JP2007307118A - Gait training device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized gait training device which enables training suitable to practice actual walking movements indoors and outdoors. <P>SOLUTION: The gait training device comprises at least: a frame body 1 constituting a main body; a walking device 2 which holds the lower limbs of an apparatus user in the state of a standing position and is driven through links 11, 13 and 14 by one motor 30 fixed to the main body to make the user make the walking movements; a weight bearing device 3 for supporting the lower back part of the person; a caster device provided on the lower part of the main body and capable of self-traveling; and a controller for linking and controlling the walking device 2 and the caster device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gait training device used for rehabilitation and the like, and in particular, in order to improve the function of a leg, the user's leg is held and moved while walking, and actually moves according to the user's walk. It is related with the gait training device which can.

  Conventionally, there is a treadmill as a typical exercise apparatus used in orthopedics and an exercise therapy apparatus used in the physical therapy department. This treadmill can adjust the speed according to the user, but for users who are difficult to walk on their own, a load relief device is provided, or along with the load relief device in the indirect part of the user A device that supports a user's walking by wearing a motorized brace is used (see Fig. 7). In this case, by synchronizing the movements of the treadmill and the motor of the appliance, the patient can safely walk, but there is a disadvantage that the apparatus becomes large.

In addition, in order to further reduce the burden on the user, a device that performs walking training in a supine position has also been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1), but it is difficult to perform the same training as walking in a supine position. It is only positioned as a preparatory training for standing-up training. Furthermore, any of these apparatuses has a drawback that it is monotonous because the user cannot actually move but only trains at the same position, and it is difficult to bring out the user's willingness to train.
JP 2000-102578 A

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide a walking training apparatus that is small in size while being able to train while standing and has a reduced weight load.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a small gait training device that can safely cope with a user's physical strength and other situations and that can move according to the user's intention. It is in.

The above-mentioned objects of the present invention include at least a frame (1) constituting the main body, an arm that can be opened and closed to the left and right with respect to the front surface of the main body, and is slidably engaged with the vertical frame portion of the main body. And a drive link (11) fixed via a drive shaft (8) in the vicinity of the end of the arm-like base material opposite to the engaging end of the arm-like base material, It consists of a knee link (12) operated by a drive link, a thigh link (13) and a lower leg link (14) each having a gripping part for holding the lower limb of the device user, and holds the lower limb of the device user in a standing state A walking device (2) consisting of a pair of left and right, and a load-carrying device (3) that supports the waist of the device user, and a self-propelled caster provided at the lower part of the main body. A device (4), and a control for controlling the walking device (2) and the caster device (4) in conjunction with each other. A gait training device made from the device (5),
The arm-shaped substrate (10) has an arm shape having at least a rotation sensor (6) for detecting a rotation angle of the drive shaft (8) and a motor (30) for driving the drive shaft (8). A substrate (10),
The knee link (12) is engaged with the drive link (11) at one end via the rotating shaft (15), and the other end is synchronized with the movement of the knee of the device user. The device is used at an appropriate place so as to form a substantially V-shaped link with the knee link from the fixed end, forming a constant angle θ with the knee link (12). The thigh link (14) having a grip portion (9 ') for fixing to a user's lower limb extends, and the thigh link (13) having a grip portion (9) for fixing to the user's lower limb separately. The top of the thigh link (13) is engaged with the arm-shaped base member via the rotation shaft (16). Engaging with (10) directly or via a mating member (18);
The unloading device (3) is a harness (20) for supporting the waist of the device user, and for partially unloading the weight of the device user by pulling the harness (20) upward evenly, Consisting of a spring device having an adjustable spring (24) fixed to the body (1), acting via a coupling means (22) that can follow the movement of the waist during walking,
The caster device (4) includes at least two front drive wheels provided at the bottom of the main body, each interlocking with two drive motors (32) whose rotation speed is monitored by a rotation sensor (7). Having four wheels (26), a handle (23) fixed to the main body (1) and a suspension;
The control device (5), based on information from the sensors (6) and (7), is a device that controls each drive motor so that the user of the device can walk safely. Achieved with the device.

  The gripping portions (9) and (9 ′) fixed to the thigh link (13) and the crus link (14) in the present invention can be adjusted according to the body shape of the user, and are removed from the links. Freely fixed. The lengths of the thigh link (13) and the crus link (14) are preferably adjustable, and the direction of movement of the device is controlled by rotation control of the two front drive wheels (26) of the caster device (4). It is preferable to determine.

  According to the present invention, it is not necessary to train at a fixed position in the room, and the user can train according to his / her intention while walking indoors or outdoors, so that the willingness to train is improved and the training effect is greatly improved. be able to.

  The walking training device of the present invention mainly includes a walking device (2) housed in a main body (1) having a caster device 4 and a self-propelled frame, and an exemption for reducing the burden due to the weight of the device user. It consists of a loading device (3) and a control device (5). The greatest feature of the walking training device of the present invention is that the weight of the user is stably reduced by the load-reducing device (3), and the walking is linked to the self-running of the main body (1) via the control device (5). In the device (2). Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on examples.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a use state of the walking training apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral (1) is a main frame, (2) is a walking device, (8) is a drive shaft of a drive link (11), (10) is a walking device (2), and the drive link (11). It is an arm-like base material which has a motor (30) (not shown) for driving. The arm-shaped base material (10) is engaged with the main body (1) so as to be movable up and down along the vertical frame of the main body (1), and the motor (30) adjusts the rotation angle of the drive link (11). A rotation sensor 6 to detect (not shown), for example, a rotary encoder is accompanied. In addition, the drive link (11) may be a rod, but it is dangerous to insert foreign objects such as clothes of the user of the device, so it is dangerous to place the knee link (12) and the rotation shaft at an appropriate place other than the center. It is preferable that the disc has an opening that can be engaged and rotates around the drive shaft (8).

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram when the walking device (2) according to the present invention is attached to the leg of the device user. The walking device (2) is attached to an arm-like base material (10) having a motor, and the drive link (11) rotates around the drive shaft (8) rotated by the motor. Reference numeral (12) denotes a knee link that engages via the rotation shaft (15) at the opening of the drive link (11) and forms a V-shaped link having a fixed angle θ with the crus link (14). The thigh link (13) that does not form the V-shaped link engages with the apex of the V-shaped link via the rotation shaft (17). The length of each link can be adjusted so that it can be adapted to the height of the device user. An example of the combined state of the knee link, the thigh link and the crus link is as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the drive link (11) is a disk-like drive link, it can be fixed in a slit extending in the circumferential direction from the center, for example, so that the distance from the drive center can be changed. The opening member may be loosely fitted, or the openings may be provided at a plurality of positions at different distances from the center.
Further, the upper portion of the thigh link (13) is directly provided on or coupled to the arm-shaped base material (10) that is slidably engaged with the vertical frame of the main body (1). The connecting member (18) is engaged with the arm-like base material (10) via a rotating shaft (16).

  The thigh link (13) and the crus link (14) each have a grip portion (9) and (9 ′) for attachment to the leg. These grips are detachably fixed to each link so that the length of each link can be changed. As shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable that the attachment position of the grip portion to each link can be adjusted with three degrees of freedom according to the body shape of the user. As the shapes and materials of these links and gripping portions, known ones can be appropriately changed and used.

  Reference numeral (20) in FIG. 2 is a harness that is attached to the waist of the device user and receives an upward force to make the user's weight apparently light, and is coupled to the arm-shaped substrate (10). The connecting tool (19) is lifted through the coupling means (22) that can follow the movement of the waist during walking. As such a coupling means (22), for example, a ring, a chain, or a string having play, such as a harness that couples with these, can be appropriately selected from means that can follow the movement of the waist during walking. it can. Further, by integrating the connecting device (19) with the arm-shaped base material (10) as described above, the arm-shaped base material (10) together with the connecting device (19) is pulled upward by the spring (24). Therefore, not only can the arm position during the use corresponding to the height of the device user be adjusted lightly, but also the position of the connector (19) can be adjusted simultaneously. However, it is a matter of course that the connecting tool (19) and the arm-shaped base material (10) may be separated from each other.

  Further, reference numeral (23) in FIG. 4 is a handle for stabilizing the posture of the user of the apparatus, and reference numeral (24) is a spring capable of adjusting the strength for lifting the harness (20). The load due to the weight of the user of the device is appropriately reduced by the load-carrying device (3) including the connecting means (22) such as the connection tool (19) and a ring having play, including 24). Reference numeral (6) denotes a rotation sensor such as a rotary encoder for measuring the rotation angle of the drive shaft (8) driven by the motor (30), both of which are fixed to the arm-shaped substrate (10). . Reference numeral (31) denotes a lifting handle for adjusting the height of the arm-shaped substrate (10) and the like. As the lifting and lowering means, a known means such as a chain can be used. Of the wheels (26) provided at the bottom, the two front wheels are provided with a motor and a sensor (not shown) for measuring the number of rotations thereof so that they can be driven independently. In the present invention, it is preferable that the length of the front and rear of the main body is variable so that the main body portion having the rear wheel can be pulled out. Each wheel (26) is preferably provided with a suspension device.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view of the present apparatus. A pair of the arm-like base material (10) is provided corresponding to the right foot and the left foot, and can be opened outward. The connecting device (19) is structured to descend to the waist position of the patient sitting in the wheelchair, and the harness (20) is mounted on the patient while sitting in the wheelchair, and then the coupling means (22) such as a ring having play After the harness (20) and the connection tool (19) are connected by using the connector, the connection tool (19) is raised, so that the patient can be in a standing position. What is necessary is just to determine a patient's unloading rate by the raising degree at this time and / or the spring constant of a spring (24). After putting the patient in a standing position, take the wheelchair out of the walking training device, close the arm-shaped base material (10) that was opened to secure the space by entering the wheelchair, and adjust the gripping part adjusted according to the patient's body shape Attach to the lower limbs. By doing in this way, walking training can be performed using this apparatus also to the patient who uses a wheelchair. Further, the portion of the arm-like base material (10) that is curved so as to swell slightly outward is a protective member that protects the motor (30) from colliding.

  In the present embodiment, the grip portion (9) is coupled to the link via the hook-shaped member. By doing so, the grip portion can be adjusted three-dimensionally according to the body shape of the user. The member for coupling the grip portion to the link is not limited to the hook shape as long as the grip portion can be adjusted three-dimensionally. The grip part essential to the lower leg link (14) is provided to hold the calf, but a grip part to hold the ankle may be further provided as necessary. Reference numeral (40) denotes an operation unit for setting or changing a walking speed and a moving direction via a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the walking speed and the moving speed of the device to coincide with each other based on the data input from the sensors (6) and (7) (not shown) and the operation unit (40), and also sets the moving direction. Control. The operation unit (40) is preferably integrated with the handle (23).

  FIG. 6 is a front view corresponding to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the device of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral (32) denotes two drive motors whose rotation speed is monitored by the rotation sensor (7). FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a conventional medical device.

  The walking training apparatus of the present invention is small and has good operability, and can train while walking freely indoors and outdoors, so it is easy to maintain the willingness to train, and the efficiency of walking training is extremely high. Can be high. In addition, it is possible to deal with an unspecified number of users with different body shapes with a single walking training device, and the economic burden on the user can be reduced.

It is a side view explaining the structure of the walking training apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the state of the user with which the walking training apparatus of this invention was mounted | worn. It is a side view which shows the structural example of the link of the walking training apparatus of this invention. It is a side view which shows the specific example of the walking training apparatus of this invention. It is a top view which shows the specific example of the walking training apparatus of this invention. It is a front view which shows the specific example of the walking training apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional medical device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body frame 2 Walking apparatus 3 Unloading apparatus 4 Caster apparatus 5 Control apparatus 6 Rotation sensor 7 Rotation sensor 8 Drive shaft
9, 9 'gripping part
10 Arm substrate
11 Drive link
12 Knee links
13 Thigh link
14 Lower leg link
15 Rotation axis
16 axis of rotation
17 Rotation axis
18 Engagement member
19 Connector
20 Harness
22 Joining means
23 Handle
24 spring
26 wheels
30 Link drive motor
31 Lifting handle
32 Wheel drive motor
40 Operation unit

Claims (6)

At least a frame body (1) constituting the main body, an arm-shaped base material (10) that can be opened and closed left and right with respect to the front surface of the main body and that is slidably engaged with the vertical frame portion of the main body; and A drive link (11) fixed via a drive shaft (8) in the vicinity of the end of the arm-shaped substrate opposite to the engagement end of the arm-shaped substrate, a knee link operated by the drive link ( 12) A thigh link (13) and a lower thigh link (14) each having a gripping part for gripping the lower limb of the device user, holding the lower limb of the device user in a standing state and walking motion to the device user A pair of left and right walking devices (2), a load-carrying device (3) that supports the waist of the device user, a self-propelled caster device (4) provided in the lower part of the main body, and the walking Walking training consisting of a control device (5) that controls the device (2) and caster device (4) in conjunction with each other A location,
The arm-shaped substrate (10) has an arm shape having at least a rotation sensor (6) for detecting a rotation angle of the drive shaft (8) and a motor (30) for driving the drive shaft (8). A substrate (10),
The knee link (12) is engaged with the drive link (11) at one end via the rotating shaft (15), and the other end is synchronized with the movement of the knee of the device user. The device is used at an appropriate place so as to form a substantially V-shaped link with the knee link from the fixed end, forming a constant angle θ with the knee link (12). The thigh link (13) having a grip part (9 ') for fixing to a user's lower limb, and having a grip part (9) for fixing to a lower limb of the device user separately Is engaged with the V-shaped link via the rotation shaft (17) at the top of the V-shaped link, and the upper portion of the thigh link (13) is connected to the arm-shaped base via the rotation shaft (16). Engaging the material (10) directly or through the mating member (18),
The unloading device (3) is a harness (20) for supporting the waist of the device user, and for partially unloading the weight of the device user by pulling the harness (20) upward evenly, Comprising a spring device having an adjustable spring (24) fixed to the body (1), acting through a coupling means (22) that can follow the movement of the waist during walking,
The caster device (4) includes at least two front drive wheels provided at the bottom of the main body, each interlocking with two drive motors (32) whose rotation speed is monitored by a rotation sensor (7). Having four wheels (26), a handle (23) fixed to the main body (1) and a suspension;
The control device (5), based on information from the sensors (6) and (7), is a device that controls each drive motor so that the user of the device can walk safely. apparatus.   The grip portions (9) and (9 ') of the thigh link (13) and the crus link (14) can be adjusted according to the body shape of the user, and each grip portion can be detached from the links. The gait training device according to claim 1, wherein the gait training device is fixed to the gait.   The gait training device according to claim 2, wherein the lengths of the drive link (11), the knee link (12), the thigh link (13) and the lower leg link (14) are adjustable.   The walking training according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein gripping portions (9 ') of the crus link (14) are provided at two locations so as to grip the calf and ankle of the device user. apparatus.   The gait training device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive link (11) is a disc having an opening that can engage with the knee link (12) at a place other than the center. The walking training device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the moving direction of the device is controlled by changing the left and right drive speeds of the two front drive wheels of the caster device (4).