JP2008029424A - Knee pain alleviating device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a knee pain alleviating device which improves fixing force of a knee joint and attachability. <P>SOLUTION: The knee pain alleviating device is equipped with an actuator 8 attached to a lower limb of a human body, a shear force detecting means 1 for detecting shear force applied on a knee of the lower limb to which the actuator 8 is attached, and a control means 7 for controlling the actuator 8 from a detected output of the means 1. The control means 7 is constituted to control the actuator 8 in a manner to fix the knee joint of the lower limb when the detected output is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold value and to control the actuator 8 in a manner not to fix the knee joint of the lower limb when the detected value is less than the prescribed threshold value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a knee pain relieving device that is worn on a human body and relieves knee pain that occurs during walking.

  Conventionally, there has been provided a knee pain relieving device that is worn on a knee in order to relieve knee pain that occurs during walking or the like.

Such a knee pain relieving device mainly improves and stabilizes the instability of the motion direction of the knee joint by correcting and controlling the motion of the knee joint, thereby relieving the pain of the knee joint. It is mainly classified into a hard knee brace and a soft knee brace (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
Shuichi Kakura, “New edition of orthopedic treatment manual-indication by disease / symptom-”, 1st edition, Ishiyaku Shuppan Publishing Co., Ltd., October 10, 2004, p.249-258

  The former rigid knee brace has a metal frame structure (support) that supports the lower leg from the thigh, and is excellent in fixing force and deformation correcting force, but is poor in wearability and simplicity.

  On the other hand, unlike the rigid knee brace, the latter soft knee brace does not have a metal frame structure, and has a fixing force by compressing the knee and its surroundings using a stretchable material. It is an elastic supporter-type appliance. Such a soft knee brace is superior to the hard knee brace in terms of wearability and simplicity, but the fixing force is inferior to that of the hard knee brace.

  As described above, in the conventional knee pain relieving device, it has been impossible to achieve both the improvement of the knee joint fixing force and the improvement of the wearability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described reasons, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a knee pain relieving device that can improve the fixing force of the knee joint and improve the wearability.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the invention of the knee pain relieving device according to claim 1, an actuator attached to a lower limb of a human body and a shear force detection for detecting a shear force applied to a knee of the lower limb on which the actuator is attached. And a control means for controlling the actuator based on the detection output of the shear force detection means. The control means fixes the knee joint of the lower limb if the detection output is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The actuator is controlled as described above, and if the detection output is less than a predetermined threshold, the actuator is controlled so as not to fix the knee joint of the lower limb.

  According to the invention of the knee pain alleviating device of claim 2, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the shear force detecting means includes an angle of a joint of a lower limb to which the actuator is attached and a floor reaction force applied to the lower limb. It has a detection means for detecting each, and is configured to calculate a shear force applied to the knee of the lower limb using a detection result of the detection means.

  According to a third aspect of the invention of the knee pain alleviating device, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the shear force detecting means detects an angle of a joint of the lower limb to which the actuator is attached and an acceleration of the lower limb. It has a detection means, It is comprised so that the shearing force concerning the knee of the said leg may be calculated using the detection result of this detection means.

  In the invention of the knee pain alleviating device of claim 4, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, the shear force detecting means includes an angle of a joint of a lower limb to which the actuator is attached, a floor reaction force applied to the lower limb, It has a detection means for detecting the acceleration of the lower limbs respectively, and is configured to calculate a shear force applied to the knee of the lower limbs using a detection result of the detection means.

  In addition to the structure of any one of Claims 1-4, in the invention of the knee pain alleviation apparatus of Claim 5, the said actuator is formed in the cylinder shape surrounding the knee of the lower limbs of a human body. And

  When the shear force applied to the knee is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the knee joint of the lower limb is fixed by the actuator, and the shear force is less than the predetermined threshold. Since the knee joint of the lower limb is not fixed by the actuator, the knee joint can be fixed only when there is a possibility that the knee pain may occur. In addition to the effect of improving the fixation force and relieving knee pain compared to soft knee orthosis, when there is no risk of knee pain, move the lower limbs freely compared to conventional rigid knee pain knee orthosis Thus, there is an effect that the wearability can be improved. Also, the actuator is controlled based on the shear force applied to the knee, which is deeply related to the occurrence of knee pain, and the knee joint is fixed / unfixed. Since the knee joint can be fixed, it is possible to fix the knee joint at a suitable timing, thereby reliably relieving the knee pain and further improving the wearability.

  In the invention of the knee pain relieving device according to claim 5, since the actuator is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the knee of the lower limbs of the human body, the knee can be pressed over the entire circumference, thereby fixing the knee joint. Can be improved and knee pain can be further reduced.

  Below, one Embodiment of the knee pain relieving apparatus of this invention is described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the knee pain relieving device of the present embodiment has an actuator 8 attached to a lower limb 90 (see FIG. 2A) of a human body 9 and a knee of the lower limb 90 to which the actuator 8 is attached. A shearing force detecting means 1 for detecting the shearing force Fs (see FIG. 3A) and a control means 7 for controlling the actuator 8 based on the shearing force Fs that is a detection output of the shearing force detecting means 1 are provided. ing.

  First, the shearing force detection means 1 will be described. In the present embodiment, the shear force Fs is detected using a link model as shown in FIGS. 2B, 3A, and 3B, and the shear force Fs is detected. Detection means 2 for obtaining necessary exercise data, and calculation means 6 for calculating the shear force Fs based on the exercise data detected by the detection means 2 and the body data of the human body 9.

  The detection means 2 includes a group of sensors attached to the human body 9, and specifically, a pressure sensor 3 attached to the back of the foot 90a of the lower limb (left lower limb in FIG. 2) 90 to which the actuator 8 is attached, The foot sensor unit 4 is mounted on the leg 90a of the lower limb 90, and the lower leg sensor unit 5 is mounted on the lower leg 90b of the lower limb 90.

  The pressure sensor (foot sensor) 3 is for detecting a floor reaction force applied to the foot 90a of the lower limb 90 when the human body 9 performs an exercise such as walking, as shown in FIG. 2 (a). The lower limb (left limb in FIG. 2A) 90 to which the actuator 8 is attached is attached to the back of the foot 90a.

  The foot sensor unit 4 includes an acceleration sensor 4a and a gyro sensor 4b that are respectively attached to the foot 90a of the lower limb 90, and these are unitized.

  The acceleration sensor 4a is for detecting the acceleration of the leg 90a of the lower limb 90 when the human body 9 performs a movement such as walking. The gyro sensor 4b is used when the human body 9 performs a movement such as walking. In addition, the angular velocity of the leg 90a of the lower limb 90 is detected.

The gyro sensor 4b is used to correct the acceleration (acceleration at the position of the foot 90a to which the foot sensor unit 4 is attached) obtained by the acceleration sensor 4a into the acceleration at the center of gravity position of the foot 90a. Here, the acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor 4a is a ₀ , the angular velocity obtained by the gyro sensor 4b is θ ′, the mounting position of the foot sensor unit 4 (mounting position of the acceleration sensor 4a), and the center of gravity position of the foot 90a If the distance is r, the acceleration a _{g at} the center of gravity of the foot 90a is given by a ₀ + θ ″ × r + θ ′ × (θ ′ × r) (see Reference 1 described later).

  The lower leg sensor unit 5 includes an acceleration sensor 5a and a gyro sensor 5b that are respectively attached to the lower leg 90b of the lower leg 90, and these are integrated into a single unit.

  The acceleration sensor 5a is the same as the acceleration sensor 4a described above, and is used to detect the acceleration of the lower leg 90b of the lower limb 90 when the human body 9 exercises such as walking. The gyro sensor 5b is similar to the gyro sensor 4b described above, and is used to detect the angular velocity of the lower leg 90b of the lower limb 90 when the human body 9 exercises such as walking.

  Further, the gyro sensor 5b is used to correct the acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor 5a (acceleration at the position of the lower leg 90b to which the lower leg sensor unit 5 is attached) into an acceleration at the center of gravity position of the lower leg 90b. Note that the acceleration correction method uses the same method as that for the foot sensor unit 4.

  As the pressure sensor 3, acceleration sensors 4a and 5a, and gyro sensors 4b and 5b, semiconductor sensors using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology are used. Further, instead of using the gyro sensor, an angle sensor may be used.

  The calculation means 6 includes motion data obtained from the pressure sensor 3 of the detection means 2, the acceleration sensor 4a and the gyro sensor 4b of the foot sensor unit 4, and the acceleration sensor 5a and the gyro sensor 5b of the crus sensor unit 5, respectively. In addition, using the body data (weight, height, etc.) of the human body 9 inputted in advance, the shear force Fs applied to the knee is calculated. The calculation means 6 has statistical data such as the masses of the legs 90a, the lower legs 90b, and the thighs 90c of the lower limb 90 of the human body 9 and the position of the center of gravity, and is adapted to the inputted body data of the human body 9. Statistical data to be extracted is used.

  Below, the calculation method of the shearing force Fs in the calculating means 6 is demonstrated with reference to Fig.3 (a), (b). 3A is an explanatory diagram of the link model of the lower leg 90b, FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram of the link model of the foot 90a, and in FIG. 3A, H is a horizontal plane ( xy plane). In the link model shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the horizontal direction of the human body 9 in the horizontal plane is the x-axis direction, the front-rear direction of the human body 9 in the horizontal plane is the y-axis direction, and the vertical direction is the z-axis direction. It prescribes.

In the link model shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), using the equation of motion of the straight movement (y-axis direction and z-axis direction) in the lower limb 90 of the human body 9, the knees (ie, the nodes of the thigh 90c and the lower leg 90b) are used. The shearing force Fs applied to N ₃ ) is calculated. Here, the shearing force Fs is defined as a force component in a direction orthogonal to the major axis direction of the lower leg 90b among the forces acting on the node N3 of the lower leg 90c and the lower leg 90b in the yz plane.

First, as shown in FIG. 3B, the equation of motion of the straight movement (y-axis direction and z-axis direction) in the foot 90a of the human body 9 is the force (at which the foot 90a receives from the floor surface (grounding surface) at the position P ( Hereinafter, the y-axis component of the “floor reaction force” is F _0y , the z-axis component is F _0z, and the joint reaction of the toe of the foot 90a (the node between the foot 90a and the floor surface (or the ground)) N ₁ The y-axis component of the force is F _1y , the z-axis component is F _1z , the y-axis component of the joint reaction force at the node N2 between the lower leg 90b and the foot 90a is F _2y , the z-axis component is F _2z, and the center of gravity of the foot 90a When the y-axis component of acceleration at the position g ₁ is a _1y , the z-axis component is a _1z , the mass of the foot 90a is m ₁ , and the gravitational acceleration is g, the following expressions (1) and (2) are respectively expressed. Can do.

Here, when calculating the shear force Fs, F _1y = F _1Z = 0 is used as the boundary condition. That is, it is assumed that no joint reaction force is applied to the toes.

In the above formulas (1) and (2), the y-axis component F _0y and the z-axis component F _0z of the floor reaction force can be obtained from the pressure sensor 3, and the mass m _{1 of the} foot 90 a is the human body 9 Can be obtained from body data. Furthermore, the y-axis component a _1y and the z-axis component a _1z of the _acceleration of the foot 90a are the acceleration sensor 4a and gyro sensor 4b of the foot sensor unit 4 mounted on the foot 90a, and the mounting position of the foot sensor unit 4. And the distance between the center of gravity of the foot 90a. The distance between the mounting position of the foot sensor unit 4 and the position of the center of gravity of the foot 90a is input when the foot sensor unit 4 is attached.

Therefore, the y-axis component F _2y and the z-axis component F _{2z of the} joint reaction force acting on the node N2 are obtained by the above formulas (1) and (2).

Next, the motion equation of the rectilinear motion in the lower leg 90b of the body 9 (y-axis direction and the z-axis direction), as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the joint reaction force of the node _{N 3} of the thigh 90c and the lower leg 90b y _Assuming that the axial component is F _3y , the z-axis component is F _3z , the y-axis component of acceleration at the center of gravity g ₂ of the lower leg 90b is a _2y , the z-axis component is a _2z, and the mass of the lower leg 90b is m ₂ , respectively. It can represent with following Formula (3) and (4).

In the above equations (3) and (4), the y-axis component a _2y and the z-axis component a _2z of the acceleration of the lower leg 90b are the acceleration sensor 5a and the gyro sensor 5b of the lower leg sensor unit 5 attached to the lower leg 90b. The distance between the attachment position of the sensor unit 5 for the lower leg and the position of the center of gravity of the lower leg 90b can be calculated. The distance between the position where the lower leg sensor unit 5 is mounted and the position of the center of gravity of the lower leg 90b is input when the lower leg sensor unit 5 is mounted.

Further, the mass m _{2 of the} lower leg 90b can be obtained from the body data of the human body 9.

In addition, since F _2y and F _2z are obtained by the above equations (1) and (2), the y-axis component F _3y of the joint reaction force acting on the node N ₃ by the above equations (3) and (4), and Each z-axis component F _3z can be calculated.

By the way, in the present embodiment, as described above, the shear force Fs applied to the knee of the lower limb 90 of the human body 9 is applied to the node N ₃ of the thigh 90c and the lower leg 90b in the yz plane as shown in FIG. Among the working joint reaction forces, the force component in the direction orthogonal to the long axis direction of the lower leg 90b is used, so the shear force Fs is expressed by the following equation (5).

In the above equation (5), the y-axis component F _3y and z-axis component F _{3z of the} joint reaction force acting on the node N ₃ obtained by the above equations (3) and (4), and the angular velocity obtained from the gyro sensor 5b By substituting θ calculated from θ ′, the shearing force Fs applied to the knee of the lower limb 90 of the human body 9 can be obtained.

  The computing means 6 detects the shearing force Fs applied to the knee of the lower limb 90 as described above, and outputs the value of the shearing force Fs to the control means 7 as a detection output.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4E, the actuator 8 includes a cylindrical main body 80 that covers the knee of the lower limb 90 of the human body 9, and a plurality of airbags 81 that are provided on the inner surface of the main body 80. It has. Here, the main body portion 80 is formed using a stretchable cloth material or the like, and can be easily attached. The airbag 81 is configured such that the thickness is controlled by the control means 7.

  Next, the operation of the actuator 8 will be described. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, in a state where the inside of the airbag 81 is depressurized and the airbag 81 is contracted (a state where the thickness is reduced), The enclosed space is widened, so that the knee joint can be freely moved even when the actuator 8 is mounted. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E, in the state in which the inside of the airbag 81 is pressurized and the airbag 81 is inflated (thickness is increased), the airbag 81 is within the actuator 8. The space surrounded by is narrowed, so that the knee joint can be tightened and fixed.

  The control means 7 is attached to the waist of the human body 9 using a belt or the like, and transmits a control signal to the actuator 8 based on the detection output (value of the shear force Fs) obtained from the shear force detection means 1. Thus, the operation of the actuator 8 is controlled.

  Here, the reason why the shear force Fs is used as a criterion for determining the occurrence of knee pain is as follows. That is, when measuring the shearing force Fs applied to the subject's knee using various sensors and performing an experiment in which the subject presses the switch when knee pain occurs, as shown in FIG. This is because the result that the shearing force Fs is located near the peak at the time t0 when the subject presses the switch is obtained.

  Below, the control means 7 of this embodiment is demonstrated in detail. The control means 7 controls the actuator 8 so as to fix the knee joint of the lower limb 90 of the human body 9 when the detection output of the shear force detection means 1, that is, the shear force Fs is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold Th, and the shear force Fs. Is less than a predetermined threshold Th, the actuator 8 is controlled so as not to fix the knee joint of the lower limb 90.

  For example, in the case shown in FIG. 5B, the knee joint is fixed by controlling the actuator 8 from time t1 to time t2 when the shearing force Fs becomes equal to or greater than the threshold Th. While the other shear force Fs is less than the threshold value Th, the actuator 8 is controlled so as not to fix the knee joint.

  By the way, there is a time lag after the control signal is transmitted from the control means 7 to the actuator 8 until the actuator 8 actually operates and the knee joint is fixed. Therefore, it is preferable that the operation of the actuator 8 is performed from a point before the peak timing of the shearing force Fs at which knee pain actually occurs. This point can be dealt with by reducing the threshold Th to advance the operation timing of the actuator 8.

  Further, the threshold Th may be changed so that the human body 9 has a value suitable for oneself. Alternatively, the operation of the actuator 8 may be continued for a certain period when the shearing force Fs becomes equal to or greater than the threshold Th so that the operation of the actuator 8 does not cause chattering or the like, and the threshold Th is changed. Thus, chattering may be prevented.

  The control means 7, the shearing force detection means 1 and the actuator 8 are connected to each other using a cable or the like (not shown). In addition, the connection between the control means 7 and the shearing force detection means 1 and the actuator 8 is not limited to a wired type such as a cable, but may be connected using wireless or the like.

  According to the knee pain alleviating device of the present embodiment described above, when the shearing force Fs applied to the knee is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold Th, the knee joint of the lower limb 90 is fixed by the actuator 8, and the shearing force Fs is predetermined. If it is less than the threshold Th, the knee joint of the lower limb 90 is not fixed by the actuator 8, so that the knee joint can be fixed only when there is a risk of causing knee pain. When there is a possibility that knee pain may occur due to this, it is possible to improve the fixing force as compared with the conventional soft knee orthosis and to relieve knee pain. In addition, when there is no risk of knee pain, the lower limb 90 can be freely moved as compared with the conventional rigid knee pain knee brace, thereby improving the wearability.

  Also, the actuator 8 is controlled based on the shearing force Fs applied to the knee, which is deeply related to the occurrence of knee pain, and the knee joint is fixed / unfixed. Therefore, only when the knee joint really needs to be fixed, Since the knee joint can be fixed by the actuator 8, the knee joint can be fixed at a suitable timing, whereby the knee pain can be reliably relieved and the wearability can be further improved. Play.

  In addition, since the actuator 8 is formed in a cylindrical shape that surrounds the knee of the lower limb 90 of the human body 9, the knee can be pressed over the entire circumference, thereby improving the fixation force of the knee joint, It has the effect of further relieving pain caused by pain. The actuator 8 is not limited to the cylindrical shape, and may be one that surrounds the knee by wrapping a belt-shaped one around the knee, or may have other shapes. It is sufficient that the knee joint can be fixed / non-fixed and does not interfere with the movement of the knee joint when the knee joint is not fixed.

  Further, since the foot sensor unit 4 is provided with the gyro sensor 4b, acceleration at the center of gravity position of the foot 90a can be obtained without attaching the foot sensor unit 4 to the center of gravity position of the foot 90a accurately. This provides an effect that the degree of freedom of attachment of the foot sensor unit 4 is improved. This also applies to the crus sensor unit 5.

By the way, in the above example, the shearing force detection means 1 has the joint angle of the lower limb 90 to which the actuator 8 is attached (that is, the angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane H of the lower leg 90b) and the floor reaction force applied to the leg 90a of the lower limb 90. Detection means for detecting the y-axis component F _0Y and the z-axis component F _0Z and the y-axis components a _1y and a _2y and the z-axis components a _1z and a _2z of the accelerations of the legs 90a and the lower legs 90b of the lower limb 90, respectively. 2 includes a pressure sensor 3, acceleration sensors 4 a and 5 a, and gyro sensors 4 b and 5 b, and the shear force Fs applied to the knee of the lower limb 90 is calculated using the detection result of the detection means 2. It is configured.

  Here, the joint reaction force has a term due to the floor reaction force and a term due to acceleration, as shown in the above formulas (1) and (2), for example. The value of the joint reaction force is calculated in each of the case where the calculation is performed using acceleration, the case where the joint reaction force is calculated using only the floor reaction force, and the case where the joint reaction force is calculated using only the acceleration. In comparison, a graph as shown in FIG. 6 was obtained.

  As apparent from the graph shown in FIG. 6, the influence of the term due to the acceleration is smaller than the influence of the floor reaction force.

Accordingly, as the shearing force detecting means 1, detection and joint angle of the lower limb 90 the actuator 8 is mounted, such floor reaction force on the foot 90a of the leg 90 y-axis component F _0Y and z-axis and a component F _0Z respectively As the detecting means, the gyro sensor 5b and the pressure sensor 3 may be provided, and the shearing force Fs applied to the knee of the lower limb 90 may be calculated using the detection result of the detecting means. .

  In this way, the configuration can be simplified by the amount corresponding to the acceleration sensor, and the calculation including the acceleration can be omitted.

On the other hand, the floor reaction force is ms for the mass of both lower legs, as _L for the acceleration at the center of gravity of the left lower leg, as _R for the acceleration at the center of gravity of the right lower leg, mt for the mass of both thighs, and the center of gravity of the left thigh, respectively. If the acceleration at the position is at _L , the acceleration at the center of gravity of the right thigh is at _R , the mass of the trunk including the head and upper limbs is mu, and the acceleration at the center of gravity of the trunk is au, then the floor reaction force Frf Can be expressed by the following equation (6). Regarding this point, Reference 1 (Yasuaki Ohtsuki, Koichi Sagawa, Hikaru Sasaoka, “Continuous Gait Analysis Algorithm Using Accelerometer and Gyro Sensor”, Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (C), Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, March 2001, Vol. 67, No. 655, p. 782-788).

  That is, the floor reaction force Frf can be obtained by providing acceleration sensors on the left and right lower legs, the left and right thighs, and the trunk.

  Therefore, as the shear force detecting means 1, the joint angle of the lower limb 90 to which the actuator 8 is attached and the acceleration of the legs, left and right lower legs, left and right thighs, and the trunk of the lower limb to which the actuator 8 is attached are detected. The detection unit 2 may include a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, and may be configured to calculate the shear force Fs applied to the knee of the lower limb 90 using the detection result of the detection unit.

  In this way, the pressure sensor 3 can be omitted, and a sense of incongruity caused by the presence of the sensor on the sole of the foot does not occur.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the x-axis direction is ignored is shown, but naturally the shearing force Fs may be detected in consideration of the x-axis direction.

  The detection means 2 uses the pressure sensor 3, the acceleration sensors 4a and 5a, and the gyro sensors 4b and 5b, but instead of these, a video camera is used, and floor reaction force, acceleration, angular velocity is obtained by image processing. Etc. may be calculated.

It is a block diagram of the knee pain relieving device of one embodiment of the present invention. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state which mounted | wore the knee pain relief apparatus, (b) is explanatory drawing of a link model. (A) is explanatory drawing of the link model of a leg, (b) is explanatory drawing of the link model of a leg. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the state with which the actuator was mounted | worn, (b), (c) is explanatory drawing of the actuator at the time of normal, (d), (e) is the actuator at the time of fixation It is explanatory drawing. (A) is a graph which shows the time change of a shearing force, and the generation timing of a knee pain, (a) is a graph which shows the time change of a shearing force, and the operation timing of a knee pain relief apparatus. It is a graph which shows a joint reaction force.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shear force detection means 7 Control means 8 Actuator

Claims (5)

  An actuator to be worn on the lower limb of a human body, a shearing force detecting means for detecting a shearing force applied to a knee of the lower limb to which the actuator is attached, and a control means for controlling the actuator based on a detection output of the shearing force detecting means The control means controls the actuator to fix the knee joint of the lower limb if the detection output is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and if the detection output is less than the predetermined threshold, A knee pain relieving device configured to control the actuator so as not to fix a knee joint of a lower limb.   The shearing force detecting means includes detecting means for detecting an angle of a joint of a lower limb to which the actuator is mounted and a floor reaction force applied to the lower limb, and using the detection result of the detecting means, The knee pain relieving device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to calculate a shear force applied to the knee.   The shearing force detecting means has detecting means for detecting the joint angle of the lower limb to which the actuator is attached and the acceleration of the lower limb, respectively, and is applied to the knee of the lower limb using the detection result of the detecting means. The knee pain relieving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the knee pain relieving apparatus is configured to calculate a shearing force.   The shear force detection means includes detection means for detecting an angle of a joint of a lower limb to which the actuator is mounted, a floor reaction force applied to the lower limb, and an acceleration of the lower limb, and a detection result of the detection means The knee pain relieving device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to calculate a shearing force applied to the knee of the lower limb by using an arm.   The knee pain relieving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the actuator is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding a knee of a lower limb of a human body.

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