Fluctuating oscillator and robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339696-B2
Application number	US-202017791385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2020
Priority date	Jan 16, 2020
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A fluctuating oscillator includes: a processor including a digital circuit, and the processor includes a random variable generation unit that generates a random variable, a lookup table that stores a waveform signal in advance, a computation unit that imparts fluctuation to the waveform signal based on the waveform signal read from the lookup table, the random variable generated by the random variable generation unit, and a pulse signal to be fed back, a threshold discrimination unit that generates a pulse signal by comparing a fluctuating signal output from the computation unit with a predetermined threshold, and a feedback loop that causes the pulse signal to be fed back to the computation unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fluctuating oscillator comprising:
a processor including a digital circuit,
wherein the processor includes
a random variable generation unit that generates a random variable,
a lookup table that stores a waveform signal in advance,
a computation unit that imparts fluctuation to the waveform signal based on the waveform signal read from the lookup table, the random variable generated by the random variable generation unit, and a pulse signal to be fed back,
a threshold discrimination unit that generates a pulse signal by comparing a fluctuating signal output from the computation unit with a predetermined threshold, and
a feedback loop that causes the pulse signal to be fed back to the computation unit.

2. The fluctuating oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the waveform signal has a differentiated waveform indicating an output signal of a differentiator circuit, an integrated waveform indicating an output signal of an integrator circuit, or a transient response waveform of an LCR circuit.

3. The fluctuating oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor further includes
a clock signal generator that generates a clock signal that determines an operation clock of the processor, and
a clock setter that sets a frequency of the clock signal, and
the computation unit sequentially reads, in synchronization with the clock signal, sample values of waveform signals stored in the lookup table.

4. The fluctuating oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein
the fluctuating oscillator further includes a sensor,
the processor further includes an acquisition unit that acquires and inputs, to the computation unit, a sensing signal detected by the sensor, and
the computation unit further generates the fluctuating signal based on the sensing signal.

5. The fluctuating oscillator according to claim 4 , wherein
the fluctuating oscillator further includes an output device that outputs the fluctuating signal or the pulse signal as an output signal, and
the sensor detects the output signal from another fluctuating oscillator and inputs, to the computation unit, the output signal as the sensing signal.

6. The fluctuating oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein
the threshold includes a first threshold and a second threshold, which is larger than the first threshold,
when the threshold discrimination unit determines that the fluctuating signal has fallen below the first threshold, the computation unit reads, from head, the waveform signal stored in the lookup table, and, based on an inverted waveform signal in which the waveform signal having been read is inverted, the random variable, and the pulse signal to be fed back, imparts the inverted waveform signal with fluctuation, and
when the threshold discrimination unit determines that the fluctuating signal has exceeded the second threshold, the computation unit reads, from the head, the waveform signal stored in the lookup table, and, based on the waveform signal having been read, the random variable, and the pulse signal to be fed back, imparts the waveform signal with fluctuation.

7. The fluctuating oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the processor further includes an intensity adjustment unit that adjusts an intensity of a pulse signal to be fed back.

8. A mobile robot comprising:
a first wheel;
a second wheel;
a first motor that drives the first wheel;
a second motor that drives the second wheel;
a plurality of fluctuating oscillators; and
a motor driver that determines a predetermined operation pattern of the robot according to a combination of a state of a pulse signal output from each fluctuating oscillator, and generates a first control signal of the first motor and a second control signal of the second motor for moving the robot with the operation pattern having been determined,
wherein each of the fluctuating oscillators includes the fluctuating oscillator according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Univ Osaka

Inventors

• Kanki Teruo
• Hotta Yasushi

Classifications

• G06F1/022

  Waveform generators, i.e. devices for generating periodical functions of time, e.g. direct digital synthesizers (G06F1/025, G06F1/03 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03B29/00

  Generation of noise currents and voltages {(gasfilled discharge tubes with solid cathode specially adapted as noise generators H01J17/005)} · CPC title

• H03K3/84 Primary

  Generating pulses having a predetermined statistical distribution of a parameter, e.g. random pulse generators · CPC title

• G06F1/03

  working, at least partly, by table look-up (G06F1/025 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/0321 Primary

  Waveform generators, i.e. devices for generating periodical functions of time, e.g. direct digital synthesizers (G06F1/0314, G06F1/035 take precedence) · CPC title