JP2017213167A - Motion aid system of user in indoor place - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To aid a walking motion of a user such as an elderly in an indoor place by a method suspending a user from an upper side.SOLUTION: A motion aid system includes: a wearing vest 670 holding an upper half body of a use U and having a string-shaped member 662 attached thereto; an actuator 630 connected to the string-shaped member 662, suspending the wearing vest 670 holding the user U form an upper side, and capable of performing a take-up motion of lifting the wearing vest 670 via the string-shaped member 662 and a delivery motion of lowering the wearing vest; and a rail 600 sliding and holding the actuator 630 for the user U to walk and move. When it is anticipated that the user U falls, the actuator 630 executes the delivery motion of lowering the wearing vest 670 until the user falls such that impact which the user U receives along with falling becomes a predetermined value or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to elderly people with weakness in the lower limbs or disorders of the lower limbs in rooms such as general residences, rehabilitation (hereinafter simply referred to as rehabilitation) facilities, and nursing homes (referring to general facilities where elderly people live). System that assists users (both of which are not limited to elderly people but may be referred to simply as “users” below), especially for systems that suspend users from above Not related to the system.

An apparatus for assisting an operation such as walking has been developed for an elderly user such as a weak leg person or a leg handicapped person. As an example of such a device, a rail is laid on the ceiling of the room, and a suspension member that holds the user's body is suspended from a sliding member that slides on the rail, thereby assisting the user's operation such as walking. Things are known.
In an elderly person who is an example of a user who needs such a device, fractures at the time of falls in daily life frequently occur due to osteoporosis associated with the elderly. In order to prevent a fracture at the time of a fall, in such a device, when the user loses his / her posture, the length of the hanging strap that suspends the hanging tool is limited (locked) so that the user can Even if it breaks down, it keeps without falling.

  Thus, in the method of hanging the user from above, the force acting on the user includes gravity corresponding to the weight of the user, force corresponding to acceleration generated when the posture is broken (acceleration accompanying change in the posture of the user), In addition, there is a force corresponding to the impact acceleration (acceleration caused by the impact of the user's body colliding with the floor surface), and these forces are finally received by a rail laid on the ceiling. Actually, the strength of the rail itself and the mounting strength between the rail and the ceiling are determined in consideration of the safety factor in the sum of these forces.

  For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-093005 (Patent Document 1) discloses a walking assist device that assists a user to get off an inclined portion formed of a staircase or a slope. This walking assist device is provided above the inclined portion, and is supported by the support rail via the rotating body in a plan view and extending along the inclined direction of the inclined portion, and by the rotation of the rotating body. The movable body is movable along the support rail, and is suspended and supported by the movable body via a belt-like or linear suspension tool whose suspension length from the movable body is variable. And an auxiliary tool worn for a user who gets off. Furthermore, the moving body has a winding member capable of winding or pulling the hanging tool, and the hanging length of the hanging tool is variable by winding or pulling the hanging tool by the winding member. And a regulating means for regulating further pulling of the lifting tool from the winding member based on the lifting tool being pulled out from the winding member at a predetermined acceleration or higher.

  When using this walking assist device, if the user wearing the assisting device falls or falls when getting down the inclined part, the user's body may suddenly move downward, but in that case It is assumed that the hanger is suddenly pulled out from the winding member. If such an event is assumed, further pulling of the hanger is restricted by the restricting means, and as a result, movement of the auxiliary tool downward is restricted. Thereby, a user's fall or fall in an inclined part can be prevented. That is, the user's weight and the acceleration that acted on the user due to the user's falling or falling are received by the support rail to suspend the user to prevent the user from falling or falling on the inclined portion, and as a result, the user falls And will not fall.

Furthermore, JP 2013-183863 A (Patent Document 2) appropriately prevents the user from collapsing when the user loses his / her posture during walking training in the rehabilitation of the leg, and the user's action (for example, sitting action and standing up). Disclosed is a walking assistance system that does not hinder movement and the like. This walking assist system is based on a belt member that hangs down from a belt support member and supports the user by lifting, a height detection unit that detects a height of a predetermined part of the user with respect to the ground, and a detection result of the height detection unit. And a belt control means for calculating a target value of a hanging length of the belt member from the belt support member and adjusting the hanging length of the belt member. Furthermore, the belt control means shortens the target value of the sag length while supporting the user when the posture determination means determines that the user has lost the posture during the standing operation of the user.

  Even when the walking assist system is used, when the user loses his / her posture, the belt member supports the upper body of the user when the user loses his / her posture, thereby reducing the load on the user's legs. . More specifically, when a user who has lost his / her posture is lifted and supported, the belt member is restricted from being fed out by adjusting the torque of the motor that adjusts the hanging length of the belt member. The user's waist can be lifted and supported. Therefore, the load concerning a user's leg part can be reduced. That is, the weight of the user who has lost his / her posture and the acceleration acting on the user are received by the belt support member (support rail) to suspend the user and prevent the user from falling in walking training. As a result, the user falls do not do.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-093005 JP 2013-183863 A

  As described above, in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, in order to prevent the user from falling or falling, when the user is predicted to fall or fall, the belt member that suspends the hanging tool is extended. The user's weight and the acceleration acting on the user are held on the rails laid on the ceiling to prevent the user from falling or falling, and as a result, the user does not fall and fall.

  However, with this assistance, the user's fall is prevented and the body part that touches the floor at the time of the fall can be prevented from being broken, but from the rail that holds the user's weight and acceleration acting on the user. Due to the reaction force received by the user via the hanging tool, a load may be concentrated on the user's body on which the reaction force is applied, and the portion may be broken. For example, when the user's waist is suspended, the user does not fall or fall, and the user does not hit the body (for example, the thigh), so that the thigh is prevented from being broken. However, there is a possibility that the user fractures the waist due to the impact force received via the hanging tool.

  Furthermore, as described above, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, although the user does not fall down and fall, if the user falls or falls, the impact of the user's body colliding with the floor surface may occur. If the force corresponding to the accompanying impact acceleration acts on the rail in order to prevent the user from falling or falling, the rail may be damaged or the rail may fall from the ceiling, and the user may be injured. When the user is about to fall (especially when the shock-relieving posture is not taken), the user's weight and about three times the acceleration (impact force) act on the rail. The mounting strength with the ceiling (including the strength of the ceiling itself) must be considerably strengthened to withstand this action force. In particular, with regard to the strength of installation on the ceiling, if it is a relatively new building, it is relatively easy (though it will be expensive) to take measures to strengthen it. Applying strength reinforcement measures often requires large-scale construction, and many users have to give up introducing such walking assistance devices and walking assistance systems into existing personal houses.

  The present invention has been developed in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is that a large-scale facility is not required even if the user is suspended from above, and It is an object to provide an indoor operation assistance system that can prevent a user from being injured such as a fracture when the user falls, and that does not interfere with the daily operation of the user.

In order to achieve the above object, the motion assist system according to the present invention employs the following technical means.
In other words, this motion assist system is a motion assist system for a user indoors, and holds the user's upper body and a holding member to which a string-like member is attached, and is connected to the string-like member to hold the user. A suspension member capable of suspending the retaining member from above and performing a winding operation for raising and lowering the retaining member via the string-like member and a feeding operation for lowering the suspension member, and the suspension member so that the user can walk. A sliding holding member that holds by sliding and a feeding length and a feeding speed so that when the user is predicted to fall, the impact received by the user when the user falls is not more than a predetermined value. A control unit that performs a feeding operation of lowering the holding member until the user falls while adjusting at least one of

More preferably, the control unit causes the user to fall using at least one of the tension of the string-like member, the length of the string-like member, the speed at which the length changes, and the acceleration at which the length changes. It can be configured to predict what to do.
More preferably, the holding member is composed of a front body and a back body each having a hole portion through which both arms of the user are passed and a hole portion through which the head of the user is passed, and includes a lower half body including the crotch of the user It can comprise so that the site | part which hold | maintains may not be provided.

More preferably, the holding member includes an impact relieving member corresponding to at least one of a distal radius fracture, a humeral neck fracture, a spinal compression fracture, and a femoral neck fracture, which are four major fractures of the elderly. can do.
More preferably, it can be configured to detect the biological state of the user through a conversation with the user.

More preferably, it can comprise so that the memory | storage part which memorize | stores the activity log | history containing at least 1 of the said user's walking posture, a moving speed, a movement history, and a fall history can be further included.
More preferably, the sliding holding member is a rail member attached using the ceiling or wall surface of the indoor, and a bedroom, a washroom, a toilet, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a hallway, It can comprise so that the said user can be provided between at least two places of a entrance hall so that a walk movement is possible.

More preferably, the strength of the rail member itself and the mounting strength of the rail member can be configured to correspond to less than three times the weight of the user.
More preferably, the holding member can be configured to include a sensor that quantitatively detects the biological state of the user.
More preferably, the biological state can be configured to be at least one of the user's pulse rate, heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.

More preferably, it may be configured to further include a providing unit that provides environmental information such as the temperature and humidity in the room to the user.
More preferably, the providing unit can be configured to compare and verify the environmental information and the biological state to provide warning information to a specific outside such as the user or a hospital.
More preferably, it may be configured to further include a transmission unit that transmits the stored activity history.

  According to the operation assistance system according to the present invention, even if it is a method of suspending the user from above, a large facility is not required, and the user can prevent an injury such as a fracture when the user falls, Furthermore, it is possible to provide an indoor user assistance system that does not interfere with the user's daily activities.

1 is an overall view of an operation assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) top view, (B) perspective view, (C) cross-sectional view (part 1), (D) cross-sectional view (part 2) of a house in which a motion assist system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed is there. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the operation assistance system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a control block diagram of the operation assistance system concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control structure of the operation assistance program performed with the arithmetic unit of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the detection method of the walking posture in the movement assistance system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the various aspects of the operation assistance system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an operation assistance system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Overall system configuration>
Referring to FIG. 1, this operation assisting system 100 is provided in a user's residence and has a function of supporting (assisting) daily operations, and is accompanied by a communication network 200 such as the Internet, and this communication network. 200 includes a user management device 300 connected to 200, a family report device 400 that receives various types of information including activity history information from the user management device 300, and a rehabilitation facility user management device 500.

The user management device 300 is operated by a business operator who sells and manages the operation assistance system 100, manages user activity history information transmitted from a large number of operation assistance systems 100, and the family report device 400 and the rehabilitation facility user. It transmits to the management apparatus 500.
The family report device 400 is installed in the home of a family of a user who is installed with the operation assistance system 100 and lives in a remote place, and transmitted through the user management device 300. Receive and display various information including As a result, a remote family can easily obtain various types of information including user activity history information, and the quality of remote care can be improved.

  The rehabilitation facility user management device 500 is installed in a rehabilitation facility (home care establishment) where the user in which the operation assisting system 100 is installed attends training, and transmitted through the user management device 300. Various information including information is received and used in consideration of function training menu creation. As a result, the rehabilitation facility can easily obtain various types of information including the activity history information of the user, and the quality of functional training can be improved. In addition, instead of / in addition to the rehabilitation facility, various types of information may be transmitted to a hospital where the user has been hospitalized or hospitalized.

As shown in FIG. 1, this motion assist system 100 includes, as main functions, a motion assist function (injury prevention function due to falls) 110, an activity history collection function 120, an information collection function 130, an action advice function 140, and an activity history. A transmission function 150 is provided.
The operation assisting system 100 assists the user's operation indoors by suspending the user from above. The movement assist system 100 holds the upper body of the user U and has a holding member (configured by a wearing vest 670 as a holding harness described later in detail) to which a string-like member (described in detail later a string-like member 662) is attached. A suspension member connected to the string-like member and capable of suspending the holding member holding the user U from above and performing a winding operation for raising the holding member via the string-like member and an unwinding operation for lowering the holding member (details will be described later) And a variable speed motor with a brake (which may be simply referred to as a motor hereinafter) 1500 and a wire 640 as an actuator 630, and a sliding holding that holds and slides a suspension member so that the user U can walk. Members (details are composed of a rail 600 and a sliding pulley, which will be described later).

Then, when it is predicted that the user U will fall, the motion assist function 110 sets at least one of the feed length and the feed speed so that the impact received by the user U due to the fall is equal to or less than a predetermined value. A feeding operation is performed to lower the holding member until the user falls while adjusting. More specifically, the operation assisting function 110 is realized by the motor control unit 1102 in the arithmetic unit 1100 of the control device 1000 described later. In this operation assisting function 110, for example, the user U falls by using at least one of the tension of the string-like member, the length of the string-like member, the speed at which the length changes, and the acceleration at which the length changes. Predict that.

  As will be described later, the string-like member (string-like member 662) attached to the holding member (wearing vest 670) is not a direct target of the winding operation and the feeding operation in the present embodiment. The wire 640 connected to the string-like member 662 through the character member 660 and the two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650 is a direct target of the winding operation and the feeding operation. For this reason, the tension, the length, the speed at which the length of the cord-like member changes, and the acceleration at which the length changes are the wire connected to the cord-like member 662 via the U-shaped member 660 and the two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650. The tension, length, and speed of changing the length and the acceleration of changing the length of 640 (the direct object of the winding operation and the feeding operation of the variable speed motor 1500 with a brake) may be employed.

  The activity history collection function 120 is realized in more detail by an arithmetic unit 1100 of the control device 1000 described later, and collects and stores an activity history including at least one of the walking posture, movement speed, movement history, and fall history of the user U. To do. The activity history collected and stored is finally transmitted to the family reporting device 400 and the rehabilitation facility user management device 500 by the activity history transmission function 150 via the communication network 200 and the user management device 300 described above. .

  More specifically, the information collection function 130 is realized by an arithmetic unit 1100 of the control device 1000 described later, and collects and stores the biological information of the user U and indoor environment information (such as temperature and humidity at various locations in the room). More specifically, for example, the holding member (wearing vest 670) includes a sensor that quantitatively detects at least one of a pulse rate, a heart rate, a body temperature, and a blood pressure, which is a biological state of the user U, and the information collection function 130 is The biological information detected by these sensors is collected and stored. Furthermore, the information collection function 130 does not directly collect biological information with such a sensor, but can check the biological state of the user U through a conversation with the user U realized by the arithmetic unit 1100 of the control device 1000 described later. Indirectly detected biological information is collected and stored. For example, “Good morning. How are you feeling this morning?”, “Isn't it hot?”, “Isn't my head sore?”, “Wake up” “Did you ever wander?”, “Is my back not painful?”, “Is my knee not sore?”, Etc. Thus, the biological information obtained by indirectly detecting the biological state of the user U through the conversation with the user U is collected and stored.

  The behavior advice function 140 provides the user U with the indoor environment information (such as temperature and humidity in each room) collected and stored by the information collecting function 130 described above through the visual and / or auditory sense of the user U. In this case, the display unit (display driver and liquid crystal panel or the like) provides environmental information through the visual sense of the user U, and the audio unit (audio output driver and speaker) provides environmental information through the auditory sense of the user U. Etc.) is provided in the motion assist system 100.

  Furthermore, the behavior advice function 140 can provide the warning information to the user U by comparing the environmental information and the biological state described above. More specifically, for example, when it is assumed that the user U in the bedroom exits from the bedroom due to a change in the tension of the string-like member of the wearing vest 670 (exit from the bedroom as shown in FIG. 2 described later). The room temperature of the bedroom that is collected and stored as environmental information (the temperature of the bedroom that is detected and stored most recently) and the room temperature of the corridor (the latest that is detected and stored) When the room temperature in the corridor is low because the difference from the temperature of the corridor is a predetermined temperature difference or higher, warning information is provided to the user U through the visual and / or auditory sense of the user U. An example of the warning information in this case is “Be careful because the temperature in the corridor is 10 ° C. or more lower than here”.

The details of the operation assisting system 100 having such a characteristic function will be described in more detail.
<Housing with motion assistance system>
In further detailed description of the details of the operation assistance system 100, first, a house in which the operation assistance system 100 is installed will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 (A) is a plan view of a house in which the motion assist system 100 is installed, and FIG. 2 (B) is a perspective view of the house, and FIG. 2 (C) and FIG. 2 (D). Is a sectional view of this house.
As shown in these drawings, a rail 600 that constitutes a sliding holding member that constitutes the motion assisting system 100 is a rail member that is attached using an indoor ceiling or wall surface of a house, and is disposed indoors. The user U is provided to be able to walk and move between at least two places: a bedroom, a washroom, a toilet, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a hallway, and a front hall. The rail 600 is fitted with a sliding pulley (not shown) that can slide the rail. The sliding pulley is slidably held by the rail 600, so that the suspension member (Consisting of a variable speed motor 1500 with a brake as the actuator 630 and a wire 640) can move along the rail 600.

  As described above, when it is predicted that the user U will fall, the motion assist function 110 sets the feed length and the feed speed so that the impact received by the user U due to the fall is less than or equal to a predetermined value. A feeding operation is performed to lower the holding member until the user falls while adjusting at least one of them. That is, since the user U falls gently and finally falls, the weight of the user U acting on the rail when the user U is completely prevented from falling (prior art) and three times that weight. No moderate acceleration (impact force) is generated. For this reason, it is not necessary to strengthen the strength of the member of the rail 600 itself and the strength of attachment between the rail 600 and the ceiling (including the strength of the ceiling itself) so as to withstand this action force. That is, the strength of the member of the rail 600 itself and the mounting strength of the rail 600 may be as simple as less than three times the weight of the user U.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2C, even when the rail 600 is attached to the ceiling 700, the strength of the members of the rail 600 including the rail stay 602 and the attachment strength between the rail 600 and the ceiling ( There is no need to strengthen the ceiling (including the strength of the ceiling itself). Further, since it is not necessary to make such a strong structure, as shown in FIG. 2D, a wall surface stay 614 is provided on the wall surface 800, a curved stay 612 is provided on the wall surface stay 614, and a rail is provided on the curved stay 612. 610 can be provided. In particular, in the case of the rail mounting method shown in FIG. 2 (D), since the moment acts in addition to the load, the rail is used when the user U is completely prevented from falling (prior art). It cannot withstand the weight of the user U and the acceleration (impact force) of about three times that acting. However, in the motion assistance system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the user U is predicted to fall, the motion assistance function 110 gently falls the user U, so that a large load and a large moment act on the rail and the stay. Therefore, the rail mounting method as shown in FIG. 2D is also possible. As a result, with the mounting method as shown in FIG. 2D, it is possible to easily lay rails even in an existing building.

<Holding member (wearing vest as a holding harness)>
Next, in the movement assist system 100, the wear vest 670 as a holding harness that holds the upper body of the user U and is attached to the string-like member, the wear vest 670 is suspended from above and the string-like member is A suspension member capable of winding and unwinding operation (consisting of a variable speed motor 1500 with a brake as an actuator 630 and a wire 640), and a slide for sliding and holding the suspension member so that the user U can walk. The moving holding member (comprising a rail 600 and a sliding pulley) will be described with reference to FIG.

Here, FIG. 3 (A) is a front view, FIG. 3 (B) is a side view of only the lower part, and these drawings schematically show a holding harness as a holding member. is there. Actually, the wearing vest 670 as a holding harness is configured by a front body and a back body having a hole portion through which both arms of the user U are passed and a hole portion through which the head of the user U is passed (so-called best vest). The cord-shaped member is attached to the back body. The first string-like member is attached above the right shoulder so as to connect the front body and the back body, and the second string-like member is attached above the left shoulder so as to connect the front body and the back body. The first string-like member and the second string-like member may be combined into one place by a U-shaped member 660 described later and connected to the two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650. With this configuration, even if the user U is an elderly person, the user U can easily attach and detach himself / herself, and the user U walks because there is no portion for holding the lower body including the crotch of the user U. In this case, there is no crotch slipping, and in combination with the vest type, it interferes with the actions necessary for the life of the user U including walking actions (walking, sleeping, toilet, cooking, washing, eating, etc.) It is preferable in that it does not.

  The wearing vest 670 includes shock relaxation members 672, 674, 676 corresponding to at least one of the distal radius fracture, humeral neck fracture, spinal compression fracture, and femoral neck fracture, which are the four major fractures of the elderly. 678, 680. Note that the impact relaxation members 672, 674, 676, 678, and 680 shown in FIG. 3 are schematic, and the illustrated positions do not indicate positions that completely correspond to the four major fractures described above. This means that an impact relaxation member is provided at a position corresponding to four large fractures of the elderly.

  Here, these impact mitigating members 672, 674, 676, 678, and 680 have the following actions in addition to the above-mentioned elderly four major fracture prevention actions. The shock mitigating member 672 has a shoulder protector function that is conscious of protection of the scapula and the like, and the shock mitigating member 678 has a hip protector function that is conscious of protecting the muscle and skeleton in the vicinity of the buttocks. Further, the impact relaxation member 676 is provided along the transversus abdominis and / or multifidus muscles and has an action of reinforcing their muscular strength to promote a correct posture, and the impact relaxation member 680 is provided along the spine standing muscle group. Reinforces their muscular strength and promotes correct posture. In particular, the impact mitigating members 676 and 680 are preferably used in terms of promoting correct standing posture and walking posture to elderly people with weak muscle strength. For the configuration of the wearing vest 670, see FIG. 6 and the description thereof.

The wearing vest 670 is then provided with two string-like members 662 in the body (here, string-like members 662 are provided in two places on the back body to hold the user U in a balanced manner). The string-like member 662 is connected to the two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650 via a U-shaped member 660 that collects the string-like member 662 at one place.
In the two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650, a long and thin flat bar member 652 connected to a wire 640 and an elongated flat bar member 656 connected to a U-shaped member 660 are connected by a pin 654. The bar member 652 and the L-shaped bar member 656 can freely rotate in a horizontal plane around at least the pin 654. By providing such a two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650, even if the user U rotates, the string-like member 662 and / or the wire 640 does not get entangled, so that the operations necessary for the life of the user U (walking, sleeping, Washing, toilet, cooking, washing, meal, etc.) are preferred because they can be performed quickly.

  A variable speed motor 1500 with a brake as the actuator 630 constituting the suspension member is attached with a wire 640 so that the variable speed motor 1500 with a brake can perform a winding operation and a feeding operation. For example, a cylindrical reel is provided on the rotating shaft of a variable speed motor 1500 with a brake so that the reel shaft coincides with the motor shaft, and the wire 640 is wound around the reel so that the wire 640 can be taken up and fed out.

The variable speed motor 1500 with a brake as the actuator 630 constituting the suspension member is an example, and may be another motor, another pneumatic device, or the like. Furthermore, a winding / unwinding device using a member that does not require power supply (for example, a member having elastic force) or the like as a drive source may be used.
In the present embodiment, the winding operation for raising the wearing vest 670 and the feeding operation for lowering the wearing vest 670 via the string-like member 662 are possible. This is realized by winding or unwinding the wire 640 connected via the free arm 650 by the variable speed motor 1500 with a brake. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode, and the string-like member 662 is directly wound or fed out by the variable speed motor 1500 with a brake without providing the U-shaped member 660 and the two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650. Thus, a winding operation for raising the wearing vest 670 via the string-like member 662 and a feeding operation for lowering the wearing vest 670 may be realized.

  In other words, the suspension member in the present invention includes a member that lifts or lowers the holding member by directly winding or unwinding the string-like member attached to the holding member that holds the upper body of the user U. Also included are those in which the holding member that holds the upper body of the user U is wound up or fed out by indirectly winding up or feeding out the shaped member. This is because (1) the suspension member is directly or indirectly connected to the string-like member, (2) the suspension member suspends the holding member holding the user U from above, and (3) It shows that the suspending member can perform a winding operation that raises the holding member directly or indirectly via a string-like member and a feeding operation that lowers the holding member.

  It should be noted that a variable speed motor 1500 with a brake mounted on a suspension member and a control device therefor are installed at any position on the rail 600 (in many cases, it is preferable that the position of the bedroom where the user U stays for the longest time). A charging station 620 that charges a rechargeable battery (not shown) that stores electric power for operating various sensors that detect and transmit various biological information provided to an electric device such as 1000 and the wearing vest 670. Is provided.

<Control device for motion assist system>
In the following, referring to the control block diagram shown in FIG. 4, the various functions described above (operation assist function (injury prevention function due to falls) 110, activity history collection function 120, information collection function 130, action advice function 140, and The control device 1000 that realizes the activity history transmission function 150) will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, this control device 1000 is, for example, a microcomputer, and reads out a program and parameters stored in advance and executes the program to execute various functions. It comprises a storage unit 1200 for storing parameters necessary for execution and a communication unit 1300 for wired communication or wireless communication with external devices, and an internal bus 1400 that connects them to each other.

The arithmetic unit 1100 is connected to external devices such as a variable speed motor with brake 1500 serving as an actuator, various sensors 1510, an environmental sensor 1520, a biosensor 1530, and an input / output unit 1600 via an input / output port (not shown). Control external devices and receive information (sensing data) from these external devices.
The control block will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  The arithmetic unit 1100 includes a motor control unit (operation assistance unit) 1102 that implements the operation assistance function 110 illustrated in FIG. 1, an activity history collection unit 1104 that implements the activity history collection function 120 illustrated in FIG. The information collection unit (environment information) 1106 and the information collection unit (biological information) 1108 for realizing the information collection function 130 shown in FIG. 1 and the advice output unit 1110 for realizing the behavior advice function 140 shown in FIG.

  The motor control unit (operation assisting unit) 1102 is based on at least one of the tension, the length, the speed at which the length changes, and the acceleration at which the length changes, of the wire 640 connected to the string-like member 662. When it is predicted that the user U will fall by executing the program described with reference to the above, the extension length and the extension are set so that the impact received by the user U due to the fall is not more than a predetermined value. While adjusting at least one of the speeds, the variable speed motor with brake 1500 is controlled so as to execute a feeding operation for lowering the holding member until the user falls.

In this case, for the tension, length, speed at which the length of the wire 640 connected to the string-like member 662 changes, and acceleration at which the length changes, signals detected by various sensors 1510 such as a tension sensor are controlled by the motor. The unit (operation assisting unit) 1102 may receive and use, or instead of such a sensor, a signal detected by a mechanism (for example, a rotary encoder) provided in the variable speed motor with brake 1500 itself may be used. .

  The distance sensor among the various sensors 1510 detects the current position of the actuator 630 in the room by detecting the moving distance of the actuator 630. However, the method of detecting the current position of the actuator 630 in the room is the same. It is not limited. For example, proximity sensors may be attached to a plurality of main positions of the rail 600, and the current position of the actuator 630 in the room may be detected by detecting that the actuator 630 has approached.

  Furthermore, although the acceleration sensor and the inclination sensor in the various sensors 1510 will be described in detail later, they are not essential components. The acceleration sensor is a sensor that directly detects the posture change of the user U, and the inclination sensor is the user U. This is a sensor that directly detects the posture of the camera. Although details will be described later, it is also preferable to make a fall prediction determination and detect a walking posture using these sensors.

  The activity history collection unit 1104 calculates the walking posture detected by the various sensors 1510 described above or the walking posture detected by the method described with reference to FIG. 6 and the time derivative of the position change of the actuator 630 in the room. Information on the moving speed, the moving history calculated by sequentially detecting the current position of the actuator 630 in the room, and the falling history information detected based on the control performance in the motor control unit 1102 is collected.

The information collection unit (environment information) 1106 collects temperature information and humidity information of each room detected and transmitted by the various environment sensors 1520 at a certain time interval or at a predetermined time. The environmental sensor 1520 is provided in each room.
The information collection unit (biological information) 1108 collects biological information such as a pulse rate, a heart rate, a body temperature, a blood pressure, and a respiratory rate detected by various types of biological sensors 1530 at a certain time interval or a predetermined time. The biosensor 1530 is provided on the wearing vest 670. Here, as the living body sensor 1530, a non-contact type microwave vital sensor may be adopted. This microwave vital sensor senses the movement (momentum) of the body surface with microwaves, sorts this momentum into pulse and respiration components inside the sensor, and extracts frequency components from the selected pulse and respiration momentum, respectively. It is a known sensor that takes out and outputs an approximate value per minute of the pulse / respiration.

  Furthermore, the information collection unit (biological information) 1108 does not directly collect from the various biological sensors 1530 as described above, but detects biological information obtained by indirectly detecting the biological state of the user U through conversation with the user U. collect. From the speaker 1604 of the input / output unit 1600 provided in the wearing vest 670, a question is issued by artificial voice or voice recorded in advance by the user U's family, and the answer is collected and analyzed by the microphone 1606, Biological information obtained by indirectly detecting the biological state of the user U through conversation with the user U is collected. Note that the conversation may be not a phonetic conversation but a character conversation (writing, etc.). In this case, the monitor 1602 is used as a touch panel, the question content is displayed on the monitor 1602, and the options displayed on the monitor 1602 as answers are displayed. It is conceivable to select by pressing with a fingertip.

  The advice output unit 1110 provides indoor environment information (such as temperature and humidity of various places in the room) to the user U's vision through the monitor 1602 and to the user U's hearing through the speaker 1604. Further, the advice output unit 1110 compares the above-described environmental information with the biological state (for example, the room temperature of the room at the current position is lower than the room temperature of the adjacent room by a predetermined amount). U's vision is provided to the hearing of the user U through the speaker 1604. The advice output unit 1110 may generate warning information by comparing and verifying the environmental information and the biological state described above, and may provide the information to the outside (for example, a hospital) in addition to the user U. It doesn't matter.

Next, the storage unit 1200 is configured with a non-volatile memory or the like, and is set in accordance with information for identifying the individual of the user U (including family information and outpatient care establishment information), the physique of the user U, and the like. An area for storing basic data 1202 such as a reference length of the wire 640 (reference length L (0) when the user U is walking in a correct posture), and activity history data 1204 collected by the activity history collection unit 1104 An area for storing, an area for storing environmental data 1206 collected by the information collection unit (environment information) 1106, and an area for storing biological data 1208 collected by the information collection unit (biological information) 1108 are included.

  Next, the communication unit 1300 is a general communication device that realizes the activity history transmission function 150 shown in FIG. In addition to the communication device itself, the communication unit 1300 includes an area for storing activity history transmission data 1302 to be transmitted to the transmission destination at the next transmission timing from the data stored in the storage unit 1200, and the transmission destination And an area for storing communication control data 1304 such as a communication protocol and a communication interval.

The control device 1000 of the operation assistance system 100 includes the control block as described above. Hereinafter, the details of the operation assistance (prevention of falling injury) program executed by the motor control unit 1102 of the arithmetic unit 1100 of the control device 1000 will be described.
<Operation assistance program>
As shown in FIG. 5, the operation assistance (falling injury prevention) program executed by the motor control unit 1102 has the following control structure.

  In step (hereinafter referred to as S) 100, the motor control unit 1102 determines the state quantities (tension, length, feed speed (time differentiation of length) of the string-like member 662 connected to the variable speed motor 1500 with brake. , Detecting the acceleration (time derivative of speed)). Here, the tension, length, and length changing speed (feeding speed (length time derivative)) and the length changing acceleration (feeding acceleration (speed time derivative)) of the string-like member 662 are U Tensile force, length, and length of wire 640 (direct target for winding and unwinding operation of variable speed motor 1500 with brake) connected to string-like member 662 through character member 660 and two-degree-of-freedom free arm 650 The speed at which the speed changes and the acceleration at which the length changes are adopted, and the state quantity detected by the rotary encoder provided in the variable speed motor 1500 with a brake is adopted for the length.

  In S110, motor control unit 1102 calculates a fall prediction determination value used to determine whether or not user U falls based on the detected state quantity. The fall prediction determination value is a positive value, and the higher the fall prediction determination value, the higher the possibility of falling. In this case, for example, if the tension of the wire 640 is equal to or higher than a predetermined tension and the acceleration at which the length of the wire 640 changes is equal to or higher than the predetermined acceleration, the fall prediction determination value of the user U is a high value. become. In calculating the determination value, at least one of the tension of the wire 640, the length of the wire 640, the speed at which the length of the wire 640 changes, and the acceleration at which the length of the wire 640 changes is used.

  In S120, motor control unit 1102 determines whether or not this user U is likely to fall based on the calculated fall prediction determination value. At this time, for example, if the calculated fall prediction determination value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the user U is likely to fall, and the calculated fall prediction determination value is determined in advance. If it is less than the threshold value, it is determined that the possibility that the user U will fall is small. The threshold value is preferably changed as appropriate according to the age of the user, and more specifically, the threshold value is preferably stored as basic data 1202 of the storage unit 1200. It is also preferable to add a weight (weighted threshold = threshold value × multiplication coefficient) to the threshold value depending on the season or the like from the viewpoint of accurately determining the possibility of the user U falling. For example, since it is assumed that athletic ability declines in winter when the temperature is low, it is conceivable to set a multiplication coefficient of less than 1 so as to lower the threshold value. If it is determined that this user U has a high possibility of falling (YES in S120), the process proceeds to S130. If not (NO in S130), the process returns to S100.

At S130, motor control unit 1102 applies the string-like shape while applying a brake at a predetermined feeding speed or less until string-like member 662 (here, wire 640) reaches length L (2) where user U falls. The motor 1 so as to feed out the member 662 (here, the wire 640).
500 is controlled. The user L's falling length L (2) is, for example, the length of the user U lying on the floor, and is stored as basic data 1202 of the storage unit 1200.

At S140, motor control unit 1102 updates the activity history data in storage unit 1200 so as to store the fall history information. At this time, information such as a fall date and a fall position is stored.
In S150, motor control unit 1102 determines whether the return process is possible. That is, if the feeding length of the wire 640 remains the length L (2) at which the user U falls, the user U cannot be assisted after the user U has started up (after returning). It is necessary to restore the original length. At this time, a return button (not shown) is pressed by the standing user U, or the tension of the wire 640 is 0 even when the motor 1500 takes up the wire 640 by a predetermined length (the user U is standing up). It is determined that the return process is possible. If it is determined that the return process is possible (YES in S150), the process proceeds to S160. If not (NO in S150), the process returns to S150 and waits until the return process is possible.

In S160, motor control unit 1102 controls motor 1500 to wind up string-like member 662 (here, wire 640) to reference length L (0) when walking in a correct posture. Thereafter, the process returns to S100.
An operation assistance (prevention of falling injury) function is realized by a program having such a control structure. Instead of the processing of S110 and S120, as described above, it is possible to directly change the posture of the user U using an acceleration sensor that is not an essential configuration (assuming that the acceleration sign changes depending on the direction of acceleration). If the absolute value of the detected acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it may be determined that the user U is likely to fall down.

<Activity history collection program (walking posture)>
With reference to FIG. 6, the walking posture collection program in the activity history executed by the activity history collection unit 1104 will be described. Although a flowchart showing the program structure of the walking posture collection program is not shown, a walking posture detection method executed by the program will be described. Before explaining this walking posture detection method, the walking posture of the elderly will be explained.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an undesired standing posture or walking posture of the user U, and FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a preferable standing posture or walking posture of the user U. In the following, the standing posture or the walking posture is described as a representative walking posture.
As shown in FIG. 6A, when an elderly person walks, the leg (knee) is broken (spread in the direction of arrow X (1)) and the waist is often bent (arrow indicated). In this posture, the possibility of falling backward is high. Falling backward is more difficult to take a shock-relieving posture (such as touching the hand) than falling forward, and often causes serious injury. The motion assist system 100 according to the present invention prevents such a fall accident itself, but in addition to such a preventive effect, the motion assist system 100 does not use the motion assist system 100 ( For example, a function of correcting the walking posture of the user U is provided in order to prevent a fall accident when going out.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the wearing vest 670 in the movement assist system 100 is provided along the transversus abdominal muscle and / or the multifidus muscle and has an action of reinforcing those muscle strengths and promoting a correct posture. An impact relaxation member 676 and an impact relaxation member 680 provided along the spine upright muscle group and having an action of reinforcing their muscular strength and promoting a correct posture are provided. As shown in FIG. 6 (B), the transverse abdominal muscle and / or the multifidus muscle are reinforced by the impact relaxation member 676 to correct the posture of the user U in the arrow X (0), and the spinal column is raised by the impact relaxation member 680. The muscle group is reinforced and the posture of the user U is corrected to the arrow Y (0). And even if the user U who always wears the wearing vest 670 indoors (other than at bedtime) in this room becomes a habit of corrected walking posture and goes out of the room where the wearing vest 670 cannot be attached, The possibility that the posture can be maintained is increased.

  Since such a correction action is a habit and / or there is a difference in learning between individual users U, the walking posture may not be corrected correctly immediately even if the movement assist system 100 is started. In this process of correcting the walking posture, the walking posture of the user U is detected by the walking posture collection program in the activity history executed by the activity history collection unit 1104.

  Comparing FIG. 6 (A) and FIG. 6 (B), in the case of the correct walking posture of FIG. 6 (B), the length of the wire 640 set in accordance with the physique of the user U is the reference length. (Reference length when the user U is walking in the correct posture) L (0), but in the case of the incorrect walking posture in FIG. 6 (A), the length of the wire 640 is the reference length L ( 0), for example, L (1). By utilizing this, for example, the tension of the wire 640 is within a predetermined tension range (not being pulled suddenly), and the length of the wire 640 is within a predetermined range from L (0). If it is long, the walking posture of the user U is determined to be incorrect. For this determination, in addition to using the tension of the wire 640, the length of the wire 640, the speed at which the length of the wire 640 changes, the acceleration at which the length of the wire 640 changes, and the like, An inclination sensor may be provided and the posture of the user U may be directly detected by the inclination sensor.

With reference to FIG. 7, a description will be given below of a specific mode for assisting the operation of the user U performed by the motion assist system 100 according to the present embodiment including such functions.
<User assistance with motion assist system>
・ Operation assist function and activity history collection function (fall history) (Fig. 7 (A))
When it is determined that the user U is likely to fall down while the user U is walking in the room while wearing the wearing vest 670 of the movement assist system 100 (YES in S100), the string The string-like member 662 (here, the wire 640) is fed while applying a brake at a predetermined feeding speed or less until the length of the user-like member 662 (here, the wire 640) reaches the length L (2) where the user U falls. .

  For this reason, when the user U is about to fall down by this motion assisting system 100, the user U will fall down slowly, and in combination with the impact mitigating members 672, 674, 676, 678, and 680 provided on the wearing vest 670. Injuries associated with the fall of the user U can be prevented. In particular, since the motion assist system 100 employs a technology that gently falls the user U (which is a technology that the conventional technology does not assume), the concentration that acts on the user U when the user U that is the conventional technology is not toppled. Therefore, even if the user U is suspended, there is no possibility that the user will break due to the impact force received via the suspension tool. Further, since the motion assist system 100 employs a technique that gently falls the user U, the strong strength of the rail member itself and the strongness between the rail member and the ceiling that are necessary when the user U, which is a conventional technique, is not toppled. Since the mounting strength (including the strength of the ceiling itself) is not required, the strength assisting measure is not required for the existing building, and the operation assisting system 100 can be easily introduced even in an existing private house.

When the user falls in this way, the activity history data of the storage unit 1200 is updated as the fall history information (information including the fall date and time, the fall position, etc.) (S140).
・ Activity history collection function (walking posture) (Fig. 7 (B))
When the user U is walking in the room while wearing the wearing vest 670 of the movement assist system 100 on the upper body, the walking posture of the user U is detected by the detection method described with reference to FIG. The activity history data of the storage unit 1200 is updated as the walking posture information (information including the detection date and time, the detection position, etc.) at the timing of the time interval or when the incorrect walking posture is detected. In addition, it is also preferable to manage the ratio of the walking time in the incorrect walking posture in the total walking time, the daily change (correction degree) of the ratio, and the like.

・ Activity history collection function (rise / rise time) (Fig. 7 (C))
When the user U is sleeping in the bed in the bedroom and wakes up (there may be a case where the user U goes to the toilet while sleeping), the wearing vest 670 of the operation assistance system 100 is worn on the upper body. In many cases, the state changes from the state lying on the bed to the state sitting on the bed, and the wearing vest 670 is worn on the upper body in this state. The time required for the user U to get up after starting to wear the wearing vest 670 and to start walking is detected, and the activity history of the storage unit 1200 is obtained as rising information (information including time required, detection date and time). Data is updated.

・ Activity history collection function (movement speed / movement history) (Fig. 7 (D))
When the user U is walking in the room wearing the wearing vest 670 of the movement assist system 100 on the upper body, the current position of the actuator 630 in the room is detected at a certain time interval, and the movement history of the user U is detected. Is detected, and the activity history data of the storage unit 1200 is updated as movement speed information and movement history information (information including detection date and time).

・ Activity history collection function (use time) (Fig. 7 (E))
When the user U wears the wearing vest 670 of the movement assist system 100 on the upper body and lives daily in the room, the current position of the actuator 630 in the room is detected at a certain time interval, and the activity of the user U is detected. The history is detected, and the activity history data of the storage unit 1200 is updated as usage time information (information including detection date and time) for the time spent in the bathroom, toilet, kitchen, and the like.

  The activity history information collected, updated, and stored in this way is transmitted to the family reporting device 400 and the rehabilitation facility user management device 500 via the communication line network 200 and the user management device 300 at a predetermined timing. Finally sent to. And by using this operation assistance system 100, the activity history of the user U is collected, and in the case of a passive activity history, the family or the rehabilitation person recommends that the activity is more active, In the current elderly society, it is socially preferable in that it can avoid the need for nursing care such as bedridden by assisting the independent life of the user U who is an elderly person.

<Operational effects of the motion assist system according to the present embodiment>
As described above, according to the motion assist system according to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be exhibited.
(1) When a user's fall is predicted (not to fall), the user's body is gently held and eventually falls, so that an excessive impact is not applied to the user, so the user is suspended from above Even with the lowering method, the user can prevent injuries such as broken bones when the user falls.
(2) When a user's fall is predicted (not to fall down), the user's body is gently held and eventually falls down, so that excessive impact is not applied to the rail and its attachment part. Even if the user is suspended from above, a large facility is not required.
(3) Since the vest type worn by the user is employed as a suspension member that suspends the user from above, even if the user U is an elderly person, the user U can easily attach and detach himself and include the crotch of the user U. When the user U walks because there is no part that holds the lower body, the crotch slip does not occur, and in combination with the vest type, the actions necessary for the life of the user U including walking motion (walking , Sleeping, washing, toilet, cooking, washing, meal, etc.).
(4) By collecting biometric information through conversations with the user U, or by collecting environmental information and issuing warning information in comparison with biometric information, family members and rehabilitation personnel even if living alone (Physiotherapist), therapist (psychotherapist), etc. can be closely supported (supported) in the daily life of the user as if they are living close to each other.

The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.
For example, the environmental information collecting method is preferably managed in association with the thermal environment and energy used in a house in addition to / in place of the method described above.

  The present invention is suitable for existing buildings in that it does not require large-scale equipment even if the user is suspended from above, and the user can prevent injuries such as fractures when the user falls, It is particularly suitable in that it does not interfere with the daily operations of the user and can assist the user's operations indoors.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Operation assistance system 110 Operation assistance function 120 Activity history collection function 130 Information collection function 140 Action advice function 150 Activity history transmission function 600 Rail 620 Charging station 630 Actuator 640 Wire 650 Freedom free arm 670 Wear best 1000 Controller 1100 Arithmetic unit 1200 Storage unit 1300 Communication unit 1400 Internal bus 1500 Variable speed motor (motor) with brake
1600 I / O unit

Claims (8)

An indoor user assistance system,
A holding member that holds the upper body of the user and to which a string-like member is attached;
A suspension member that is connected to the string-like member and suspends a holding member that holds the user from above and is capable of performing a winding operation that raises the holding member via the string-like member and a feeding operation that lowers the holding member;
A sliding holding member that slides and holds the suspension member so that the user can walk.
When the user is predicted to fall, the user falls while adjusting at least one of the feeding length and the feeding speed so that the impact received by the user when falling falls below a predetermined value. And a control unit that executes a feeding operation for lowering the holding member until the operation assisting system.   The control unit predicts that the user falls using at least one of the tension of the string-like member, the length of the string-like member, the speed at which the length changes, and the acceleration at which the length changes. The motion assistance system according to claim 1.   The holding member is composed of a front body and a back body each having a hole portion through which the user's arms are passed and a hole portion through which the user's head is passed, and a portion that holds the lower body including the crotch of the user The motion assistance system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motion assistance system is not provided.   The said holding member is provided with the impact mitigation member corresponding to at least one of the radius radius fractures, humeral neck fractures, spinal compression fractures, and femoral neck fractures which are the elderly 4 large fractures. 4. The motion assistance system according to any one of 3.   The operation assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a biological state of the user is detected through a conversation with the user.   The motion assistance system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores an activity history including at least one of the walking posture, the moving speed, the movement history, and the fall history of the user.   The sliding holding member is a rail member attached using the ceiling or wall surface of the indoor, and is at least of a bedroom, a washroom, a toilet, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, a hallway, and a front hall arranged in the indoor The motion assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the user is provided to be able to walk between two places.   The motion assist system according to claim 7, wherein the strength of the rail member itself and the mounting strength of the rail member are strengths corresponding to less than three times the weight of the user.