JP2020093313A - Power-assist suit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power-assist suit that can appropriately keep attachment state of thigh attachment parts attached to thigh parts, with respect to various motion of the thigh parts of a wearer to efficiently transmit assist torque.SOLUTION: Assist parts have arms and thigh attachment parts. The arms have lengthy shapes extending along the sides of the thigh parts of a wearer from the sides of a wasit part of the wearer, where parts in a longitudinal direction of the arms are formed as rail parts having H-shaped cross sections orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, which have concave parts extending along the longitudinal direction respectively. The thigh attachment part 78R is connected to a slide-movable part that can slide along the longitudinal direction of the rail part or is integrated with at least part of the slide-movable part. Between the respective concave parts 73E in the rail parts and respective inner wall surfaces of the slide-movable part 75 opposing to the respective concave parts are arranged bearing rollers (76 and 77) that reduce friction between the rail part 73 and the slide-movable part 75.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 28

Description

The present invention relates to a power assist suit that assists the motion of the thigh of the wearer's waist or the waist of the wearer's thigh.

In recent years, a power assist suit that reduces the burden on the wearer's waist and the like has been desired in various fields such as manufacturing, logistics, construction, agriculture, nursing care, and rehabilitation.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a (right) actuator and a (left) actuator that are respectively disposed on the right waist and a left waist of the wearer, and wound around the right thigh and the left thigh of the wearer, respectively. (Right) leg belt and (left) leg belt, (right) arm that connects the (right) actuator and (right) leg belt, and (left) arm that connects the (left) actuator and (left) leg belt (left) arm And a motion support device having the following is disclosed. The (right) actuator assists the swing of the (right) thigh with respect to the wearer's waist through the (right) arm and (right) leg belt, and the (left) actuator controls the (left) arm and (left). ) Support the swing of the (left) thigh with respect to the wearer's waist through the leg belt.

Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, a (right) actuator and a (left) actuator, which are respectively disposed on the right waist and a left waist of the wearer, and a (right) thigh restraint unit and an arm, which are integrated with the arm, are integrated. And a (left) thigh restraining part, which is described above. The (right) actuator is connected to the arm of the (right) thigh restraint to assist the swing (backward swing) of the (right) thigh with respect to the wearer's waist, and the (left) actuator is ( The arm of the left thigh restraint is connected to support the rocking (backward rocking) of the (left) thigh with respect to the wearer's waist.

JP, 2018-149624, A JP, 2005-208795, A

In the motion support device described in Patent Document 1, a (right) leg belt is wound around and fixed to the wearer's (right) thigh, and the wearer's (left) thigh is (left). The leg belts are wound around and fixed, and the (right) leg belts and the (left) leg belts have a structure that cannot slide in the longitudinal direction of the thigh. (Right) When the position of the swing axis of the actuator and (left) the position of the swing axis of the actuator do not match the position of the wearer's hip joint, (right) when the thigh swings back and forth. The distance from the (right) leg belt to the swing axis of the (right) actuator and the distance from the (left) leg belt to the swing axis of the (left) actuator vary depending on the swing angle of. However, since the (right) leg belt and the (left) leg belt cannot slide in the longitudinal direction of the thigh, it is not preferable that they cannot follow this change in distance. Further, when the wearer opens the legs to the left and right, the distance from the (right) leg belt to the swing axis of the (right) actuator and the (left) leg belt to the (left) actuator swing depending on the opening angle. The distance to the axis of movement changes. However, since the (right) leg belt and the (left) leg belt cannot slide in the longitudinal direction of the thigh, it is not preferable that they cannot follow this change in distance. If the above change in distance cannot be followed, assist torque may not be transmitted efficiently, and the leg belt may move along the wearer's thigh forcibly, resulting in discomfort or pain to the wearer. Can make you feel.

Similarly, the motion support device described in Patent Document 2 is also preferable in that the (right) thigh restraint portion and the (left) thigh restraint portion cannot slide in the longitudinal direction of the thigh, and thus cannot follow the above-described change in distance. However, similarly to Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the assist torque cannot be transmitted efficiently, and that the wearer may feel discomfort or pain.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned points, and maintains a good wearing state of the thigh wearing part attached to the thigh against various movements of the thigh of the wearer. An object of the present invention is to provide a power assist suit capable of efficiently transmitting assist torque.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first invention of the present invention is to attach a brace at least around the waist of the wearer, the brace, and the thigh of the wearer to the waist of the wearer. A power assist suit comprising: an assisting part for assisting movement of a thigh with respect to the thigh or a lumbar part of the wearer's thigh; and a power part for generating an assist torque transmitted to the assisting part. Has an arm that swings by the transmitted assist torque, and a thigh attachment part that is attached to the thigh of the wearer, and the arm is attached to the wearer from the side of the waist of the wearer. Has a long shape extending along the lateral side of the thigh, and a part of the arm in the longitudinal direction is a rail portion having a H-shaped cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, The thigh mounting portion has respective concave portions extending along the longitudinal direction, and the thigh attachment portion is connected to a slide movable portion slidable along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion or at least a part of the slide movable portion. The rail portion and the slide movable portion are provided between the respective concave portions of the rail portion and the respective inner wall surfaces of the slide movable portion facing the respective concave portions. A power assist suit, in which bearing rollers are arranged to reduce friction between the two.

Next, a second aspect of the present invention is the power assist suit according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein each of the recessed portions of the rail portion and the slide movable portion that faces each of the recessed portions. It is a power assist suit in which two or more bearing rollers are arranged along the longitudinal direction between each inner wall surface.

Next, a third aspect of the present invention is the power assist suit according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the concave portions of the rail portion and the slide movable portions facing the concave portions are provided. It is a power assist suit in which one bearing roller is arranged between each inner wall surface.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the thigh attachment part attached to the thigh of the wearer can slide along the arm extending from the side of the waist of the wearer to the side of the thigh of the wearer. Therefore, even if the arm swings when the position of the swing axis does not coincide with the position of the wearer's hip joint, or when the wearer opens the legs to the left and right, the thigh mounting portion is properly positioned. Since it automatically slides, the assist torque can be efficiently transmitted, and a good wearing state can be maintained without causing the wearer to feel discomfort or pain. Further, the bearing roller can reduce the generation of friction and noise when the thigh attachment portion slides.

According to the second invention, by having two or more bearing rollers along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion, as compared with the case of having one bearing roller, the allowable turning angle of the thigh attachment portion with respect to the rail portion. Can be smaller. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the posture of the thigh attachment portion that is slidable with respect to the rail portion in a more stable posture.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by having one bearing roller along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion, the allowable turning angle of the thigh attachment portion with respect to the rail portion can be increased as compared with the case where two or more bearing rollers are provided. Can be larger. Therefore, when a situation arises in which it is better to make the posture of the thigh attachment part turn more greatly with respect to the rail part due to various movements of the thigh part of the wearer, the thigh attachment part is automatically turned and appropriately rotated. Can be followed.

It is a disassembled perspective view which decomposed|disassembled the power assist suit into each part. It is a perspective view of the power assist suit which assembled each part shown in FIG. It is a front view of a state where the wearer wears a power assist suit. It is a rear view of a state where the wearer wears the power assist suit. It is a front view of a frame part. It is a (right) side view of a frame part. It is a figure explaining a waist brace. It is a figure explaining a chest brace. It is an exploded perspective view explaining the structure of a shoulder belt. It is sectional drawing explaining the structure of a shoulder belt. It is a perspective view explaining the external appearance of the back pad attached to the power unit. It is a figure explaining the structure and attachment state of a back pad. It is a figure explaining the example of the state where the shape of the back pad was restored and the back pad was inhaled when the posture of the wearer changed from the forward bending state to the upright state in the lifting work of the luggage. It is a figure explaining the example of the state where the back pad was compressed and the back pad was exhausted when the posture of the wearer changed from the upright state to the forward bending state in the lifting work of the luggage. It is a figure explaining the example which the shape of the surface which contacts a wearer's back in a back pad is convex toward the wearer's back. It is a figure explaining the example where the shape of the surface in contact with the wearer's back in the back pad is concave toward the wearer's back. It is a figure explaining the example which the shape of the surface which contacts a wearer's back in a back pad is planar toward the wearer's back. It is a perspective view explaining an example of arrangement of a power generation part inside a power part, a battery, and a control device. It is a figure explaining the structure of a power generation part, and a support state. It is a perspective view explaining an example of appearance of each part which constitutes a power generation part. It is a figure explaining the structure of the (left) rotation part around a driven pulley in a (left) assist part. FIG. 22 is a sectional view taken along line XXII-XXII of the (left) rotating portion shown in FIG. 21. It is the figure which decomposed|disassembled the (left) rotation part shown in FIG. 21 into each part. FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a shape of a connection portion between the frame portion and the pulley case in the (left) rotating portion illustrated in FIG. 21. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating another example of the stopper mechanism that limits the rotation angle range of the driven pulley (the swinging angle range of the swinging arm) with respect to the (left) rotating unit illustrated in FIG. 21. It is an exploded perspective view explaining the structure of the (right) link part from a rocking arm in a (right) assist part to a thigh mounting part. It is a perspective view explaining the external appearance of the (right) link part which assembled|attached each part shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the state in which a slide movable part and a thigh mounting part slide along a rail part. It is a XXIX-XXIX sectional view in FIG. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the thigh attachment unit is connected to the slide movable unit at one location, and the thigh attachment unit is rotatably connected to the slide movable unit, with respect to FIG. 28. It is a figure explaining the structure of a thigh brace. It is a perspective view explaining the state which attached the thigh brace shown in FIG. 31 to the thigh mounting part of the (right) link part shown in FIG.

The structure of the power assist suit 1 (see FIG. 2) will be described below. The power assist suit 1 assists the rotation of the thigh (or the waist relative to the thigh) with respect to the waist when the wearer lifts (or lowers) the load, or the wearer walks, for example. In this case, it is a device that assists the swing of the thigh with respect to the waist. The X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis in each figure are orthogonal to each other, and when viewed from the wearer wearing the power assist suit 1, the X-axis direction is the front direction, the Y-axis direction is the left direction, and the Z-axis is The axial direction corresponds to the upward direction. In the following description, when the directions of up, down, left, right, front, and rear are shown, the upward direction (Z axis direction) and the downward direction (opposite to the Z axis direction) viewed from the power assist suit 1 concerned. Direction), left direction (Y-axis direction), right direction (direction opposite to Y-axis direction), front direction (X-axis direction), rear direction (direction opposite to X-axis direction).

● [Overall structure of the power assist suit 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) and wearing state (Figs. 3 and 4)]
First, the overall structure of the power assist suit 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing respective parts constituting the power assist suit 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the parts shown in FIG. 1 are assembled as the power assist suit 1. 3 shows a front view of the wearer wearing the power assist suit 1 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 shows a rear view of the wearer wearing the power assist suit 1 shown in FIG. ing.

As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, the power assist suit 1 includes a brace (frame unit 10, waist brace 20, chest brace 30, thigh brace 80), power unit 40, assist units 60R, 60L, remote controller 90, and the like. have. The thigh brace 80 may be omitted from the above brace. In this case, the brace comprises the waist brace 20, the chest brace 30, and the frame portion 10. Further, the chest brace 30 can be omitted. When the chest brace 30 is also omitted, the brace is composed of the waist brace 20 and the frame portion 10, and is worn around at least the waist of the wearer. Hereinafter, the remote controller 90, the frame unit 10, the waist brace 20, the chest brace 30, the power unit 40, the assist units 60R and 60L, and the thigh orthosis 80 will be sequentially described.

● [Remote control 90 (Fig. 1)]
The remote controller 90 is an instruction input unit for the wearer to instruct ON/OFF of power of the power assist suit 1, selection of an operation mode, adjustment of assist torque, adjustment of assist torque timing, and the like in the power unit 40. It has a display unit for displaying the state of the battery 47, a communication unit for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from the control device, and the like. A surface fastener (male) is provided on the back surface of the remote controller 90, and the remote controller 90 is attached to a surface fastener 33E (female) provided on the shoulder belt 33L of the chest brace 30.

● [Structure of frame part 10 (Fig. 5)]
5 shows a front view of the frame portion 10, and FIG. 6 shows a (right) side view of the frame portion 10. The frame portion 10 is formed of a metal pipe or the like (for example, an aluminum pipe) that can be appropriately elastically deformed (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 5) according to the waist width of the wearer. A cylindrical rotation support portion 11R having a through hole 11RA along the virtual rotation axis 11J is provided at the lower right end of the frame portion 10, and a virtual rotation support portion 11R is provided at the lower left end portion of the frame portion 10. A tubular rotation support portion 11L having a through hole 11LA along the moving axis 11J is provided. The virtual rotation axis 11J is the position of the hip joint of the wearer wearing the power assist suit 1.

Further, a stopper portion 12R projecting outward (in this case, right side) is provided above the rotation support portion 11R, and above the rotation support portion 11L toward the outside (in this case, left side). A stopper portion 12L that projects is provided. The stopper portions 12L and 12R regulate the rotation angle range of the driven pulleys 63L and 63R of the assist portions 60L and 60R (that is, the swing angle range of the swing arms 71L and 71R). This will be described in the description of the assist units 60L and 60R described later.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper portion of the frame portion 10 is fixed to the power portion 40. Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the shaft 68 is inserted into the through hole 11LA of the rotation support portion 11L at the lower left end portion of the frame portion 10, and the assist portion 60L is connected to the tip portion of the shaft 68. , The adapter 64B, the connecting member 66, the adapter 64C, the removal prevention ring 67, and the like are attached. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting member 66 is fixed to the mounting hole 21LA of the waist lateral pad 21L. Similarly, the shaft 68 is inserted into the through hole 11RA of the rotation support portion 11R at the lower right end of the frame portion 10 to connect the assist portion 60R, and the tip end portion of the shaft 68 has an adapter 64B and a connecting member. 66, the adapter 64C, the removal prevention ring 67, etc. are attached. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting member 66 is fixed to the mounting hole 21RA of the waist lateral pad 21R.

● [Structure of waist orthosis 20 (Fig. 7)]
FIG. 7 shows a developed view of the waist brace 20. The waist orthosis 20 includes waist lateral pads 21L and 21R, front waist belts 22L and 22R, waist support belts 23L and 23R, waist rear upper belts 24L and 24R, waist rear lower belts 25L and 25R, and the like. The waist brace 20 holds the waist lateral pad 21L on the wearer's left waist and the waist lateral pad 21R on the wearer's right waist. Further, since the connecting member 66 is held by the virtual rotation axis 11J shown in FIG. 1, the mounting holes 21LA of the waist lateral pads 21L and the mounting holes 21RA of the waist lateral pads 21R connected to the connecting member 66 are virtual. It is held around the rotation axis 11J. The waist lateral pads 21L and 21R are sewn from the wearer's side so that, for example, a three-dimensional mesh having elastic force, bellbell (foamed sheet), and nylon cloth are layered and integrated. Then, the edges of the waist lateral pads 21L and 21R are covered with a tape-shaped member 21A formed in a long shape with cloth or the like, and the tape mesh member 21A is sewn with the above-mentioned three-dimensional mesh, bell-ballen, nylon cloth and tape-shaped member 21A. Have been integrated into one.

As shown in FIG. 7, one end side of the front waist belt 22L is fixed (sewn) to the waist lateral pad 21L, and the other end side allows adjustment of the belt length, connection and separation. The buckle 22LB is connected. Similarly, one end of the front waist belt 22R is fixed (sewn) to the waist lateral pad 21R, and the other end of the front belt 22R is provided with a buckle 22RB that enables adjustment of the belt length, connection and separation. It is connected.

In addition, one end side of the waist connecting belt 22LC extending upward is fixed (sewn) in the middle of the front waist belt 22L, and a connecting tool 22LD (for example, D can) is attached to the other end side of the waist connecting belt 22LC. It is installed. Similarly, one end side of the waist connecting belt 22RC extending upward is fixed (sewn) in the middle of the front waist belt 22R, and the connecting tool 22RD (for example, D-can) is attached to the other end side of the waist connecting belt 22RC. ) Is attached. The front waist belts 22L and 22R and the waist connecting belts 22LC and 22RC are resin fiber belts such as nylon belts.

As shown in FIG. 7, one end side of the waist assist belt 23L is fixed (sewn) to the front waist belt 22L, and the other end side of the waist assist belt 23L is fixed to the waist lateral pad 21L. (Sewn on). The other end side of the waist assist belt 23L is fixed near the attachment hole 21LA of the waist lateral pad 21L in order to stably hold the position of the connecting member 66 to be connected. Similarly, one end side of the waist assist belt 23R is fixed (sewn) to the front waist belt 22R, and the other end side of the waist assist belt 23R is fixed to the waist side pad 21R (sewn). ing). The other end side of the waist assist belt 23R is fixed near the attachment hole 21RA of the waist lateral pad 21R in order to stably hold the position of the connecting member 66 to be connected. The waist assist belts 23L and 23R are resin fiber belts such as nylon belts.

As shown in FIG. 7, one end side of the waist rear upper belt 24L is fixed (sewn) to the waist lateral pad 21L, and the other end side thereof is connected to the coupling adjuster 24A capable of adjusting the belt length. It is connected. Similarly, one end side of the waist back upper belt 24R is fixed (sewn) to the waist side pad 21R, and the other end side thereof is connected to the coupling adjuster 24A capable of adjusting the belt length. .. The waist upper belts 24L and 24R are belts made of resin fiber such as nylon belts.

As shown in FIG. 7, one end side of the lower back waist belt 25L is fixed (sewn) to the waist lateral pad 21L, and the other end side of the lower waist belt 25L is connected to a coupling adjuster 25A capable of adjusting the belt length. It is connected. Similarly, one end side of the lower waist lower belt 25R is fixed (sewn) to the waist lateral pad 21R, and the other end side thereof is connected to the coupling adjuster 25A capable of adjusting the belt length. .. The lower back waist belts 25L and 25R are, for example, elastic rubber belts. It should be noted that one end side of the lower back waist belt 25L is fixed near the mounting hole 21LA of the waist lateral pad 21L in order to stably hold the position of the connecting member 66 to be connected. Similarly, one end side of the lower back waist belt 25R is fixed near the attachment hole 21RA of the lateral waist pad 21R in order to stably hold the position of the connecting member 66 to be connected. Further, the lower back waist belts 25L and 25R can be brought into contact with the buttocks of the wearer S while being connected by the connection adjuster 25A (see FIG. 4).

● [Structure of chest brace 30 (Figs. 8-10)]
FIG. 8 shows a front view of the chest brace 30. Further, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of each part constituting the shoulder belt 33R, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the shoulder belt 33R. The chest brace 30 has front chest belts 31L and 31R, a back chest belt 32, shoulder belts 33L and 33R, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 8, one side of the front chest belt 31L is connected to a buckle 31LB that enables adjustment, connection and separation of the belt length, and the other end side of the belt 31L can adjust the belt length. It is connected to the connection adjuster 31LA. Similarly, one end side of the front chest belt 31R is connected to a buckle 31RB that enables adjustment, connection and separation of the belt length, and the other end side thereof is a connection adjustment tool 31RA that can adjust the belt length. It is connected to the.

In addition, one end side of the chest connecting belt 31LC extending downward is fixed (sewn) in the middle of the front chest belt 31L, and a connecting tool 31LD (for example, NASCAN) is attached to the other end side of the chest connecting belt 31LC. Has been. Further, the chest connecting belt 31LC is provided with an adjusting tool 31LE capable of adjusting the belt length. Similarly, one end side of the chest connecting belt 31RC extending downward is fixed (sewn) in the middle of the front chest belt 31R, and a connecting tool 31RD (for example, NASCAN) is attached to the other end side of the chest connecting belt 31RC. Is attached. Further, the chest connecting belt 31RC is provided with an adjusting tool 31RE capable of adjusting the belt length. The front chest belts 31L and 31R and the chest connecting belts 31LC and 31RC are belts made of resin fiber such as nylon belts.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the connector 31LD attached to the chest connecting belt 31LC is connected to the connector 22LD attached to the waist connecting belt 22LC, and the connector 31LD attached to the chest connecting belt 31RC is It is connected to a connecting tool 22RD attached to the connecting belt 22RC.

As shown in FIG. 8, one end side of the back chest belt 32 is connected to the connection adjuster 31LA, and the other end side thereof is connected to the connection adjuster 31RA. The back chest belt 32 is, for example, a belt made of resin fiber such as a nylon belt, and has a wide portion 32A in which the belt width is widened at the center in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, one end side of the shoulder belt 33L is fixed (sewn) in the middle of the front chest belt 31L, and a coupling tool 33B (for example, Nasukan) is provided on the other end side. The ring 33A is inserted, folded back by the ring 33A, and attached by the hook-and-loop fasteners 33C and 33D. A surface fastener 33C (female) is attached to the chest belt 31L side (one end side) in the longitudinal direction of the shoulder belt 33L, and the side opposite to the chest belt 31L in the longitudinal direction of the shoulder belt 33L. The surface fastener 33D (male) is attached to (the other end side) (see FIG. 9). A surface fastener 33E (female) for attaching the remote controller 90 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the surface of the shoulder belt 33L that is folded back by the ring 33A and exposed.

Similarly, one end side of the shoulder belt 33R is fixed (sewn) in the middle of the front chest belt 31R, and a ring 33A provided with a coupling tool 33B is inserted through the other end side of the shoulder belt 33R. It is folded back at 33A and attached by hook-and-loop fasteners 33C and 33D. A surface fastener 33C (female) is attached to the chest belt 31R side (one end side) in the longitudinal direction of the shoulder belt 33R, and the side opposite to the chest belt 31R in the longitudinal direction of the shoulder belt 33L. The surface fastener 33D (male) is attached to (the other end side) (see FIG. 9). The shoulder belt 33R is different from the shoulder belt 33L in that the surface fastener 33E (female) is not attached to the surface of the shoulder belt 33R that is folded back and exposed by the ring 33A.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the connecting tool 33B attached to the shoulder belt 33L is connected to one of a plurality of connecting portions 40LF (for example, hooks) provided in the power unit 40, and attached to the shoulder belt 33R. The coupling tool 33B is coupled to any one of a plurality of coupling sections 40RF (for example, hooks) provided in the power section 40. Note that, for example, a plurality of connecting portions 40RF (for example, hooks) may be provided on the upper portion of the frame portion 10 so that each connecting tool 33B can be connected.

Next, the structure of the shoulder belts 33L and 33R will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the shoulder belts 33L and 33R are formed by layering a three-dimensional mesh 33F, a nylon cloth 33G, a hook-and-loop fastener 33C (female) and a hook-and-loop fastener 33D (male) in layers, and an edge portion of the tape belt member 33H. And is sewn so as to be integrated at a suture position 33K (see FIG. 10).

The three-dimensional mesh 33F (for example, manufactured by Unitikatechnos Co., Ltd.: model SK1145W honeycomb structure) has a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and has a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about It has a thickness of 2 mm to 10 mm, preferably about 5 mm), is elastic, is placed on the side of the wearer's body, is quick-drying, and acts as a cushion.

As a result, air can be circulated around the body in contact with the three-dimensional mesh 33F, an increase in moisture between the shoulder belts 33L and 33R and the body is suppressed, and a feeling of coolness is improved, so that the wearer bends forward and leans forward. Even if the work of repeating the upright posture is performed for a long time, the discomfort such as heat can be reduced. Further, since the three-dimensional mesh 33F has a sufficient void inside, the restoring force when it is deformed can be held only by applying a small force. Further, the three-dimensional mesh 33F promptly restores its original shape when the applied external force is removed. Therefore, the three-dimensional mesh 33F arranged on the body side of the shoulder belts 33L and 33R easily deforms following the shape of the body when it comes into contact with the body, enhancing the adhesion to the body and transmitting the assist force. The loss can be reduced.

The nylon cloth 33G (for example, manufactured by Masuda Co., Ltd.: model A4400-Y24, basis weight: 194 g/m ² ) is longer in the longitudinal direction than the three-dimensional mesh 33F and is made of resin fiber or the like. The nylon cloth 33G has a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and has a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 2 mm or less). The nylon cloth 33G has a surface fastener 33C (female) (e.g., manufactured by YKK Corporation) with a length substantially equal to the length of the three-dimensional mesh 33F from the one end 33GA side of the nylon cloth 33G toward the other end 33GB. Model 2QM (female) is stacked. The surface fastener 33C (female) has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm, preferably a thickness of about 2 mm). have.

In addition, from the other end 33GB of the nylon cloth 33G toward the one end 33GA, a surface fastener 33D (male) (for example, model 1QN (male) manufactured by YKK Corporation) is laid on the nylon cloth 33G. The surface fastener 33D (male) has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm, preferably about 2 mm). have. Here, the surface fastener 33C (female) functions as an example of a female surface fastener. The surface fastener 33D (male) functions as an example of the male surface fastener.

In addition, the shoulder belt 33L for the left shoulder has a surface fastener 33E (female) (for example, YKK) for attaching the remote controller 90 (see FIG. 1) to the side of the nylon cloth 33G opposite to the surface fastener 33D (male). Co., Ltd.: Model 2QM (female) is attached. The surface fastener 33E (female) has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm, preferably a thickness of about 2 mm). have.

The tape-shaped member 33H has a shape that extends in the longitudinal direction with a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and has a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 2 mm or less). Therefore, the three-dimensional mesh 33F is formed to have substantially the same length as the surface fastener 33C (female), and is arranged so as to overlap the surface fastener 33C (female) with the nylon cloth 33G interposed therebetween over the entire length. Thereby, the length of the three-dimensional mesh 33F can be easily adjusted to be the length of the portions of the shoulder belts 33L and 33R that are in contact with the body, and the length can be shortened, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The tape-like member 33H of the shoulder belts 33L and 33R may be a reflective cloth (for example, Unit MR-801 manufactured by Unitikas Sparklight Co., Ltd.) that reflects incident light from the light source toward the light source. In this case, the wearer does not need to layer the reflective vest worn on the construction work site or the like on the power assist suit 1, so that the work efficiency can be improved and the wearer can wear it for a long time. It is possible to reduce discomfort such as heat. The reflective cloth preferably has a predetermined width (for example, a width of about 20 mm to 70 mm) and extends in the longitudinal direction, and has a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 2 mm or less).

In addition, for example, a reflective cloth (for example, Unitucus Sparklite Co., Ltd.: model MR-801) is used as a tape-shaped member 21A of the waist brace 20, front waist belts 22L and 22R, and waist rear upper belts 24L and 24R on both side edges in the longitudinal direction. May be arranged so as to cover and be sewn together. In addition, a reflective cloth (for example, model MR-801 manufactured by Unitikas Sparklite Co., Ltd.) is arranged so as to cover both side edges in the longitudinal direction of the cover portion 81 and the belt portion 82 of the thigh orthosis 80 and sewn together. Good. As a result, the visibility can be improved and the safety can be further improved at the construction work site or the like.

● [Appearance of power unit 40 (Figs. 11 to 17)]
11 shows an appearance of the power unit 40 fixed to the frame unit 10, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the back pad 43, the spacer 41A, and the frame unit 10 taken along line XII-XII in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the power unit 40 is fixed to the outer side of the wearer's back at the upper portion of the frame unit 10. A spacer 41A is attached to a portion of the power unit case 41 that opposes the wearer's back, a plate 42 is attached to the spacer 41A, and a plate positioned on the wearer's back side with respect to the upper portion of the frame portion 10. A back pad 43 is attached to 42 by adhesive or double-sided tape.

Further, outer tubes 44RF and 44RR accommodating cables for transmitting assist torque extend from the lower right portion of the power unit case 41, and cables for transmitting assist torque are extended from the lower left portion of the power unit case 41. The accommodated outer tubes 44LF and 44LR extend. Although the battery 47, the power generation unit 50, the control device 46, and the like are housed inside the power unit case 41, the internal structure of the power unit case 41 (the internal structure of the power unit 40) will be described later. As shown in FIG. 1, the power unit case 41 is provided with a plurality of connecting portions 40LF and 40RF (for example, hooks) for connecting the connecting members 33B of the shoulder belts 33L and 33R of the chest brace 30. There is.

The back pad 43 is formed of an elastic body such as rubber (for example, Sanwa Kako Co., Ltd.: model L-2500, closed-cell polyethylene foam), and as shown in FIGS. 12 has a predetermined thickness (for example, a thickness of about 10 mm to 100 mm, preferably about 35 mm) in the left-right direction, and has an inverted T-shape when viewed from the front. The back pad 43 is arranged so that the center portion in the left-right direction faces the wearer's spine. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, the back pad 43 is hollow and has a hollow portion 43B inside, and the surface on the side facing the wearer's back communicates the inside and outside of the back pad 43. A plurality of ventilation holes 43A are provided.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13, when the wearer S lifts the baggage N and the wearer S stretches his back and stands upright, the force of crushing the back pad 43 from the back of the wearer is reduced, and The shape of the pad 43 is restored from the compressed state, and the air is sucked from the ventilation hole 43A into the cavity 43B to inhale. The wearer S can feel coolness by the airflow at this time.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the wearer S leans forward to lift the luggage N, the back of the wearer S increases the force of crushing the back pad 43, and the back pad 43 is compressed and crushed. Then, the air is discharged from the hollow portion 43B to the ventilation hole 43A and exhausted. The wearer S can feel coolness by the airflow at this time. That is, every time the wearer S performs the work of repeating the forward bending posture and the upright posture, it is possible to generate an airflow on the back of the wearer S to support the comfortable work.

Further, when the wearer S is in the forward bending posture, the power unit case 41 or the frame unit 10 is pressed against the back via the back pad 43 which is an elastic body, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of pain in the back, and the work can be performed. It is possible to improve the sex. Further, since the back pad 43 is formed in a substantially inverted T shape, it is possible to prevent the power unit case 41 and the frame unit 10 from being twisted in the left-right direction, and the assist force can be effectively transmitted. ..

The back pad 43 may be a convex back pad 43 having a smooth surface facing the wearer's back as shown in FIG. 15, or as shown in FIG. The back surface pad 43X may be a concave back surface having a smooth facing surface, or the back surface pad 43Y may have a flat surface facing the wearer's back, as shown in FIG. The shape of the back pad 43 is not particularly limited. The vent holes 43A are preferably provided only on the surface facing the wearer's back.

Further, as another example, for example, a small blower is arranged in the cavity 43B of the back pad 43 and driven only when necessary to blow air from the ventilation hole 43A to the wearer's back for cooling. You may make it obtain an effect.

In addition, for example, the hollow portion 43B of the back pad 43 may be eliminated to form a solid structure, and a plurality of through holes penetrating in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 12) may be provided. As a result, even if the back pad 43 has a solid structure, breathability is improved, and the power assist suit is worn in close contact with the body, and the wearer repeats the forward bending posture and the upright posture for a long time. Even so, it is possible to reduce discomfort such as heat.

● [Internal structure of power unit 40 (Figs. 18 to 20)]
The power unit 40 has respective power generation units 50 that generate respective assist torques transmitted to the (left) assist unit 60L and the (right) assist unit 60R. As shown in FIG. 18, a reinforcement frame 45, a control device 46, a battery 47, a power generation unit 50, and the like are housed in a power unit case 41 formed of resin or the like. The reinforcing frame 45 is made of a metal such as aluminum, and plays a role of supporting and positioning each part constituting the power generation unit 50 and a role of a heat dissipation plate of the control device 46 and the battery 47.

The power generation units 50 are a pair of left and right, and each includes a drive pulley 51, a speed reducer 52, an encoder 53 (rotation angle detecting means), an outer urging body 54, a spiral spring 55, an inner urging body 56, an electric motor 57, etc. have. The electric motor 57 has an encoder 57E (rotation angle detecting means). As shown in FIG. 19, the drive pulley 51, the speed reducer 52, the encoder 53, the outer urging body 54, the spiral spring 55, the inner urging body 56, and the electric motor 57 rotate around the power rotation axis lines 50JL and 50JR. It is arranged to move. Hereinafter, the left power generation unit 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The electric motor 57 corresponds to an actuator that generates assist torque.

As shown in FIG. 19, a bearing support 45A is provided at the lower end of the reinforcing frame 45, and an outer ring of a bearing 51Z (radial bearing) is fixed to the bearing support 45A.

The pulley shaft 51A of the drive pulley 51 is fitted in the inner ring of the bearing 51Z. The drive pulley 51 is fitted with the reduction shaft 52A of the reduction gear 52. The drive pulley 51 is composed of two-stage pulleys and has pulley grooves 51B and 51C. The cable 44LFC in the outer tube 44LF is wound around the pulley groove 51B, and the cable 44LRC in the outer tube 44LR is wound around the pulley groove 51C. For example, the outer tubes 44LF and 44LR are tubes made of resin or the like, and the cables 44LFC and 44LRC are wires that bundle thin wires such as stainless steel. The drive pulley 51 is made of resin such as polyacetal.

The outer tube 44LF and the cable 44LFC are guided by the guide member 45Y attached to the support body 45Z provided on the reinforcing frame 45, and are inserted into the grommet 45X attached to the cable hole 41B to insert the reinforcing frame 45 and the power unit case. 41 is pulled out. The grommet 45X is formed of an elastic body such as rubber, seals the holes of the reinforcing frame 45 and the power unit case 41, and seals the gap between the outer tube 44LF and the power unit case 41 from the outside. Prevents rainwater from entering the inside of the. The support body 45Z and the guide member 45Y correspond to a cable guide portion, and guide the cable 44LFC wound around the drive pulley 51 linearly to the cable hole 41B. Therefore, since no force is applied to the cable 44LFC in an unreasonable direction, it is possible to prevent the efficiency of transmission of the assist torque from decreasing and the cable 44LFC from breaking. Further, a cover for covering the outer tube 44LF, 44LR, 44RF, 44RR or the frame part 10 or a part of the frame part 10 in whole or in part is provided so as to protect the outer tube 44LF, 44LR, 44RF, 44RR and the wearer. May be.

The speed increasing shaft 52B of the speed reducer 52 is fitted to a bearing 52Z (radial bearing) fitted in a hole of a support body 45B provided in the reinforcing frame 45 and a bearing 52C in the speed reducer 52. The outer ring of the bearing 52Z is fitted to the support body 45B, and the speed increasing shaft 52B is fitted to the inner ring of the bearing 52Z. The speed reducer 52 decelerates the rotation input to the speed increasing shaft 52B according to the set speed reduction ratio and outputs it to the speed reducing shaft 52A. On the contrary, the speed reducer 52 speeds up the rotation input to the speed reduction shaft 52A according to the reciprocal of the set speed reduction ratio (1/speed reduction ratio) and outputs it to the speed increasing shaft 52B. Further, the reduction shaft 52A is fitted and supported by the bearing 52D inside the reduction gear 52.

As a result, the drive pulley 51 is supported by the bearing 51Z and the bearing 52D of the reduction shaft 52A, and is supported in a double-supported state. As shown in FIG. 19, the drive pulley shaft member serving as the shaft of the drive pulley 51 includes a pulley shaft 51A and a reduction shaft 52A. As shown in FIG. 19, the drive pulley shaft members (the pulley shaft 51A and the reduction shaft 52A) are arranged such that both sides of the drive pulley 51 are inside the power unit 40 in the direction of the drive pulley rotation axis (in this case, the power rotation axis 50JL). Are supported by the bearing 51Z and the bearing 52D. Therefore, the bearing 51Z and the bearing 52D are supported by the bearing 51Z and the bearing 52D with higher rigidity as compared with the case where only the reduction shaft 52A is supported in a cantilever state. Therefore, the drive pulley 51 can be supported by the smaller bearings 52C and 52D than in the case of the cantilever state, and a smaller speed reducer can be used. Further, the reduction shaft 52A may be supported by a support (not shown) provided on the reinforcing frame 45 and a bearing (not shown) provided on the support.

Further, since the assist torque is transmitted through the cable, the drive pulley rotation axis line (in this case, the power rotation axis line 50JL) shown in FIG. 19 and the virtual rotation axis line 11J shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (that is, The drive pulley 51 and the driven pulleys 63L and 63R can be arranged such that the driven pulley rotation axis is not parallel to the driven pulley rotation axis. Therefore, the degree of freedom in arranging the pulleys is large, and the drive pulley 51 can be freely arranged, so that various arrangements for improving the power transmission efficiency and reducing the size and weight can be tried, which is convenient.

The encoder 53 is attached to the support body 45B provided on the reinforcing frame 45, the speed increasing shaft 52B is fitted thereto, and outputs a detection signal according to the rotation of the speed increasing shaft 52B to the control device 46. The control device 46 can detect the forward tilt angle θ (see FIG. 14) of the upper body with respect to the wearer's thigh based on the detection signal from the encoder 53.

The outer urging body 54 is fitted to the tip end of the speed increasing shaft 52B, and is supported by a support body 45C provided on the reinforcing frame 45 via a bearing 54Z (thrust bearing). The outer urging body 54 has a flange shape, and has a spring support shaft 54A near the edge. As shown in FIG. 20, the spring support shaft 54A is inserted into a support hole 55A provided at the outer peripheral end of the spiral spring 55. As a result, the outer urging body 54 rotates the spiral spring 55 in the compression direction or the extension direction by the rotation of the speed increasing shaft 52B.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the spiral spring 55, the spring support shaft 54A of the outer urging body 54 is inserted into the supporting hole 55A formed in the outer peripheral end, and the inner peripheral end 55B is the shaft of the inner urging body 56. It is inserted into the groove 56B formed in the portion 56A. That is, the outer peripheral end of the spiral spring 55 is supported by the spring support shaft 54A of the outer biasing body, and the inner peripheral end 55B of the spiral spring 55 is supported by the shaft portion 56A of the inner biasing body 56. The inner peripheral end 55B side of the spiral spring 55 is rotated in the compression direction or the extension direction from the rotation of the electric motor 57 via the inner biasing body 56. Also, the side of the outer peripheral end of the spiral spring 55 moves from the rotation of the drive pulley 51 according to the forward tilt angle of the upper body with respect to the thigh of the wearer to the compression direction or the extension direction via the speed reducer 52 and the external urging body 54. Is rotated.

The inner urging body 56 is provided in the reinforcing frame 45 via the bearing 56Z (radial bearing) by inserting the inner peripheral end 55B of the spiral spring 55 into the groove 56B and fitting the motor shaft 57A of the electric motor 57. It is supported by the supported support body 45D.

The electric motor 57 is supported by supports 45E and 45F provided on the reinforcing frame 45. The motor shaft 57A of the electric motor 57 is fitted to the inner urging body 56. Further, the electric motor 57 has an encoder 57E that outputs a detection signal according to the rotation of the motor shaft 57A. The electric motor 57 is rotationally driven by a control signal from the control device 46, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the rotation from the encoder 57E to the control device 46.

The control device 46 calculates the assist torque based on a communication unit that wirelessly transmits and receives information to and from the remote controller 90 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), an instruction input from the remote controller 90, detection signals from the encoder 53 and the encoder 57E, and the like. And a driver circuit for converting a drive signal from the control means into a current supplied to the electric motor 57.

The battery 47 is, for example, a lithium ion capacitor or a lithium ion battery, and supplies electric power to the control device 46 and the electric motor 57.

[Structure of (left) rotating portion 61L around the driven pulley 63L of the (left) assisting portion 60L (FIGS. 21 to 25)]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the (left) assist unit 60L is attached (connected) to the (left) thigh of the wearer S and the brace (the frame unit 10 and the waist brace 20), and the wearer The movement of the (left) thigh (or the waist of the wearer S's (left) thigh) with respect to S's waist is supported. Similarly, the (right) assist unit 60R is attached (connected) to the (right) thigh of the wearer S and the orthosis (the frame unit 10 and the waist brace 20) to the wearer S's waist (right). The movement of the thigh (or the waist of the wearer S with respect to the (right) thigh) is supported.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the (left) assist portion 60L has a (left) rotating portion 61L around the driven pulley 63L and a (left) link portion 70L below the swing arm 71L. ing. Similarly, the (right) assist portion 60R has a (right) rotating portion 61R around the driven pulley 63R and a (right) link portion 70R below the swing arm 71R. Since the structure of the (left) rotating portion 61L of the (left) assisting portion 60L is the same as the structure of the (right) rotating portion 61R of the (right) assisting portion 60R, the (left) assisting portion will be described below. The (left) rotating portion 61L of the portion 60L will be described as an example. In the (right) link portion 70R shown in FIG. 27, the swing arm 71R, the relay arm 72, and the rail portion 73 constitute an arm that connects the driven pulley 63L and the thigh attachment portion 78L (see FIG. 1). (See) and (left) link portion 70L are similarly configured. Therefore, the swing arm 71L corresponds to a part of the arm.

The (left) rotating portion 61L around the driven pulley 63L in the (left) assisting portion 60L is, as shown in FIG. 23, the rotation stopper 62L, the shaft 68, the swing arm 71L, the driven pulley 63L, and the adapter 64A from the left. The pulley case 65, the rotation supporting portion 11L of the frame portion 10, the adapter 64B, the connecting member 66, the adapter 64C, the removal preventing ring 67, and the like. The driven pulley 63L and the pulley case 65 are made of resin or the like.

FIG. 22 shows a state in which the parts shown in FIG. 23 are assembled. As shown in FIG. 24, the (left) lower end portion of the frame portion 10 is fitted into the frame housing space 65B of the pulley case 65, and the rotation support portion 11L of the frame portion 10 is fitted into the support hole 65C of the pulley case 65. The stopper portion 12L of the frame portion 10 is inserted into the stopper hole 65D of the pulley case 65. As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the adapter 64A is fitted from the side of the pulley housing space 65A (see FIG. 23) of the pulley case 65, and the driven pulley 63L and the swing arm 71L are arranged so as to cover the adapter 64A. Then, the shaft 68 is inserted. After the shaft 68 is inserted, the rotation stopper 62L is arranged, and the rotation stopper 62L, the swing arm 71L, and the driven pulley 63L are integrally fixed by a fastening member such as a screw. Then, the adapter 64B, the connecting member 66, and the adapter 64C are fitted into the shaft 68 from the side of the tip of the shaft 68, which is the side opposite to the pulley housing space 65A (see FIG. 23) in the pulley case 65, and the tip of the shaft 68 is inserted. The removal prevention ring 67 (for example, a C ring) is fitted into the groove portion 68M of the. With this structure, the driven pulley 63L, the swing arm 71L, and the rotation stopper 62L can be integrally rotated about the virtual rotation axis 11J. The connecting member 66 is also rotatable around the virtual rotation axis 11J.

In FIG. 21, an adjusting member 65R is provided on the upper right side of the pulley case 65, and an adjusting member 65F is provided on the upper left side of the pulley case 65. The adjustment members 65F and 65R are similar to, for example, members that adjust the length of the brake cable of the bicycle, and can adjust the protruding length of the cables 44LFC and 44LRC with respect to the outer tubes 44LF and 44LR. The cable 44LFC extending from the adjusting member 65F is wound around the groove portion 63LB (see FIG. 22) of the driven pulley 63L, and the Tyco portion 44LFT at the tip is housed in the Tyco housing portion formed on the driven pulley 63L. Similarly, the cable 44LRC extending from the adjusting member 65R is wound around the groove portion 63LB (see FIG. 22) of the driven pulley 63L, and the tip-side Tyco portion 44LRT is accommodated in the Tyco accommodation portion formed on the driven pulley 63L. There is.

In FIG. 21, when the drive pulley 51 (see FIG. 19) is rotationally driven, the cable 44LFC is pulled upward and the cable 44LRC is extended downward, the driven pulley 63L rotates in the clockwise direction around the virtual rotation axis 11J. Rotate (clockwise). When the drive pulley 51 (see FIG. 19) is rotationally driven, the cable 44LFC is extended downward, and the cable 44LRC is pulled upward, the driven pulley 63L rotates around the virtual rotation axis 11J in the counterclockwise direction. Rotate (counterclockwise).

When the driven pulley 63L rotates in the clockwise direction from the state shown in FIG. 21 (in this case, when the wearer increases the forward tilt angle), the rotation stopper 62L hits the stopper portion 12L at the rotation angle θF and is further rotated. Cannot rotate in the clockwise direction. That is, the forward tilt angle θ (see FIG. 14) from the upright state of the wearer is restricted to the rotation angle θF or less. Similarly, when the driven pulley 63L rotates counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 21 (in this case, when the wearer increases the backward tilt angle), the rotation stopper 62L hits the stopper portion 12L at the rotation angle θR. , I can no longer rotate counterclockwise. That is, the backward tilt angle of the wearer from the upright state is restricted to the rotation angle θR or less.

As described above, the rotation stopper 62L and the stopper portion 12L regulate the rotation angle range of the driven pulley 63L (that is, the swing angle range of the swing arm 71L) that is the swing range of the thigh with respect to the wearer's waist. It constitutes a stopper mechanism. With this simple stopper mechanism, it is possible to prevent a forward leaning state or a sprinting state that exceeds the physical limit of the wearer, and to appropriately avoid applying a physical load to the wearer.

Note that, instead of forming the stopper mechanism by the rotation stopper 62L and the stopper portion 12L shown in FIG. 21, the stopper mechanism may be formed by the slit 63LS and the stopper portion 65ZS as shown in FIG. In the (left) rotation portion 61LZ of the (left) assist portion 60LZ shown in FIG. 25, a slit 63LS is formed along the outer periphery of the driven pulley 63LZ. Further, the pulley case 65Z is provided with a stopper portion 65ZS that is formed so as to be inserted into the slit 63LS. Also in this case, as in FIG. 21, the forward tilt angle of the wearer from the upright state is regulated to the rotation angle θF or less, and the backward tilt angle of the wearer from the upright state is regulated to the rotation angle θR or less.

An elastic member may be interposed between the rotation stopper 62L and the stopper portion 12L (or the end portion of the slit 63LS and the stopper portion 65ZS) in order to reduce the impact. Further, the electric motor may be controlled by the control device 46 (the control device 46 is aware of the abutting angle) to reduce the swing speed in order to reduce the impact immediately before the abutting.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the surface of the driven pulley 63L that is orthogonal to the driven pulley rotation axis (in this case, the virtual rotation axis 11J) that is the rotation axis of the driven pulley 63L and faces the pulley case 65. The surface is the driven pulley end surface 63LC. The surface of the pulley case 65 that closely faces and opposes the driven pulley end surface 63LC is referred to as a case facing surface 65E. At least one of the driven pulley end surface 63LC and the case facing surface 65E has the driven pulley 63L inclined with respect to the driven pulley rotation axis (in this case, the virtual rotation axis 11J), and the driven pulley end surface 63LC and the case facing surface. It has a contact area reduction structure that reduces the contact area when it contacts 65E. In the example of FIG. 22, the contact area reduction structure is composed of a convex portion 63LA protruding from the driven pulley end surface 63LC to the case facing surface 65E. The convex portion 63LA is formed in a continuous annular shape around the driven pulley rotation axis (virtual rotation axis 11J), and has a half section taken along a virtual plane including the driven pulley rotation axis (virtual rotation axis 11J). It is circular.

Therefore, when the convex portion 63LA comes into contact with the case facing surface 65E, it comes into line contact, and the contact area can be reduced as compared with the case where the convex portion 63LA comes into contact with the surface. That is, when the unexpected large force is applied to the driven pulley 63L from the swing arm 71L, or when the unexpected large force is applied to the driven pulley 63L from the cables 44LFC and 44LRC, the driven pulley 63L is inclined. Also, the contact area between the driven pulley 63L and the pulley case 65 is reduced. Therefore, the friction can be further reduced, and the assist torque loss due to the friction can be further reduced. The convex portion 63LA may be formed on at least one of the driven pulley end surface 63LC and the case facing surface 65E. The convex portion 63LA does not have to be a continuous annular shape, and a plurality of hemispherical convex portions (having a semicircular cross section) are formed on at least one of the driven pulley end surface 63LC and the case facing surface 65E. It may have been done. Moreover, the shape (cross-sectional shape) of the convex portion may not be semicircular.

● [Structure of (right) link part 70R of (right) assist part 60R (Figs. 26 to 30)]
As shown in FIG. 1, the (left) assist unit 60L includes a (left) rotating unit 61L and a (left) link unit 70L, and the (right) assist unit 60R includes a (right) rotating unit 61R. And (right) link portion 70R. Since the structure of the (left) link portion 70L and the structure of the (right) link portion 70R are the same, the (right) link portion 70R will be described below as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the (right) link portion 70R in the (right) assist portion 60R is an arm (swing arm 71R, relay arm 72, rail portion 73) that swings with the assist torque transmitted from the power unit 40. ) And a thigh attachment part 78R that is attached to the (right) thigh of the wearer and moves along the arm. Therefore, each of the swing arm 71R, the relay arm 72, and the rail portion 73 is a part of the arm, and the arm connects the driven pulley 63R and the thigh mounting portion 78R. The arm has an elongated shape extending from the side of the wearer's waist to the side of the wearer's thigh. Note that FIG. 27 shows the appearance of the (right) link portion 70R, and FIG. 26 shows each part that constitutes the (right) link portion 70R.

As shown in FIG. 27, the (right) link portion 70R includes a swing arm 71R, a relay arm 72, a rail portion 73, a cap 74, a slide movable portion 75, a thigh attachment portion 78R, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 26, the swing arm 71R is a long plate-shaped member extending along the longitudinal direction of the thigh of the wearer. A fastening hole 71RB for attaching to the driven pulley 63R and a shaft hole 71RC for inserting the shaft 68 are formed above the swing arm 71R (see the swing arm 71L in FIGS. 21 to 23). .. A support hole 71RA for supporting the relay arm 72 rotatably around the arm rotation axis 71RJ is formed at the lower end of the swing arm 71R. The swing arm 71R is formed of a metal such as aluminum.

As shown in FIG. 26, the relay arm 72 is a long member that extends along the longitudinal direction of the thigh of the wearer. The relay arm 72 is an arm that relays the connection between the swing arm 71R and the rail portion 73, and is made of, for example, resin. A support hole 72A for attaching to the support hole 71RA of the swing arm 71R is formed in the upper end portion of the relay arm 72, and a cavity portion 72B into which the upper end portion of the rail portion 73 is fitted is formed in the lower end portion. There is.

As shown in FIG. 26, the rail portion 73 is a long member that extends linearly along the longitudinal direction of the thigh of the wearer. The rail portion 73 is formed of a metal such as aluminum, and as shown in FIG. 27, supports the thigh attachment portion 78R integrated with the slide movable portion 75R so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the wearer's thigh. To do. The rail portion 73 has an inner side surface 73M that is a surface facing the wearer's thigh and an outer surface 73N that is a surface opposite to the wearer's thigh. 73M and the outer side surface 73N each have a concave portion 73E (see FIG. 29) that extends along the rail portion 73 along the longitudinal direction of the wearer's thigh. Each concave portion 73E has concave side surfaces 73A and 73B which are surfaces facing each other, and a concave bottom surface 73C sandwiched between the concave side surfaces 73A and 73B (see FIGS. 26 and 29). . Further, the rail portion 73 has a substantially H-shaped (H-shaped) cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and achieves both light weight and strength, similar to so-called “H-shaped steel”. Further, the rail portion 73 has a hollow shape in which a hollow portion 73D (see FIG. 29) is formed for further weight reduction.

The cap 74 is made of, for example, resin or the like, and as shown in FIG. 26, has a hollow portion 74A fitted into the lower end portion of the rail portion 73. As shown in FIG. 27, in the cap 74, the slide movable portions 75 and 75R (and the thigh attachment portion 78R integrated with the slide movable portion 75R) that slide along the rail portion 73 come off from the lower end of the rail portion 73. Prevent that.

As shown in FIGS. 26 and 29, the slide movable portions 75 and 75R are arranged on the outer surface 73N side of the rail portion 73 and on the inner side surface 73M side of the rail portion 73, respectively. Then, as shown in FIG. 29, the slide movable portions 75 and 75R are connected by a fastening member 75N or the like, and are slidable along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion 73. An insertion hole 75C is formed at the center of the connected slide movable portions 75 and 75R, and the rail portion 73 (see FIG. 28) is inserted into the insertion hole 75C (see FIG. 29). Further, the slide movable portions 75 and 75R are provided with support shafts 75B that support bearings 76 on the surfaces facing the rail portions 73.

As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the thigh mounting portion 78R has a thin plate shape, and has a mounting portion 78A that serves as a connection portion with the slide movable portion 75R, and as shown in FIGS. 32 and 3. The thigh orthosis 80 and a mounting portion 78B held on the thigh of the wearer. As shown in FIG. 26, the thigh mounting portion 78R may be integrated with at least a part of the slide movable portion 75R, or may be configured to be a separate body from the slide movable portion 75R and may be a screw or the like. The fastening member may be configured to be connected to the slide movable portion 75R.

As shown in FIG. 29, an inner ring 76C of a bearing 76 (which is a radial bearing and corresponds to a bearing roller) is externally fitted to the support shaft 75B of the slide movable portion 75 arranged on the side of the outer surface 73N, and the bearing 76 A roller 77 (corresponding to a bearing roller) made of resin or the like is externally fitted to the outer ring 76A.

Further, as shown in FIG. 29, the thigh mounting portion 78R is integrated with the slide movable portion 75R arranged on the inner side surface 73M side. As shown in FIG. 29, an inner ring 76C of a bearing 76 (which is a radial bearing and corresponds to a bearing roller) is fitted onto the support shaft 75B of the slide movable portion 75R, and a resin or the like is attached to the outer ring 76A of the bearing 76. The roller 77 (corresponding to a bearing roller) is externally fitted. The slide movable portion 75R and the thigh attachment portion 78R do not have to be integrated (may be separate bodies).

As shown in FIG. 29, the outer ring 76A of the bearing 76 supported by the support shaft 75B does not contact the slide movable portions 75 and 75R. Further, as shown in FIG. 29, the distance D1 between the recess side surface 73A and the recess side surface 73B of the rail portion 73 is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the roller 77, and the inner circumferences of the slide movable portions 75 and 75R are set. A small gap 75K is set between the surface and the outer peripheral surface of the rail portion 73. In FIG. 29, the gap between the rollers 77 and the recess side surfaces 73A and 73B in the Y-axis direction is larger than the gap between the slide movable portions 75 and 75R and the outer peripheral surface of the rail portion 73 in the Y-axis direction. The gap is set to be larger.

As a result, in FIG. 29, when the slide movable portions 75 and 75R are displaced leftward with respect to the rail portion 73, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 77 comes into contact with the recess side surface 73A (in this case, as shown in FIG. A gap K1 is formed between 77 and the recess side surface 73B). Then, when the slide movable portions 75 and 75R (see FIG. 27) slide along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion 73, the roller 77 that is in contact with the recess side surface 73A rotates to reduce friction during sliding (FIG. 27). 28). Similarly, in FIG. 29, when the slide movable portions 75 and 75R are displaced to the right with respect to the rail portion 73, the outer peripheral surface of the roller 77 comes into contact with the recess side surface 73B. Then, when the slide movable portions 75 and 75R slide along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion 73, the roller 77 that is in contact with the recess side surface 73B rotates to reduce friction during sliding.

The concave portion 73E on one side of the rail portion 73 faces the thigh of the wearer, and the concave portion 73E (the concave portion facing the thigh of the wearer) is a thigh side concave shape. The section 73F (see FIG. 26). In the example shown in FIG. 28, on the inner wall surface of the slide movable portion 75R facing the thigh side concave portion 73F (see FIG. 26), two bearings 76 and rollers are provided along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion 73. 77 are arranged. In this case, as shown in FIG. 28, the two bearings 76 and the rollers 77 are housed in the concave portion 73E of the rail portion 73 (in the thigh side concave portion 73F). When the thigh mounting portion 78R pivots about the point P1 on the virtual straight line T1 connecting the centers of the two bearings 76, the two rollers 77 interfere with the recess side surfaces 73A and 73B. The allowable turning angle θY1 is relatively small. Note that, in the example of FIG. 28, the concave portions 73E on the side of the rail portion 73 facing the thigh and the side opposite to the thigh, and the slide movable portions 75 and 75R facing the concave portions 73E, respectively. Although the two bearings 76 and the rollers 77 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion 73 between the respective inner wall surfaces, two or more bearings 76 and the rollers 77 may be arranged. Good. As compared with the case where one bearing roller is provided, the allowable turning angle θY1 of the thigh attachment portion with respect to the rail portion can be made smaller, so that the posture of the thigh attachment portion slidable with respect to the rail portion can be more stable. It is possible to maintain the posture.

On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 30, one bearing 76 and one roller 77 are arranged on the inner wall surface of the slide movable portion 75RZ facing the thigh side concave portion 73F (see FIG. 26). In the example of FIG. 30, each of the concave portions 73E on the side of the rail portion 73 facing the thigh, the side opposite to the thigh, and the slide movable portions 75 and 75RZ facing the concave portions 73E, respectively. One bearing 76 and one roller 77 are arranged between the inner wall surface and the inner wall surface. When the thigh mounting portion 78RZ pivots around the point P2 which is the center of the one bearing 76, the one roller 77 does not interfere with the recess side surfaces 73A and 73B, but is integrated with the thigh mounting portion 78RZ. The slide movable portion 75RZ can be turned until it interferes with the rail portion 73. Therefore, the allowable turning angle θY2 shown in FIG. 30 is larger than the allowable turning angle θY1 in the case of FIG. If the allowable turning angle is large, the thigh can be attached to the rail part by various movements of the thigh of the wearer, such as various forward tilt angles of the wearer, front and rear states of the left and right legs, and open states. When a situation arises in which it is better to turn the posture of the member to a larger extent, the thigh attachment unit can be automatically turned and appropriately tracked.

It should be noted that if the slide movable portion 75R and the thigh mounting portion 78R are not integrated, and the separate thigh mounting portion 78RY is connected to the slide movable portion 75R at one point, the thigh mounting portion 78RY can be mounted. The allowable turning angle of the portion 78RY can be further increased.

In addition, even when the position of the swing axis of the arm (virtual rotation axis 11J) does not match the position of the wearer's hip joint, or when the wearer opens the legs left and right, Since the thigh attachment portion automatically slides to an appropriate position, the assist torque can be efficiently transmitted, and a good attachment state can be maintained without causing the wearer to feel discomfort or pain. Further, the bearing roller can reduce the generation of friction and noise when the thigh attachment portion slides.

● [Structure of thigh orthosis 80 (Figs. 31, 32)]
Next, the structure and the like of the thigh orthosis 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32. As shown in FIG. 31, the thigh orthosis 80 has a cover portion 81 and a belt portion 82.

As shown in FIG. 32, the cover portion 81 is configured as a pocket 81A for accommodating the thigh mounting portion 78R (or the thigh mounting portion 78L), and the pocket insertion port 81G (see FIG. 31) to the thigh mounting portion 78R (or The thigh mounting portion 78L) is inserted. A layer of a three-dimensional mesh having elasticity, for example, is arranged on the surface of the cover portion 81 on the side of the wearer's thigh, and two nylon cloths are overlapped on the three-dimensional mesh to form the two nylon sheets. The pocket 81A is formed between the cloths.

A ring 81B (see FIG. 32) through which the belt portion 82 wound around the thigh of the wearer is inserted is provided on the side of the cover portion 81 opposite to the belt portion 82. Further, on the belt portion 82 side of the cover portion 81, holding belts 81C and 81D that prevent the thigh mounting portion 78R (or the thigh mounting portion 78L) housed in the pocket 81A from coming off from the pocket 81A are provided. .. For example, the surface fastener 81E (male) is attached to the holding belt 81C, and the surface fastener 81F (female) is attached to the holding belt 81D. When the hook-and-loop fastener 81E (male) and the hook-and-loop fastener 81F (female) are overlapped, the thigh attachment portion 78R (or the thigh attachment portion 78L) accommodated in the pocket 81A is held so as not to come off from the pocket 81A. ..

The connection portion of the belt portion 82 with the cover portion 81 is attached, for example, between the above three-dimensional mesh of the cover portion 81 and the nylon cloth on the side close to the three-dimensional mesh. Then, for example, a nylon belt 82A is arranged on the surface of the belt portion 82 on the side of the wearer's thigh, and the nylon belt 82A is provided with the surface fastener 82B (female) or the surface fastener 82C (male). It is configured to be stacked along the longitudinal direction of 82. The surface fastener 82C (male) is provided in a region near the end portion (tip portion) on the side opposite to the cover portion 81 of the belt portion 82, and the surface fastener 82B (female) is provided in the other region. Has been.

Then, as shown in FIG. 32, the wearer first inserts the thigh mounting portion 78R into the pocket 81A of the cover portion 81 of the thigh brace 80. Then, the wearer winds the belt 82 around the (right) thigh, inserts the tip of the belt 82 into the ring 81B and folds the belt 82 back, and the surface fastener 82C (male) of the tip of the belt 82. On the surface fastener 82B (female) of the belt portion 82 to fix the belt portion 82. Further, the wearer winds the holding belts 81C and 81D so as to wind the thigh wearing portion 78R inserted in the pocket 81A, and the surface fastener 81E (male) is overlapped with the surface fastener 81F (female) to hold the holding belt. Fix 81C and 81D. In this way, the wearer can hold the thigh mounting portion 78R on his (right) thigh with a very simple procedure. Further, since the thigh attachment portion 78R is slidable in the longitudinal direction of the rail portion 73 together with the thigh orthosis 80, the thigh attachment portion 78R and the thigh orthosis 80 are moved to appropriate positions for various movements of the wearer. It is convenient because it can be done.

The structure, configuration, shape, appearance, operation, etc. of the power assist suit 1 of the present invention can be variously changed, added, or deleted without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, in the description of the present embodiment, the example using the spiral spring 55 (see FIG. 20) has been described, but a torsion spring (torsion bar or torsion bar spring) may be used instead of the spiral spring.

Moreover, the numerical values used in the description of the present embodiment are examples, and the present invention is not limited to these numerical values. Further, the above (≧), the following (≦), the greater (>), the less than (<) and the like may or may not include an equal sign.

1 Power assist suit 10 Frame part 11J Virtual rotation axis (driven pulley rotation axis)
11L, 11R Rotation support part 11LA, 11RA Through hole 12L, 12R Stopper part (stopper mechanism)
20 Waist brace 21A Tape-shaped member 21L, 21R Waist side pad 21LA, 21RA Attachment hole 22L, 22R Waist front belt 22LB, 22RB buckle 22LC, 22RC Waist connecting belt 22LD, 22RD Coupling device 23L, 23R Waist assist belt 24L, 24R Waist Rear upper belt 24A, 25A Connection adjustment tool 25L, 25R Waist rear lower belt 30 Chest brace 31L, 31R Front chest belt 31LA, 31RA Connection adjustment tool 31LB, 31RB Buckle 31LC, 31RC Chest connection belt 31LD, 31RD Connection tool 31LE, 31RE Adjustment Tool 32 Chest belt 33A Ring 33B Connecting tool 33C Face fastener (female)
33D surface fastener (male)
33E surface fastener (female)
33F Three-dimensional mesh 33G Nylon cloth 33H Tape-like member 33K Stitching position 33L, 33R Shoulder belt 40 Power part 40LF, 40RF Connecting part 41 Power part case 41A Spacer 41B Cable hole 43, 43X, 43Y Rear pad 43A Vent hole 43B Cavity part 44LF, 44LR, 44RF, 44RR Outer tube 44LFC, 44LRC Cable 44LFT, 44LRT Tyco part 45 Reinforcement frame 45A Bearing support 45B, 45C, 45D, 45E, 45F Support 45X Grommet 45Y Guide member (cable guide)
45Z support (cable guide)
46 control device 47 battery 50 power generation unit 50JL, 50JR power rotation axis (driving pulley rotation axis)
51 Drive Pulley 51A Pulley Shaft (Drive Pulley Shaft Member)
51Z bearing 52 reducer 52A reduction shaft (driving pulley shaft member)
52B speed-increasing shafts 52C, 52D, 52Z bearing 53 encoder 54 outer urging body 54A spring support shaft 54Z bearing 55 spiral coil 55A supporting hole 55B inner peripheral end 56 inner urging body 56A shaft portion 56B groove portion 57 electric motor 57E encoder 60L, 60LZ (left) assist part 60R (right) assist part 61L, 61R rotating part 62L rotation stopper (stopper mechanism)
63L, 63LZ, 63R Driven pulley 63LA Convex portion (contact area reduction structure)
63LB Groove 63LC Driven pulley end face 63LS Slit (stopper mechanism)
64A, 64B, 64C Adapter 65, 65Z Pulley case 65A Pulley housing space 65B Frame housing space 65C Support hole 65D Stopper hole 65E Case facing surface 65F, 65R Adjusting member 65ZS Stopper part (stopper mechanism)
66 connecting member 67 slip-off preventing ring 68 shaft 70L, 70R link part 71L, 71R swinging arm (arm)
71RJ Arm rotation axis 72 Relay arm (arm)
73 Rail (arm)
73A, 73B recess side surface 73C recess bottom surface 73E recessed portion 73F thigh side recessed portion 73M inner side surface 73N outer side surface 74 cap 75, 75R, 75RZ slide movable portion 75B support shaft 75C insertion hole 76 bearing (bearing roller)
76A Outer ring 76C Inner ring 77 Roller (bearing roller)
78L, 78R, 78RZ, 78RY Thigh mounting part 78A Mounting part 78B Mounting part 80 Thigh brace 81 Cover part 81A Pocket 81B Ring 81C, 81D Holding belt 81E Face fastener (male)
81F surface fastener (female)
82 Belt part 82A Nylon belt 82B Face fastener (female)
82C surface fastener (male)
90 Remote control N luggage S wearer

Claims (3)

A brace worn around at least the waist of the wearer,
An assisting unit that is attached to the brace and the thigh of the wearer, and supports the operation of the thigh with respect to the waist of the wearer or the waist with respect to the thigh of the wearer,
A power unit that generates an assist torque transmitted to the assist unit,
A power assist suit having
The assist portion has an arm that swings by the transmitted assist torque, and a thigh attachment portion that is attached to the thigh of the wearer,
The arm has a long shape extending from the waist side of the wearer along the thigh side of the wearer,
A part of the arm in the longitudinal direction is a rail portion having an H-shaped cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and has respective recessed portions extending along the longitudinal direction,
The thigh attachment portion is connected to a slide movable portion that is slidable along the longitudinal direction of the rail portion or is integrated with at least a part of the slide movable portion,
Friction between the rail part and the slide movable part is reduced between each of the recessed parts of the rail part and each inner wall surface of the slide movable part facing the recessed part. Bearing roller is arranged,
Power assist suit. The power assist suit according to claim 1,
Two or more bearing rollers are arranged along the longitudinal direction between each of the recessed portions of the rail portion and each of the inner wall surfaces of the slide movable portion that faces each of the recessed portions. Has been
Power assist suit. The power assist suit according to claim 1,
One of the bearing rollers is arranged between each of the recessed portions of the rail portion and each of the inner wall surfaces of the slide movable portion that faces each of the recessed portions.
Power assist suit.

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