JP2010000204A - Walking supporter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the degree of freedom of adduction and abduction of hip joints and refrain from imparting a feeling of incongruity in the hip joints in a walking supporter having a power generation means arranged at positions corresponding to the right and left hip joint portions of a user. <P>SOLUTION: The walking supporter has hinge shafts 35L and 35R provided at the power generation means-attaching portion of a waist harness 10 and having central axes extending forward and backward of the user, hinge connecting members 36L and 36R attached to electric motors 50L and 50R and engaging turnably around the axes of the hinge shafts 35L and 35R and axially movably, and fixing means to changeably fix and set the movement position in the axial directions of the hinge shafts of the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R (concavities 41 and stopper projecting pieces 42). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking assistance device, and more particularly, to a walking assistance device of a type in which power generation means is arranged at positions corresponding to left and right hip joints of a user.

  Lumbar orthosis worn on the user's lumbar region as a walking assist device for assisting thigh movements for people whose muscle strength has decreased due to disability or aging, or to reduce the work load on the operator And a power generation means by an electric motor or the like attached to the waist orthosis and disposed at positions corresponding to the left and right hip joints of the user, and a power transmission arm having an upper end coupled to an output member of the power generation means There is known a thigh brace that is attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and is attached to the thigh of a user.

The power generation means attached to the lumbar orthosis should be used so as not to hinder the movement of the hip joint, especially the movement of the hip joint that causes the crotch to expand, that is, the movement of the lower limb around the sagittal axis along the frontal plane. A hinge having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of the person (an axis in the same direction as the sagittal axis) is attached to the waist orthosis so as to be rotatable around the hinge axis (for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3955304

The above-mentioned walking assistance device has several problems as described below, with respect to ensuring the degree of freedom of internal and external rotation of the hip joint and preventing the hip joint from feeling uncomfortable.
(1) Since the power generation means can rotate only around the hinge axis in the sagittal axis direction (the user's front-back direction), large abduction is inhibited.
(2) The arrangement of the power generating means in the sagittal axis direction cannot be changed. For this reason, depending on the physique of the user, the position of the rotation shaft (output shaft) of the power generation means and the hip joint shaft do not match, which gives the hip joint a sense of incongruity in the walking assist operation. In addition, the power transmission efficiency deteriorates.
(3) The C-shaped rigid frame of the waist orthosis is shortened so that the hip joint does not interfere with the internal / external movement of the hip joint so that the left and right ends of the back rigid frame do not hit the hip joint. In order to match the position of the rotation shaft of the generating means with the position of the hip joint axis, the power generating means must be disposed in front of the hinge portions provided at the left and right tip portions of the rigid frame, and extends directly below the hinge portions. An L-shaped bracket structure for connecting the rear portion of the power generating means to the front portion of the bracket.

  In this case, since the bracket is connected to the rear portion of the power generation means, a vertical axis is generated there, and the power generation means is easily displaced around the vertical axis. This displacement gives a sense of incongruity to the hip joint in the walking assist operation.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to secure a degree of freedom of internal and external rotation of a hip joint in a walking assist device of a type in which power generation means is arranged at positions corresponding to the left and right hip joints of a user. It is to avoid giving a sense of incongruity.

  The walking assist device according to the present invention includes a waist orthosis that is attached to a user's waist, power generation means that is attached to the waist orthosis and corresponds to the left and right hip joints of the user, and an upper end that is A power transmission arm connected to the output member of the power generation means, and a thigh orthosis attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and attached to the user's thigh, assisting the thigh movement A walking assist device that is provided at an attachment portion of the power generating means of the lower back orthosis and has a hinge shaft having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of a user, and attached to the power generating means, A hinge connecting member engaged with the hinge shaft so as to be rotatable about a central axis of the hinge shaft and movable in the axial direction; and a fixing means for fixing and setting the moving position of the hinge connecting member in the axial direction to be changeable.

  According to the walking assist device of the present invention, the power generating means can rotate around the hinge axis in the sagittal axis direction (the front-rear direction of the user) with respect to the waist orthosis, and the arrangement position of the power generating means is hinged. It can be changed to the axial direction of the shaft, that is, the sagittal axis direction. As a result, the rotational axis of the power generating means and the hip joint axis can be aligned according to the physique of the user, etc., and the hip joint is not discomforted in the walking assist operation, and the force transmission efficiency is improved. .

  In the walking assist device according to the present invention, preferably, the fixing means is provided at a stopper projection piece integrally provided on the hinge connecting member and an attachment portion of the hinge shaft of the waist orthosis, and the axis of the hinge shaft. A plurality of recesses formed at predetermined intervals in the direction, and when the power generation means is in a rotation angle range suspended downward with respect to the hinge shaft, the stopper protrusion Enters the recess and prohibits the axial movement of the hinge connecting member, and when the power generating means is in a horizontal rotation angle posture with respect to the hinge shaft, the stopper projecting piece comes out of the recess. And allowing the hinge connecting member to move in the axial direction.

  In the walking assist device according to the present invention, preferably, the hinge connecting member and the power generating means are connected by an angle bracket that extends obliquely downward and forward from the hinge connecting member and is fixedly connected to the upper side of the power generating means. The power generation means is located obliquely below and forward of the hinge connecting member.

  The walking assist device according to the present invention includes a waist orthosis that is attached to a user's waist, power generation means that is attached to the waist orthosis and corresponds to the left and right hip joints of the user, and an upper end that is A power transmission arm connected to the output member of the power generation means, and a thigh orthosis attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and attached to the user's thigh, assisting the thigh movement A walking assist device that is provided at an attachment portion of the power generating means of the lower back orthosis and has a hinge shaft having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of a user, and attached to the power generating means, A hinge connecting member engaged with the hinge shaft so as to be rotatable about a central axis of the hinge shaft and movable in the axial direction; and a fixing means for fixing and setting the moving position of the hinge connecting member in the axial direction so as to be changeable. The power The reach arm is composed of an upper member to which the power generating means is connected and a lower member to which the thigh orthosis is attached, and the upper member and the lower member extend in the front-rear direction of the user. They are connected to each other by a hinge having an axis.

  According to the walking assist device of the present invention, the power generating means can rotate around the hinge axis in the sagittal axis direction with respect to the waist orthosis, and the power transmission arm also moves around the hinge axis in the sagittal axis direction along the way. It can be bent. Thereby, large abduction can be performed without being obstructed by the power generation means and the power transmission arm.

  The walking assist device according to the present invention includes a waist orthosis that is attached to a user's waist, power generation means that is attached to the waist orthosis and corresponds to the left and right hip joints of the user, and an upper end that is A power transmission arm connected to the output member of the power generation means, and a thigh orthosis attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and attached to the user's thigh, assisting the thigh movement A walking assist device that is provided at an attachment portion of the power generating means of the lower back orthosis and has a hinge shaft having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of a user, and attached to the power generating means, A hinge connecting member engaged with the hinge shaft so as to be rotatable about a central axis of the hinge shaft and movable in the axial direction; and a fixing means for fixing and setting the moving position of the hinge connecting member in the axial direction so as to be changeable. , Said Hin The connecting member and the power generating means are connected to each other by an angle bracket that extends obliquely downward and forward from the hinge connecting member and is fixedly connected to the upper side of the power generating means. The power generating means is oblique to the hinge connecting member. Located in the lower front.

  According to the walking assist device of the present invention, the angle bracket extends obliquely downward and forward from the hinge connecting member and is fixedly connected to the upper portion of the power generating means, so that no vertical axis is generated there. As a result, the C-shaped rigid body frame of the lower back orthosis is shortened so that the hip joint does not impinge on the hip joint part so as not to hinder the internal / external movement of the hip joint. Even if the position of the rotary shaft is aligned with the position of the hip joint shaft, the hinge portion and the power generation means do not have an L-shaped bracket structure. As a result, the power generating means is not easily displaced around the vertical axis, and the hip joint is not discomforted in the walking assist operation.

  According to the walking assist device of the present invention, the degree of freedom of hip joint inversion / extraction is structurally secured, and the hip joint does not feel uncomfortable.

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of a walking assistance device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The walking assist device of the present embodiment is indicated by the reference numeral 10 as a whole. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the walking assist device 10 includes a waist orthosis 20 that is attached to the user's waist, and a position that is attached to the waist orthosis 20 and corresponds to the left and right hip joints of the user. Electric motors 50L, 50R, which are power generating means, and power transmission arms 60L, 60R in which upper ends 61L, 61R are respectively connected to output members (output rotation shafts) 51L, 51R of the electric motors 50L, 50R; The thigh orthosis 70L, 70R is attached to the lower end 62L, 62R of the power transmission arm 60L, 60R and is attached to the thigh of the user.

  The waist orthosis 20 is roughly composed of a back frame 21, a waist back pad 22, left and right abdominal belts 24L and 24R, left and right auxiliary belts 26L and 26R, and left and right side belts 27L and 27R. .

  The back frame 21 is made of a rigid body, for example, metal, and has a shape that surrounds the user's waist and back with a margin.

  The lower back pad 22 is made of soft plastic and attached to the inner side of the back frame 21. Specifically, the waist / back pad 22 is fixedly connected at the center in the left-right direction to the center in the left-right direction of the back frame 21 by a fixing pin 28, and the left and right ends are free ends separated forward from the back frame 21.

  Elastic plates 19L and 19R made of an elastic material such as a leaf spring and a resin plate are fixed to the left and right side portions of the back frame 21, respectively. The elastic plates 19L and 19R are disposed in the gap between the left and right side portions of the waist back pad 22 and the left and right side portions of the back frame 21, and the free end side of the waist back pad 22 is elastically forward with respect to the back frame 21. Is energized.

  The left and right abdominal belts 24L and 24R are made of a flexible material such as woven fabric, leather, vinyl, and the like, and one end is fixedly connected to the left and right ends of the waist back pad 22, and the other end is a one-touch type belt. It is a belt structure that is fastened to each other by a buckle 23 so as to be openable.

  The left and right auxiliary belts 26L and 26R are made of a flexible material such as woven fabric, leather, vinyl, and the like, and one end is fixedly connected to the left and right intermediate portion on the back side of the waist back pad 22 and the other end is left and right. The abdomen belts 24L and 24R are connected to a middle part of the abdomen belts 24L and 24R by a pin 25 so as to be pivotable. The auxiliary belts 26L and 26R are provided with a length adjustment buckle 29A so that the belt length can be adjusted.

  The left and right side belts 27L, 27R are also made of a flexible material such as woven fabric, leather, vinyl, etc., and one end is an intermediate portion of the left and right abdominal belts 24L, 24R (from the pin 25 to the waist back pad 22). The other end is fixedly connected to the left and right ends of the back frame 21. The side belts 27L and 27R are fixed to the back frame 21 by passing the side belts 27L and 27R through slits 21A formed at the left and right ends of the back frame 21, respectively, and the folded portion 27B is hooked by a hook-and-loop fastener 27A. It is performed by sticking to one end side in a peelable manner. The left and right side belts 27L and 27R can be adjusted in belt length by adjusting the attaching position of the folded portion 27B by the hook-and-loop fastener 27A.

  Note that the waist orthosis 20 may be a neck hanging type using a shoulder belt 23 instead of the abdominal belt 22.

    The power transmission arms 60L and 60R transmit the output of the electric motors 50L and 50R to the thigh orthoses 70L and 70R, and the lower ends of the power transmission arms 60L and 60R have a bifurcated Y-shaped bifurcated shape. The thigh orthosis 70L, 70R is attached to each of the bifurcated tips by pads that sandwich the user's thigh from the front and rear.

  The thigh orthoses 70L and 70R are attached to the lower ends of the power transmission arms 60L and 60R in a detachable screw type so that the attachment position can be adjusted vertically and horizontally.

  Next, a mounting structure of the electric motors 50L and 50R to the waist orthosis 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Hinge shaft support members 30L, 30R are fixed to the left and right end portions 21L, 21R of the waist frame 21 by screws 32. The hinge shaft support members 30L and 30R have a U-shaped roll shape and support the hinge shafts 35L and 35R spanned between the two leg pieces 33 and 34. The hinge shafts 35L and 35R have a central axis B that is parallel to the hinge axis A of the hinges 65L and 65R of the power transmission arms 60L and 60R and extends in the horizontal direction of the user, that is, in the sagittal axis direction.

  Hinge coupling members 36L and 36R are attached to the hinge shafts 35L and 35R so as to be rotatable around the central axes of the hinge shafts 35L and 35R and movable in the axial direction (front-rear horizontal direction).

  One end portions of angle brackets 37L, 37R are fixedly connected to the hinge connecting members 36L, 36R by bolts 38. The angle brackets 37L and 37R extend obliquely downward and forward from the connecting portions with the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R, and are attached to the upper side of the electric motors 50L and 50R by bolts 39 at the other end. , 52R. Thereby, the electric motors 50L and 50R are located obliquely below and forward of the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R.

  The attachment tongue pieces 52L and 52R are provided obliquely upward with respect to the centers of the electric motors 50L and 50R with a directivity in an angle range of 30 to 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal line. In this embodiment, it is provided with a directionality of 45 degrees.

  The upper beam portion 40 between the two leg pieces 33 and 34 of the hinge shaft support members 30L and 30R has a plurality of concave portions 41 having openings downwardly spaced at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the hinge shafts 35L and 35R. It is formed in a tooth shape. The hinge connecting members 36L, 36R are integrally provided with stopper protrusions 42 that selectively engage with the recesses 41 to fix and set the movement positions of the hinge connecting members 36L, 36R in the axial direction.

  When the electric motors 50L and 50R are in a rotation angle range suspended downward with respect to the hinge shafts 35L and 35R, the stopper projecting piece 42 enters one of the recesses 41 and is connected to the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R. On the other hand, when the electric motors 50L and 50R are in a horizontal rotation angle posture with respect to the hinge shafts 35L and 35R, the axial movement of the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R is prevented. Allow axial movement freely.

  According to the walking assist device 10 having the above-described configuration, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the electric motors 50 </ b> L and 50 </ b> R have a rotation angle posture horizontal to the hinge shafts 35 </ b> L and 35 </ b> R, The stopper projecting piece 42 is disengaged from the engagement with the recess 41, and the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R are movable in the axial direction of the hinge shafts 35L and 35R, so that the arrangement positions of the electric motors 50L and 50R are used. It can be moved and changed in the horizontal direction of the person, that is, in the sagittal axis direction.

  When the change of the arrangement position is completed, the electric motors 50L and 50 are returned to the suspended state from the hinge shafts 35L and 35R. As a result, the stopper projecting piece 42 enters one of the recesses 41, the axial movement of the hinge connecting members 36L, 36R is prohibited, and the arrangement position of the electric motors 50L, 50R in the sagittal axis direction is fixed.

  Thereby, according to a user's physique etc., the rotating shaft of electric motor 50L, 50R, ie, the center position of output member 51L, 51R, can be matched with the position of a user's hip joint axis. This arrangement position adjustment does not give the hip joint a sense of incongruity in the walking assist operation and improves the force transmission efficiency.

  Then, the electric motors 50L and 50R are rotated around the hinge axis (sagittal axis) in the sagittal axis direction (the user's longitudinal direction) with respect to the waist orthosis 20 by the hinge shafts 35L and 35R and the hinge connecting members 36L and 36R. By being able to rotate around, the user's large abduction as shown in FIG. 6 is not hindered. Further, the user's waist twist as shown in FIG. 7 is not hindered. As described above, the walking assist device 10 according to the present embodiment secures the degree of freedom of the user's hip joint inward and outward rotation and does not give the hip joint a sense of incongruity during the inward and outward rotation.

  The above-described electric motor 50L, 50R arrangement position adjustment is a simple mechanism including only the recess 41 and the stopper protrusion 42 incorporated in the hinge mechanism, and does not require many dedicated parts. By simply putting the motors 50L and 50R in a normal suspended state and lifting the electric motors 50L and 50R to a horizontal posture, the operation can be easily performed without using a tool.

  The angle brackets 37L and 37R extend obliquely downward and forward from the hinge connecting members 36L and 38R and are fixedly connected to the mounting tongues 52L and 52R on the upper side of the electric motors 50L and 50R, so that a vertical axis is generated there. There is no.

  Therefore, the C-shaped waist frame 21 of the waist orthosis 20 is shortened so that the left and right ends 21L and 21R of the back waist frame 21 do not hit the hip joint of the user so as not to hinder the hip joint inward and outward movement. In addition, even if the center positions of the output members 51L and 51R of the electric motors 50L and 50R are aligned with the position of the hip joint axis of the user, the hinge portion and the electric motors 50L and 50R have an L-shaped bracket structure. There is no.

  As a result, the electric motors 50L and 50R are not easily displaced around the vertical axis, and the hip joint is not discomforted in the walking assist operation.

It is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the walking auxiliary device by the present invention. It is a front view of the walk auxiliary device by this embodiment. It is a perspective view of the principal part of the walk auxiliary device by this embodiment. It is a perspective view at the time of position adjustment of the principal part of the walk auxiliary device by this embodiment. It is a front view of the principal part of the walk auxiliary device by this embodiment. It is a figure which shows one exercise state of the user with which the walking assistance apparatus was mounted | worn. It is a figure which shows the other exercise | movement state of the user with which the walking assistance apparatus was mounted | worn.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Walking assistance apparatus 20 Lumbar orthosis 21, Lumbar frame 35L, 35R Hinge shaft 36L, 36R Hinge connection member 37L, 37R Angle bracket 41 Recess 42 Stopper protrusion 50L, 50R Electric motor 60L, 60R Power transmission arm 63L, 63R Upper member 64L , 64R Lower member 70L, 70R Thigh orthosis

Claims (5)

A lumbar orthosis worn on the user's lumbar region, a power generating means attached to the lumbar orthosis and arranged at a position corresponding to the left and right hip joints of the user, and an upper end connected to an output member of the power generating means A walking assist device that has a power transmission arm and a thigh brace that is attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and is attached to a user's thigh, and that provides assisting force to the thigh movement. ,
A hinge shaft provided at an attachment portion of the power generation means of the waist orthosis and having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of the user;
A hinge connecting member attached to the power generating means and engaged so as to be rotatable around a central axis of the hinge shaft and movable in the axial direction;
Fixing means for fixedly setting the moving position of the hinge connecting member in the axial direction so as to be changeable;
A walking assist device. The fixing means includes a plurality of stopper protrusions integrally provided on the hinge connecting member, and a plurality of the protrusions provided at the hinge shaft attachment portion of the waist orthosis and spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the hinge shaft. And a plurality of recesses,
When the power generating means is in a rotation angle range suspended downward with respect to the hinge shaft, the stopper projecting piece enters the concave portion and prohibits axial movement of the hinge connecting member, The walking according to claim 1, wherein when the power generation means is in a rotation angle posture horizontal with respect to the hinge shaft, the stopper projecting piece escapes from the recess and permits the hinge connecting member to move in the axial direction. Auxiliary device.   The hinge connecting member and the power generating means are connected by an angle bracket that extends obliquely downward and forward from the hinge connecting member and is fixedly connected to the upper side of the power generating means, and the power generating means is connected to the hinge connecting member. The walking assistance device according to claim 1, which is located obliquely below and forward. A lumbar orthosis worn on the user's lumbar region, a power generating means attached to the lumbar orthosis and arranged at a position corresponding to the left and right hip joints of the user, and an upper end connected to an output member of the power generating means A walking assist device that has a power transmission arm and a thigh brace that is attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and is attached to a user's thigh, and that provides assisting force to the thigh movement. ,
A hinge shaft provided at an attachment portion of the power generation means of the waist orthosis and having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of the user;
A hinge connecting member attached to the power generating means and engaged so as to be rotatable around a central axis of the hinge shaft and movable in the axial direction;
Fixing means for fixing and setting the moving position of the hinge connecting member in the axial direction so as to be changeable;
The power transmission arm includes an upper member connected to the power generation means and a lower member to which the thigh orthosis is attached, and the upper member and the lower member extend in the front-rear direction of the user. A walking assist device that is flexibly connected to each other by a hinge having a hinge axis. A lumbar orthosis worn on the user's lumbar region, a power generating means attached to the lumbar orthosis and arranged at a position corresponding to the left and right hip joints of the user, and an upper end connected to an output member of the power generating means A walking assist device that has a power transmission arm and a thigh brace that is attached to the lower end of the power transmission arm and is attached to a user's thigh, and that provides assisting force to the thigh movement. ,
A hinge shaft provided at an attachment portion of the power generation means of the waist orthosis and having a central axis extending in the front-rear direction of the user;
A hinge connecting member attached to the power generating means and engaged so as to be rotatable around a central axis of the hinge shaft and movable in the axial direction;
Fixing means for fixedly setting the moving position of the hinge connecting member in the axial direction so that the position of the hinge connecting member can be changed. The hinge connecting member and the power generating means extend obliquely downward and forward from the hinge connecting member and The walking assist device is connected by an angle bracket fixedly connected to an upper side of the generating means, and the power generating means is located obliquely below and forward of the hinge connecting member.

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