JP2019141954A - Wearable type posture holding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wearable type posture holding device which simplifies a structure for assisting in holding a half-sitting posture, is light-weight and compact, and can support a downward force moment without using electric power or with a low power consumption.SOLUTION: A wearable type posture holding device includes: a trunk holding tool 20, 30 held by attaching to a trunk 11 of a wearer 10; a thigh holding tool 40 held by attaching to a thigh 12; a clutch 60 which has a rotation axis 75 in a lateral direction in the vicinity of a hip joint and connects and blocks the trunk holding tool 20, 30 and the thigh holding tool 40; and a clutch control means 111-115 (Figure 11) which connects the clutch 60 by detecting a half-sitting posture of the wearer 10 by an angle detection and duration of time and blocks by detecting the end of the half-sitting posture by an angular speed, an acceleration speed or the like.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a wearable posture holding device that supports a wearer's power work and the like, and in particular, to assist the lumbar vertebra (lumbar joint) and back muscles with the assistance of holding the middle and lower back posture in the middle and lower back work to prevent back pain. It is related with the mounting | wearing type | mold attitude | position holding apparatus advantageous to.

  In this specification, the terms “left-right direction”, “front-rear direction” and “up-down direction”, and “front”, “side”, “plane” and “back” are used by the wearer to support the upper body and upper body. It also refers to the direction in an upright posture with both lower limbs aligned with the trunk.

  The hatching and oblique lines in the drawings may be drawn in a portion that is not a cross section to clearly show the configuration.

  In the middle and lower back work, weeding in agriculture, harvesting large vegetables such as radish and cabbage, strawberry etc., plastering and rebar work in construction industry, cargo handling work in logistics industry, oral care and diaper changing work in nursing care , Laparoscopic surgery work in medicine.

  A typical prior art is a power assist suit that supports an arm and maintains an angle between a shoulder joint and an elbow joint (Patent Document 1). An electric motor is fixed to the upper arm mounting portion mounted on the human body, and a drive shaft of the motor is connected to the forearm mounting portion mounted on the human body via a clutch. The ratchet mechanism locks and fixes the rotational movement in the direction in which the latching claw meshes with the ratchet rotated by the drive shaft of the motor and the elbow of the drive shaft is extended while the clutch is on. The claw actuator is configured to permit a rotation operation in a direction in which the engagement claw is disengaged and the elbow is extended by a lock release signal. When removing the power assist suit from the human body, the clutch is turned off. A control part drives a motor and a claw actuator based on a detection result of a voice detection part, and turns a clutch on / off.

  In this conventional technology, the angle of the shoulder joint and elbow joint and hip joint and knee joint is held and released by detecting the voice by the control unit, so it takes time from the voice command to the action, and the posture is immediately Even if you want to maintain the operation, the operation is delayed. Moreover, it is necessary to utter the same word for the same operation every time, which is troublesome for the wearer who is the user.

  The ratchet mechanism in this prior art is a mechanism that puts one locking claw on the ratchet teeth and withstands the weight supporting the arm to fix / release, so this configuration is fixed at the waist joint angle and the middle waist posture If it is applied to withstand a larger weight and be fixed / released in order to hold the load, it is necessary to increase the strength of the ratchet mechanism and increase the thickness of the locking claw, resulting in a large and heavy structure. In order to improve the strength, if a large number of locking claws are applied to the ratchet teeth to be fixed and released, the configuration becomes complicated and large.

JP2011-251057

  An object of the present invention is a wearable posture that can support a downward force moment for assisting in maintaining a low back posture with a simplified structure, light weight, compact size, no power consumption, or low power consumption. It is to provide a holding device.

The present invention
(A) a trunk holder that is mounted and held on the trunk of the wearer;
(B) a thigh holder that is mounted and held on the wearer's thigh;
(C) a clutch having a rotation axis around a horizontal axis in the vicinity of the hip joint and connecting and disconnecting the trunk holder and the thigh holder;
(D) A wearable posture holding apparatus including clutch control means for connecting a clutch in a wearer's middle waist posture.

  According to the present invention, the wearable posture holding device can assist the lumbar vertebra (lumbar joint) and the back muscles mainly to prevent low back pain by assisting the holding of the middle and lower back posture in the middle and lower back work. By using an electromagnetic clutch or mechanical clutch without using a drive source such as an electric motor with a speed reducer attached to the left and right hip joints or waist joints, it is cheap, lightweight, compact, and has low power consumption or power. Without using it, it is not possible to generate an upward force moment by braking the waist bending and stretching motion, but it is possible to support the downward force moment, so that it is possible to assist holding the middle waist posture.

The present invention
A drive source that is provided between any one of the trunk holder and the thigh holder and the clutch, and that generates a torque around a straight line that is common to the rotation axis of the clutch when the clutch is engaged. Features.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to assist the lumbar spine (lumbar joint) and back muscles to prevent low back pain by assisting the holding and lifting of the middle waist in the middle waist work by applying an upward force moment by the drive source. .

The present invention
The clutch
A pair of clutch members arranged in the axial direction, at least one of which is displaced in the proximity direction of each other to be in a connected state, and a clutch member that is displaced in a direction away from each other to be in a disconnected state;
A spring that applies a spring force to the clutch member in a direction away from each other,
When the clutch member is connected and a torque greater than a predetermined value is applied by the wearer, the pair of clutch members are displaced about the axis.

  According to the present invention, the pair of clutch members of the clutch is, for example, a friction plate or a rotor with a meshing tooth and an armature, and when a torque greater than a predetermined value is applied by the wearer, for example, an electromagnetic coil The pair of clutch members are displaced about the axis together with the spring force acting in the direction of separation by the spring between the pair of clutch members against the electromagnetic force or against the force acting on the handle to be operated. . Therefore, the safety of the wearer is ensured.

The present invention
The clutch
One clutch member has an electromagnetic coil that is displaced by the electromagnetic force against the spring force in the proximity direction of the other clutch member,
The clutch control means
Battery,
It includes a middle waist posture detection control unit that detects the middle waist posture of the wearer and applies excitation power from the battery to the electromagnetic coil only during the period of the middle waist posture.

  According to the present invention, the middle waist posture detection control unit detects that the wearer has entered the middle waist posture, for example, by the duration of the angle between the trunk and the thigh, and the angular velocity or body It is detected that the middle waist posture has been removed based on the rotational angular velocity of the trunk, the upward acceleration of the trunk, etc., and the excitation power is applied from the battery to the electromagnetic coil only during the middle waist posture. Assistance is possible, and wasteful consumption of power from the battery is suppressed.

The present invention
Middle waist posture detection control means
Middle waist posture detection means for detecting that the wearer has become a middle waist posture;
A rising detection means for detecting rising from the middle waist posture of the wearer;
In response to the outputs of the middle waist posture detection means and the rise detection means, the switch includes a switch means for applying excitation power from the battery to the electromagnetic coil only during the period of the middle waist posture after the middle waist posture until it gets up. Features.

  According to the present invention, the middle waist posture detection means detects that the wearer has entered the middle waist posture, for example, by the duration of the angle between the trunk and the thigh, as described above, The rising detection means detects that the middle waist posture has been taken off by the angular velocity of the angle between the trunk and the thigh, or the rotational angular velocity of the trunk, the upward acceleration of the trunk, etc., and the switch means becomes the middle waist posture. Excitation power is applied from the battery to the electromagnetic coil only during a certain period, so that wasteful consumption of power from the battery can be suppressed.

The present invention
(E) The trunk holder is
(E1) an upper trunk holder 20 that is mounted and held on the upper trunk of the wearer;
(E2) The trunk lower support tool 30 that is mounted and held on the lower trunk of the wearer,
(E2-1) Enclosure covering the second half of the lower part of the trunk from the left and right sides of the lower part of the trunk to the rear (including the lower back and the lower part of the spinal column above the hip and sacrum) A planar frame 31 that is rigid as a whole, and a back plate that rises from the outer part behind the lower trunk,
(E2-2) a lower trunk holder 30 that is connected to the planar frame and has a belt 36 that covers the front half of the lower trunk from the left and right sides of the lower trunk to the abdomen,
(F) The clutch 60 has one clutch member attached to the planar frame 31 among a pair of clutch members that are angularly displaceable around the rotation axis in the disconnected state.
(G) a thigh frame 80 attached to the thigh holder 40 and the other clutch member,
(G1) A pair of upper frame pieces arranged to extend downward from both the left and right sides along the thigh from the vicinity of the hip joint, and the upper end of each upper frame piece and the other clutch member are arranged in the left-right direction. An upper frame piece 81 which is mounted while being prevented from relative rotation about the axis of
(G2) a thigh frame 80 having a pair of lower frame pieces 82 that extend upward on the left and right sides along the thigh from the thigh holder 40;
(H) a first passive rotary shaft 83 that connects a lower end portion of each upper frame piece 81 and each lower frame piece 82 so as to be angularly displaceable about an axis in the front-rear direction;
(I) It includes a second passive rotary shaft 45 that connects the lower end portion of each lower frame piece 82 and the thigh holder 40 so as to be angularly displaceable about an axis in the left-right direction.

  According to the present invention, the lower trunk holder 30 is constituted by the entire rigid frame 31 having the outer portion and the back plate, and the belt 36, and the trunk 11 and the thigh holder 40 are provided. It is possible to reliably and quickly perform the middle waist posture maintenance and the upward moment assist.

  According to the first passive rotary shaft 83, (a) the side part of the lower part of the trunk 11 is constituted only by the side frames 31 which are the left and right side rigid frames of the planar frame 31 and the back frame 33 which is the back waist rigid frame. (B) Lower end of the clutch 60 attached to the left and right sides of the center of the left and right hip joints without being restrained by the wearer's torsional movement. Since the configuration in which the upper frame piece 81 fixed to the upper part is attached to the lower frame piece 82 which is a thigh rigid body frame via a passive rotation shaft 83 that rotates around the longitudinal axis is realized. It can respond to the inclination of the upper body to the left and right, does not restrain the movement of the wearer 11 to the left and right, and (c) can respond to the movement of the wearer in the left and right direction. This left It does not restrict the open leg operation to the direction.

  The second passive rotation shaft 45 ensures smooth angular displacement between the thigh holder 40 and the thigh frame 80.

The present invention, in particular, as shown in FIGS.
The outer periphery of the planar frame 31 is
A pair of left and right side frames 32 on which the one clutch member is fixed and rises upward;
It includes a pair of left and right back frames 33 that are bent and extended from the side frames 32 to the rear of the lower trunk and whose left and right ends are respectively fixed to the back plate 34 at the rear of the lower trunk.

  According to the present invention, it is easy to realize the planar frame 31 with high rigidity. The side frames 32 stand up to the left and right of the trunk 11, so that the trunk 11 of the wearer 10 is prevented from tilting to the left and right, thereby ensuring assistance in the middle and lower back posture.

The present invention, in particular, as shown in FIGS.
The outer periphery of the planar frame 31 is
A pair of left and right outer parts, in which the one clutch member is fixed, rises obliquely rearward from above, bends and extends to the rear of the lower trunk, and the left and right ends are fixed to the back plate 34 at the rear of the lower trunk. It is characterized by including a surrounding piece.

  According to the present invention, it is easy to realize the planar frame 31 with high rigidity. Since the outer peripheral piece rises obliquely rearward from above, it allows the wearer 10 to have a free middle waist posture, and the right and left tilt of the trunk 11 is allowed, thereby enabling a comfortable middle waist posture assist.

1 is a front view showing a state in which a wearable posture holding device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is worn on a wearer 10; FIG. It is a side view which shows the mounting state of the mounting | wearing type attitude | position holding apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view showing a part of the wearable posture holding device 1 in FIG. 2. 3 is a front view of a planar frame 31. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the planar frame 31. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a part of a planar frame 31. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a planar frame 31. FIG. It is a skeleton figure for demonstrating the state with the attitude | position of a forward bending for the wearer 10 for a middle waist work operation | movement. It is sectional drawing which shows the clutch 60 and its vicinity. 3 is an electric circuit diagram related to an electromagnetic coil 63 of a clutch 60. FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of embodiment of FIGS. It is an electric circuit diagram in other embodiments of the present invention. It is a skeleton figure for demonstrating the state in which the wearer 10 enters into a middle waist posture from the leaning posture for a middle waist work operation | movement. It is a skeleton figure for demonstrating the state which gets up from the middle waist posture in which the wearer is performing middle waist work operation | movement. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 113 in FIG. 11. It is sectional drawing which shows the clutch 120 in the other embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity. FIG. 17 is a partial development view in the circumferential direction showing a state where the meshing teeth of the rotor with meshing teeth 125 and the armature with meshing teeth 128 are separated from each other in the embodiment shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the clutch 140 in the other embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity. It is sectional drawing which shows the clutch 160 in the other embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity. It is a side view which shows the state which mounted | wore the wearer with the mounting | wearing type attitude | position holding | maintenance apparatus 1a which is another form of implementation of this invention. It is a side view which expands and shows a part of mounting | wearing type attitude | position holding apparatus 1a. It is a front view of the planar frame 31a. It is a left view of the planar frame 31a. It is a top view of a part of planar frame 31a. It is a disassembled perspective view of the planar frame 31a. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure which combined the clutch 60 and the electric motor 87 with the reduction gear 88 in other embodiment of this invention, and its vicinity.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a wearable posture holding device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is worn on a wearer 10, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a wearing state of the wearable posture holding device 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view showing a part of the wearable posture holding device 1 in FIG. FIG. 1 and the like may also show a partial configuration of another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to these drawings, a wearable posture holding device 1 includes a holding device 2 that is worn and held by a wearer 10, a trunk 11 of the wearer 10 provided on the holding device 2, and left and right thighs 12. And a clutch 60 that assists in maintaining the middle waist posture. 1 to 3 show a posture in which the wearer 10 stands upright with both lower limbs including the trunk 11 and the left and right thighs 12 aligned. Left and right refer to the direction of the wearer 10 as described above, and accordingly, right and left in FIG. The wearable posture holding device 1 is configured to be substantially plane-symmetrical with respect to the median sagittal surface 13 of the wearer 10 wearing the wearable posture holding device 1. Subscripts L and R are appended to the numbers for purposes of illustration, and generally or in order to indicate a concatenated structure, and left or right are indicated by numbers only.

  The holding device 2 is attached to an upper trunk holder 20 that is mounted and held on the upper trunk 14 near the chest, clavicle, and scapula of the wearer 10, and on the lower trunk 15 near the abdomen, waist pelvis, and hip joint. It includes a lower trunk holder 30 that can be called a waist cuff that is attached and held, and a thigh holder 40 that is attached to and held by the thigh 12.

  4 is a front view of the planar frame 31, FIG. 5 is a left side view of the planar frame 31, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a part of the planar frame 31, and FIG. FIG. 4 and 6 show a substantially left half of the planar frame 31 configured to be symmetrical. The lower trunk holder 30 has the lower abdominal belt 36 of the lower trunk 15 at the position of the clutch 60. The lower abdomen belt 36 is detachable by being separated and connected to the left and right by a connector 37 below the umbilicus.

  The lower trunk support 30 attached to and held by the lower trunk of the wearer basically includes a planar frame 31 and a belt 36 that are rigid as a whole. The planar frame 31 covers from the left and right sides of the lower part of the trunk to the rear (including the lower back and the lower part of the spinal column above the hip and sacrum). A portion 35 and a back plate 34 that rises from the outer portion 35 behind the lower part of the trunk. The belt 36 is connected to the planar frame 31 and covers the front half of the lower trunk from the left and right sides of the lower trunk to the abdomen.

  As described above, the planar frame 31 of the lower trunk holder 30 is rigid and can also be referred to as a lumbar side / back frame, and includes a side frame 32 and a side frame 32 arranged on the lumbar side. And a back frame 33 disposed on the back of the waist and connected to the back by a back plate 34. The side frame 32 may be a member formed in a curved shape, a part of which is at least partially covering the lower trunk 15, but in the embodiment shown in FIGS. You may implement | achieve by the surrounding piece 32a which is an elongate member elongate up and down by the side part.

  The height of the planar frame 31 is shortened to a position between the waist and the armpit, not the position where the upper part is directly under the armpit, and the height of the back plate 34 is also between the waist and the armpit. The position is shortened to make it easy to install. The upper part of the back plate 34 is connected to the shoulder belt 21. Therefore, the trunk lower part holder 30 is constituted by the planar frame 31 having the outer part 35 and the back plate 34 and the belt 36, so that the trunk 11 and the thigh holder 40 hold the middle waist posture, The upward moment assist can be performed quickly and reliably.

  The lower part of the side frame 32 is fixed to the clutch main body 61 of the clutch 60 and the upper frame piece 81 of the thigh frame 80 is fixed to the rotating shaft 66 of the rotating body 62 of the clutch 60 as shown in FIG. Is done. The lower part of the side frame 32 is also attached to both ends of the lower abdomen belt 36.

  The planar frame 31 and the lower abdomen belt 36 ensure the angle between the upper trunk holder 20 and the upper thigh holder 40 via the lower trunk holder 30 around the axis 75 of the rotation shaft 66 when the clutch 60 is connected. Therefore, the clutch 60 is prevented from being displaced, and the axis 75 of the rotating shaft 66 is prevented from being inclined in the left-right direction or in the front-rear direction. The planar frame 31 and the lower abdomen belt 36 also function to make the axis 75 of the rotation shaft 66 coincide as much as possible with a straight line passing through the center of the left and right hip joints of the wearer 10 so as not to shift. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the positions of the trunk upper holder 20, the trunk lower holder 30, and the thigh holder 40 from being displaced vertically. The wearer performs walking, lifting, lowering, and middle waist movements with the trunk 11 standing in an upright posture without bending the waist with the facet joint.

  The thigh frame 80 is configured such that an upper frame piece 81 and a lower frame piece 82 are connected to each other by a first passive rotation shaft 83 that can be angularly displaced about an axis in the front-rear direction, and extend vertically. The upper and lower frame pieces 81 and 82 are rigid.

  Each of the left and right thigh holders 40 includes a belt main body 41 that can be referred to as a thigh cuff that surrounds the thigh 12 over the entire circumference, and the outer peripheral portion of the belt main body 41 from the heel side, which is outside the thigh 12, to the front. A holding piece 43 that extends over a part and is fixed to the belt main body 41 by a fixing piece 42 is provided. The lower end portion of the lower arm piece 82 and the outer side portion of the holding piece 43 are connected by a second passive rotation shaft 45 that can be angularly displaced about an axis in the left-right direction.

  The upper trunk support 20 is referred to as a pair of left and right shoulder belts 21 arranged in an inverted U-shape near the clavicle and scapula of the wearer 10 and a chest cuff that surrounds the rib cage and extends diagonally downward from the armpit. And a chest belt 22 that can. The shoulder belt 21 and the chest belt 22 are connected to the upper part of the back plate 34.

  The upper trunk support 20 is composed of a shoulder belt 21 and a chest belt 22 in FIG. 1, but in another form of implementation, it has a vest or so-called waistcoat shape for ease of wearing. Also good.

  It is important that the above-described holding device 2 has a mechanism for not restricting operations other than holding the hip joint. A clutch 60, which is a posture holding device that supports a downward force moment so as to be held in the anti-gravity direction of the target hip joint, is arranged, and the wearer is in a rotational direction other than the angle holding direction of the target hip joint. In order not to disturb the operation of the first rotation shaft 10, the first passive rotation shaft 83 is a rotation shaft to which no drive device is attached, and is a rotation shaft that idles. There are the following specific advantages a to c depending on the configuration in which the first passive rotary shaft 83 is arranged around the outside of the target joint.

  a. Since the side frame 31 that is the left and right side rigid frame of the planar frame 31 and the back frame 33 that is the back waist rigid body frame are mounted from the lower side of the trunk 11 to the back, the weight can be reduced. It is possible to cope with the torsion of the wearer and does not restrain the torsional motion of the wearer.

  b, an upper frame piece 81 fixed to the lower ends of the clutch 60 attached to the left and right sides of the center of the left and right hip joints is a thigh rigid frame through a passive rotation shaft 83 that rotates about a longitudinal axis. Since the structure attached to the lower frame piece 82 is implement | achieved, it can respond to the inclination to the left and right of the upper body of the wearer 11. Therefore, the wearer 11 is not restrained from tilting the upper body left and right.

  Since the same configuration as c and b is realized, it is possible to cope with the wearer's left-and-right opening operation. Therefore, the left-and-right opening operation of the wearer 11 is not restricted.

  FIG. 8 is a skeleton diagram showing a state in which the wearer 10 holds the middle waist posture for explaining the lifting operation in a state of leaning forward for the middle waist work operation. When the wearer 10 grabs the object with his hand and tries to lift it, the trunk 11 stands upright and the thigh 12 is angularly displaced forward from the vertical in the middle waist state. In the middle waist state, the trunk 11 is upright, and the thigh 12 is angularly displaced forward from the vertical. Torque due to the force of the wearer 10 is transmitted to the thigh holders 40L and 40R of the thighs 12L and 12R. The same applies to lifting work.

  Since the connection of the clutch 60 to the chest part which is a contact part with the wearer 11 and the thigh holder 40 which is a thigh cuff is an important configuration, a part of which overlaps will be described. A total of two clutches 60 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the hip joint center. For this reason, the rotation center 75 of the clutch 60 and the hip joint coincide with each other, so that the upper and lower frames are rigid thigh frames that extend downward from one end of the clutch 60 when standing up, standing up, or swinging the foot up and down. Frame pieces 81 and 82 rotate at the same angle as the thigh 12. Further, one end of upper and lower frame pieces 81 and 82, which are rigid thigh frames, are attached to the lower part of the clutch 60 via a passive rotating shaft 83 that rotates about the front-rear direction axis. A thigh holder 40, which is a thigh cuff, is attached to the other ends of the frame pieces 81, 82 via a passive rotating shaft 83 that rotates about a left-right axis. At 40, the posture holding force is transmitted to the lower body of the wearer 10.

  Therefore, when the trunk 11 that is the upper body is tilted left and right or when the legs are opened to the left and right, the position of the thigh holder 40 that is the thigh cuff does not deviate from the original position, and the movement of the wearer 10 Therefore, the length adjustment mechanism between the clutch 60 and the thigh holder 40 which is the thigh cuff becomes unnecessary, and the weight can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  A planar frame 31 which is a rigid lower waist frame extending upward from the other end of the clutch 60 extends to the waist, and as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3, a back plate 34 chest cuff is placed on the waist. The chest belt 22 and the shoulder belt 21 of the upper trunk support 20 are connected to the upper portion of the back plate 34, and the chest belt 22, which is a chest cuff, transmits posture holding force to the upper body of the wearer 10. Yes. For this reason, when the upper body is tilted left and right or when the upper body is twisted, the position of the chest belt 22 as the chest cuff does not deviate from the original position, and the movement of the wearer is not restricted and the body can be separated from the body. Therefore, the conventional waist rear rigid body frame, the rear side rigid body frame, and the two passive rotary shafts attached to the back waist central part are not required, and the weight and cost can be reduced.

  In addition, since the clutch 60 is disposed on both the left and right sides of the hip joint center, the center of rotation of the clutch 60 deviates from the center of the hip joint when holding the hip joint in the middle and lower back work or the like, but it is the point of action (force point) Since the chest of the wearer 10 and the thigh 12 are sufficiently separated from each other, the force in the connected state of the clutch 60 can be sufficiently transmitted.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the clutch 60 and its vicinity. The clutch 60 has a clutch body 61 as a stator and a rotating body 62 as an armature. The clutch body 61 includes a field 64 in which the electromagnetic coil 63 is disposed and a friction plate 65 that is one clutch member. The field 64 is fixed to the side frame 32. The rotating body 62 has a rotating shaft 66, a support member 67 fixed to the rotating shaft 66 while preventing relative displacement in the circumferential direction and the axial direction, and a friction plate 65 in the proximity direction (right side in FIG. 9). The friction plate 68 which is the other clutch member which is displaced and displaced in the clutch engagement state by frictional contact to disengage in the separating direction (leftward in FIG. 9) and the clutch 60 is disengaged, and the friction plate 68 from the friction plate 65. And a leaf spring 69 for applying a spring force in the separating direction. The support member 67 includes a cylindrical portion 72 through which the rotation shaft 66 supports the field 64 through the insertion bearing 71, and a flange portion 73 that continues to the cylindrical portion 72. A friction plate 68 is attached to the flange portion 73 via a leaf spring 69 while preventing relative displacement in the circumferential direction. Due to the electromagnetic force generated when the electromagnetic coil 63 is excited, the friction plate 68 is displaced in proximity to the friction plate 65 against the spring force of the leaf spring 69 and is brought into frictional contact with the clutch 60 being connected. When the electromagnetic coil 63 is demagnetized without being excited, the friction plate 68 is displaced away from the friction plate 65 by the spring force of the leaf spring 69 to open the gap Δd1 (for example, 0.3 mm) and enter the clutch disengaged state. .

  The field 64 of the clutch body 61 is fixed to the side frame 32. The rotating shaft 66 of the rotating body 62 is fixed to the upper frame piece 81 of the thigh frame 80. The cylindrical portion 72 and the upper frame piece 81 are prevented from rotating with each other by the parallel key 74 together with the rotation shaft 66. Therefore, the friction plate 68 and the upper frame piece 81 and therefore the thigh frame 80 are There is no misalignment around the axis.

  When the electromagnetic coil 63 is energized, the maximum allowable torque of the clutch 60 in a state where the friction plate 65 and the friction plate 68 are in frictional contact with each other and the wearable posture holding device 1 is operating is the posture holding state. When it is different from the intention of the wearer, the value is set to a value less than a predetermined value at which the wearer can move the clutch 60 with his / her own power. Therefore, the friction plates 65 and 68 can be displaced around the axis of the rotating shaft 66 when the wearer applies a torque greater than the predetermined value in the frictional contact state of the friction plates 65 and 68. As a result, a basically safe wearable posture holding device 1 is realized.

  The force required for the wearer to hold the middle waist posture is the force necessary to hold the weight of the upper body of the wearer. Therefore, the frictional force corresponding to the required maximum allowable torque of the friction plate type clutch 60 may be at least equal to the force necessary to hold the weight W1 of the upper body of the wearer. A general wearer has a back muscle strength W2 for lifting an object of 20 kg to 30 kg or more in addition to the weight W1 of the upper body. Therefore, the predetermined value is set so that a general wearer can exert a force equal to or greater than the frictional force W3 acting on the friction plates 65, 68, that is, for example, (W1 ≦ W3 <W1 + W2). By selecting and setting, if it is different from the wearer's intention, the friction plates 65 and 68 that are in frictional contact with each other are angularly displaced and the wearable posture holding device can be moved, ensuring safety. Is done.

  FIG. 10 is an electric circuit diagram related to the electromagnetic coil 63 of the clutch 60. A push button switch 101 is connected to the clutch 60 installed near the left and right hip joints of the wearer 10 via a flexible cable 102. The push button switch 101 is an elongated egg shape that is easy to push and hold and has a size that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand (for example, the outer shape is 2 to 3 cm, the width is 2 to 3 cm, the total length is 4 to 7 cm, etc.). It is provided near the wearer's hand and is hung from the waist by a flexible cable 102 having a length of, for example, 0.1 to 0.5 m. One end of the flexible cable 102 may be connected to the push button switch 101, and the other end may be fixed to, for example, the clutch body 61 of the clutch 60 or the lower trunk support 30. The push button switch 101 may be provided on either the left or right side, but may be provided on the left or right side. In this way, the push button of the push button switch 101 can be easily pushed even when holding the load with both hands while holding the push button switch 101 with at least one hand.

  Excitation power is supplied from the battery 104 to the electromagnetic coil 60 of the clutch 60 via the push button switch 101, the flexible cable 102, and the fuse 103, and the back electromotive force is suppressed by the varistor 105. The fuse 103, the battery 104, and the like are housed in a control box 39 (FIG. 2) fixed to the back plate 34, and are connected to the flexible cable 102 by electric wires.

  The push button switch 101 has a self-holding function in which the on / off switching mode alternately changes each time the push button is pressed. The self-holding function may be realized by a mechanical configuration of the push button switch 101 or an electrical configuration.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of FIGS. When the operation proceeds from step a1 to a2 and the wearer operates the push button switch 101 hung from the waist near the hand and the switching mode is turned on, the switching mode of the on state is self-held, and in step a3, the support for holding the middle and lower back posture is performed. Operation is performed. In the assist operation for maintaining the middle waist posture, an electric current flows through the electromagnetic coil 63 to generate an electromagnetic force in step a31. As a result, in step a32, the clutch 60 is brought into a connected state by frictional contact between the friction plates 65 and 68 which are close to each other. In another embodiment to be described later, the meshing teeth of the meshed toothed rotor and the meshed toothed armature are meshed and connected to enter a connected state. Thus, in step a33, the side frame 32 of the upper body of the wearer 10 and the thigh frame 81 of the lower body are coupled to prevent angular displacement, the bending and stretching movement of the waist is braked, the middle waist posture is maintained, and the middle waist posture is maintained. Holding assistance can be performed.

  When the push button switch 101 is operated by the wearer and the switching mode is turned off, the self-holding of on is reset, the switching mode of the off is self-held, and the assist operation of holding the middle waist posture is released in step a4. In the assist operation for maintaining the middle waist posture, no current flows through the electromagnetic coil 63 and no electromagnetic force is generated in step a41. In step a42, the clutch 60 is separated by the spring 69 by separating the friction plates 65 and 68 from each other. Thus, in step a43, the side frame 32 of the upper half of the wearer 10 and the thigh frame 81 of the lower half of the wearer 10 are separated so that angular displacement is possible, the flexion and stretching movement of the hip is free, and the middle waist posture holding assist is provided. Cut out. That is, when the hand switch 101 is pressed, the current from the battery 104 "stops and the electromagnetic force disappears, and is attached to the frames 20, 30 attached to the upper trunk 11 and the lower thigh 12 by the force of the spring 69 of the clutch 60. As a result, the waist 40 is bent and stretched around the axis 75 of the clutch 60, and the support for maintaining the middle waist posture is cut off. The voltage applied to the electromagnetic coil 63 is the voltage of the battery 104, and is constant at, for example, DC 20 to 50V. When a voltage is applied to the electromagnetic coil 63, an electric current flows to generate an electromagnetic force necessary for maintaining the middle waist posture.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, an excitation power adjusting circuit that changes and adjusts the voltage from the battery 104, and thus the value of the excitation power, to the electromagnetic coil 63 by the operation of the wearer is provided with the battery 104 and the electromagnetic coil 63. Between the two. As a result, the strength of the electromagnetic force to be generated is changed, and the maximum allowable torque of the clutch 60, and thus the torque applied by the wearer is in the frictional contact state of the friction plates 65, 68. It is possible to select and set the predetermined value that causes a shift around the axis of the axis. For example, when a male wearer uses it, the voltage is increased to increase the electromagnetic force, and when a female wearer uses it, the voltage is lowered to weaken the electromagnetic force to minimize the power consumption of the battery 104. It can be kept to the necessary limit. In the friction plate type clutch 60, it is possible to output a force greater than the acting friction force, and in the tooth engagement type clutch 120 shown in FIGS. Since it is a device that can move the wearable posture holding device, it is basically safe.

  FIG. 12 is an electric circuit diagram in still another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment, and corresponding portions bear the same reference numerals. It should be noted that the control contact 111 is used in place of the above-described push button switch 101, and the control contact 111 is turned on only during the period when the wearer 10 is in the middle waist posture until getting up after the wearer 10 is in the middle waist posture. Thus, excitation power is applied from the battery 104 to the electromagnetic coil 63. The angle detector 112 shown in FIGS. 1 and 8 is provided in each of the left and right clutches 60 and detects the angle θ of the rotating shaft 66 thereof. This detected angle θ corresponds to the angle between the side frame 32 and the upper frame piece 81 and is, for example, a complementary angle. The output of the angle detector 112 is given to a processing circuit 113 realized by a microcomputer. The processing circuit 113 includes a timer 114 that counts the duration time during which each of the left and right angle detectors 112 is in the middle waist position. Also, the angle θ detected by each angle detector 112 is calculated to determine the rising angular velocity ω1. The acceleration / angular velocity detector 115 is fixed to the control box 39 and detects the upward acceleration α of the wearer's ten trunks 11 and also detects the rotational angular velocity ω 2 of the trunk 11. The output is given to the processing circuit 113.

  FIG. 13 is a skeleton diagram for explaining a state in which the wearer 10 enters the middle waist posture from the leaning posture for the middle waist work operation. The left and right angle detectors 112 detect the angle θ. For the angle θ, the threshold value θ1 for determining whether to enter the middle waist posture for the middle waist work operation is predetermined in a range of 30 to 40 degrees, for example.

  The rotational angular velocity of the trunk is a rotational angular velocity around the horizontal axis of the center of gravity of the trunk 11, and is a velocity ω that is a time differential value of the angle θ of the trunk 11 (upper body) in FIG. For example, the angular velocity measured by the same angle device incorporated in the left and right electric motors 87 described with reference to the angle device 112 and the later-described FIG. 26 is the velocity ω1 of the angle θ1 between the trunk 11 and the left thigh 12L. Then, the speed ω2 of the angle θ2 between the trunk 11 and the right thigh 12R is obtained. When the left and right thighs 12L and 12R are not moved, ω and ω1 and ω2 are the same, but are otherwise different.

  FIG. 14 is a skeleton diagram for explaining a state where the wearer 10 gets up from the middle waist posture in which the middle waist work operation is performed. The acceleration / angular velocity detector 115 detects the upward acceleration α of the trunk 11, and a threshold value α1 for determining the state of rising is predetermined in a range of 0.85 to 1.15G, for example. The processing circuit 113 calculates the detection angle θ by each angle detector 112 to obtain the rising angular velocity ω1. Alternatively, the rotational angular velocity ω <b> 2 of the trunk 11 is also detected by the acceleration / angular velocity detector 115. With respect to the angular velocity ω, the larger one of ω1 and ω2 is set to ω, and the threshold value ω3 for determining the rising state is set to, for example, a value of 300 degrees / second.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the processing circuit 113 of FIG. Moving from step b1 to step b2, the angles of the hip joints respectively measured and detected by the left and right angle detectors 112 are given. In step b3, it is determined whether any of the detection angles by the left and right angle detectors 112 is greater than or equal to the threshold value θ1, and if so, the duration T that is greater than or equal to the threshold value θ1 in step b4 is set by the timer 114. measure. The threshold value T1 of the duration time T is predetermined in the range of 3 to 5 seconds, for example. If the duration time T is longer than the threshold value T1 (T1 ≦ T), it is determined that the wearer has entered the middle waist posture, the middle waist posture is detected, and then an operation of assisting the middle waist posture holding is performed in step b6.

  In step b6, the control contact 111 is turned on in step b61, whereby a current flows through the electromagnetic coil 63 to generate an electromagnetic force. Due to this electromagnetic force, the friction plates 65 and 68 are displaced close to each other against the spring force of the leaf spring 69, and the clutch is engaged. Therefore, the angular displacement of the upper trunk holder 20 and the lower trunk holder 30 of the upper body trunk 11 and the thigh holder 40 of the lower body thigh 12 is prevented and coupled. In this way, an operation for assisting the holding of the middle waist posture is performed.

  In step b7, the acceleration / angular velocity detector 115 measures and detects the upward acceleration α of the trunk 11. In step b8, it is determined whether the acceleration α of the trunk 11 is greater than or equal to a threshold value α1 (α1 ≦ α). If so, based on the angle θ between the trunk 11 and the left and right thighs in step b9. Each angular velocity ω1 is calculated and measured. The rotational angular velocity ω2 of the trunk 11 is also measured. In step b10, it is determined whether the right or left angular velocity ω1 or ω2 is larger than the threshold value ω3 (ω3 ≦ ω). Is detected and judged.

  In this way, in the step b6, only the period from the battery 104 to the middle waist posture after the middle waist posture is obtained by the operations of the middle waist posture detection steps b2 to b5 and the rising detection steps b7 to b10. Excitation power is applied to the electromagnetic coil 63.

  In the next step b11, the operation for assisting the holding of the middle waist posture is released. In step b111, the control contact 111 is turned off, whereby no current flows through the electromagnetic coil 63 and no electromagnetic force is generated. When this electromagnetic force disappears, in step b112, the friction plates 65 and 68 are displaced away by the spring force of the leaf spring 69, and the clutch 60 is disengaged. Therefore, the angular displacement between the trunk upper holder 20 and the trunk lower holder 30 of the upper body trunk 11 and the thigh holder 40 of the lower body thigh 12 is separated. In this way, the operation for assisting in maintaining the middle waist posture is released.

  FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a clutch 120 and the vicinity thereof in another embodiment of the present invention. The clutch 120 meshes meshing teeth by electromagnetic force instead of the frictional contact of the friction plate by the electromagnetic force in the clutch 60 of the above-described embodiment. The clutch 120 has a clutch body 121 as a field and a rotating body 122 as an armature. The clutch body 121 includes a field 124 in which the electromagnetic coil 123 is disposed, and a meshed toothed rotor 125 that is one clutch member. The field 124 is fixed to the side frame 32. The rotating body 122 meshes with a rotating shaft 126, a support member 127 that is fixed to the rotating shaft 126 while preventing relative displacement in the circumferential direction and the axial direction, and an armature 128 with meshing teeth that is the other clutch member. The toothed armature 128 has a coil spring 129 that meshes with the toothed rotor 125 and applies a spring force in the direction away from the toothed rotor 125 (left side in FIG. 16). The meshing toothed armature 128 is prevented from angular displacement with respect to the support member 127 around the axis 75 of the rotating shaft 126, and thus with the rotating shaft 126. The meshing toothed armature 128 is displaced in a direction close to the meshing toothed rotor 125 (to the right in FIG. 16), and is engaged with the clutch 120 by the meshing teeth of the meshing toothed rotor 125, and in the disengagement direction (leftward in FIG. 16). ) And the clutch 120 is disengaged.

  The rotor 125 with meshing teeth has a cylindrical portion 132 through which the rotating shaft 126 is inserted and supports the field 124 via the bearing 131, and a flange portion 133 that continues to the cylindrical portion 132. In the flange portion 133, meshing teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion 133 so as to face the left in the axial direction of FIG. 16 to form a meshed rotor 125.

  FIG. 17 is a partial development view in the circumferential direction showing a state where the meshing teeth of the rotor 125 with meshing teeth and the armature 128 with meshing teeth are separated and the clutch 120 is disconnected. Due to the electromagnetic force generated when the electromagnetic coil 123 is excited, the meshing toothed armature 128 is displaced near the meshing toothed rotor 125 against the spring force of the spring 129 and the meshing teeth mesh with each other. Become. When the electromagnetic coil 123 is demagnetized without being excited, the meshing toothed armature 128 is displaced away from the meshing toothed rotor 125 by the spring force of the spring 129 to open the air gap Δd2 (for example, 0.4 mm) and shut off the clutch. It becomes a state.

  The field 124 of the clutch body 121 is fixed to the side frame 32. The rotating shaft 126 of the rotating body 122 is fixed to the upper frame piece 81 of the thigh frame 80. The cylindrical portion 132 and the upper frame piece 81 are prevented from rotating with each other by the parallel key 134 together with the rotation shaft 126. Therefore, the armature 128 with meshing teeth and the upper frame piece 81, and thus the thigh frame 80 are rotated with each other. There will be no misalignment around the 126 axis 75.

  In the circumferential development view of FIG. 17, the meshing teeth of the meshing toothed rotor 125 and the meshing toothed armature 128 are configured symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane including the axis 75 of the rotating shaft 126. Therefore, when excessive torque is applied by the wearer 10, a component force that moves away in the direction of the axis 75 is generated in any rotational direction, so that the rotor 125 and the armature 128 have tooth jumps. Can occur and shift.

  When the electromagnetic coil 123 is excited, the maximum allowable torque of the clutch 120 in a state in which the meshing teeth of the rotor 125 with meshing teeth and the armature 128 with meshing teeth mesh with each other and the wearable posture holding device 1 is in operation. When the posture holding state is different from the intention of the wearer 10, the angle between the side frame 32 and the upper frame piece 81 connected by the clutch 120 in which the wearer 10 is in the connected state is shifted by his own force. It is set to a value less than a predetermined value that can be moved. This predetermined value is determined depending on the shape of the meshing teeth of the rotor 125 and the armature 128, the spring constant of the spring 129, and the like. Accordingly, when the wearer is engaged with the meshed toothed rotor 125 and the meshed toothed armature 128, when the torque applied by the wearer exceeds the predetermined value, the meshed toothed armature 128 resists the spring force of the spring 129. 15 is displaced to the left in the direction of separation, so that the meshing teeth of the meshing toothed rotor 125 and the meshing toothed armature are jumped so to speak, and like the clutch 60 described above, the rotation shaft 126 is displaced around the axis 75. Can occur. As a result, a basically safe wearable posture holding device 1 is realized. Therefore, the general typical wearer 10 can move the wearable posture holding device when the engagement of the meshing teeth is greater than the intention of the wearer 10 by generating more than the force of skipping the teeth. Since it is a device that can be used, it is basically safe.

  Other configurations in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a clutch 140 and its vicinity in another embodiment of the present invention. The clutch 140 can be used in place of the clutches 60 and 120 of the above-described embodiment, and the frictional contact of the plurality of friction plates 145 and 148 is performed by the handle operation of the wearer 10 instead of the electromagnetic force. . The clutch 140 includes a clutch main body 141 with a plurality of friction plates 145 as one clutch member, and a rotating body 142 with a plurality of friction plates 148 having a rotation shaft 146 and the other clutch member. The clutch body 141 has an annular rotor 144 to which the friction plate 145 is fixed and which can be displaced in the direction of the axis 75, an inner sleeve 152 that is inserted through the rotor 144 and is fixed to the side frame 32, and the inner sleeve 152 is inserted through the clutch body 141. An outer sleeve 153 that can be displaced in the direction of the axis 75. The inner sleeve 152 has a lever 156 that can be swung by a pin 155 perpendicular to the axis 75 of the rotating shaft 146, and a plate that gives the lever 156 a spring force in a direction in which one end 156 a separates the rotor 144 and the outer sleeve 153. A spring 149 is provided. A spring force is applied to the friction plate 145 in the direction away from the friction plate 148 by a coil spring 159. The inner sleeve 152 is fixed to the side frame 32 connected to the planar frame 31, and thus the trunk 11.

  The handle 157 is swung by a pin 158 perpendicular to the axis 75 of the rotating shaft 146, and the pin 158 is provided on the inner sleeve 152. By swinging the handle 157, it is possible to switch between the position for disengaging the clutch 140 as shown by the solid line in FIG. 18 and the position for connecting as shown by the phantom line. Displace in the direction.

  The rotating body 142 can be in contact with the friction plate 145 by being fixed to the supporting member 147 and the supporting member 147 that is an armature that is fixed to the rotating shaft 146 while preventing relative displacement in the circumferential direction and the axial direction. A bearing 151 is interposed between the friction plate 148 and the inner sleeve 152. The support member 147 and the upper frame piece 81 are prevented from rotating with respect to the rotating shaft 146 by the parallel key 154, and thus the rotating shaft 146 and the upper frame piece 81 connected to the thigh 12 are fixed.

  The structure of the multi-plate friction plates 145 and 148 and the coil spring 159 will be further described. The three outer friction plates 148 attached to the support member 147 and the three inner friction plates 145 attached to the rotor 144 are brought into contact with or detached from each other. A coil spring 159 is attached radially inward of the friction plates 145 and 148, and a force acts in a direction to separate the friction plates 148 and 145 of the support member 147 and the rotor 144, which are the above armatures.

  When the handle 157 is in the right clutch disengaged position as shown by the solid line in FIG. 18, the one end 156a of the lever 156 is located between the rotor 144 and the outer sleeve 153 by the spring force of the spring 149, and the friction plates 145, 148 No frictional force is applied to the clutch, and the clutch is disconnected. As described above, when the handle 157 is moved in the right direction in FIG. 18, the armature 147 is disconnected by the coil spring 159, the friction plates 145 and 148 are detached, and the lever 156 is returned by the plate spring 149.

  When the handle 157 is switched to the left clutch engagement position as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 18, the outer sleeve 153 is angularly displaced by pushing down one end 156a of the lever 156 against the spring force of the spring 149, and the friction plate 145 148 is pressed between the rotor 144 by the outer sleeve 153 and the other end 156b of the lever 156, is brought into frictional contact, and is clutch-connected. As described above, when the handle is moved to the left in FIG. 18, the outer sleeve 153 is shifted to the left, the lever 156 is pushed in, the rotor 144 is shifted to the left, and the friction plates 145 and 148 come into contact with each other. It is. Other configurations and operations are similar to those of the above-described embodiment.

  FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a clutch 160 and the vicinity thereof in another embodiment of the present invention. The clutch 160 can be used in place of the clutches 60, 120, and 140 in the above-described embodiment, and the meshing teeth are engaged by the handle operation of the wearer 10 instead of the electromagnetic force. The clutch 160 includes a clutch main body 161 including a meshing toothed rotor 165 that is one clutch member, and a rotating body 162 including a meshing toothed armature 168 that is the other clutch member.

  The clutch body 161 includes a rotor 165 with meshing teeth that can be displaced in the direction of the axis 75, an inner sleeve 172 that is fixed to the side frame 32, and an outer sleeve 163 that is inserted through the inner sleeve 172 and can be displaced in the axial direction. Have. The inner sleeve 172 is provided with a handle 177 that can be swung by a pin 178 perpendicular to the axis 75 of the rotating shaft 166, and the outer sleeve 163 can be displaced in the direction of the axis 75 by the swing of the handle 177. The coil spring 179 applies a spring force in a direction in which the meshing is released by moving the rotor 165 with one meshing tooth away from the rotor 162 with the other meshing tooth.

  By swinging the handle 177, it is possible to switch between a right position for disengagement of the clutch 160 and a left position for connection as shown in FIG. 18, whereby the outer sleeve 163 is displaced in the direction of the axis 75.

  The rotating body 162 has a support member 167 that is fixed to the rotating shaft 166 while preventing relative displacement in the circumferential direction and the axial direction, and a meshing tooth that can be meshed with the rotor 165 that is fixed to the support member 167 and meshed with the meshing tooth. It has a bearing 171 interposed between the armature 168 and the inner sleeve 172. The support member 167 and the upper frame piece 81 are prevented from rotating with respect to the rotation shaft 166 by the parallel key 174.

  When the handle 177 is moved to the right as shown in FIG. 18, the rotor 165 is separated from the armature 168 by the coil spring 179, the meshing teeth are released, and the clutch disengagement position is reached.

  When the handle 177 is moved to the left in FIG. 19, the outer sleeve 163 is shifted to the left, the roller 169 is pushed in, and the meshed toothed rotor 165 is shifted to the left to mesh with the meshed toothed rotor 168. Meshes and enters the clutch connection position.

  When a force around the axis 75 is applied to the meshing teeth, a force is applied in a direction in which the mesh 75 is disengaged in the right direction, but this force is received by the inner sleeve 172. In this way, the rotor 165 and the armature 168 are shifted around the axis line 75 to ensure safety. Since the roller 169 is fitted into the tapered portion of the inner sleeve 172, the component force of the force applied to the roller 169 acts in the outer peripheral direction. Since this force is received by the inner periphery of the outer sleeve 163, it is not transmitted to the handle 177 and the clutch 160 is not disengaged. Other configurations and operations are similar to those of the above-described embodiment.

  20 is a side view showing a state where the wearable posture holding device 1a according to another embodiment of the present invention is worn on the wearer 10, and FIG. 21 is a partial view of the wearable posture holding device 1a in FIG. It is a side view which expands and shows. This embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment, but it should be noted that a planar frame 31a is implemented instead of the aforementioned planar frame 31. In this embodiment, parts corresponding to those of the above-described embodiment are shown by adding the suffix “a” to the same reference numeral.

  22 is a front view of the planar frame 31a, FIG. 23 is a left side view of the planar frame 31a, FIG. 24 is a plan view of a part of the planar frame 31a, and FIG. 25 is a planar frame 31a. FIG. 22 and 24 show a substantially left half of the planar frame 31a configured to be symmetrical. The outer peripheral portion 35a of the planar frame 31 has one clutch member 65 fixed thereto, rises obliquely rearward from above, bends and extends rearwardly at the lower trunk, and the left and right ends at the rear of the lower trunk are back. A pair of left and right surrounding pieces 32a fixed to the plate 34 are included. The lower trunk support 30a basically includes a planar frame 31a and a belt 36 that are rigid as a whole. The planar frame 31a extends from the left and right sides of the lower part of the trunk to the rear (including the lower back and the lower part of the spinal column above the hip and sacrum). A portion 35a and a back plate 34 that rises from the surrounding portion 35a behind the lower part of the trunk. The belt 36 is connected to the planar frame 31a and covers the front half of the lower trunk from the left and right sides of the lower trunk to the abdomen.

  As described above, the planar frame 31a of the lower trunk holder 30 is rigid and can also be referred to as a waist side / back frame. The height of the planar frame 31a is shortened to a position between the waist and the armpit instead of the position where the upper part is not directly under the armpit, and the height of the back plate 34 is also between the waist and the armpit. The position is shortened to make it easy to install. Since the lower trunk holder 30a is composed of the planar frame 31a having the outer portion 35a and the back plate 34 and the belt 36, the trunk 11 and the thigh holder 40 are held in the middle waist posture and the upward moment. It is possible to reliably and quickly perform the assist.

  According to this embodiment, it is easy to realize the planar frame 31a with high rigidity. Since the surrounding piece 32a rises obliquely rearward from above, it allows the wearer 10 to have a free middle waist posture, and the right and left inclination of the trunk 11 is allowed, thereby enabling a comfortable middle waist posture assist.

  FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing a drive source 89 combining the clutch 60 and the electric motor 87 with the speed reducer 88 and the vicinity thereof in another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment, and corresponding portions bear the same reference numerals. It should be noted that a drive source 89 is provided between any one of the lower trunk holder 30 and the thigh holder 40 and the clutch 60, and the rotation axis of the clutch 60 in the connected state of the clutch 60. Torque is generated around a common straight line. According to this embodiment, assisting the lumbar vertebrae (lumbar joint) and back muscles to prevent back pain by assisting the holding of the middle waist and lifting in the middle waist work by acting upward force moment by the drive source. Can do.

  A main body 90 which is a housing of the motor 87 is fixed to the field 64 by the bracket 91 via the clutch main body 61, and is fixed to the side frame 32 of the lower trunk holder 30. The output shaft of the motor 87 is fixed to the clutch rotating body 62 and the thigh frame 80, and when the electromagnetic coil 63 is not excited, the friction plate 68 is not attracted to the friction plate 65, and the rotational torque of the motor 87 is reduced by the lower trunk supporter. It acts as a relative angular displacement force between the 30 side frames 32 and the upper and lower frame pieces 81, 82 of the thigh holder 40.

  Regarding the on / off operation of the clutch 60, the motor 87 starts rotating immediately after the clutch 60 is turned off. Further, immediately after the motor 87 stops, the clutch 60 is turned on.

  In another embodiment of the present invention, the above-described clutch 140 in FIG. 18 may be used instead of the clutch 60 in FIG. After the clutch 140 is turned off by operating the manual handle 157, the motor 87 immediately starts rotating by a switch that detects the off operation. Also, immediately after the motor 87 stops, the on operation is performed with the manual handle 157. The clutches 120 and 160 shown in FIGS. 16 and 19 may be used.

  The shift of the friction plates 65 and 68, the tooth jump of the clutches 120 and 160, and the driving of the motor 87 are important from the viewpoint of safety. When the motor 87 operates in the direction opposite to the intention of the wearer 10, the motor 87 can reversely rotate from the wearer 10 side, that is, from the output shaft side of the motor 87 (reduction ratio is 1/100 to 1/50). It is configured to be back-dryable). When the motor 87 operates in the direction opposite to the intention of the wearer 10, even if the friction plates 65 and 68 are attracted by electromagnetic force, the friction plates 65 and 68 are displaced by the force of the wearer 10, and reversely. It is configured so that it can be moved by rotating. When the motor 87 operates in a direction opposite to the intention of the wearer 10, even if the meshing teeth 125 and 128 are attracted by electromagnetic force, the meshing teeth 125 and 128 are displaced by the force of the wearer 10, It is configured so that it can be moved by reverse rotation.

  Advantages of the embodiments described above will be described in comparison with Patent Document 1. Patent document 1 is provided with a configuration based on sound detection, a motor, a ratchet mechanism, and a clutch. In this case, the voice detection, motor, and ratchet mechanism of Patent Document 1 are omitted. Instead, a self-holding switch operation (FIG. 9) or an automatic operation (FIG. 11) using the hip joint angle, trunk acceleration, and trunk rotational angular velocity detected by the motion sensor is used. Like this, one or a plurality of friction plates are brought into contact with an electromagnetic force generated by an electromagnetic coil by flowing a current using a battery (or a manual mechanical handle operating force as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18). (Fig. 8, Fig. 17), a clutch structure (Fig. 8, Fig. 15, Fig. 18, Fig. 18) that engages with many meshing teeth (Figs. ing. In this case, when the repeated utterance of Patent Document 1 is performed, not the troublesome voice detection but a simple mechanical handle operation or switch operation or automatic operation detected by the motion sensor 1 of the ratchet mechanism of Patent Document 1 In this case, the force is distributed by meshing all of the many meshing teeth, instead of the mating of the two locking claws, and the force is also distributed by combining one or more friction plates. By doing so, it can cope with a strong force and can be configured compactly.

  From the viewpoint of safety, when a force stronger than usual is applied, in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to remove one of the ratchet mechanism and two locking claws, which is dangerous. On the other hand, in the meshing of a large number of meshing teeth in this case, it is configured so that the tooth jumps and the angular displacement is displaced, and the friction plate that is in frictional contact is configured to be angularly displaced and displaced. It is. With one or two latching claws in the ratchet mechanism of Patent Document 1, even if the latching claws come off and the teeth jump, the number of latching claws is small. There is a risk that it will soon be unusable. The configuration of meshing a large number of meshing teeth in this case has an advantage of a long life because it can be used until the teeth are skipped several times. Further, the coupling method using the friction plate of the present invention has an advantage that it can be used any number of times and has a long life without causing tooth skipping.

  With regard to the clutch of Patent Document 1, the separation of teeth such as a latching claw of a ratchet mechanism is a separation structure that causes a latching claw that is locked by a spring member. On the other hand, in the present embodiment (FIGS. 15 and 18), since the gear with a large number of meshing teeth is separated in the axial direction, the structure is simple and compact, and The structure in which the coupled friction plates are separated in the axial direction is similarly simple and compact.

  The wearable posture holding device of the invention is a device for assisting the lumbar vertebra (lumbar joint) and back muscles mainly to prevent back pain by assisting the holding of the middle and lower back posture in the middle and lower back work. The support for holding the middle waist posture attaches a frame to the outside of the wearer so as to bypass the lumbar spine and back muscles, and reduces the force applied to the lumbar spine and back muscles without impeding the movement of the wearer. By using an electromagnetic clutch equipped with an electromagnetic coil or a mechanical clutch by operating a steering wheel without using an electric motor with a reduction gear attached to the left and right hip joints or waist joints, it is cheap, lightweight, compact, and has low power consumption. Alternatively, it is not possible to generate an upward force moment by braking the waist bending and stretching motion without using electric power, but it is possible to support the downward force moment, so that it is possible to assist in maintaining the middle waist posture.

  The present invention not only assists the wearer in maintaining the posture of the lower back, but supports and supports the angle of angular displacement between two members, for example, the trunk holder and the thigh holder, by connecting the clutch. In connection with applications that allow free angular displacement by blocking, it can be implemented extensively in applications other than the wearer, for example, industrial products.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wearing type posture holding apparatus 2 Holding apparatus 10 Wearer 11 Trunk 12 Thigh 20 Trunk upper holder 30 Trunk lower holder 31 Planar frame 32 Side frame 32a Enclosure piece 33 Back frame 34 Back plate 35 Enclosure Part 36 belt 39 control box 40 thigh holder 45 second passive rotating shaft 53 planar frame 60, 120, 140, 160 clutch 61 clutch body 62 rotating body 63, 123 electromagnetic coil 65, 68, 145, 148 friction plate 66, 126, 146, 166 Rotating shaft 69 Leaf spring 75 Axis 80 Thigh frame 81 Upper frame piece 82 Lower frame piece 83 First passive rotating shaft 87 Electric motor 89 Drive source 101 Push button switch 102 Flexible cable 104 Battery 111 Control contact 112 Angle detector 113 processing circuit 114 timer 11 Toothed armature 129,159,179 coil springs 157,177 handle intermeshing toothed rotor 128,168 meshing acceleration, angular velocity detectors 125,165

Claims (8)

(A) a trunk holder that is mounted and held on the trunk of the wearer;
(B) a thigh holder that is mounted and held on the wearer's thigh;
(C) a clutch having a rotation axis around a horizontal axis in the vicinity of the hip joint and connecting and disconnecting the trunk holder and the thigh holder;
(D) a wearable posture holding device including clutch control means for engaging the clutch in a middle waist posture of the wearer.   A drive source that is provided between one of the trunk holder and the thigh holder and the clutch, and generates torque that raises the trunk around a straight line that is common to the rotation axis of the clutch when the clutch is engaged. The wearable posture holding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The clutch
A pair of clutch members arranged in the axial direction of the clutch, at least one of which is displaced in the close direction of each other to be in a connected state, and is disengaged in a mutually separated direction to be in a disconnected state When,
A displacement driving means for displacing the clutch members in a mutually close direction;
A spring that applies a spring force to the clutch member in a direction away from each other,
The mounting according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when a torque greater than a predetermined value is applied by a wearer in a connected state by the displacement driving means of the clutch member, the pair of clutch members are displaced about the axis. Mold posture holding device. The clutch displacement drive means is:
One clutch member has an electromagnetic coil that is displaced by the electromagnetic force against the spring force in the proximity direction of the other clutch member,
The clutch control means
Battery,
4. The wearable posture holding apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a middle waist posture detection control unit that detects a middle waist posture of the wearer and applies excitation power from the battery to the electromagnetic coil only during the middle waist posture. . Middle waist posture detection control means
Middle waist posture detection means for detecting that the wearer has become a middle waist posture;
A rising detection means for detecting rising from the middle waist posture of the wearer;
In response to the outputs of the middle waist posture detection means and the rise detection means, the switch includes a switch means for applying excitation power from the battery to the electromagnetic coil only during the period of the middle waist posture after the middle waist posture until it gets up. The wearable posture holding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: (E) The trunk holder is
(E1) an upper trunk holder 20 that is mounted and held on the upper trunk of the wearer;
(E2) The trunk lower support tool 30 that is mounted and held on the lower trunk of the wearer,
(E2-1) An overall rigid surface having an outer enclosure that covers the second half of the lower trunk from the left and right sides of the lower trunk to the rear, and a back plate that rises from the outer enclosure behind the lower trunk A frame 31;
(E2-2) a lower trunk holder 30 that is connected to the planar frame and has a belt 36 that covers the front half of the lower trunk from the left and right sides of the lower trunk to the abdomen,
(F) Of the pair of clutch members that are angularly displaceable around the rotation axis of the clutch 60, one clutch member is attached to the planar frame 31,
(G) a thigh frame 80 attached to the thigh holder 40 and the other clutch member,
(G1) A pair of upper frame pieces arranged to extend downward from both the left and right sides along the thigh from the vicinity of the hip joint, and the upper end of each upper frame piece and the other clutch member are arranged in the left-right direction. An upper frame piece 81 which is mounted while being prevented from relative rotation about the axis of
(G2) a thigh frame 80 having a pair of lower frame pieces 82 that extend upward on the left and right sides along the thigh from the thigh holder 40;
(H) a first passive rotary shaft 83 that connects a lower end portion of each upper frame piece 81 and each lower frame piece 82 so as to be angularly displaceable about an axis in the front-rear direction;
(I) It includes a second passive rotating shaft 45 that connects the lower end portion of each lower frame piece 82 and the thigh holder 40 so as to be angularly displaceable about an axis in the left-right direction. The wearable posture holding device according to any one of? The outer periphery of the planar frame 31 is
A pair of left and right side frames 32 on which the one clutch member is fixed and rises upward;
And a pair of left and right back frames 33 each of which is bent and extends from the side frame 32 to the rear of the lower trunk and whose left and right ends are respectively fixed to the back plate 34 at the rear of the lower trunk. Item 7. The wearable posture holding device according to Item 6. The outer periphery of the planar frame 31 is
A pair of left and right outer parts, in which the one clutch member is fixed, rises obliquely rearward from above, bends and extends to the rear of the lower trunk, and the left and right ends are fixed to the back plate 34 at the rear of the lower trunk. The wearable posture holding device according to claim 6, comprising a surrounding piece 32 a.