JP2010110543A - Walking aid device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking aid device capable of adding assisting force to only one of dorsiflexion and plantar flexion without generating the assisting force to the other. <P>SOLUTION: The walking aid device has a spring unit which supplies force in a direction opposite to a swing direction to a swung foot brace. The spring unit has a first member, a second member and a compression spring, and the second member is freely slidably attached to the first member. The compression spring is disposed at the overlapping part of the first member and the second member, and the compression spring is energized in the direction of pulling the second member into the first member. The first member is provided with a regulation part for regulating the extendable length of the spring to a prescribed length shorter than a natural length. That is, when the spring is compressed to the extendable length or shorter, the compression spring generates restoration force in the direction of pulling the second member into the first member. The second member can be pulled into the first member exceeding the extendable length of the spring. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking assist device that is attached to a user's lower leg and foot and applies a restoring force by a spring to a swinging foot. In the present specification, “foot” does not mean the entire leg, but means a portion at the tip rather than the ankle.

  2. Description of the Related Art A walking assist device that includes a leg brace and a leg brace that is swingably coupled to the leg brace is known. Such a walking assistance device is sometimes called a lower limb orthosis. The walking assist device further includes a spring unit that has one end connected to the foot orthosis and the other end connected to the lower leg orthosis, and applies a force in a direction opposite to the swinging direction to the swinging foot orthosis. . Hereinafter, a force (spring restoring force) applied by the spring unit in a direction opposite to the swinging direction of the foot orthosis may be referred to as assistance force. This assistance power assists the user's walking motion. Examples of such walking assistance devices are disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2.

JP-A-9-206347 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-1034437

  When a spring is simply interposed between the foot orthosis and the lower leg orthosis, an assisting force acts on the foot orthosis in either the dorsiflexion or the plantar flexion. Depending on the condition of the user, it may be preferable to apply the assisting force only in one of the dorsiflexion and bottom flexion directions. A first object of the present invention is to provide a walking assistance device that can apply assistance force only to one of dorsiflexion and bottom flexion and does not generate assistance force on the other.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a walk assistance apparatus is lightweight. For example, if a wire can be employed for a connecting member that connects a spring unit and a leg brace or a connecting member that connects a spring unit and a foot orthosis, the weight can be reduced. However, when a wire is used as the connecting member, it is necessary to always apply tension to the wire in order to prevent the wire from sagging. In order to prevent the wire from slackening, the tension is a force different from the assistance force that should originally be applied to the foot orthosis. That is, the tension for preventing the slack of the wire becomes a useless load on the user. The second object of the present invention is to provide a walking assistance device that can apply a tension smaller than the assistance force to prevent the wire from loosening when the assistance force is not required.

  A walking assist device for realizing the first object includes a spring unit that applies a force in a direction opposite to a swinging direction to a swinging leg brace. The spring unit includes a first member, a second member, and a compression spring. The second member is slidably attached to the first member. The compression spring is disposed at an overlapping portion of the first member and the second member. The compression spring urges the second member in the direction in which the second member is pulled into the first member. The first member is provided with a restricting portion that restricts the extendable length of the spring to a predetermined length shorter than the natural length. That is, when the spring is compressed below the extendable length, the compression spring generates a restoring force in a direction in which the second member is pulled into the first member. This spring unit is characterized in that the second member can be retracted into the first member beyond the extendable length.

  In the spring unit, the tip of the first member (the end opposite to the end that stops the spring) is connected to the foot orthosis, and the tip of the second member (the end that stops the spring) The opposite end) is connected to the lower leg brace. Conversely, the tip of the first member may be connected to the lower leg orthosis and the tip of the second member may be connected to the foot orthosis.

  In order to explain the function of the spring unit, it is assumed that the spring unit is arranged on the calf side. In the spring unit described above, when the foot orthosis is bent and the second member extends from the first member, the compression spring is compressed and a restoring force is generated in a direction in which the second member is pulled. That is, when the foot orthosis is dorsiflexed, the spring unit generates an assisting force that pulls the foot orthosis back in the bottom bending direction. When the foot orthosis swings in the bottom bending direction and the second member is drawn and the spring comes into contact with the restricting portion, the spring cannot extend any further. When the leg brace further bends, the second member is drawn into the first member beyond the extendable length. The force of the spring does not act on the second member that is drawn beyond the extendable length. That is, the foot orthosis does not apply assistance in the dorsiflexion direction to the foot orthosis.

  The total length of the spring unit when the spring comes into contact with the restricting portion is referred to as a reference length. This spring unit generates a pulling force when it extends longer than the reference length, and does not generate a force when it becomes shorter than the reference length. By adopting such a spring unit, the walking assist device generates an assisting force only in one of dorsiflexion and bottom flexion. Here, if the spring unit is arranged on the shin side, a walking assist device that generates assistance force only in the dorsiflexion direction is realized, and if the spring unit is arranged on the calf side, assistance force is generated only in the bottom bending direction. A walking assist device is realized.

  When the above-described spring unit is employed, a walking assistance device having different spring constants in the dorsiflexion direction and the bottom flexion direction can be realized. Such a walking assistance device has the following technical features. (1) Spring units are arranged on the shin side and the calf side of the lower leg orthosis. (2) The spring constants of the springs of the respective spring units are different from each other. (3) When the spring of either one of the spring units is compressed more than the extendable length, a relationship is established in which the spring of the other spring unit maintains the extendable length.

  The walking assist device for realizing the second object includes a spring unit having the following technical features. The spring unit includes a spring set in which two springs having different spring constants are connected in series, a first member that connects one end of the spring set and the lower leg orthosis, and a second member that connects the other end of the spring set and the foot orthosis. It has. And at least one part of the 1st member and the 2nd member is a wire. Of the spring sets connected in series, a spring having a large spring constant is referred to as a main spring, and a spring having a small spring constant is referred to as an auxiliary spring. The wire is at least tensioned by an auxiliary spring.

  In this spring unit, the wire is always tensioned by the auxiliary spring. Therefore, the wire does not loosen. While the length of the auxiliary spring is sufficient and the length of the main spring can maintain the original length, only the restoring force of the auxiliary spring acts on the foot orthosis. The spring constant of the auxiliary spring is smaller than the spring constant of the main spring. Therefore, the walking assistance device employing this spring unit can keep the force applied to the swinging leg brace small until the length of the main spring changes. After the length of the auxiliary spring reaches the maximum length (or the shortest length), the length of the main spring changes. The main spring allows the desired assistance force to be applied to the foot orthosis.

  The spring unit may further have the following technical features. A spring set is placed along the lower limb. The first member extends parallel to the spring set and connects the heel side end of the spring set and the lower leg brace. The second member extends parallel to the spring set and connects the knee side end of the spring set and the foot orthosis. The walking assist device including the spring unit configured as described above generates a tensile force when the foot orthosis swings in a direction in which both ends of the spring unit move away. This spring unit can generate a tensile force using a compression spring. In this spring unit, when the auxiliary spring becomes the shortest length and is further pulled, the main spring is compressed and a large assistance force can be applied to the foot orthosis. That is, this walking assist device can apply tension to the wire without applying excessive force to the foot orthosis until the length of the main spring changes.

The technical features of the walking assist device of the embodiment are listed below.
(1) The auxiliary spring 52 is disposed inside the main spring 50. By arranging the auxiliary spring 52 in such a manner, the total length of the spring unit is not increased even though the two springs are used in series.

  A walking assistance device 100 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, the schematic diagram of the walking assistance apparatus 100 is shown. In addition, the code | symbol of parenthesis in FIG. 1 is used when demonstrating the walk assistance apparatus of 3rd Example mentioned later. The walking assist device 100 includes a leg brace 12 attached to the lower leg of the user U and a foot brace 14 attached to the leg of the user U. The lower leg brace 12 and the foot brace 14 are connected by a joint 16 so as to be relatively swingable. When the walking assist device 100 is mounted on the user U, the rotation axis of the joint 16 is positioned substantially coaxially with the pitch axis of the user U's ankle. The pitch axis means an axis extending in the left-right direction of the human body. That is, the joint 16 couples the foot brace 14 to the lower leg brace 12 so that the foot brace 14 can swing in the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion directions. Note that “dorsiflexion” means that the ankle is bent in a direction that brings the toes closer to the shin, and “bottom flexion” means that the ankle is bent in a direction that extends the toes.

  A spring unit 20 is attached between the connecting portion 12a of the lower leg orthosis 12 and the connecting portion 14a of the foot orthosis 14. In other words, the spring unit 20 has one end connected to the connecting portion 12a of the lower leg orthosis 12 and the other end connected to the connecting portion 14a of the foot orthosis 14. The function of the spring unit 20 will be described. The structure of the spring unit 20 will be described later. When the entire length of the spring unit 20 exceeds a predetermined length, the spring unit 20 generates a restoring force in a direction to reduce the total length. The spring unit 20 does not generate a restoring force when it is equal to or shorter than a predetermined length. Below, the full length of the spring unit 20 when starting to generate the restoring force is referred to as a reference length. That is, the walking assist device 100 generates an assisting force to return the foot to the plantar flexion direction when the foot is bent back so that the spring unit 20 extends beyond the reference length. The spring unit 20 does not generate an assisting force when the foot is bent to the extent that it is less than or equal to the reference length.

  A sectional view of the spring unit 20 is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 (A) shows the spring unit 20 when it extends beyond the reference length, and FIG. 2 (B) shows the spring unit 20 when it is below the reference length.

  The spring unit 20 includes a first member 22, a second member 24, and a compression spring 28. One end of the first member 22 is coupled to the connecting portion 12a of the lower leg brace 12. One end of the second member 24 is coupled to the connection portion 14 a of the foot orthosis 14. The connecting portion 12a is located near the user's knee, and the connecting portion 14a is located near the heel. Therefore, the upper side of FIG. 2 is referred to as the knee side, and the lower side is referred to as the heel side.

  The second member 24 is slidably inserted into the first member 22. A spring 28 is disposed at the overlapping portion of the first member 22 and the second member 24. An end portion 28 a on the heel side of the spring 28 is in contact with the bottom surface 22 a on the heel side of the first member 22. An end 28 b on the knee side of the spring 28 is in contact with the spring seat 26. That is, the spring 28 is sandwiched between the bottom surface 22 a and the spring seat 26. The spring seat 26 is provided with a through hole 26a in the center, and the second member 24 passes through the through hole 26a. A stopper 24 a larger than the diameter of the through hole 26 a is formed at the knee-side end of the second member 24. The second member 24 extends to the foot orthosis 14 through a through hole 22 b provided in the bottom surface 22 a of the first member 22. That is, the spring 28 is disposed at the overlapping portion of the first member 22 and the second member 24, and generates a restoring force in a direction of being pulled into the first member 22 when the second member 24 extends from the first member 22. To do. In other words, the spring 28 urges the second member 24 in a direction in which the second member 24 is pulled into the first member 22.

  When the foot orthosis 14 is dorsiflexed, the distance between the connection point 12a of the lower leg orthosis 12 and the connection point 14a of the foot orthosis 14 increases. When the foot orthosis 14 is dorsiflexed, the stopper 24a comes into contact with the spring seat 26 and pushes the spring seat 26 down in the heel direction. At this time, the spring seat 26 compresses the spring 28. The compressed spring 28 applies a restoring force (assisting force) for pulling back in the plantar bending direction to the foot orthosis 14.

  A restricting portion 22 c is provided on the inner wall of the first member 22. The restricting portion 22c restricts the movement of the spring seat 26 to the knee side. When the spring seat 26 comes into contact with the restricting portion 22c, the spring 28 cannot extend any further. The symbol L indicates the distance from the bottom surface 22a of the first member 22 to the restricting portion 22c, and indicates the length that the spring 28 can extend. The stopper 24a of the second member 24 can be separated from the spring seat 26 in the knee direction. Therefore, the second member 24 can be drawn into the first member 22 beyond the extendable length L of the spring 28. In other words, the rear end (stopper 24a) of the second member 24 can move to the knee side beyond the extendable length L of the spring 28. In other words, the spring unit 20 is configured such that the second member 24 can be retracted into the first member 22 even after the spring 28 reaches the extendable length L. The distance L is set to a length shorter than the natural length of the spring 28.

  When the foot orthosis 14 swings in the plantar bending direction, the stopper 24a of the second member 24 moves to the knee side beyond the restricting portion 22c, as shown in FIG. 2 (B). By allowing the stopper 24a to move freely without being restricted by the restricting portion 22c, the foot orthosis 14 is allowed to swing in the bottom bending direction. On the other hand, the spring 28 cannot extend beyond the distance L. With such a structure, no restoring force acts on the foot orthosis 14 when the stopper 24a moves to the knee side beyond the restricting portion 22c. The total length of the spring unit 20 when the spring seat 26 is in contact with the restricting portion 22c and also in contact with the stopper 24a corresponds to the reference length described above. That is, the walking assist device 100 does not apply assisting force to the foot orthosis 14 when the foot orthosis 14 swings as the spring unit 20 becomes shorter than the reference length. Here, the assisting force corresponds to the restoring force of the spring acting on the foot orthosis 14 in the direction opposite to the swinging direction. The walking assist device 100 generates an assisting force toward the bottom bending direction with respect to the swing of the foot orthosis 14 in the dorsiflexing direction, but does not generate an assisting force in the dorsiflexion direction. The walking assist device 100 is suitable for a user who needs assistance in the bottom bending direction but does not need assistance in the dorsiflexion direction.

  When the spring unit 20 is arranged on the shin side of the lower leg orthosis, a walking assistance device that generates assist force in the dorsiflexion direction with respect to swinging in the sole flexion direction of the foot orthosis 14 but does not generate the assist force in the sole flexion direction. Realize. Such a walking assist device 100 is suitable for a user who needs assistance in the dorsiflexion direction but does not require assistance in the bottom flexion direction.

  Since the extendable length L of the spring 28 is defined to be shorter than the natural length of the spring 28, the walking assist device 100 is configured so that when the stopper 24a starts to push down the spring seat 26, that is, when the assisting force starts to work. Assistance that changes from zero to a step can be applied.

  (Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a walking assist device 200 of the second embodiment. The walking assist device 200 includes a spring unit 20a on the calf side of the lower leg orthosis 12 and also includes a spring unit 20b on the shin side. The shin side spring unit 20 b is interposed between the connection part 12 b provided on the shin side of the lower leg orthosis 12 and the connection part 14 b provided on the instep part of the foot orthosis 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the spring units 20 a and 20 b are arranged on the dorsiflexion side and the bottom flexion side with the joint 16 in between. The structure of the spring units 20a and 20b is the same as the structure of the spring unit 20 of the first embodiment. However, the spring constant Ka of the spring provided in the spring unit 20a is larger than the spring constant Kb of the spring provided in the spring unit 20b.

  Further, when the spring unit 20a has the reference length, the spring unit 20b is also configured to have the reference length. In other words, when the spring of one spring unit is compressed more than the extendable length, a relationship is established in which the spring of the other spring unit maintains the extendable length. That is, when any one of the spring units generates an assisting force (spring restoring force), the other spring unit is configured not to generate an assisting force. With such a configuration, when the foot orthosis 14 swings in the dorsiflexion direction, the spring unit 20a on the calf side generates an assist force in the bottom flexion direction, and the foot orthosis 14 swings in the bottom flexion direction. In this case, the shin side spring unit 20b generates an assisting force in the dorsiflexion direction. At this time, even if the swinging is performed at the same angle from the neutral position where no assisting force is generated, the assisting force is different between when swinging in the dorsiflexion direction and when swinging in the bottom bending direction. The walking assist device 200 is suitable for a user who has different ease of moving a foot in the dorsiflexion direction and the bottom flexion direction.

  In particular, it is advantageous that the spring constant Ka of the spring unit 20a that generates the assist force in the bottom bending direction is larger than the spring constant Kb of the spring unit 20b that generates the assist force in the dorsiflexion direction. Assistance in the direction of bottom flexion contributes to the protrusion of the foot when leaving the bed. It is preferable that the force when protruding is large. On the other hand, the assisting force in the dorsiflexion direction prevents the toes from drooping to the vertical position during swinging legs. Small assistance is sufficient to prevent toe droop. The walking assist device in which the relationship Ka> Kb is established can apply a large assistance force in the plantar flexion direction that contributes to the protrusion of the foot, and in the dorsiflexion direction that prevents the toes from drooping during the swinging leg. Add only a small assistance.

  (Third Embodiment) A walking assistance apparatus 300 according to the third embodiment will be described. The structure of the walking assistance device 300 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the walking assistance device 100 of the first embodiment except for the structure of the spring unit. In FIG. 1, the walking assist device of the third embodiment is denoted by reference numeral 300. A spring unit included in the walking assist device 300 is denoted by reference numeral 40.

  A sectional view of the spring unit 40 is shown in FIG. The spring unit 40 includes a main spring 50 and an auxiliary spring 52 having a smaller spring constant than the main spring 50. The main spring 50 and the auxiliary spring 52 are connected in series. When the distance between both ends of the spring unit 40 increases (that is, when the foot orthosis 14 is bent back), a compression force acts on the set of the main spring 50 and the auxiliary spring 52. 4A shows a state in which only the auxiliary spring 52 is compressed, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the main spring 50 is compressed together with the auxiliary spring 52.

  The structure of the spring unit 40 will be described in detail. The spring unit 40 includes a first member 42 and a second member 60. The first member 42 includes a wire 42a and an outer cylinder 42b. The second member 60 includes a wire 60a and a stopper 60b. The wire 42a is connected to the outer cylinder 42b via a length adjusting screw 70. One end of the first member 42 is coupled to the connecting portion 12a of the lower leg orthosis 12. One end of the second member 60 is coupled to the connection portion 14a of the foot orthosis 14. The connecting portion 12a is located near the user's knee, and the connecting portion 14a is located near the heel. Therefore, the upper side of FIG. 4 is referred to as the knee side, and the lower side is referred to as the heel side.

An inner cylinder 44 is slidably disposed inside the outer cylinder 42b. A flange is formed at the knee-side end of the inner cylinder 44. A main spring 50 is disposed between the flange side bottom surface 42 c of the outer cylinder 42 b and the flange of the inner cylinder 44. A cushioning material 72 is disposed between the knee-side bottom surface of the outer cylinder 42b and the flange. As shown in FIG. 4A, the extendable length of the main spring 50 is restricted to L1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an auxiliary spring 52 is disposed in the cylinder of the inner cylinder 44. The heel side end portion 52 b of the auxiliary spring 52 is in contact with the bottom surface of the inner cylinder 44, and the knee side end portion 52 a of the auxiliary spring 52 is in contact with the stopper 60 b of the second member 60.

  The main spring 50 and the auxiliary spring 52 are connected in series via the inner cylinder 44. More specifically, the knee-side end portion 50 a of the main spring 50 and the heel-side end portion 52 b of the auxiliary spring 52 are connected via the inner cylinder 44. When the main spring 50 and the auxiliary spring 52 are collectively referred to as a spring set, the end portion 50b corresponds to the heel side end portion of the spring set, and the end portion 52a corresponds to the knee side end portion of the spring set. Therefore, the heel side end portion 50b of the spring set is connected to the lower leg device 12 via the first member 42, and the knee side end portion 52a of the spring set is connected to the foot device 14 via the second member 60. Has been. The first member 42, the second member 60, and the spring set are arranged coaxially. Therefore, when both ends of the spring unit 40 are spread, the main spring 50 and the auxiliary spring 52, which are compression springs, are connected to the spring unit 40. Generates tensile force at both ends.

  The spring unit 40 is disposed on the calf side of the lower leg orthosis 12. Therefore, when the foot orthosis 14 swings in the dorsiflexion direction, the walking assist device 300 applies assistance force in the plantar flexion direction to the foot orthosis 14.

  As described above, the spring constant of the auxiliary spring 52 is smaller than the spring constant of the main spring 50. Therefore, when the foot orthosis 14 swings in the dorsiflexion direction, the restoring force (assisting force) generated by the spring set is almost governed by the spring constant of the auxiliary spring 52 until the auxiliary spring 52 reaches the shortest length L2. The On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, after the auxiliary spring 52 is compressed to the shortest length L2, the main spring 50 starts to be compressed when the foot orthosis 14 is further bent back. After the main spring 50 is shortened, the restoring force generated by the spring set is governed by the spring constant of the main spring 50. As described above, the spring unit 40 does not generate a large assisting force in the foot orthosis 14 as long as the auxiliary spring 52 has a sufficient length to be compressed. At this time, tension is applied to the wires 42 a and 60 a by a slight restoring force by the auxiliary spring 52. Therefore, the slack of the wires 42a and 60a can be prevented without applying a large assistance force to the foot orthosis 14.

  On the other hand, when the foot orthosis 14 is bent back and the auxiliary spring 52 reaches the shortest length L2, the main spring 50 is compressed when the foot orthosis 14 is further bent back. At this time, the restoring force of the main spring 50 is applied to the foot orthosis 14 as an assisting force. The walking assist device 300 including the spring unit 40 can be reduced in weight by employing a wire. The walking assist device 300 can apply a low tension for preventing looseness to the wire when the swing angle of the foot orthosis 14 is a predetermined value or less, and can apply a large assistance force when the swing angle exceeds a predetermined value. . Here, the predetermined value of the swing angle corresponds to the swing angle when the main spring 50 maintains the extendable length L1 and the auxiliary spring 52 has the shortest length L2.

  Other features of the spring unit 40 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary spring 52 is disposed inside the main spring 50. With such an arrangement, while using two springs having different spring constants, the overall length of the spring unit is substantially the same as when only the main spring is used. The spring unit 40 does not increase the overall length while using two springs having different spring constants.

  The walking assist device 300 according to the third embodiment can employ a wire to connect the spring units without slackening for weight reduction. The walking assist device 300 can apply a small tension for preventing the slack of the wire connecting the spring unit when no assisting force is required. The outline of the walking assistance device 300 is as follows. The walking assist device 300 includes a spring unit 40 that applies a force in a direction opposite to the swinging direction to the swinging leg brace. The spring unit 40 includes a spring set in which two springs having different spring constants are connected in series, a first member that connects one end of the spring set and the lower leg orthosis, and a second member that connects the other end of the spring set and the foot orthosis. It has. And at least one part of the 1st member and the 2nd member is a wire. Of the spring sets connected in series, a spring having a small spring constant gives the wire a tension that is not as great as the assistance force.

  Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical usefulness by achieving one of the objects.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the walking assist device of the first embodiment and the third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the spring unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the walking assistance device of the third embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the spring unit of the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

12: Leg brace 14: Foot brace 16: Joint 20: Spring unit 22: First member 24: Second member 26: Spring seat 28: Spring 40: Spring unit 42: First member 42a: Wire 42b: Outer cylinder 50: Main spring 52: auxiliary spring 60: second member 60a: wire 60b: stopper 100, 200, 300: walking assist device

Claims (4)

Lower leg brace,
A foot orthosis swingably connected to the lower leg orthosis;
A spring unit having one end connected to the lower leg brace and the other end connected to the leg brace,
Spring unit is
A first member;
A second member slidably attached to the first member;
A spring disposed in an overlapping portion of the first member and the second member, and urging the second member in a direction in which the second member is pulled into the first member,
The first member is provided with a restricting portion for restricting the extendable length of the spring to a predetermined length shorter than the natural length, and the second member can be drawn into the first member beyond the extendable length. A walking assistance device characterized by.   Spring units are arranged on the shin side and calf side of the lower leg brace, and the spring constants of the spring units are different from each other, and the spring of either one of the spring units is compressed more than the extendable length. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein a relationship is maintained in which the spring of the other spring unit maintains an extendable length. Lower leg brace,
A foot orthosis swingably connected to the lower leg orthosis;
A spring unit having one end connected to the lower leg brace and the other end connected to the leg brace,
Spring unit is
A spring set in which two springs having different spring constants are connected in series;
A first member connecting one end of the spring set and the lower leg brace;
A second member connecting the other end of the spring set and the foot orthosis,
A walking assist device, wherein at least a part of the first member and the second member is a wire. A spring set is placed along the lower leg,
The first member extends parallel to the spring set, and connects the heel side end of the spring set and the lower leg orthosis,
The walking auxiliary device according to claim 3, wherein the second member extends parallel to the spring set and connects the knee-side end portion of the spring set and the foot orthosis.

Images