JP2021028047A - Walking support device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a walking support device capable of improving at least one of problems in conventional walking support methods.SOLUTION: A walking support device 2 supports a walking movement of a walker 4. The walker 4 may be an older person, a handicapped person, a wounded person, an athlete or a learner. A measuring part 10 measures walking information of the walker 4, and generates data S2 showing the walking information. An attachment tool 20 works on an arm of the walker 4 according to the walking information data S2 measured by the measuring part 10 to assist in an arm movement during walking, and to thereby improve the walking movement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for supporting and improving human walking movement.

A walking support device is used to support the walking movement of the elderly, the disabled, and the sick and injured who have a walking movement disorder, or to improve it by rehabilitation. Conventionally, as a method of supporting and improving walking, there has been a method of directly supporting leg movement. Specifically, a method of directly and mechanically intervening in leg movement by using an artificial leg or a power assist robot (actuator) has been proposed. As another method of supporting and improving walking, a method of indirectly supporting leg movement by measuring the walking rhythm and giving the pedestrian a rhythm stimulus synchronized with walking has been proposed. (See, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP-A-2010-264320 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-102156 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-227909

However, the method that directly intervenes in the leg movement has a safety problem such as inducing a fall when a trouble occurs because the leg is mechanically acted on the leg from the outside to promote the walking movement. In addition, the legs of pedestrians who have difficulty or problems in walking are forcibly moved, which may cause pain to the pedestrian. Furthermore, when a pedestrian becomes accustomed to the state assisted by the walking support device, the motor ability of the legs deteriorates, and there is a risk that the pedestrian cannot walk without the walking support device, which poses a problem from the viewpoint of learning effect. ing.

The present invention has been made in such a situation, and one of the exemplary objects of the embodiment is to provide a walking support device capable of improving at least one of the problems of the conventional walking support method.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a walking support device. The walking support device includes a measuring unit that measures the walking information of the pedestrian, and a fitting that acts on the pedestrian's arm according to the walking information measured by the measuring unit.

The present inventor has recognized that leg movements and arm movements are closely related to each other through the brain during walking movements. According to this aspect, the walking movement can be improved from the inside by intervening in the arm movement related to the brain instead of the leg movement. As a result, at least one of safety improvement, reduction of pain given to pedestrians, suppression of decrease in athletic ability, and learning effect can be realized as compared with the case of directly intervening in leg movement.
"Walking information" is information related to walking, (i) information indicating the trajectory of each part such as arms, legs, chest, waist, abdomen, neck, head, and center of gravity, and (ii) information indicating posture during walking. , (Iii) Information related to the walking rhythm, such as the frequency of arm swing movement, the frequency of leg movement, and their phase relationship. Further, in the present specification, the "arm" means a portion from the shoulder to the fingertip.

The fitting may be configured so that the bending angle of the pedestrian's elbow joint can be adjusted according to the measurement result by the measuring unit. The fitting may be configured so that the movable range of the pedestrian's elbow joint can be restricted according to the measurement result by the measuring unit.
By changing the bending angle of the elbow joint, the moment of inertia of the arm can be changed, and the posture of the walking motion can be controlled.

The wearer may be configured so that the angle of the shoulder joint of the pedestrian can be adjusted according to the measurement result by the measuring unit. The wearer may be configured so that the movable range of the pedestrian's shoulder joint can be restricted according to the measurement result by the measuring unit.

The fitting may be configured to be able to control the bending angle of the elbow joint in synchronization with the walking motion. The wearer may be configured to control the bending angle of the shoulder joint in synchronization with the walking motion.

The measuring unit may include a sensor mounted on the waist or abdomen of a pedestrian. The gait information may include the lumbar or abdominal trajectory.

The fitting may be adjusted so that the trajectory is symmetrical.

It should be noted that an arbitrary combination of the above components or a conversion of the expression of the present invention between methods, devices and the like is also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, at least one of improvement of safety, reduction of pain given to pedestrians, suppression of decrease in athletic ability, and learning effect can be realized.

It is a figure which shows the walking support device which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the trajectory of the waist part of a pedestrian measured by a measuring part. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are views showing the fittings. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are views showing a state in which no restraint is made by the fitting, a state in which only the right elbow is restrained by the fitting, and a swing trajectory of each lumbar region. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are views showing a state in which the elbows are restrained by the wearer, a state in which both elbows are restrained by the wearer, and a swing trajectory of each lumbar region. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing how the right knee joint of the subject is fixed, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing how the right knee joint is fixed by the wearer. 7 (a) to 7 (c) are diagrams showing how the pseudo hemiplegic walking motion is improved by the walking support device.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings shall be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. Further, the embodiment is not limited to the invention but is an example, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a walking support device 2 according to an embodiment. The walking support device 2 supports the walking of the pedestrian (subject) 4. The walking support device 2 targets pedestrians 4 who cannot walk freely, such as elderly people, persons with disabilities, and injured persons.

The walking support device 2 mainly includes a measuring unit 10 and a fitting 20. The measuring unit 10 measures the walking information of the pedestrian 4. For example, the measuring unit 10 can use the gait evaluation system described in Patent Document 1. The measuring unit 10 includes an acceleration sensor 12 and a computer (also referred to as a control unit) 14. The acceleration sensor 12 is attached to the waist or abdomen of the pedestrian 4, and obtains data S1 indicating acceleration in each of the pedestrian's left-right direction (x-axis), vertical direction (y-axis), and traveling direction (front-back direction, z-axis). Output. The computer 14 signals the data S1 from the acceleration sensor 12 to generate data S2 indicating walking information (hereinafter referred to as walking information data). In the present embodiment, the walking information data S2 is data indicating the trajectory of the three-dimensional waist or abdominal movement of the pedestrian 4.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the trajectory of the lumbar region of the pedestrian 4 as measured by the measuring unit 10. 4a in FIG. 2 shows a state in which the heel of the right leg touches the ground, 4b shows a state in which the heel of the left leg touches the ground next, and 4c shows a state in which the heel of the right leg touches the ground next. Human walking is performed during the first period T1 (4a-4b) from the heel of the right leg touching the ground to the heel of the left foot touching the ground, and from the heel of the left leg touching the ground until the heel of the right foot touches the ground. It is understood that this is a repetition of the second period T2 (4b to 4c).

For example, the measuring unit 10 may acquire a trajectory (hereinafter, referred to as a swinging trajectory) obtained by projecting the motion of the lumbar region shown in FIG. 2 on the XY plane as walking information data S2. Alternatively, the trajectory in the XYZ space may be acquired as the walking information data S2, the trajectory in the four-dimensional space including the time axis may be acquired as the walking information data S2, or the coordinates projected on the XY plane. And the trajectory on the three-dimensional space including the time axis may be acquired as walking information data S2.

Return to FIG. The computer 14 generates control information S3 for controlling the fitting 20 so that the swing trajectory of the waist or abdomen of the pedestrian 4 approaches that (referred to as a target trajectory) in the ideal walking state. The control information S3 may include information such as whether the fitting 20 should act on the right arm or the left arm, how it should act, how much it should act, and when it should act.

The attachment 20 is attached to the arm 6 of the pedestrian 4, and acts on the arm 6 of the pedestrian 4 according to the measurement result by the measuring unit 10. As examined by the present inventor, arm movement is closely related to leg movement, and when it acts on arm movement, it affects not only the acting arm movement but also the entire walking movement. Therefore, the wearer 20 may be configured to have some influence on the walking information, more specifically, the data S1 measured by the measuring unit 10, and the action on the arm 6 is not particularly limited.

The arm 6 means from the shoulder to the fingertip, and specifically, "acting on the arm 6" means any of the arm joints, that is, the shoulder joint, the elbow joint, the wrist joint, and the finger joint. , Or acting on any combination. In addition, acting on a joint includes controlling the bending angle of the joint to a predetermined value, restricting the movable range of the joint to a predetermined range, giving resistance (load) to joint movement, and the like. ..

In this embodiment, the fitting 20 acts on the elbow joint of the pedestrian 4. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are views showing the fitting 20. In the present embodiment, the fitting 20 acts on the bending angle θ of the elbow joint.

For example, the fitting 20 may include a first portion 22 fixed to the upper arm, a second portion 24 fixed to the forearm, and an adjusting member 26 for changing the distance L between the first portion 22 and the second portion 24. Good. The adjusting member 26 may be configured by using an electric actuator, and further, the bending angle θ may be automatically controllable based on the control information S3 generated by the computer 14.

Alternatively, the length L of the adjusting member 26 may be manually adjusted. In this case, the pedestrian 4 itself or the caregiver may manually change the bending angle θ based on the control information S3 generated by the computer 14.

The specific configuration of the fitting 20 is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that the angle θ of the elbow joint can be adjusted.

Further, the fitting 20 is attached to only the right arm, only the left arm, or both arms of the pedestrian 4 as needed, specifically based on the control information S3 generated by the computer 14. When attached to both arms, the angles θl and θr of the elbow joints may be different.

The above is the configuration of the walking support device 2 according to the embodiment.

The present inventor conducted the following experiment in order to verify the effectiveness of the walking support device 2.
In the experiment, for healthy subjects, the swing trajectory of the lumbar region was determined for each of the state without restraint by the fitting 20, the state where only the right elbow was restrained by the fitting 20, and the state where both elbows were restrained by the fitting 20. It was measured.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are views showing a state in which the fitting 20 is not restrained, a state in which only the right elbow is restrained by the fitting 20, and a swing trajectory of each lumbar region. The circles shown on the orbit indicate the coordinates of the lumbar region at the ground contact point.

Comparing the trajectories of FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), by fixing the angle θr of the right elbow, the amplitude in the left-right direction becomes smaller, and the height of the lowest right point (right leg grounding point) becomes higher. It can be seen that the height increases and asymmetry occurs in the movement of the left and right legs.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are views showing a state in which the fitting 20 is not restrained, a state in which both elbows are restrained by the fitting 20, and a swing trajectory of each lumbar region. Comparing the trajectories of FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), by fixing the bending angles θl and θr of both elbows, the amplitude in the left-right direction is compared with the case where only the right elbow of FIG. 4 (b) is fixed. It turns out that it becomes even smaller.

In this way, it can be seen that by restraining the elbows, further, depending on which of the left and right elbows is restrained, the walking motion can be affected and the trajectory of the lumbar region can be changed.

Subsequently, the angle of the right knee joint of a healthy subject was fixed, a pseudo hemiplegic gait was simulated, and the effectiveness of the gait support device 2 was verified. FIG. 6A is a diagram showing how the right knee joint of the subject is fixed, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing how the right knee joint is fixed by the attachment 20. The angle θ of the elbow joint is about 90 degrees.

7 (a) to 7 (c) are diagrams showing how the pseudo hemiplegic walking motion is improved by the walking support device 2. In general, it is desirable that the swing trajectory is symmetrical, and therefore the fitting 20 may be adjusted so that the trajectory is symmetrical.
FIG. 7 (a) shows a state in which both elbows are not restrained, FIG. 7 (b) shows a state in which the right elbow joint is restrained, and FIG. 7 (c) shows a state in which the left elbow joint is restrained.

As shown in FIG. 7A, in a state simulating hemiplegic walking, the swing locus of the lumbar region is asymmetrical. Specifically, the coordinates of the uppermost left point are higher than the coordinates of the uppermost right point, and the amplitude in the left direction is larger than the amplitude in the right direction. Further, the amplitude in the vertical direction and the amplitude in the horizontal direction are larger than those of the healthy person shown in FIG. 5 (a).

As shown in FIG. 7 (b), by restraining the elbow on the same right side as the paralyzed leg, the difference between the coordinates of the left uppermost point and the coordinate of the right uppermost point is reduced as compared with FIG. It can be seen that the vertical sway of the is reduced. At the same time, the amplitude in the left-right direction is also reduced, and the left-right sway is reduced. This is because the restraint of the right elbow changes the moment of inertia of the right arm, the frequency of the right arm increases, and the frequency of the walking rhythm on the right side rises accordingly, the movement of the right leg is promoted, and the balance between the left and right is promoted. Is considered to be the cause of the improvement.

On the contrary, when the left elbow opposite to the paralyzed leg is restrained as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the difference between the coordinates of the left top point and the coordinates of the right top point as compared with FIG. 7 (a). It can be seen that the sway of the waist in the vertical direction is also increasing. At the same time, the amplitude in the left-right direction also increases, and the left-right sway is expanding. This is because the moment of inertia of the left arm changes due to the restraint of the left elbow, the frequency of the left arm increases, the frequency of the walking rhythm on the left side rises accordingly, and the frequency of the walking rhythm is originally small due to paralysis on the right side. It is considered that the cause is that the difference between the two and the left and right is widened and the left and right imbalance is widened.

As described above, the experimental result that the walking support device 2 according to the embodiment can improve the walking of the subject in which the unilateral paralysis is simulated is obtained.

Subsequently, the operation of the walking support device 2 when supporting the walking of an actual elderly person, a handicapped person, or the like will be described.
The walking state, that is, the trajectory is observed by the measuring unit 10. The computer 14 may control the fitting 20 by generating control information S3 by feedback so that the observed trajectory and the target trajectory match. Alternatively, the computer 14 learns in advance the relationship between the state of the fitting 20 and its influence on the trajectory, generates control information S3 by an open loop based on the observed trajectory, and uses the fitting 20. You may control it.

As a result, the effect of improving walking can be obtained for the actual paralyzed patient, the handicapped person, and the elderly as well as for the pseudo paralyzed patient.

In summary, conventional gait support techniques have aimed to improve gait by directly intervening in leg movements. On the other hand, the walking support device 2 according to the embodiment can improve the walking movement from the inside by intervening in the arm movement related to the brain instead of the leg movement. As a result, at least one of safety improvement, reduction of pain given to pedestrians, suppression of decrease in athletic ability, and learning effect can be realized as compared with the case of directly intervening in leg movement.

In addition, the moment of inertia of the arm changes depending on the angle θ of the elbow joint. Therefore, by optimizing the angle θ of the elbow joint, the trajectory can be changed more flexibly and approach the target trajectory.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible for each of these components and combinations of each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. is there. Hereinafter, such a modification will be described.

(Modification example 1)
In the embodiment, the state of the fitting 20 was fixed during the walking exercise. On the other hand, in the first modification, the fitting 20 may be configured to be able to control the bending angle θ of the elbow joint in synchronization with the walking motion. As a result, the moment of inertia, that is, the frequency of the swinging motion of the arm can be dynamically changed within one cycle in synchronization with the walking motion, whereby the walking information of the pedestrian 4 can be brought closer to the target. it can.

(Modification 2)
In the embodiment, the case where the fitting 20 controls the angle of the elbow joint has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the second modification, the fitting 20 may control any or any combination of the elbow joint, the shoulder joint, the wrist joint, and the knuckle joint. Not only the elbow joint, but also the condition of other joints can affect gait. In this case, joints other than the elbow joint may be changed in synchronization with the walking motion.

(Modification 3)
Further, in addition to the intervention in the arm movement by the wearing tool 20, an auditory, visual, and tactile rhythm stimulus synchronized with the walking movement may be given to the pedestrian. Thereby, the walking motion of the pedestrian 4 can be improved more effectively.

(Modification example 4)
In the embodiment, the case where the measuring unit 10 is controlled so that the trajectory on the XY plane measured by the measuring unit 10 matches the target trajectory has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
For example, in the initial stage of improvement of walking motion, the trajectory of the measured X coordinate (or Y coordinate) is determined by focusing only on the X coordinate (that is, the lateral motion) or the Y coordinate (that is, the vertical motion). The fitting 20 may be controlled so as to match the target trajectory. Alternatively, the attachment 20 focuses on a part of the trajectory (for example, only the right half, only the left half, only the upper side, only the lower side, or only the diagonal part) so that the trajectory of the focused part matches the target trajectory. May be controlled.
Alternatively, the mounting tool 20 may be controlled so that the measured Z-coordinate trajectory coincides with the target trajectory by focusing only on the Z coordinate (front-back direction).
Alternatively, the fitting 20 may be controlled so that, in addition to the trajectory on the XY plane, the velocity in the X direction, the velocity in the Y direction, or both match the target. Alternatively, the fitting 20 may be controlled so that, in addition to the trajectory on the XY plane, the acceleration in the X direction, the acceleration in the Y direction, or both of them match the target.
In the embodiment, the focus is on the trajectory on the XY plane, but the fitting 20 may be controlled so that the three-dimensional trajectory in the XYZ space matches the target trajectory. Further, the fitting 20 may be controlled so that the four-dimensional trajectory including the time axis coincides with the target trajectory.

(Modification 5)
In the embodiment, the case where the walking information is measured by using the acceleration sensor 12 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A gyro sensor or a speed sensor may be used instead of the acceleration sensor 12. Alternatively, walking information data S2 may be generated by a combination of a marker and a camera so as to be used for three-dimensional modeling. Alternatively, the walking motion of the pedestrian 4 may be recorded by a plurality of cameras, and the walking information data S2 may be generated by image processing. Alternatively, by attaching a pressure sensor to the sole of the foot or placing the pressure sensor on the floor, (i) walking rhythm, (ii) pressure distribution on the sole, load, load transfer, (iii) stride length, etc. It may be measured and the walking information data S2 may be generated.

(Modification 6)
In the embodiment, only the waist is focused, but the movements of other parts such as the head, jaw, neck, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, thighs, knees, heels, and ankles are measured, and walking information data is obtained. You may acquire S2.

(Modification 7)
In the embodiment, the case of improving the walking movement of the elderly, the handicapped, and the sick and injured has been described, but the use of the walking support device 2 is not limited to that. The walking support device 2 can be targeted at fashion models, ordinary people, and athletes who desire to improve the walking form, and can also be applied to the correction of the walking form of a healthy person. Alternatively, the walking support device 2 is expected to be used for handing down traditional performing arts accompanied by walking movements such as dance.

Although the present invention has been described using specific terms and phrases based on the embodiments, the embodiments merely indicate the principles and applications of the present invention, and the embodiments are defined in the claims. Many modifications and arrangement changes are permitted without departing from the ideas of the present invention.

2 ... walking support device, 4 ... pedestrian, 10 ... measuring unit, 12 ... acceleration sensor, 14 ... computer, 20 ... wearing tool, 30 ... control unit.

Claims (2)

It is a walking support device for pedestrians.
A measuring unit that measures walking information based on the trajectory of any of the pedestrian's arms, legs, chest, waist, abdomen, neck, head, and the pedestrian's center of gravity.
A fitting that is attached to the pedestrian's arm and acts on the shoulder or elbow joint so that the frequency of the arm swinging motion changes.
A control unit that controls the wearing device so that the walking information measured by the measuring unit approaches the target.
A walking support device characterized by being equipped with. It is a walking support device for pedestrians.
A measuring unit that measures walking information based on the phase relationship between the pedestrian's arm swing movement and leg movement,
A fitting that is attached to the pedestrian's arm and acts on the shoulder or elbow joint so that the frequency of the arm swinging motion changes.
A control unit that controls the wearing device so that the walking information measured by the measuring unit approaches the target.
A walking support device characterized by being equipped with.