JP2002191654A - Walking prosthesis - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking prosthesis allowing a walking impaired person who cannot walk normally because of motor nerve paralysis or the like to walk in a manner similar to healthy persons without horizontal shaking by making the knee joint part of the prosthesis rotatable. SOLUTION: The walking prosthesis for imparting a self-walking means to a walking impaired person comprises an above-knee attaching member attached to the above-knee part of the user's body, and a below-knee attaching member rotatably attached to the above-knee attaching member and to the below-knee part of the user's body. Rotation of the above-knee attaching member and the below-knee attaching member can be regulated by a telescopic mechanism telescopically interconnecting both members and comprising a motor, a ball screw connected to a motor shaft via a flexible coupling, and a socket for threadable engagement with the ball screw.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a person with a walking disorder who cannot walk normally due to motor nerve paralysis or the like. The present invention relates to a walking assistive device that enables close walking.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Healthy humans can walk on their own while maintaining a good balance between two feet. However, although there is no abnormality in the skeleton and muscles below the hip joint due to motor nerve paralysis due to an accident, illness, etc. Control cannot be performed, and walking like a healthy person cannot be performed, and there are few disabled persons who move using a wheelchair or the like. If such a disabled person lives for a long time in a sitting position such as a wheelchair, there is a risk that physiologically unfavorable disorders such as muscular atrophy, osteoporosis, and visceral abnormalities may occur. It has been pointed out that problems such as the fact that the angle of the line of sight differs up and down in dialogue with the user and the number of negative points increase psychologically.

[0003] For this reason, various walking assistive devices have been developed to enable such a disabled person to walk in a standing position. FIG.
This is an example of the walking assist device 60. The walking assistive device 60 has a structure in which a thigh attachment member 61 attached to the upper thigh of a leg and a lower thigh attachment member 62 attached to a lower thigh of the leg are integrally fixed by a joint 67. . As shown in FIG. 5, the walking assistive device 60 is a disabled person 50 who normally stands and walks with the assistance of the walking sticks 51, using the muscle strength of an arm or the like having no upper obstacle from the hip joint.
The knee joint does not rotate because the upper leg attachment member 61 and the lower leg attachment member 62 are integrally fixed to form a straight long leg orthosis. It was awkward with large left and right displacement of the trunk. In the drawing, reference numeral 68 denotes an operating rod of the joint 67, and when the disabled person 50 sits on a wheelchair or the like by operating the operating rod 67, the joint 67 is bent to bend the lower leg orthosis from the knee portion. I have.

In order for the disabled person 50 to walk with the conventional walking assist device 60 shown in FIG. 6, the walking assist device 60 is first attached to his or her feet while sitting in a wheelchair. For attachment, the upper leg attachment member 61 is attached to the upper leg of the leg, and the lower leg attachment member 62 is attached to the lower leg of the leg. At this time, the joint 67 fixes the mounting members 61 and 62 in a straight line so as to prevent the knee joint from rotating. Next, with the help of a third party, or grabbed by a handrail, stand up. For walking, use canes 51, 51 as shown in FIG. The walking is performed by swinging out both legs alternately while supporting the weights of the walking sticks 51 in the forward leaning posture. For this reason, the bottom of the shoe 65 on the swinging side is placed on a walking surface 57 such as a floor surface.
It is necessary to first form a gap between them and swing them out so that the bottom surface of the shoe 65 does not slide on the walking surface 57 as described below.

First, a case where the right foot 54 is advanced one step will be described. First, the canes 51, 51 are tilted to the left while tilting the upper body forward. By tilting the upper body forward and tilting it to the left, the shoes 65 of the right foot 54 slightly rise from the walking surface 57. Since the body is tilted forward, the right foot 54 floating from the walking surface 57 swings forward like a pendulum. By moving the upper body from left to right when the right foot 54 swings to the maximum, the right foot 54 lands and proceeds one step. From this state, that is, when the right foot 54 lands, the canes 51, 51 are further extended forward with the right foot as an axis.
Tilt to the right while leaning the upper body forward with the weight supported by 51, lift the shoes 65 of the left foot 55 slightly from the walking surface 57, swing the left foot 55 forward like a pendulum, and the left foot 55 is maximized. By moving the upper body from right to left at the time of the swing, the left foot 55 lands and proceeds two steps. Thereafter, this is repeated to walk. At the end of walking, the user stands rearward in front of the wheelchair, releases the lock of the joint 67 with the operating rod 68, grasps by a third party or handrail, sits in the wheelchair, and removes the brace 60. However, the following problems have been pointed out in such conventional appliances.

As described above, a pedestrian 50 who is a disabled person
In order to smoothly swing the shoes 65 in a predetermined arc without sliding the shoes 65 on the walking surface 57, first, one of the feet and the walking sticks 51, 51 support the entire weight, and the entire body is moved forward. You need to tilt and tilt your upper body in the direction of one leg to lift the other leg, swing out the lifted leg, and then take the whole weight to the other leg to advance one step and lift the next leg. In order to tilt the upper body in the direction of one leg while hanging on the staff and the whole body forward, the upper trunk and the walking assistive equipment alternately tilt left and right from the hip joint, swinging,
For a disabled person whose lower part is unstable from the hip joint, there is a risk of falling during walking.

Further, in the conventional walking assistive device, when the foot (shoes) is lifted and shaken, it is practically impossible to take a large amount of lift (interval) between the foot and the walking surface. For example, they could not cross the threshold, could only walk on a flat floor, and could not be used in daily life. In addition, according to the medical side's judgment on the conventional walking assistive device, it is impossible for a person with a walking disorder who cannot perform normal walking due to motor nerve paralysis etc. once the knee is broken, to extend again by himself. Therefore, it is common to always walk with the knees stretched, and there is a strong concern about the safety of walking assistive devices that bend the knees. Was late.

[0008]

As described above, in the above-mentioned conventional walking assistive device, the trunk and the assistive device must be alternately tilted left and right alternately because there is no expansion or contraction of the length of the column. Occasionally, a stable gait having a reliable stance phase and a swing phase cannot be obtained, resulting in instability and fall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and controls the upper leg attachment member and the lower leg attachment member so that the knee portion can rotate freely when the handicapped person walks. It is possible to rotate (bend) and obtain a stable gait. Also, without tilting or overturning, the rotation of the knee part against the movement of weight during walking, that is, Smooth expansion and contraction movements and the ability to raise the shoes higher can easily overcome even the slightest irregularities on the floor, making it suitable for everyday use, and with a simple structure and light weight It is an object of the present invention to provide a walking assistive device that can be reduced in size and is excellent in convenience.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is to provide a walking assistive device for providing a means of walking on its own to a person with a gait disorder due to motor nerve paralysis or the like. The brace comprises a thigh mounting member mounted on the upper thigh, and a lower thigh mounting member mounted on the lower thigh rotatably mounted on the upper thigh mounting member. The rotation of the motor can be arbitrarily controlled by an expansion / contraction mechanism that connects the two mounting members so as to be able to expand and contract, and includes a motor, a ball screw connected to the motor shaft via a flexible joint, and a socket that screws the ball screw. The walking assistive device is characterized in that it can form a reliable stance phase and a swing phase during walking and can obtain a stable gait.

In the present invention, when the motor is mounted on one of the upper thigh mounting member and the lower thigh mounting member with a little play provided, and the socket for screwing the ball screw is fixed to the other member, the motor of the knee portion is provided. This is preferable because rotation (bending) can be performed smoothly. In the present invention, when the rotation of the ball screw is configured to control the rotation of the motor by a remote controller provided on the cane to rotate (bend) the knee portion, a wiring cable for connecting the motor to the operation switch prepared in the cane And other obstacles can be eliminated, and walking safety can be improved.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the knee is bent, FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the orthosis and the walking stick, and FIG. 4 is a second view of the present invention. It is a side view showing an embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a walking assist device, which comprises a thigh mounting member 2 to be attached to an upper part of a knee joint, ie, an upper leg, and a lower part of a knee joint, ie, a lower leg. Lower leg attachment member 3 to be mounted, upper leg attachment member 2 and lower leg attachment member 3
And a joint 5 for rotatably connecting these. Reference numeral 4 denotes an expansion / contraction mechanism (actuator) that regulates and controls the rotation of the upper leg attachment member 2 and the lower leg attachment member 3. The expansion / contraction mechanism (actuator) 4 has a play on one member (the upper leg attachment member 2 in the figure). The motor 6 is attached and a ball screw 7 that is screwed into a helical hole of a socket 8 attached to the other member (the lower leg attachment member 3 in the figure). The ball screw 7 and the shaft of the motor 6 are connected to a flexible joint 9. Are connected by In the figure, reference numeral 14 denotes shoes provided on the lower leg attachment member 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the motor 6 and the upper leg mounting member 2 are mounted by hinge-connecting the motor 6 to a metal fitting 10 provided with a little play in the upper leg mounting member 2. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the motor 6 is attached to the upper leg attachment member 2 with play, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the motor 6 is coupled to the upper leg attachment member 2 with play provided by a flexible coupling member 15. Is shown. The present invention is applicable to both upper and lower mounting members 2, 3
Are connected by a ball screw 7. The ball screw 7 is formed by engraving a screw on a surface of a durable member that does not bend even when the entire weight of the pedestrian is loaded when the pedestrian is stretched (when the knee is extended), for example, a bar made of steel. The upper and lower mounting members 2 and 3 are bent even if a disabled person applies the entire weight to the upper and lower mounting members 2 and 3. There is nothing.

A cane 20 is provided with a remote controller 22 as shown in FIG. 3, and an operation switch 23 of the remote controller 22 is attached to a grip 21 for gripping the cane 20. Remote controller 22
Is a driving device (sensor) 2 for the motor 6 of the telescopic mechanism 4
5 is configured to irradiate infrared rays to the remote control of the rotation of the motor 6.
Can be operated with a finger in accordance with the operation of the walking stick 20 by a pedestrian. Thus, by making the extension mechanism 4 and the controller 22 that controls the extension mechanism 4 cordless, the pedestrian can walk without being distracted by the power distribution cable. In addition, the present orthosis 1
It is preferable to use a battery, particularly a nickel-metal hydride battery, as a power source for the motor 6 and the remote controller 22 in the above.

Next, the operation of the walking assist device 1 of the present invention will be described. In order for a person with a disability to walk, first, the walking assistive device 1 is attached to his or her feet while sitting in a wheelchair. For attachment, the upper leg attachment member 2 is set on the upper leg of the leg, and the lower leg attachment member 3 is set on the lower leg of the leg, and firmly attached with Velcro (registered trademark) 11. Attachment may be performed with the knee portion bent, but when standing up, the joint 5 is fixed with the ball screw 7 so that the attachment members 2 and 3 are in a linear state, that is, the knee joint portion is not rotated. In order to stand up, both attachment members 2 and 3 are set in a straight line state and stand up with the help of a third party, or grabbed by a handrail, or
The walking assistive device 1 can be attached with the knee portion bent in a sitting posture, and the operation switches 23 of the remote controllers 22 provided on the left and right walking sticks can be simultaneously operated to stand up.

After standing up, for example, the right foot is moved forward one step. In this case, the upper body is tilted forward with respect to the canes 20, 20. Next, the operation switch 23 of the remote controller 22 provided on the grip portion 21 of the cane 20 is operated (for example, pressed) to drive the motor 6. When the motor 6 is driven, the ball screw 7 connected to the motor 6 via the flexible joint 9 rotates, and the socket 8 screwed with the ball screw 7 is drawn toward the motor 6. Since the socket 8 is fixed to the lower leg attachment member 3 in the figure, the lower leg attachment member 3 is drawn toward the upper leg attachment member 2, and the lower leg attachment member 3 is connected to the upper leg attachment member 2 by a rotatable joint 5. Since the knees are connected, the knees are pivoted so that the knees protrude, and the knees are bent in the shape of a "ku" as shown in FIG. 2, and the shoes 14 rise from the walking surface 27 to a considerable height. The rotation angle can be controlled by an arbitrary method such as control by a pedestrian's operation switch 23 or operation by a limit switch 13 provided at the tip of the ball screw 7 as shown in FIG.

As described above, as the shoe 14 rises higher, the leg (walking assistive device 1) naturally swings forward like a pendulum. When the right foot swings forward to the maximum, the remote controller 2
When the operation switch 23 is controlled again (in the above example, the operation switch 23 is released), the motor 6 rotates in the reverse direction, and the ball screw 7 rotates in the direction in which the socket 8 moves away from the motor 6, and accordingly, the lower leg mounting member 3 is rotated. And the upper leg attachment member 2 rotate so as to be in a straight line state, and when the straight line state is reached, the motor 6 stops and the lower leg attachment member 3 and the upper leg attachment member 2
Returns to the linear state. Lower leg attachment member 3 and upper leg attachment member 2
In a state where has returned to the linear state, the shoe 14 has landed on the walking surface 27 and has advanced one step.

Next, from this state, the upper body is further tilted forward with the canes 20, 20, and the operation switch 23 of the remote controller 22 provided on the grip 21 of the cane 20 for operating the left leg is controlled. When the operation switch 23 is pressed, the motor 6 is rotated, and the ball screw 7 is rotated accordingly. The rotation of the ball screw 7 causes the left leg side lower leg attachment member 3 to pull out the joint 5 of the knee portion forward, thereby forming a “C” shape. The rotation of the motor 6 is stopped by the operation of the limit switch 13 in a state where the motor 6 is bent at a predetermined angle. By bending the knee, the left leg rises high from the walking surface 27, and in this state, the left leg is swung forward. When the left leg is swung forward to the maximum, the operation switch 23 of the remote controller 22 is controlled again. Remote controller 22
When the operation switch 23 is controlled, the motor 6 rotates in the reverse direction, the ball screw 7 rotates in a direction in which the lower leg attachment member 3 and the upper leg attachment member 2 are in a linear state, and both the attachment members 2 and 3 are in a linear state. At that point, the rotation stops. When the two attachment members 2 and 3 are in a straight line state, the shoe 14 has landed on the walking surface 27, so that two steps have been advanced, and thereafter, the user can walk by repeating such an operation.

In the present invention, the motor 6 and the ball screw 7 are connected by the flexible joint 9, and the motor 6 is mounted on the upper leg mounting member 2 with a little play. With this configuration, the two mounting members 2, 3
Of the wearer (the person with a disability) can walk smoothly. When the motor 6 and the ball screw 7 are directly connected to each other and the motor 6 is firmly fixed to the mounting member 2, the movement of the knee portion becomes awkward, and the walk of the pedestrian also becomes awkward.

In the above embodiment, the motor 6 and the ball screw 7 are connected by the flexible joint 9 and the motor 6 is attached to the upper attachment member 2 with a little play.
Although the rotation of the two mounting members 2 and 3 is configured to be extremely smooth, if the person is a mildly disabled person, the motor 6 and the ball screw 7 are daringly connected with the flexible joint 9 and the upper leg mounting member 2 of the motor is used. Needless to say, it is not necessary to adopt a configuration in which the device is mounted with a little play.
In the above embodiment, the motor 6 is connected to the upper thigh mounting member 2.
Although the embodiment in which the socket 8 is attached to the lower leg attachment member 3 has been described, the same effect can be obtained even if the motor 6 is attached to the lower leg attachment member 3 and the socket 8 is attached to the upper leg attachment member 2. Nor.

As described above, the present invention relates to the two mounting members 2, 3
Is configured such that the knees are bent, and the shoe 14 is configured to rise high from the walking surface 27.
Even if there are a few irregularities in 7, there is no obstacle to walking, so that it is possible to walk not only indoors but also outdoors, and can be used in daily life. Also, since the knee 14 is bent, the shoe 14 separates from the walking surface 27,
When walking, pedestrians do not need to alternately tilt the upper torso and walking aids from the hip joint to the left and right,
The walking figure does not shake, the lower part from the hip joint is stable, and there is no risk of falling during walking.

Further, the knee extension mechanism 4 is provided with a ball screw 7.
, So even if a pedestrian makes a mistake,
Alternatively, even if the current is cut off during walking, the joint 5 in the knee portion stops without bending due to the friction generated by the ball screw 7 and the socket 8, so that the pedestrian does not cause a knee bending phenomenon and falls. There is no such thing. Since the walking assistive device 1 of the present invention is composed of only the combination of the motor 6 and the ball screw 7, the structure is simple, and therefore the size and weight can be reduced.

The walking assistive device 1 of the present invention is configured such that the joint 5 provided on the knee portion is rotated by the telescopic mechanism 4 and
And the lower leg attachment member 3 can be bent so that the distance between the shoe 14 and the walking surface 27 can be varied, and a reliable standing phase and swing phase can be formed during walking, and a stable gait can be obtained. In addition, it is possible to prevent the upper body from inclining or falling as in the related art.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, the distance between the shoe 14 and the walking surface 27 can be changed by bending the knee, so that the obstacle can be obtained in a stable and reliable gait. It can assist a person to walk safely. In addition, there is an effect that the weight and size can be reduced with a simple structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a walking assist device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a knee portion of the walking assist device shown in FIG. 1 is bent.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship between a controller provided on a walking stick and control of a motor in the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a second embodiment of the walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a pedestrian wearing a conventional walking assistive device.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a conventional walking assist device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Walking assistance equipment 2 Upper leg attachment member 3 Lower leg attachment member 4 Telescopic mechanism 5 Joint 6 Motor 7 Ball screw 8 Socket 9 Flexible joint 10 Metal fittings 11 Magic tape 13 Limit switch 14 Shoes 15 Coupling member 20 Cane 21 Gripping part 22 Remote controller 23 Operation Switch 27 walking surface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A walking assistive device for providing a person with walking disability with self-powered walking means, the device comprising: a thigh attachment member to be attached to an upper leg; A lower screw mounting member attached to the thigh, and a rotation of the upper thigh mounting member and the lower thigh mounting member is performed by connecting the two members in a stretchable manner. A ball screw connected to the motor and the motor shaft via a flexible joint. A walking assistive device characterized in that it can be arbitrarily regulated by a telescopic mechanism consisting of a socket for screwing a ball screw. 2. The motor is attached to one of the upper thigh mounting member and the lower thigh mounting member with a small amount of play.
The walking assistive device according to claim 1, wherein the socket into which the ball screw is screwed is fixed to the other member. 3. The walking assistive device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation of the ball screw by the motor can be controlled by a remote controller provided on the cane.