JP2008238338A - Operation supporting device and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation supporting device capable of suitably supporting operations of upper limbs by reproducing human smooth movements with high safety and providing convenience of a user in various kinds of scenes to expect high rehabilitation effects, and its control method. <P>SOLUTION: This operation supporting device has a first detection means 30 for detecting the operations of the upper limbs of the user and second detection means 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a for detecting positions and attitudes of the upper limbs. The operation supporting device is provided with a manipulator 12 operated under a control by information from each of the means. A distal end of the manipulator 12 can be freely separated from the upper limbs of the user. By performing a feedback control of the manipulator 12 by information from the first detection means 30 and the second detection means 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a, the operations of the upper limbs are suitably supported. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation support apparatus that assists the movement of the upper limb of a physically handicapped person or an elderly person who has a disability in the upper limb, and supports the movement of the upper limb related to meals and the like, and a control method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are known devices that support meals and the like fully automatically without using the upper limbs for elderly people or disabled persons who cannot move their upper limbs according to their will (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patents). Reference 2).

  The above-mentioned fully automatic device for supporting meals does not support the movement of the user's upper limb itself, so it can only support eating food in a preset place, and the food can be used in the user's mouth. The carrying operation is also limited to “grab”, “crawling”, etc., and there is a problem that it cannot cope with foods of various sizes and properties. Furthermore, since the user does not move his / her upper limb, there was no rehabilitation effect, and use was not recommended from a medical standpoint.

  On the other hand, the invention “upper limb operation assisting device” described in Patent Document 3 includes a device to be attached to the upper limb of the person being supported at the free end of the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator, and the person being assisted is added to the device The contents of controlling the trajectory of the free end based on the force information and assisting the movement of the upper limb are disclosed. However, in this “upper limb assisting device”, since the upper limb of the person being supported is attached to a brace provided at the free end of the manipulator, the upper limb is always in a fixed positional relationship with the arm and free to operate. There is a problem that the degree is limited and a problem that the upper limb cannot be easily separated from the manipulator in an emergency.

In addition, because the free end of the manipulator is moved in the direction of the force applied from the upper limb of the assisted person by the amount of movement corresponding to the magnitude of the force, the movement according to the previously detected upper limb force If the movement according to the detected upper limb force cannot be performed or the movement according to the previously detected upper limb force is completed, the manipulator stops each time. It becomes a state. As described above, in the method in which the movement of the upper limb merely indicates the movement amount to the manipulator, the assistance of the upper limb becomes a jerky movement. Further, in the state where the upper limb cannot be separated from the manipulator, the above-described jerky movement has a problem that a physical load is applied to the upper limb of the person being assisted.
JP 2004-8327 A JP 2006-428 A JP-A-11-253504

  In view of the above-mentioned problems inherent in the above-described conventional technology, the present invention has been proposed to suitably solve this problem. The present invention smoothly supports the movement of the upper limbs and improves the upper limbs including meals. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation support apparatus and a control method thereof that can be used by a user in various situations and can be expected to have a high rehabilitation effect.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended object, the motion support apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes first detection means for detecting the motion of the upper limb of the user, and the position and posture of the upper limb. A second detection means for detecting the movement, a manipulator that is operated according to the movement information based on the detection of the first detection means and the position / posture information based on the detection of the second detection means, and supports the movement of the upper limb, and the movement information And an operation support apparatus including a control unit that performs control related to the operation of the manipulator based on the position / posture information.
At the tip of the manipulator, a user's upper limb is detachable, and a contact portion that can detect the movement of the upper limb that comes into contact with the first detection means is provided,
The controller is
Filter means for inputting the motion information, removing abnormal motion information related to an abnormal motion of the upper limb from the input motion information, and extracting main motion information related to the motion of the upper limb;
Conversion means for generating reference speed information indicating an operation target speed of the manipulator based on main operation information extracted by the filter means;
Deviation information related to the speed deviation is calculated from the reference speed information generated by the conversion means and the position / posture information, and the change speed information related to the speed of the movement of the upper limb that is changed by the operation of the manipulator. Comparing means to
Control means for generating drive information for operating the manipulator based on the deviation information calculated by the comparison means;
The position / posture information changed with the operation of the manipulator based on the drive information generated by the control means is fed back to the comparison means.
Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a manipulator that performs feedback control using a speed deviation is used, and the upper limb is not fixed to the manipulator. In addition to providing support to the user, it is useful for the user in various situations, and a high rehabilitation effect can be expected.

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended object, the control method of the motion support apparatus according to the invention according to claim 2 includes a first detection means for detecting the motion of the upper limb of the user, Second detection means for detecting the position and posture, and a manipulator that operates according to the position and posture based on the detection of the first detection means and the position and posture based on the detection of the second detection means, and supports the movement of the upper limb In the control method of the operation support apparatus comprising:
A motion information detection step of detecting motion of the upper limb by the first detection means and generating motion information related to the motion;
A main motion information extraction stage that removes the abnormal motion information related to the abnormal motion of the upper limb from the motion information generated in the motion information detection step, and extracts the main motion information related to the motion of the upper limb;
A reference speed information generation step for generating reference speed information indicating an operation target speed of the manipulator from the main movement information extracted in the main movement information extraction step;
From the reference speed information generated in the reference speed information generation stage and the change speed information related to the speed for the movement of the upper limb generated by the operation of the manipulator, which is generated from the position / posture information related to the position and posture of the upper limb. Deviation information calculation stage for calculating deviation information related to the speed deviation;
Based on the deviation information calculated in the deviation information calculation step, a drive information generation step for generating drive information for operating the manipulator;
A driving step of operating the manipulator based on the driving information generated in the driving information generation step;
A position / orientation detection stage for generating position / orientation information that has changed in accordance with the driving stage, feeding back the position / orientation information to the deviation information calculation stage, and for generating change speed information; To do.
Therefore, according to the invention according to claim 2, since the upper limb not fixed to the manipulator is favorably supported by the feedback control using the speed deviation, the operation of the upper limb is smoothly supported and the user is used in various situations. It can be expected to have a high rehabilitation effect.

In the invention according to claim 3, in the reference speed information generation step, reference speed information is obtained from the main motion information extracted in the main motion information extraction step and preset motion information relating to the motion of the upper limb. The gist is to generate.
Therefore, according to the invention according to claim 3, since the normal movement of the upper limb is set in advance, even when it is difficult to operate the upper limb normally due to a user's failure, etc., the upper limb movement is suitably supported. Can do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the main operation information extracting step is to remove the abnormal operation information at a frequency of 1 Hz or more.
Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since only small tremors relating to the user's obstacles and the like can be suitably removed, the operation of the user's upper limb can be favorably supported.

In the invention according to claim 5, in the main operation information extraction step, the abnormal operation is performed by applying a notch filter and / or a low-pass filter set corresponding to a specific frequency related to the abnormal operation information to the operation information. The gist is to remove information.
Therefore, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, since it can remove suitably the small tremor which concerns on a user's disorder | damage | failure etc., operation | movement of this user's upper limb can be supported suitably.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the motion information detection stage, the main motion information extraction stage, the reference speed information generation stage, the difference information calculation stage, the drive information generation stage, the drive stage, and the position / orientation detection stage include 0.01 seconds. The gist is that it is repeatedly executed in the following cycle.
Therefore, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, since the feedback control using a deviation can be precisely implemented, operation | movement of an upper limb can be supported more smoothly.

  As described above, according to the motion support device and the control method thereof according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately support the motion of the upper limb by reproducing the smooth movement of human being with high safety. . In addition, it can be used not only for meals but also for various situations where the upper limb is used, and it can be expected to have a high rehabilitation effect.

  Next, the operation support apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiments. In the embodiment, an example will be described in which the user supports the movement of the upper limb when eating using a spoon as a meal utensil. In the following description, “tip side” means the free end side of the manipulator 12, and “fixed side” means the root side where the manipulator 12 is fixed. In addition, the position and posture of the upper limb are represented by the position and posture of the tip of a spoon that is a meal utensil.

  In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the motion support device 10 has six axes capable of changing the position (moving) along the X, Y, and Z axes and changing the angle (posture) around the X, Y, and Z axes. , A force sensor 30 serving as a first detection means disposed on the top of the tip portion 28 of the manipulator 12, and a spoon B serving as a meal device are detachably attached to the tip of the tip portion 28. And a control unit 40 that controls the operation and the like of the manipulator 12 according to information input from the force sensor 30 and the like, and the root of the manipulator 12 is used by a user for a meal. The table is fixed to the table by the fixing unit 11. In the present embodiment, the spoon B and the attachment portion 32 disposed at the tip of the tip portion 28 function as the contact portion A that can detect the motion of the user's upper limb by the force sensor 30 by contact. The manipulator 12 includes a first joint portion 14, a first arm 22, a second joint portion 16, a second arm 24, a third joint portion 18, a third arm 26, and a fourth joint portion 20 in order from the fixed portion 11 side. In addition, the front end portion 28 is provided, and by cooperating with each other, the movement of each of the XYZ axes and the change of the posture around each of the XYZ axes can be performed, thereby achieving a movement with a high degree of freedom.

  A first joint portion 14 is attached to the fixed portion 11 so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the table, and the first joint portion 14 is horizontal to the upper surface of the table. A first arm 22 capable of rotating about an axis is attached, and the fixed portion 11 and the first arm 22 are connected by the first joint portion 14. The distal end of the first arm 22 is connected to the second arm 24 by the second joint portion 16, and the second arm 24 is rotated about an axis horizontal with respect to the table upper surface by the second joint portion 16. It is possible. A third joint portion 18 is attached to the tip of the second arm 24 so as to be rotatable about an axis horizontal to the table upper surface. A third arm 26 is attached so as to be able to rotate around an axis along the longitudinal direction of the arm 24, and the second arm 24 and the third arm 26 are connected by the third joint portion 18. . The fourth joint portion 20 connects the third arm 26 and the distal end portion 28, and can rotate the distal end portion 28 about an axis along the longitudinal direction of the third arm 26.

  Further, each of the joint parts 14, 16, 18 and 20 is based on the drive information DvI (described later) output from the control unit 40, and the first joint part 14, the third joint part 18, the first arm 22, and the second arm described above. 24, a drive motor (not shown) that drives the third arm 26 and the tip 28 to rotate, and an encoder 14a as second detection means for detecting the positions and postures of the joints 14, 16, 18, and 20. , 16a, 18a, and 20a. These encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a detect the position and posture of the tip portion (upper limb) of the spoon B by detecting and integrating the positions and postures of the joint portions 14, 16, 18, and 20. Yes. The encoder 14 a detects the rotation of the first joint portion 14 with respect to the fixed portion 11 and the rotation of the first arm 22 with respect to the first joint portion 14, and the encoder 18 a has a third position with respect to the second arm 24. The rotation of the joint portion 18 and the rotation of the third arm 26 relative to the third joint portion 18 are detected. That is, by driving the drive motor, the manipulator 12 freely changes its position and posture in the XYZ axial directions and around the XYZ axes, and these changes are always recognized by the encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a. Configured. Here, the drive motor and encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a are connected to the control unit 40, respectively.

  The attachment portion 32 attached to the distal end of the distal end portion 28 has a cylindrical shape having a size that allows a user (upper limb) to easily come in contact with an action such as gripping (see FIG. 1). Further, the tip of the attachment portion 32 is provided with a gripping mechanism such as a known drill chuck, and is configured so that a meal utensil such as a spoon B can be easily attached. Here, since the upper limb of the user is not fixed to the manipulator 12, the upper limb can be easily separated from the manipulator 12. In addition, a configuration is possible in which a hand is not always attached to the spoon B and a motion is added by the back of the hand or the palm of the hand to receive the support of the motion support device 10 each time.

  The force sensor 30 as the first detecting means disposed on the top of the distal end portion 28 is for detecting the movement of the user's upper limb as a force by utilizing distortion, and the control unit 40 It is connected to the. The force sensor 30 is arranged and adjusted so as to detect a force applied to the front portion 28, that is, the contact portion A. Further, by performing gravity compensation, it is set so as not to detect a force that changes depending on the direction in which the mounting portion 32 (spoon B) is directed, and regardless of the orientation of the mounting portion 32 (spoon B). It is comprised so that only the force concerning operation | movement may be detected. The motion of the user's upper limb detected by the force sensor 30 is input to the control unit 40 as information based on the force related to the motion of the upper limb (hereinafter referred to as motion information MI). Further, the force sensor 30 detects the movement of the upper limb having the spoon B attached to the attachment portion 32 accurately and precisely, so that the position closer to the upper limb is more suitable for the arrangement position.

  As the control unit 40, for example, a general-purpose computer is used. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 40 is necessary for the operation of the force sensor 30, encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a, the drive motor, and the operation support device 10. It is connected to input / output means 42 for exchanging each program and information with the outside. In the control unit 40, the position for temporarily holding the input operation information MI, the initial information about the position / posture information PI, the appropriate posture control according to each control program and the type of eating utensil. A storage unit 44 that holds posture information and the like, and a calculation unit 46 that calculates each piece of input information using the control program and the like. The calculation unit 46 includes filter means 46a, conversion means 46b, comparison means 46c, and control means 46d (all of which will be described later) that process input information (signals) according to the contents of control. As the control unit 40, an LSI in which all control contents are mounted may be used.

  In addition, the control unit 40 starts the operation of the manipulator 12 and controls the entire operation support apparatus 10. Specifically, information (hereinafter referred to as reference speed information RVI) that indicates an operation target speed of the manipulator 12 that supports the movement of the upper limb according to the movement information MI based on the detection by the force sensor 30. Information on the positions and postures of the upper limbs detected by the encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a (hereinafter referred to as position information), or drive information DvI for operating the manipulator 12 from the reference speed information RVI. Information related to the speed of the movement of the upper limb generated from the posture information PI (hereinafter referred to as change speed information VVI) and information related to the speed deviation between the reference speed information RVI (hereinafter referred to as deviation information DI) It controls the function etc.

  Next, a control method of the operation support apparatus 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. The operation support device 10 is energized, and necessary initial information is previously input to the control unit 40 (storage unit 44) from the input / output means 42 and set to an initial state. And In the present invention, position / posture information PI and reference speed information RVI in the initial state of the tip of the spoon B are input as initial information. In the present embodiment, as described above, as the position / posture information PI of the user's upper limb, information related to the position and posture related to the tip of the spoon B, which is a meal utensil, is used. Further, in the present invention, the initial state is a state in which the arms 22, 24 and 26 and the distal end portion 28 are rotated and positioned in accordance with the position of the upper limb of the user so that the user can eat. Point to.

  First, the control method of the operation support apparatus 10 will be described for each stage with reference to FIG. The control method of the motion support apparatus 10 includes a motion information detection step S1, a main motion information extraction step S2, a reference speed information generation step S3, a deviation information calculation step S4, a drive information generation step S5, a drive step S6, and a position and orientation detection step S7. Have And by repeating the cycle of these steps S1 to S7 in 0.001 seconds, the operation support device 10 can be controlled quickly and accurately. If this repetition time exceeds 0.01 seconds, the movement of the upper limb supported by the manipulator 12 is lost and the operation becomes jerky. The lower limit value of the repetition period of each stage S1 to S7 is determined by the calculation performance of the control unit 40 (calculation unit 46) and the contents of the control program. Control becomes possible.

The motion information detection step S1 is a step in which the force sensor 30 detects a motion of the upper limb that contacts the manipulator 12 and outputs motion information MI based on the detection. The motion information MI is the force detected by the least frequency ^{of 10} -2 to 10 ² in the range according to operation of the upper limb. Further, the motion information MI can be represented by a graph in which a gain (magnitude of force) is taken as Y and a frequency is taken as the X axis as shown in FIG. 4, for example. From the graph according to FIG. 4, a peak can be confirmed at a specific frequency. This is a case where small tremors of the user's upper limb are detected. The range of the frequency of the motion information MI is appropriately determined depending on the frequency related to the motion of the upper limb depending on the use application of the user supported by the motion support device 10 according to the present invention.

  The main motion information extraction step S2 is based on motion information MI related to motion detected by the force sensor 30 and information related to abnormal motion such as trembling of the upper limb unintended by the user (eg, abnormal motion information). This is a step of extracting information related to the movement of the upper limb that the user desires to move (hereinafter referred to as main movement information MMI). This abnormal operation information IMI has no meaning for the user to “meal”, and if the abnormal operation information IMI is not removed, the operation of the manipulator 12 cannot support “meal” at all. End up. In the graph of FIG. 4, the gain related to the specific frequency where the peak appears indicates the abnormal operation information IMI. Here, the specific frequency means a frequency at which the abnormal operation information IMI appears.

  Specifically, in the main operation information extraction step S2, in order to suitably remove the abnormal operation information IMI of a specific frequency from the operation information MI shown in FIG. 4, for example, frequency shaping using a (frequency) filter as shown in FIG. By performing extraction by the method, main operation information MMI as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained. Basically, the upper limb movements required for meals, etc., are slowly around 1 Hz, whereas the abnormal movements of the upper limbs that are manifested by obstacles are fine tremors appearing at a specific frequency of 2 Hz or higher. Application of a filter corresponding to the specific frequency of 2 Hz or higher is preferable. The frequencies listed here are only examples, and the frequency of movement of the upper limbs and the frequency of movements caused by obstacles etc. depend on conditions such as the user's age, etc. It is determined for each user by sampling prior to use of the motion support device 10. Further, the closer to the upper limit or lower limit of the specific frequency, the higher the possibility that it is not the abnormal operation information IMI but the main operation information MMI. Therefore, the filter has a peak near the frequency center at the specific frequency. It is preferable to employ a filter having a gain removal rate reduced as it approaches the lower limit, that is, a notch filter set corresponding to a specific frequency at which abnormal operation information IMI appears.

  The reference speed information generation step S3 is a step of generating reference speed information RVI indicating the operation target speed of the manipulator 12 that supports the movement of the upper limb from the main movement information MMI extracted in the main movement information extraction stage S2. . Here, the operation target speed instructed by the reference speed information RVI is the speed determined in accordance with the motion information MI, that is, the force related to the motion of the upper limb detected by the force sensor 30. Then, regardless of the size of the motion information MI, a numerical value previously input to the storage unit 44 as initial information is used as the reference speed information RVI. If the reference speed information RVI is a low value of, for example, 0.2 m / s or less, the speed at which the manipulator 12 is operated exceeds 0.2 m / s even when the force detected from the motion of the upper limb is large. Therefore, a highly safe operation is achieved regardless of the user's age and other conditions. It is also possible to change the reference speed information RVI according to the user's age and the like so that the manipulator 12 operates at a higher speed.

  In the deviation information calculation step S4, a speed deviation is calculated from the reference speed information RVI generated in the reference speed information generation step S3 and the change speed information VVI related to the speed of the movement of the upper limb that is changed by the operation of the manipulator 12. This is a step of calculating such deviation information DI. The deviation information DI is information indicating a deviation of the speed from the change speed information VVI with reference speed information RVI as a reference (reference), and the reference speed information RVI as a reference value by feeding back the change speed information VVI. It is used for so-called feedback control for comparison and matching.

  The change speed information VVI is generated from the position / posture information PI at the time when the change speed information VVI is to be generated and the position / posture information PI immediately before it. Here, “previous position / posture information PI” means the motion information detection stage S1, the main motion information extraction stage S2, the reference speed information generation stage S3, the deviation information calculation stage S4, the drive information generation stage S5, the drive stage S6, and In the cycle of the position / orientation detection step S7, it indicates the position / posture information PI generated based on the position and posture of the upper limb detected in the position / orientation detection step S7 in the immediately preceding cycle. Immediately after the manipulator 12 starts to operate, since there is no position / posture information PI other than the position / posture information PI input as initial information to the control unit 40 (storage unit 44), the change speed information VVI is “0”. It becomes. Therefore, the deviation information DI has the same value as the reference speed information RVI.

  The drive information generation step S5 is a step of generating drive information DvI for operating the manipulator 12 based on the deviation information DI calculated in the deviation information calculation step S4. In this embodiment, the drive information DvI is generated for each drive motor provided in each joint portion 14, 16, 18 and 20 that operates the manipulator 12. Further, when the drive information DvI is generated from the deviation information DI in the drive information generation step S5, the mechanical noise of the manipulator 12 and the like are simultaneously removed by the transfer function method. This is because such mechanical noise also has no meaning for the user to “eat” and becomes a factor that hinders suitable support for the movement of the upper limbs. A low-pass filter and / or a notch filter is preferably used as the transfer function.

  The driving step S6 is a step of driving each driving motor based on the driving information DvI generated in the driving information generating step S5, thereby operating the manipulator 12. In this embodiment, the drive information DvI generated for each drive motor provided in each joint section 14, 16, 18 and 20 driving the manipulator 12 is input to each drive motor to cooperate with all the drive motors. By operating, the manipulator 12 is operated. By carrying out this driving step S6, the upper limb is supported according to the user's intended movement, and movement suitable for eating is achieved. In addition, since the operation of the manipulator 12 performed in the driving stage S6 supports not only the position of the upper limb but also the posture, a device such as the spoon B that needs to maintain a constant posture (horizontal) during use is used. Even so, suitable support is possible.

  In the position / orientation detection step S7, encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a serving as second detection means provided in the joint portions 14, 16, 18 and 20 indicate the positions and postures of the upper limbs changed in accordance with the driving step S6. In this step, position / posture information PI after being changed in accordance with the driving step S6 is generated based on this detection, and the position / posture information PI is fed back to the deviation information calculation step S4. By performing this position and orientation detection step S7, position / posture information PI related to the position and posture of the upper limb at the time of the implementation is input to the control unit 40, and changes for calculating deviation information DI for controlling the subsequent operation of the manipulator 12 are performed. It is used for generation of speed information VVI. The position / posture information PI fed back in the execution of the present position / posture detection step S7 is used to generate new change speed information VVI in consideration of the immediately preceding position / posture information PI in the deviation information calculation step S4.

  Therefore, if the reference speed information RVI does not change, the change speed information VVI continues to increase until reaching the reference speed information RVI, and the deviation information DI that is the basis for generating the drive information DvI continues to decrease accordingly. . That is, every time the cycle of all stages S1 to S7 is repeated, the drive information DvI is generated so as to reduce the operating speed of the manipulator 12, and is finally feedback controlled to reach the reference speed information RVI. Therefore, the operating speed of the manipulator 12 does not suddenly reach the reference speed information RVI, and the support of the operation of the upper limb by the manipulator 12 becomes smooth.

  Between the motion information detection step S1 and the main motion information extraction step S2, a first determination step Sa1 related to detection of upper limb motions is provided in the motion information detection step S1. In the state where there is no movement of the upper limb in this first determination stage Sa1, that is, the movement of the upper limb is not detected, (A) the user's upper limb is separated from the contact portion A (manipulator 12), or (B) the user There are two cases of stopping moving the upper limbs. In any case, since the support by the manipulator 12 is not required, the control according to the control method of the present invention ends. However, in this embodiment, since the power supply of the motion support device 10 is not turned off, each drive motor controls the operating speed of the manipulator 12 even when the force sensor 30 does not detect the upper limb force. “0”, that is, a state in which it is driven to be held in a stopped state.

  Further, a second determination stage Sa2 is provided between the deviation information calculation stage S4 and the drive information generation stage S5 to determine whether there is a deviation, that is, deviation information DI. It is determined in the second determination stage Sa2 that there is no deviation information DI when the motion information MI does not change and the same reference speed information RVI is continuously generated. In this case, the control of the motion support apparatus 10 returns before the motion information detection step S1 according to the flowchart, and loops between the motion information detection step S1 and the deviation information calculation step S4 until the motion information MI changes. The operation of the manipulator 12 keeps the same operation as before.

  It should be noted that all information detected, calculated or generated by the motion support device 10, that is, motion information MI, abnormal motion information IMI, main motion information MMI, reference speed information RVI, position / posture information PI, change speed information VVI, deviation information The DI and the drive information DvI are stored in the storage unit 44 when they are input, calculated, or generated in the control unit 40, and are always updated to the latest information by being overwritten when new information is input, calculated, or generated. Has been updated. Past information is also accumulated and can be output as necessary.

  Next, an outline of information (signal) flow in the control of the operation support apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, information is transmitted and processed as follows. That is, (1) the motion information MI related to the motion of the upper limb is input from the force sensor 30 to the calculation unit 46. (2) The motion information MI input to the calculation unit 46 is input to the filter means 46a, the abnormal motion information IMI is removed from the motion information MI that has passed through the filter means 46a, and the main motion information MMI of the upper limb is extracted. The

  (3) The main motion information MMI extracted by passing through the filter means 46a is input to the conversion means 46b. From the main motion information MMI that has passed through the conversion means 46b, reference speed information RVI that indicates the operation target speed is generated. (4) The reference speed information RVI generated by the conversion means 46b is input to the comparison means 46c and compared with the operating speed (change speed information VVI) of the manipulator 12 at the time of input, and the deviation information DI is calculated as a comparison result. Is output.

  (5) The deviation information DI output from the comparison means 46c is input to the control means 46d. The control means 46d removes so-called mechanical noise or the like related to the operation of the manipulator 12 from the deviation information DI, and generates drive information DvI for driving the drive motor so as to operate the manipulator 12 based on the deviation information DI after the removal. Generate. (6) The manipulator 12 is operated under control according to the drive information DvI generated by the control means 46d. Then, the positions and postures of the upper limbs changed in accordance with this operation are detected by the encoders 14a, 16a, 18a and 20a, and the position / posture information PI based on this detection is generated and output. (7) The output position / posture information PI is fed back to the comparison means 46c and used for calculating the change speed information VVI.

  In such control, if the user's upper limb is separated from the manipulator 12 and the force sensor 30 does not detect the movement (force) of the upper limb, the operation of the manipulator 12 is immediately stopped, so that high safety is achieved. Secured. Further, even when the force sensor 30 does not detect the movement of the upper limb, each drive motor is not in a mechanical stop state by driving to maintain the operation of the manipulator 12 in the stop state. Therefore, when the force from the upper limb is detected, each drive motor does not shift from the stop state to the drive state, but only shifts from the drive state in which the manipulator 12 is held in the stop state to the actuated drive state. . Therefore, when the force from the upper limb is detected, it is possible to smoothly support the movement of the upper limb without causing a time lag or mechanical load.

[About examples of changes]
(1) In the embodiment, the six-axis manipulator 12 is employed as the multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a known manipulator can be employed. A three-axis multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator 13 that can freely set only a change in position in the respective XYZ axial directions as shown may be employed. In this case, operation by simple control is possible with a cheaper structure without narrowing the support range of the upper limb movement. The configuration is substantially the same as that of the manipulator 12 according to the embodiment, except that there is no drive motor for driving around each of the XYZ axes and an encoder for detecting the position and orientation.
(2) In the embodiment, the mounting portion 32 fixed to the distal end portion 28 is adopted. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. You may employ | adopt the attaching part 33 comprised so that surrounding posture change was possible. In this case, the motion support apparatus 10 according to the present invention can achieve a wide range of displacement with respect to a total of nine axes. In addition, the contact part A in this case is both the spoon B and the attachment part 33 like the Example. In addition, the posture of the high spoon B easily changes due to the wide displacement achieved by the mounting portion 33. Since such a change is offset by the gravity compensation of the force sensor 30, the generation of the motion information MI is generated. There will be no problem.
(3) In the embodiment, the reference speed information RVI is set as a constant value regardless of the upper limb force detected by the force sensor 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may set so that it may change with conditions, such as direction. In this case, it is possible to provide support that is closer to the movement of the user's upper limb.
(4) In the embodiment, the reference speed information RVI is generated based on the main motion information MMI related to the motion of the user's upper limb. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the main motion information MMI. Reference speed information RVI may be generated by adding set motion information relating to the motion of the upper limb set in advance. For example, when the upper limb is moved to the side, it is preferably used when an abnormal operation with regularity such as gradually moving toward the front is seen in the upper limb. In this case, the difference between the normal upper limb movement and the abnormal upper limb movement is set in advance as set movement information, and the reference speed information RVI is generated from the main movement information MMI and the set movement information. It is possible to suitably cope with a situation where there is an abnormality in the muscle and there is a regular abnormal operation in the operation.
(5) In the embodiment, a notch filter is used as a filter for removing abnormal operation information IMI. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, only a frequency equal to or higher than a certain frequency as shown in FIG. You may make it use the low-pass filter which removes. In this case, high-frequency vibrations such as a drive motor of the manipulator can also be suitably removed. Moreover, you may make it use the filter which combined the notch filter and low-pass filter as shown in FIG. In addition, the user's upper limb movement is sampled in advance, and a filter for selectively removing the abnormal movement information IMI related to the abnormal movement of the user's upper limb is generated. It may be applied only to a frequency region of 1 Hz or higher where there is a high possibility of appearing, and the abnormal operation information IMI may be removed only for the peripheral index region. In this case, the abnormal motion information IMI can be efficiently removed, and unnecessary processing on the motion information MI can be avoided as much as possible. Therefore, the main motion information MMI faithful to the motion of the upper limb can be generated.
(6) In the embodiment, the encoder is employed as the second detection means for detecting the position and posture of the upper limb, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a potentiometer or the like having excellent cost. These devices may be adopted as appropriate depending on the use of the operation support device.
(7) In the embodiment, the stop state of the manipulator 12 has been achieved by setting the drive motor to a drive state in which the drive motor is held in the stop state, but the present invention is not limited to this. , 16, 18 and 20 are equipped with an electromagnetic clutch or the like so that the position and posture of the manipulator 12 are fixedly held when the power is turned off, and the power of the operation support device 10 and the like is turned off. A typical stop state may be achieved. In this case, it is possible to reduce costs by reducing power consumption.

1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an operation support apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows roughly each structure centering on the control part which concerns on an Example with the flow of information (signal). It is a flowchart figure which shows the control method of the operation | movement assistance apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of control of the operation assistance apparatus which concerns on an Example. FIG. 4 is a gain-frequency graph representing operation information handled by the control method of the operation support apparatus shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a gain-frequency graph showing a notch filter that removes abnormal operation information in a main operation information extraction step S2 in the control method of the operation support apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a graph of gain-frequency representing main motion information extracted by the frequency shaping method from the graph representing the motion information shown in FIG. 5 and the graph representing the filter shown in FIG. 6. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the operation assistance apparatus which concerns on the example of a change (1). It is a perspective view which expands and shows the attaching part which concerns on the example of a change (2). It is a gain-frequency graph showing a low-pass filter for removing abnormal operation information in the main operation information extraction step S2 in the control method of the operation support apparatus according to the modified example (5). It is a graph of the gain-frequency showing the filter which combined the notch filter and low-pass filter for removing abnormal operation information in main operation information extraction step S2 in the control method of the operation support device concerning modification (5).

Explanation of symbols

12 Manipulator, 13 Manipulator, 14a Encoder (second detection means)
16a encoder (second detection means), 18a encoder (second detection means)
20a Encoder (second detection means), 30 Force sensor (first detection means)
40 control section, 46a filter means, 46b conversion means, 46c comparison means 46d control means, DI deviation information, DvI drive information, IMI abnormal action information MI action information, MMI main action information, PI position / attitude information, RVI reference speed information S1 motion information detection stage, S2 main motion information extraction stage, S3 reference speed information generation stage S4 deviation information calculation stage, S5 drive information generation stage, S6 drive stage S7 position and orientation detection stage

Claims (6)

First detection means (30) for detecting the movement of the user's upper limb, second detection means (14a, 16a, 18a, 20a) for detecting the position and posture of the upper limb, and the first detection means (30) Manipulators (12, 13) that are actuated according to motion information (MI) based on the detection of the position and posture / position information (PI) based on the detection of the second detection means (14a, 16a, 18a, 20a) and support the motion of the upper limb. ) And a control unit (40) that performs control related to the operation of the manipulator (12, 13) based on the motion information (MI) and position / posture information (PI),
The tip of the manipulator (12, 13) is provided with a contact portion (A) where the upper limb of the user can be separated and the movement of the upper limb contacting the user can be detected by the first detection means (30). ,
The control unit (40)
The motion information (MI) is input, the abnormal motion information (IMI) related to the abnormal motion of the upper limb is removed from the input motion information (MI), and the main motion information (MMI) related to the motion of the upper limb is extracted Filter means (46a) for
Conversion means (46b) for generating reference speed information (RVI) indicating an operation target speed of the manipulator (12, 13) based on main operation information (MMI) extracted by the filter means (46a),
It is calculated from the reference speed information (RVI) generated by the conversion means (46b) and the position / posture information (PI), and relates to the speed about the movement of the upper limb that is changed by the operation of the manipulator (12, 13). Comparison means (46c) for calculating deviation information (DI) relating to the deviation of speed from the change speed information (VVI),
Control means (46d) for generating drive information (DvI) for operating the manipulator (12, 13) based on deviation information (DI) calculated by the comparison means (46c),
Position / posture information (PI) changed with the operation of the manipulator (12, 13) by the drive information (DvI) generated by the control means (46d) is fed back to the comparison means (46c). An operation support apparatus characterized by that. First detection means (30) for detecting the movement of the user's upper limb, second detection means (14a, 16a, 18a, 20a) for detecting the position and posture of the upper limb, and the first detection means (30) Motion comprising the manipulator (12, 13) that operates according to the position and posture based on the motion of the upper limb based on the detection of the arm and the position and posture based on the detection of the second detection means (14a, 16a, 18a, 20a) In the control method of the support device,
A motion information detection step (S1) for detecting motion of the upper limb by the first detection means (30) and generating motion information (MI) related to the motion;
From the motion information (MI) generated in the motion information detection step (S1), the abnormal motion information (IMI) related to the abnormal motion of the upper limb is removed, and the main motion information (MMI) related to the motion of the upper limb is extracted. Main motion information extraction stage (S2) to perform,
A reference speed information generation stage for generating reference speed information (RVI) indicating an operation target speed of the manipulator (12, 13) from the main movement information (MMI) extracted in the main movement information extraction stage (S2) ( S3)
It is generated from the reference speed information (RVI) generated in the reference speed information generation step (S3) and position / posture information (PI) related to the position and posture of the upper limb, and changes according to the operation of the manipulator (12, 13). Deviation information calculation stage (S4) for calculating deviation information (DI) related to speed deviation from speed change information (VVI) related to speed of upper limb movement,
Based on the deviation information (DI) calculated in the deviation information calculation step (S4), drive information generation step (S5) for generating drive information (DvI) for operating the manipulator (12, 13),
Based on the drive information (DvI) generated in the drive information generation step (S5), the drive step (S6) for operating the manipulator (12, 13),
The position / posture information (PI) changed in accordance with the driving step (S6) is generated, and the position / posture information (PI) is fed back to the deviation information calculation step (S4) to change the speed information (VVI). And a position / orientation detection step (S7) used for generating a motion support apparatus.   In the reference speed information generation step (S3), the reference speed information (MMI) extracted in the main motion information extraction step (S2) and the preset motion information related to the motion of the upper limb set in advance (reference speed information ( A method for controlling an operation support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein RVI) is generated.   4. The operation support apparatus control method according to claim 2, wherein the main operation information extraction step (S2) removes the abnormal operation information (IMI) at a frequency of 1 Hz or more.   In the main operation information extraction step (S2), the abnormal operation is performed by applying a notch filter and / or a low-pass filter set corresponding to a specific frequency related to the abnormal operation information (IMI) to the operation information (MI). 4. The operation support apparatus control method according to claim 2, wherein the information (IMI) is removed.   The motion information detection step (S1), main motion information extraction step (S2), reference speed information generation step (S3), deviation information calculation step (S4), drive information generation step (S5), drive step (S6) and position The method of controlling an operation support apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the posture detection step (S7) is repeatedly executed at a cycle of 0.01 seconds or less.

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