JP2013052159A - Walking assistance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walking assistance device made simple and inexpensive without using electric energy at all.SOLUTION: This walking assistance device 20 including a lower leg brace 4, a foot brace 5, and an actuator 3 includes: a support shaft 7 swingably journaling the foot brace 5; and a pump means 2 disposed below a sole front part of a wearer. The actuator 3 includes: a case body 10; a volume variable means 13 to which compressed air is supplied from the pump means 2 to inflate and from which the compressed air is discharged to the pump means 2 to contract; a pressure reception member 11 disposed on one side of the volume variable means 13, receiving pressure at the time of the inflation of the volume variable means 13, and swinging the foot brace 5 in the plantar flexion direction to the lower leg brace 4; and an energizing member 12 energizing the volume variable means 13 through the pressure reception member 11 so as to contract the volume variable means 13. When a tiptoe of the wearer separates from the ground, the compressed air is discharged from the volume variable means 13 to the pump means 2 by the reaction force of the energizing member 12 to swing the foot brace 5 in the dorsiflexion direction to the lower leg brace 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking support device that supports the walking motion of a wearer using the weight of the wearer.

  Falling while walking is one of the top causes of accidents among elderly people, and once elderly people fall, they tend to break easily and even become bedridden. This is considered to be because elderly people tend to stumble with a slight step due to a decrease in muscle strength of the ankle dorsiflexion group muscles. Moreover, since there are obstacles in the lower limbs due to illness or injury as well as elderly people, walking may be difficult. Walking is indispensable in independent daily life, and development of devices that support walking is underway.

  Several walking assistance devices have been developed so far, and the walking assistance devices are classified into those using passive elements such as springs and those that actively support walking motion using actuators. As the prior art in the former, one that lifts the toe using the reaction force of a spring installed on the heel (see Patent Document 1) or the calf muscle uplift when the foot is raised. As described above, a mechanism devised in this way (refer to Patent Document 2), a technique using a pneumatic passive element whose rigidity can be adjusted by a change in internal pressure (refer to Non-Patent Document 1), and the like have been reported.

  On the other hand, as the prior art in the latter, one that adjusts the moment of the ankle joint using an MR fluid whose viscosity changes with a magnetic field (see Non-Patent Document 2), and one that supports the movement of the entire lower limb using a pneumatic cylinder ( Non-patent document 3).

  Further, the technique described in Non-Patent Document 4 has been conventionally performed by the inventor of the present application, and the principle is the same as that of the present invention in terms of using the weight of the wearer. It is completely different from the viewpoint.

JP-A-10-262706 JP 2007-195900 A

Ozawa et al .: Development of short leg braces using pneumatic passive elements, Proceedings of Robotics and Mechatronics Lecture 2007, 1A2-K02, 2007 Akazawa et al .: Research and development of short leg braces using mechatronics, 2003 Hyogo Welfare Community Development Research Institute report Tkayoshi Fuji et al. , Development of Pneumatically Assisted Walking System, Proc. of the 6th JFPS Int. Symp. On Fluid Power, pp. 734-739, 2005 Masahiro Takaiwa et al. “Development of Energy Autonomous Type Pneumatic Walking Support Shoees”, J. Am. of Robotics and Mechatronics, Vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 353-358, 2009

However, among the conventional techniques as described above, those using the restoring force of the spring are advantageous from the viewpoint of energy, but it is not easy to achieve a large support effect in terms of the mechanism. On the other hand, a device that actively supports using an actuator can obtain a high support effect, but has a problem that the device becomes large. Furthermore, an apparatus that actively supports using an actuator is mechanically complicated and expensive, or requires electrical energy when driving the actuator or the like.
Then, this invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the simple and cheap walk assistance apparatus which does not use any electrical energy.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

That is, in claim 1,
Lower leg brace worn on the lower leg of the wearer;
A foot orthosis that is attached to the foot of the wearer and is connected to the lower leg orthosis so as to be swingable in the direction of plantar flexion and dorsiflexion;
An actuator for swinging the leg brace with respect to the lower leg brace,
A support shaft that is provided at the ankle joint portion of the lower leg orthosis and pivotally supports the foot orthosis such that it can swing;
A pump means that is disposed below the front part of the sole of the wearer, and generates and compresses compressed air by being stepped on the front part of the sole during weight movement of the wearer at the end of stance. Prepared,
The actuator is
A case body integrally fixed to the foot orthosis;
A volume which is provided in the case body, communicates in an airtight manner with the pump means, and expands when compressed air is supplied from the pump means, and the volume is variable by discharging the compressed air to the pump means and contracting. Variable means;
A plate-like shape that is attached to the support shaft and is disposed on one side of the volume variable means, and that swings the foot orthosis in a plantar flexion direction with respect to the lower leg orthosis under pressure when the volume variable means is expanded. A pressure receiving member,
An urging member that urges the variable volume means to contract via the pressure receiving member,
When the toes of the wearer take off, compressed air is discharged from the volume variable means to the pump means by the reaction force of the urging member, so that the foot orthosis is dorsiflexed with respect to the lower leg orthosis. It swings in the direction.

In claim 2,
The pressure receiving member is integrally attached to the support shaft.

In claim 3,
The pressure receiving member is attached to the support shaft so as to be swingable within a predetermined range.

In claim 4,
The volume varying means includes a bag body that can be expanded and contracted, and a bag body holding portion that holds the bag body between the pressure receiving member and a position that is variable with respect to the pressure receiving member.

In claim 5,
The volume variable means is in airtight communication with the pump means by a tube body.

  According to the present invention, since no electrical energy is used, a simple and inexpensive apparatus can be provided.

The side view which shows typically the structure of the walk assistance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the structure of the actuator which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the Example of a walk assistance apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the walk assistance operation | movement by a walk assistance apparatus, (a) is a figure which shows a leg | foot contact state, (b) is a figure which shows the stance end stage, (c) is a figure which shows the free leg initial stage. The figure which shows the ankle joint angle at the time of a walk. The figure which shows the generation | occurrence | production moment of a walk assistance apparatus. The figure which shows operation | movement of a walk assistance apparatus single-piece | unit. The figure which shows the operation | movement at the time of a walk assistance apparatus mounting | wearing. The side view which shows typically the structure of the walk assistance apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The front view which shows the structure of the actuator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The partial cross section side view which shows the passive member (at the time of a wearer's forward leaning attitude | position) attached to the support shaft. The partial cross section side view which shows the passive member (at the time of balloon inflation) attached to the support shaft.

Next, embodiments of the invention will be described.
First, a walking support device 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the walking assist device 20 includes a short leg brace 1, a pump unit 2, and an actuator 3.
Note that in FIG. 1, the heel part 15 of the shoe is also schematically illustrated in consideration of the state where the walking support device 20 is mounted on the shoe.

The short leg brace 1 is a brace for a short leg having a substantially L shape in a side view. The short leg brace 1 is an upper brace of the short leg brace 1 and is a lower leg brace 4 worn on the wearer's lower leg (part from the knee to the ankle) and a lower brace of the short leg brace 1. It comprises a foot orthosis 5 that is attached to a foot and is connected to a foot joint portion 4a (see FIG. 2) of the lower leg orthosis 4 so as to be swingable in the bottom flexion and dorsiflexion directions.
In FIG. 1, the upward arrow direction (clockwise direction) indicates the buckling direction, and the downward arrow direction (counterclockwise direction) indicates the dorsiflexion direction.

  The lower leg brace 4 is a brace that holds the lower leg of the wearer during walking, is placed standing on the leg brace 5 and covers the lower leg back. The lower leg brace 4 is in contact with the lower back of the wearer's lower leg, and is attached to the upper end of the lower leg brace 4 with the detachable attachment belt 6 to stop the front of the lower leg of the wearer. It is to be held integrally. The lower leg brace 4 can be formed using, for example, a synthetic resin such as plastic or an elastic material. The lower leg brace 4 has an ankle joint part 4a (see FIG. 2) that is located at the lower end of the lower leg brace 4 and that corresponds to the wearer's ankle joint. A support shaft 7 is provided on the ankle joint part 4a. It is provided integrally.

  The support shaft 7 is a shaft member that is provided at the ankle joint portion 4a of the lower leg orthosis 4 and pivotally supports the foot orthosis 5 so as to be swingable. The support shaft 7 has a male screw portion 7a formed on the surface thereof. The support shaft 7 is disposed so as to protrude outward by a predetermined length from the outer surface of the ankle joint portion 4 a and is integrally fixed to the ankle joint portion 4 a of the crus orthosis 4. Further, the support shaft 7 becomes a swing shaft of the actuator 3.

  The foot brace 5 is a brace that holds the rear part of the sole of the wearer during walking, is swingably connected to the ankle joint part 4a of the lower leg brace 4, and is a brace that places the rear part of the sole of the wearer. Here, the name of the part of the foot of the wearer will be described. The “foot sole” means a sole part that faces the ground when the wearer is located. More specifically, the wearer can wear shoes or slippers. When wearing footwear such as footwear, it means the sole portion corresponding to the bottom of the footwear. In addition, the above “rear part of the sole” refers to the part of the heel and the arch of the sole, and the “front part of the sole” described later refers to a toe part of the sole that excludes the part of the heel and the arch. Is. The foot orthosis 5 is placed on the back of the sole of the wearer, and the wearer's upper part is stopped by the detachable mounting belt 8 disposed on the side wall of the foot orthosis 5, thereby Is integrally held. The foot orthosis 5 can be formed using, for example, a synthetic resin such as plastic or an elastic material. Further, the foot orthosis 5 has an ankle joint portion 5a that is located at the upper end portion of the foot orthosis 5 and that corresponds to the wearer's ankle joint, and the insertion joint member 9 (see FIG. 2) is connected to the ankle joint portion 5a. Are provided integrally.

  The insertion connecting member 9 is a member that is provided at the foot joint portion 5a of the foot orthosis 5 and that is inserted through the support shaft 7 and connected to the case body 10 described later. The insertion connecting member 9 is a stepped columnar member, and the support shaft 7 is inserted in the width direction of the foot orthosis 5, and the insertion hole 9 a serving as a sliding bearing for the support shaft 7 and the case body 10 are abutted and supported. A columnar protrusion 9b for fixing, and three attachment protrusions 9c for integrally fixing the case body 10 by screw fastening.

  The pump means 2 is disposed below the front part of the sole of the wearer, and generates and compresses compressed air by being stepped on the front part of the sole when shifting the weight of the wearer at the end of stance. It is. As the pump means 2, it is possible to use, for example, a plastic bellows-type foot-type foot pump. In the embodiment of the walking support apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 3, a food packaging member (pouch with spout) that can enclose air in a rectangular shape in plan view is used as the pump means 2. When this food packaging member is used as the pump means 2, it can be easily disposed below the front part of the sole because it has a thin shape as compared with a foot-type foot pump, and can be a compact foot pump. The pump unit 2 includes a port 2a (see FIG. 3) for pumping the generated compressed air to the outside and introducing the compressed air pumped from the volume changing unit 13 described later. As shown in FIG. 3, the port 2a is connected to a balloon 13a disposed in the actuator 3 via an air tube 14 which is a bendable tube body. The air tube 14 serves as communication means capable of air-tight communication between the pump means 2 and the balloon 13a.

  The actuator 3 is for swinging the foot orthosis 5 with respect to the crus orthosis 4 and is a vane-type actuator attached to the ankle joint portion 5 a of the foot orthosis 5. The actuator 3 includes a case body 10, a support shaft 7 that is inserted into the central portion of the case body 10 through an insertion connecting member 9, a vane 11 that is a pressure receiving member, a torsion coil spring 12 that is an urging member, and a volume variable unit. 13.

  The case body 10 is a bottomed cylindrical case member and is integrally fixed to the foot orthosis 5. The case body 10 has an insertion hole 10a for inserting the support shaft 7 at the center and projecting the support shaft 7 in an open manner. The case body 10 is integrally fixed to the foot orthosis 5 through three attachment protrusions 9c. Further, the opening of the case body 10 can be closed to the case body 10 by a lid member (not shown).

  The variable volume means 13 is provided in the case body 10 and communicates with the pump means 2 in an airtight manner. When the compressed air is supplied from the pump means 2 and expands, the compressed air is discharged to the pump means 2. By contracting, the volume can be changed. The volume varying means 13 in this embodiment includes two balloons 13a and 13a which are two inflatable / deflable bags (in the present embodiment, bag-like elastic bodies) disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the support shaft 7. The balloons 13a and 13a are held between a vane 11 which is a pressure receiving member to be described later, and bag body holding portions 13b and 13b whose positions with respect to the vane 11 are variable are provided. The bag body holding portions 13b and 13b are two flat wall members provided integrally in the case body 10 in order to hold one end of each balloon 13a and 13a. The bag body holding portions 13b and 13b are disposed in the case body 10 at positions facing a vane 11 that is a pressure receiving member to be described later, and the balloons 13a and 13a are respectively bags in the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b and the vane 11. It arrange | positions between each opposing surface with the body holding | maintenance part 13b * 13b. Each bag holding part 13b * 13b is arrange | positioned so that it can receive pressure with respect to the pressure of the buckling direction (clockwise direction shown by the upward arrow in FIG. 1) which generate | occur | produces when each balloon 13a * 13a expand | swells. That is, each bag holding part 13b * 13b is arrange | positioned in the position resisting the press of the bottom bending direction of each balloon 13a * 13a. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the bag body holding portions 13 b and 13 b are held so as to maintain a predetermined distance from the vane 11 when the wearer is standing upright (when the balloons 13 a and 13 a are deflated). . The bag body holding portions 13b and 13b move the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b to the interval between the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b and the vane 11 by an adjustment mechanism (not shown) of the interval. The distance can be adjusted by moving closer to or away from the. One end of each of the balloons 13a and 13a is connected to the air tube 14 described above, and the balloons 13a and 13a and the pump means 2 are connected in an airtight manner. Thus, the above-described pump means 2 and each of the balloons 13a and 13a are communicated with each other by the air tube 14, and a predetermined amount of air is sealed in advance and kept airtight.

  The vane 11 is integrally attached to the support shaft 7 and is disposed on one side of each of the balloons 13a and 13a included in the volume varying means 13, and receives the pressure when the volume varying means 13 is inflated to the lower leg brace 4. This is a plate-like pressure receiving member for swinging the foot orthosis 5 in the bottom bending direction. A substantially cylindrical base formed at the center in the length direction of the vane 11 is provided with a screw hole 11a penetrating in the lateral direction of the vane 11 and having a female screw portion formed therein.

  The torsion coil spring 12 is a biasing member that biases the balloons 13a and 13a included in the volume varying means 13 so as to contract via the vane 11 that is a pressure receiving member. The torsion coil spring 12 is disposed on the inner back side of the case body 10 with the support shaft 7 inserted in the center annular portion. The torsion coil spring 12 abuts one end of the torsion coil spring 12 on one side of the vane 11 which is the surface opposite to the surface on which the balloon 13 a abuts, and the other end of the torsion coil spring 12 on the case body 10. It is latched by the coil latching | locking part 10b provided by protruding integrally inside.

  In this way, as shown in FIG. 2, the support shaft 7 included in the crus orthosis 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 9 a of the insertion coupling member 9 included in the foot orthosis 5. And the case body 10 is attached to the foot joint part 5a of the foot orthosis 5 via the three attachment protrusion parts 9c. The torsion coil spring 12 is arranged at a predetermined position on the inner back side of the case body 10 with the support shaft 7 inserted into the center annular portion. The vane 11 is attached by screwing a female screw portion at a base portion thereof to a male screw portion 7 a formed on the support shaft 7, and is integrally fixed to a middle portion of the support shaft 7 by a nut. The outer side of the foot joint 4a of the lower leg orthosis 4 and the inner side of the foot joint 5a of the foot orthosis 5 are slidably arranged. The foot orthosis 5 to which the case body 10 is integrally fixed is pivotally supported on a support shaft 7 connected between the vane 11 and the crus orthosis 4 and is disposed so as to be swingable with respect to the crus orthosis 4. Is done. Balloons 13 a and 13 a are interposed between the bag body holding portions 13 b and 13 b in the case body 10 and the vane 11. Thus, the actuator 3 is disposed outside the ankle joint 5a of the foot orthosis 5.

  As described above, the walking assist device 20 has the vane actuator 3 attached to the ankle joint portion 5a of the foot orthosis 5 of the short leg orthosis 1. A vane 11 is fixed to the lower leg orthosis 4 (upper orthosis) via a support shaft 7, and a case body 10 is fixed to the foot orthosis 5 (lower orthosis). The actuator 3 incorporates a torsion coil spring 12 as an urging means, and the spring reaction force of the torsion coil spring 12 is applied to the rotation (swing) direction in which the foot is pointed (the toe moves downward). Arise. Further, in order to drive the vane 11 against the spring reaction force, balloons 13 a and 13 a are inserted between the bag body holding portions 13 b and 13 b of the case body 10 and the vane 11. The pressure in the balloons 13a and 13a is generated by stepping on the pump means 2 installed in the front part of the sole. A specific walking support operation using the walking support device 20 will be described below.

  Next, the walking support operation by the walking support device 20 configured as described above will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows the walking support operation. After the foot contacts the ground in FIG. 4A, the center of gravity moves forward as shown in FIG. At this time, when the pump means 2 (foot pump) disposed below the front part of the sole is stepped on by the weight of the wearer, the air in the pump means 2 is compressed. It moves to the two balloons 13a and 13a communicated. Then, by driving the vane 11 against the spring reaction force caused by the torsion coil spring 12, the walking assist device 20 is in a pointed state, like the wearer's foot. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the air in the balloons 13a and 13a returns to the pump means 2 by using the restoring force of the torsion coil spring 12 by releasing the toes, and the foot orthosis A dorsiflexion moment is generated at the five foot joints 5a. In other words, the actuator 3 discharges the compressed air from the balloons 13a and 13a of the volume varying means 13 to the pump means 2 by the reaction force of the torsion coil spring 12 when the toe of the wearer leaves, so that the lower leg orthosis 4 In contrast, the foot orthosis 5 can be swung in the dorsiflexion direction. In the walking support device 20, since the pump means 2 (foot pump) is installed in the front part of the sole, the pump means 2 (foot pump) can be firmly compressed by the body weight at the end of the stance where the heel is released, and easy to stroke. It can also be operated when going up and down stairs. Further, in the walking support device 20, a pneumatic circuit is constituted by the pump means 2, the balloons 13a and 13a, and the air tube 14, and since the pneumatic circuit is completely sealed, the walking support device in rainy weather, a puddle, or the like. Can withstand 20 use. Moreover, since the bag holding | maintenance part 13b * 13b can change the position with respect to the vane 11, for example, in the case of a light weight person, the space | interval of the vane 11 and the bag holding | maintenance part 13b * 13b is set. By making the distance closer than the standard interval (the interval between the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b and the vane 11 shown in FIG. 1), or in the case of a person with a heavy weight, the vane 11 and the bag are separated from each other. The amount of pressure received by the body holding portions 13b and 13b by the balloons 13a and 13a can be adjusted. That is, the amount of pressure received by each of the balloons 13a and 13a by the vane 11 and the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b can be adjusted, so that the swing amount of the foot orthosis 5 with respect to the lower leg orthosis 4 can be adjusted. Correspondence to light weight is possible.

  Next, the result verified by experiment about the support effect at the time of walking motion is shown.

(About walking support target by walking support device)
FIG. 5 shows changes in the ankle joint angle during walking. The ankle joint angle is based on an upright state (0 [deg.]), And the dorsiflexion (movement to lift the toe up) direction is positive. After the heel leaves the ground (HO: Heel Off in the figure), the heel is rapidly added, and after the toes are released (TO: Toe Off in the figure), about 20 [deg. ] I'm bent back. Further, in the previous research conducted by the present inventor, 20 [deg. The ankle joint moment necessary for dorsiflexion is about 2 [Nm]. From this, the dorsiflexion moment 2 [Nm], the dorsiflexion angle 20 [deg. ] Is a target value when the support rate is 100%.

  Next, the experimental result which investigated the assistance effect at the time of walking using the walking assistance apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 3 is shown.

  FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the ankle joint angle and the dorsiflexion moment due to the spring reaction force from the standing state (0 [deg.]) To the pointed foot state (about 24 [deg.]). A moment of 0.9 [Nm] is obtained at the maximum cusp angle, which is about 50% of the above-described support target. FIG. 7 shows a result of repeating the operation of stepping on the foot pump with respect to the walking support device 20 in a state where it is not worn. The upper waveform in FIG. 7 shows the pump internal pressure, and the lower waveform in FIG. 7 shows the ankle joint angle. About 20 [deg. It can be confirmed that the pointed foot and the return to the initial state (0 [deg.]) Can be continuously executed.

  FIG. 8 shows the result of an experiment similar to the experiment shown in FIG. 7 with the walking assistance device 20 worn and the legs lifted and weakened. The upper waveform in FIG. 8 shows the pump internal pressure, and the lower waveform in FIG. 8 shows the ankle joint angle. The foot pump is being stepped on by other subjects. When viewed from the side of the device, the foot is loaded and the cusp angle is −15 [deg. ] And smaller than that of FIG. 7, but about −5 [deg. ] So that the device itself has about 10 [deg. ] You can see that you are bending back. This is about half of the required dorsiflexion angle, but from FIG. 6, this apparatus has a support rate of about 50%, which is almost a reasonable result. As a result, a sufficient support effect by the walking support device 20 was confirmed.

Next, a walking support device 40 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In addition, about the walk support apparatus 40 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, about the part which has the same member and the same function as the walk support apparatus 20 mentioned above, the description is abbreviate | omitted, About a different part from the walk support apparatus 20 The explanation will be given.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the walking assist device 40 includes a short leg brace 1, a pump unit 2, and an actuator 3.

The short leg brace 1 is a brace for a short leg having a substantially L shape in a side view. The short leg brace 1 is an upper brace of the short leg brace 1 and is a leg brace 24 to be worn on the lower leg (part from the knee to the ankle) of the wearer and a lower brace of the short leg brace 1. It is composed of a foot orthosis 5 that is attached to a foot and is connected to a foot joint portion 24a (see FIG. 10) of the lower leg orthosis 24 so as to be swingable in the direction of plantar and dorsiflexion.
In FIG. 9, the upward arrow direction (clockwise direction) indicates the bottom bending direction, and the downward arrow direction (counterclockwise direction) indicates the dorsiflexion direction.

  The crus brace 24 is a brace that holds the lower leg of the wearer during walking, is erected on the leg brace 5 and covers the front of the crus. The lower leg brace 24 is in contact with the front surface of the wearer's lower leg, and the wearer's lower leg back is stopped by the wearer's lower back with a detachable attachment belt 26 disposed at the upper end of the lower leg brace 24. It is to be held integrally. The lower leg brace 24 can be formed using, for example, a synthetic resin such as plastic or an elastic material. The lower leg brace 24 has an ankle joint part 24a that is located at the lower end of the lower leg brace 24 and corresponds to the wearer's ankle joint, and a support shaft 27 is provided integrally with the ankle joint part 24a. ing.

  The support shaft 27 is a shaft member that is provided at the ankle joint portion 24a of the lower leg brace 24 and supports the foot brace 5 so as to be swingable. The support shaft 27 has a sliding portion 27a formed on the surface thereof, and can be inserted into a sliding hole 31a of a vane 31 which is a pressure receiving member described later. On the outer peripheral surface of the sliding portion 27a, a guide groove 27b having a predetermined width is formed over the entire circumference. The guide groove 27b guides a positioning screw 28 attached to the base of the vane 31 described later along the swinging direction of the vane 31. The support shaft 27 is disposed so as to protrude outward from the outer surface of the ankle joint portion 24 a by a predetermined length, and is integrally fixed to the ankle joint portion 24 a of the crus orthosis 24. Further, the support shaft 27 becomes a swing shaft of the actuator 3.

  The actuator 3 is for swinging the foot orthosis 5 with respect to the lower leg orthosis 24 and is a vane type actuator attached to the ankle joint portion 5 a of the foot orthosis 5. The actuator 3 includes a case body 10, a support shaft 27 that is inserted into the center of the case body 10 through the insertion connecting member 9, a vane 31 that is a pressure receiving member, a torsion coil spring 12 that is an urging member, and a variable volume means. 13.

  The case body 10 is a bottomed cylindrical case member and is integrally fixed to the foot orthosis 5. The case body 10 has a support shaft 27 inserted in the center thereof, and an insertion hole 10a for projecting and arranging the support shaft 27 is opened. The case body 10 is integrally fixed to the foot orthosis 5 through three attachment protrusions 9c. Further, the opening of the case body 10 can be closed to the case body 10 by a lid member (not shown).

  The vane 31 is attached to the support shaft 27 so as to be swingable within a predetermined range and is disposed on one side of each of the balloons 13a and 13a included in the volume variable means 13, and receives the pressure when the volume variable means 13 is inflated. This is a plate-like pressure receiving member for swinging the foot orthosis 5 in the plantar flexion direction with respect to the lower leg orthosis 24. A substantially cylindrical base formed at the center of the vane 31 in the longitudinal direction is provided with a sliding hole 31a for passing the transverse direction of the vane 31 and inserting the support shaft 27 therein. A screw hole is formed in the base of the vane 31 at a position corresponding to the guide groove 27b perpendicular to the axial direction of the vane 31, and a hexagonal socket positioning screw 28 can be screwed into the screw hole. . By screwing the positioning screw 28 into the screw hole, the tip of the positioning screw 28 protrudes into the sliding hole 31a for a predetermined length (see FIG. 11), and the guide groove of the support shaft 27 inserted into the sliding hole 31a. It is guided by 27b and can be locked by one end of the guide groove 27b.

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 10, the support shaft 27 of the lower leg brace 24 is inserted into the insertion hole 9 a of the insertion coupling member 9 of the foot brace 5. And the case body 10 is attached to the foot joint part 5a of the foot orthosis 5 via the three attachment protrusion parts 9c. The torsion coil spring 12 is arranged at a predetermined position on the inner back side of the case body 10 with the support shaft 27 inserted in the central annular portion. The vane 31 is attached by inserting the support shaft 27 into a slide hole 31a at the base thereof, and is attached to the middle portion of the support shaft 27 by a nut. The positioning screw 28 is screwed into a screw hole provided in the base portion of the support shaft 27, and the tip of the positioning screw 28 is provided so as to protrude into the guide groove 27b. The outer side of the foot joint part 24a of the lower leg orthosis 24 and the inner side of the foot joint part 5a of the foot orthosis 5 are slidably arranged. The foot brace 5 to which the case body 10 is integrally fixed is pivotally supported on a support shaft 27 connected between the vane 31 and the crus brace 24, and is disposed so as to be swingable with respect to the crus brace 24. Is done. Balloons 13 a and 13 a are interposed between the bag holding portions 13 b and 13 b in the case body 10 and the vane 31. Thus, the actuator 3 is disposed outside the ankle joint 5a of the foot orthosis 5.

  Next, the walking support operation by the walking support device 40 configured as described above will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 4, 11, and 12.

  FIG. 4 shows the walking support operation. After the foot contacts the ground in FIG. 4A, the center of gravity moves forward as shown in FIG. At this time, when the pump means 2 (foot pump) disposed below the front part of the sole is stepped on by the weight of the wearer, the air in the pump means 2 is compressed. It moves to the two balloons 13a and 13a communicated. Then, by driving the vane 31 against the spring reaction force caused by the torsion coil spring 12, the walking support device 40 is in a pointed state, like the wearer's foot. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the air in the balloons 13a and 13a returns to the pump means 2 by using the restoring force of the torsion coil spring 12 by releasing the toes, and the foot orthosis A dorsiflexion moment is generated at the five foot joints 5a. In other words, the actuator 3 discharges the compressed air from the balloons 13a and 13a of the volume varying means 13 to the pump means 2 by the reaction force of the torsion coil spring 12 when the toe of the wearer leaves, so that the lower leg orthosis 4 In contrast, the foot orthosis 5 can be swung in the dorsiflexion direction. In the walking support device 40, since the pump means 2 (foot pump) is installed in the front part of the bottom of the foot, the pump means 2 (foot pump) can be firmly compressed by the body weight at the end of the stance where the heel is released, and easy to stroke. It can also be operated when going up and down stairs. In the walking support device 40, a pneumatic circuit is constituted by the pump means 2, the balloons 13a and 13a, and the air tube 14. Since the pneumatic circuit is completely sealed, the walking support device in rainy weather, a puddle, etc. Can withstand use of 40. Moreover, since the bag body holding parts 13b and 13b can change the position with respect to the vane 31, for example, in the case of a lighter person, the interval between the vane 31 and the bag body holding parts 13b and 13b is By making the distance closer than the standard interval (the interval between the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b and the vane 31 shown in FIG. 1), or in the case of a person with a heavy weight, the vane 31 and the bag are separated from each other. The amount of pressure received by the body holding portions 13b and 13b by the balloons 13a and 13a can be adjusted. In other words, the amount of pressure received by each of the balloons 13a and 13a by the vane 31 and the bag body holding portions 13b and 13b is variable, so that the swinging amount of the foot orthosis 5 with respect to the lower leg orthosis 24 can be adjusted. Correspondence to light weight is possible.

  Furthermore, in the walking support device 40, as shown in FIG. 11, when the wearer takes a forward leaning posture, that is, when the lower leg brace 24 integrally attached to the lower leg of the wearer is inclined, the lower leg is tilted. Even if the support shaft 27 fixed integrally with the brace 24 slides on the vane 31, the positioning screw 28 is not locked in a predetermined range corresponding to the guide groove 27b, and the wearer can naturally It is possible to take a forward leaning posture. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, when the balloons 13a and 13a are inflated, the vane 31 is locked by the positioning screw 28 at one end of the guide groove 27b provided on the support shaft 27. Can be accumulated.

  The walking support devices 20 and 40 according to the present embodiment can support walking of the wearer regardless of whether indoors or outdoors, by being incorporated in shoes, slippers, or the like.

  As described above, the walking support devices 20 and 40 according to the present embodiment have the foot pump that is the pump unit 2 installed in the front part of the sole using the weight (positional energy) of the wearer when the foot is in contact with the ground. By walking, it generates compressed air and drives the vane-type actuator 3 when the toe leaves, generating a moment (dorsiflexion moment) for turning the toes upward in the ankle portion 5a of the foot orthosis 5. It is a mechanism that supports

  The present invention actively supports the dorsiflexion movement of the ankle joint with the aim of enabling elderly people who tend to be in a cusp state during the swing phase due to a decrease in dorsiflexion group muscle strength and people with disabilities in the lower limbs to walk without tripping. Developed a walking support device. This device converts the energy of compressed air generated using the wearer's weight (potential energy) into work around the ankle joint, and has the feature of not using any electrical energy. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a simple and inexpensive walking support apparatus that can be reduced in size and weight, and can be manufactured at low cost.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Short leg brace 2 Pump means 3 Actuator 4 Lower leg brace 4a Ankle joint part 5 Foot brace 7 Support shaft 10 Case body 11, 31 Vane (pressure receiving member)
12 Torsion coil spring (biasing member)
13 Volume variable means 13a Balloon 13b Bag body holding part 20, 40 Walking support device

Claims (5)

Lower leg brace worn on the lower leg of the wearer;
A foot orthosis that is attached to the foot of the wearer and is connected to the lower leg orthosis so as to be swingable in the direction of plantar flexion and dorsiflexion;
An actuator for swinging the leg brace with respect to the lower leg brace,
A support shaft that is provided at the ankle joint portion of the lower leg orthosis and pivotally supports the foot orthosis such that it can swing;
A pump means that is disposed below the front part of the sole of the wearer, and generates and compresses compressed air by being stepped on the front part of the sole during weight movement of the wearer at the end of stance. Prepared,
The actuator is
A case body integrally fixed to the foot orthosis;
A volume which is provided in the case body, communicates in an airtight manner with the pump means, and expands when compressed air is supplied from the pump means, and the volume is variable by discharging the compressed air to the pump means and contracting. Variable means;
A plate-like shape that is attached to the support shaft and is disposed on one side of the volume variable means, and that swings the foot orthosis in a plantar flexion direction with respect to the lower leg orthosis under pressure when the volume variable means is expanded. A pressure receiving member,
An urging member that urges the variable volume means to contract via the pressure receiving member,
When the toes of the wearer take off, compressed air is discharged from the volume variable means to the pump means by the reaction force of the urging member, so that the foot orthosis is dorsiflexed with respect to the lower leg orthosis. A walking support device that swings in a direction.   The walking support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure receiving member is integrally attached to the support shaft.   The walking support device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure receiving member is attached to the support shaft so as to be swingable within a predetermined range.   The volume changing means includes a bag body that can be expanded and contracted, and a bag body holding section that holds the bag body between the pressure receiving member and a position that is variable with respect to the pressure receiving member. The walking support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The walking support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the volume changing means is in airtight communication with the pump means by a tube body.

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