# US 8,862,270 B2 · Control apparatus, control method, and control program for pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,862,270 B2 - Document ID: US8862270B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/954,197 - Filed: 2013-07-30 - Published: 2013-11-28 - Granted: 2014-10-14 - Earliest claimed: 2011-08-12 - Assignees: Panasonic Corporation - Applicants: Panasonic Corporation - Inventors: Yasunao Okazaki; Masaki Yamamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8862270B2 ## CPC - B25J 9/163: {learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control} - B25J 9/1075: {with muscles or tendons} - B25J 9/142: {comprising inflatable bodies} - F15B 21/087: {Control strategy, e.g. with block diagram} - G05B 13/04: involving the use of models or simulators - G05B 2219/39462: Pneumatic actuator, imitates human muscle - G05B 2219/40324: Simulation, modeling of muscle, musculoskeletal dynamical system - Y10S 901/22: Fluid motor - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - F15B: SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract There is provided a control apparatus for a drive mechanism driven by a pneumatic artificial muscle, the control apparatus including a pressure controller that controls pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle, a desired pressure calculator that calculates, based on a pneumatic artificial muscle model, a desired pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle in order to control motion of the drive mechanism, a pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator that estimates aging variation in a contraction percentage error between the pneumatic artificial muscle and the pneumatic artificial muscle model, a pneumatic artificial muscle model updater that updates the pneumatic artificial muscle model so as to reflect the aging variation based on an estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator, and a lifetime predictor that predicts a lifetime of the pneumatic artificial muscle based on the estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control apparatus for a pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism driven by a pneumatic artificial muscle, the control apparatus comprising: a desired pressure calculator that calculates, based on a pneumatic artificial muscle model, a desired pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle in order to control motion of the drive mechanism; a pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator that estimates aging variation in a contraction percentage error between the pneumatic artificial muscle and the pneumatic artificial muscle model; a pressure controller that controls pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle based on information from the desired pressure calculator or information from the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator; and a pneumatic artificial muscle model updater that updates the pneumatic artificial muscle model so as to reflect the aging variation based on an estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a lifetime predictor that predicts a lifetime of the pneumatic artificial muscle based on the estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising: a lifetime alarm that outputs a damage alarm for the pneumatic artificial muscle; wherein the lifetime predictor causes the lifetime alarm to output the damage alarm for the pneumatic artificial muscle after aging variation in the contraction percentage error of the pneumatic artificial muscle changes from an increasing trend to a decreasing trend. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising: a lifetime alarm that outputs a damage alarm for the pneumatic artificial muscle; wherein the lifetime predictor causes the lifetime alarm to output the damage alarm for the pneumatic artificial muscle when an aging variation amount of the contraction percentage error exceeds a limit contraction percentage error of the pneumatic artificial muscle set in correspondence with application of a force applied on the pneumatic artificial muscle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic artificial muscle model updater updates such that a property value of the pneumatic artificial muscle model parallelly shifts by an aging variation amount of the contraction percentage error estimated by the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic artificial muscle model updater updates such that a property value of the pneumatic artificial muscle model linearly transforms by an aging variation amount of the contraction percentage error estimated by the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic artificial muscle model updater updates such that a property value of the pneumatic artificial muscle model affine-transforms by an aging variation amount of the contraction percentage error estimated by the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The control apparatus for the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pneumatic artificial muscle model updater updates such that a property value of the pneumatic artificial muscle model transforms in accordance with a polynomial by an aging variation amount of the contraction percentage error estimated by the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 9 A method of controlling a pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism driven by a pneumatic artificial muscle, the method comprising: calculating at a desired pressure calculator, based on a pneumatic artificial muscle model, a desired pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle in order to control motion of the drive mechanism; estimating at a pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator, aging variation in a contraction percentage error between the pneumatic artificial muscle and the pneumatic artificial muscle model; controlling at a pressure controller, pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle based on information from the desired pressure calculator or information from the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator; and updating at a pneumatic artificial muscle model updater, the pneumatic artificial muscle model so as to reflect the aging variation based on an estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of controlling the pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism according to claim 9, further comprising: predicting at a lifetime predictor, a lifetime of the pneumatic artificial muscle based on the estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator. ### Claim 11 A computer-readable recording medium including a control program for a pneumatic artificial muscle drive mechanism driven by a pneumatic artificial muscle, the control program causing a computer to function as: a desired pressure calculator that calculates, based on a pneumatic artificial muscle model, a desired pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle in order to control motion of the drive mechanism; a pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator that estimates aging variation in a contraction percentage error between the pneumatic artificial muscle and the pneumatic artificial muscle model; a pressure controller that controls pressure of the pneumatic artificial muscle based on information from the desired pressure calculator or information from the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator; and a pneumatic artificial muscle model updater that updates the pneumatic artificial muscle model so as to reflect the aging variation based on an estimation result of the pneumatic artificial muscle model error estimator.