear who is performing the operation
Solution Approach 1:
The detection surface displays visual indicators that change based on the detected pushing force magnitude and direction. By presenting distinct visual feedback patterns for different users or force levels, the system makes the active operator visible, resolving ambiguity about who is currently controlling the movable body.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate visual feedback on the detection surface that reflects the current input state. This feedback loop allows multiple users to see whose input is being registered and what the system is interpreting, preventing confusion about operational control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables intuitive and anxiety-free operation of movable bodies, allowing multiple users to control the movement effectively. It maintains operation input stability by accounting for the movement of the movable body, ensuring accurate and efficient control.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor detecting a distribution of pressure applied to a detection surface
Implementation Method 2
the operation instructing section acquires the distribution of the pressure and a shearing force from the sensor, the pressure being a force in a direction orthogonal to the detection surface, the shearing force being a force in a direction parallel to the detection surface
Data Source
AI summary
[Object] To provide a movement control apparatus that is capable of controlling the movement of a movable body using an intuitive operation, and the movable body.[Solving Means] A movement control apparatus according to the present technology includes a motion controller and an operation instructing section. The motion controller causes a movable body to perform motion. The operation instructing section gives an instruction to the motion controller on the basis of output of a sensor such that the movable body performs motion, the sensor detecting a distribution of pressure applied to a detection surface.