JP2022016122A - Load detection device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a load detection device that can prevent a detection value from being changed due to bending of footwear in the walking.SOLUTION: This load detection device 1 includes: a sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2 of a planar shape corresponding to an inner sole of footwear; a plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 provided at a lower side of the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2, and being adjacent to each other at thin intervals; a plurality of load sensors 4 of a planar shape provided at all lower sides except at least the position of plantar arch of the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3, and being smaller than the associated sheet-shaped upper rigid body 3; a plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5 of a planar shape provided at the lower side of the plurality of load sensors 4, and being smaller than the associated sheet-shaped upper rigid body 3; and a sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6 of the planar shape provided at the lower side of the plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5, and being substantially the same as the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a load detection device provided on the inner bottom (insole) of footwear.

Conventionally, there has been known a load detection device provided on the inner bottom of footwear for rehabilitation of lower limbs and the like to detect a load during walking. In such a load detecting device, a capacitor type in which a capacitor whose thickness of the dielectric changes according to the load is provided and the change in the capacitance of the capacitor is electrically detected is rarely used. do not have. The capacitance type load detection device is relatively inexpensive and easy to be thinned. Further, it is known that some capacitance type load detection devices are provided with a plurality of capacitors corresponding to each part of the sole and can detect the load (partial load) applied to each of the capacitors. .. By detecting the partial load, it is possible to detect a change in the position of the center of gravity during walking.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a plurality of capacitive pressure sensors (load detection devices) that detect partial loads by each portion of the sole (rear foot portion, left forefoot portion, right forefoot portion). Is disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a first sheet-like elastic body having a large number of voids or dents periodically provided and a flat second sheet-like elastic body made of the same material as the first sheet-like elastic body are used as a dielectric material, and the first method is used. A plurality of second sheet-shaped conductive elastic bodies sandwiching the first sheet-shaped elastic body between the sheet-shaped conductive elastic body and the first sheet-shaped conductive elastic body, and the same. A plurality of capacitors are formed by using the second sheet-shaped conductive elastic body sandwiching the second sheet-shaped elastic body between the plurality of second sheet-shaped conductive elastic bodies as electrodes. Therefore, a load sensor unit (load detection device) provided on the inner bottom of the footwear is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 02-55045 International Publication WO2016 / 158425

However, in the capacitance type load detection device, in addition to the load in the vertical direction (thickness direction), the capacitance changes due to the bending of the load detecting device caused by the bending of the footwear during walking, and the detection value changes. Can happen. In that case, the change in the capacitance of the capacitor corresponding to each part of the sole is different from each other, and therefore the change in the detected value is different from each other, so that the accuracy of detecting the change in the position of the center of gravity during walking tends to decrease.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a load detecting device capable of suppressing a change in a detected value due to bending of footwear during walking or the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the load detecting device according to claim 1 is provided on a flat sheet-shaped upper elastic body corresponding to the inner bottom of the footwear and on the lower side of the sheet-shaped upper elastic body, and is provided with each other. A plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies adjacent to each other with a narrow gap, and the corresponding sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies provided on the lower side of all but at least the position of the foot of the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies. A plurality of load sensors having a smaller planar shape, and a plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies having a planar shape smaller than the corresponding sheet-shaped upper rigid body provided under the plurality of load sensors. It is provided under the plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies, and includes a sheet-shaped lower elastic body having substantially the same planar shape as the sheet-shaped upper elastic body.

The load detection device according to claim 2 is a circuit board that controls a plurality of load sensors under the sheet-shaped upper rigid body at the position of the arch in the load detection device according to claim 1. Is provided.

The load detection device according to claim 3 is the load detection device according to claim 2, wherein a battery for supplying electric power to the circuit board is provided under the sheet-shaped upper rigid body at the position of the arch. Has been done.

According to the load detection device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the detection value from changing due to bending of footwear during walking.

It is a perspective view which looked at the load detection apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention from the bottom surface side. It is a perspective view of the sheet-like upper elastic body of the load detection device of the same as seen from the bottom surface side. It is a perspective view which saw from the bottom surface side the form which provided a plurality of sheet-like upper rigid bodies in the sheet-like upper elastic body shown in FIG. 2A of the load detection apparatus of the same above. It is a perspective view from the bottom side of the load detection device shown in FIG. 2B of the same as above, in which a plurality of load sensors are provided at all positions other than the position of the arch. It is a perspective view which saw the form which provided the circuit board and the battery at the position of the arch of the thing shown in FIG. 2C of the same load detection apparatus from the bottom side. It is a perspective view which looked at the form which provided the plurality of sheet-like lower rigid bodies in the thing shown in FIG. 2D of the same load detection apparatus from the bottom side. The above-mentioned load detection device is shown, in which (a) is a bottom view and (b) is a cross-sectional view cut by a cut surface shown by AA.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A to 2E, and FIG. 3, the load detection device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2, a plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3, and a plurality of loads. It includes a sensor 4, a plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5, and a sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6. This load detection device 1 is provided on the inner sole (insole) of the footwear, and specifically, is fixed to the footwear or is prepared separately from the footwear as an insole and placed on the inner sole of the footwear. It is something that can be done. The load detection device 1 is generally provided on both footwear, but in the figure, one for the left foot is shown.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2 has a planar shape corresponding to the insole of the footwear. That is, if the insole to which the load detection device 1 is attached is large, it is large, and if it is small, it is small. For the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2, insulating silicone rubber or the like can be used so as to serve as a buffer when a load is applied from above the load detection device 1.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 are provided on the lower side of the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2. The plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 are usually adhered to the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2. The sheet-shaped upper rigid body 3 is a rigid body that does not bend when a bending force is applied to the load detection device 1, and for example, acrylic resin or the like can be used. Here, the bending force is generated by the bending motion of the footwear or the like.

The plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 are adjacent to each other with a narrow gap (for example, 1 mm to 5 mm). The outermost circumference of the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 is usually slightly inside the outer circumference of the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2. The plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 can be provided, for example, two at the toe position, two at the center position including the arch, and one at the heel position (see FIG. 2B and the like). ). For the plurality of sheet-shaped upper hard bodies 3, a flat plate such as acrylic resin is cut along a curve along the outermost circumference of the aggregate of the plurality of sheet-shaped upper hard bodies 3, and further, the plurality of sheet-shaped upper hard bodies 3 are further cut. It can be manufactured by cutting and removing the narrow gaps between the bodies 3 in a straight line.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the plurality of load sensors 4 are provided on all lower sides of the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 except at least at the position of the arch. The plurality of load sensors 4 are usually adhered to a plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3, respectively. The load sensor 4 has a planar shape smaller than that of the corresponding sheet-shaped upper rigid body 3. Since no load (partial load) is applied at the position of the arch, it is usually not necessary to detect the load, but it is possible to provide the load sensor 4. However, when a circuit board 7 or a battery 8 as described later is provided, the space where the load sensor 4 can be arranged is small.

Various load sensors 4 can be applied, and for example, the capacitance type described in the background technology column can be applied.

As shown in FIG. 2D, a circuit board 7 and a battery 8 can be provided under the sheet-shaped upper rigid body 3 at the arch position. The circuit board 7 and the battery 8 are usually adhered to the sheet-shaped upper rigid body 3. The circuit board 7 controls a plurality of load sensors 4. The circuit board 7 applies, for example, a voltage required for a plurality of load sensors 4, inputs currents or voltages from them, processes them, and outputs them to the outside as detection values. This output to the outside can be performed wirelessly or by connecting a cable and wire. The battery 8 supplies electric power to the circuit board 7.

It is also possible to omit the battery 8 and supply electric power from the outside via a cable. It is also possible to omit the circuit board 7 and control a plurality of load sensors 4 from the outside via a cable.

As shown in FIG. 2E, the plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5 are provided under the plurality of load sensors 4. The plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5 are usually adhered to the plurality of load sensors 4, respectively. The sheet-shaped lower rigid body 5 is a rigid body that does not bend when a bending force is applied to the load detection device 1, and for example, acrylic resin or the like can be used.

The sheet-shaped lower hard body 5 has a planar shape smaller than that of the corresponding sheet-shaped upper hard body 3. Further, the sheet-shaped lower rigid body 5 has a size substantially equal to or slightly larger than the corresponding load sensor 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6 is provided under the plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5 (and the circuit board 7 and the battery 8) shown in FIG. 2E. The sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6 is usually adhered to a plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5 (and the circuit board 7 and the battery 8). The sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6 has substantially the same planar shape as the sheet-shaped upper elastic body 2. For the sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6, insulating silicone rubber or the like can be used so as to provide a buffer when a force is applied from below the load detection device 1.

In the load detection device 1 having the configuration described above, since the plurality of load sensors 4 are sandwiched between the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies 3 and the plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies 5, the load sensors 4 do not bend. Further, a force is applied to the entire upper surface and the entire lower surface of the load sensor 4, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the detected value from changing due to bending of the footwear. Further, since the load sensor 4 and the sheet-shaped lower hard body 5 are smaller than the sheet-shaped upper hard body 3, it is possible to prevent the bottom of the footwear from being unnaturally bent during walking. Further, in the sheet-shaped lower rigid body 5, even if the sheet-shaped lower elastic body 6 is thickened, the load sensor 4 sinks into the sheet-shaped lower elastic body 5, and the load is dispersed in a direction other than the vertical direction (thickness direction), and the detected value changes. Can be deterred.

Although the load detection device according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the one described in the embodiment, but various design changes within the scope of the matters described in the claims. Is possible.

1 Load detection device 2 Sheet-shaped upper elastic body 3 Sheet-shaped upper rigid body 4 Load sensor 5 Sheet-shaped lower rigid body 6 Sheet-shaped lower elastic body 7 Circuit board 8 Battery

Claims (3)

A flat sheet-like upper elastic body corresponding to the insole of footwear,
A plurality of sheet-shaped upper hard bodies provided under the sheet-shaped upper elastic body and adjacent to each other with a narrow gap,
A plurality of load sensors having a planar shape, which are provided on all lower sides of the plurality of sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies except at least at the position of the arch, and which are smaller than the corresponding sheet-shaped upper rigid bodies.
A plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies provided under the plurality of load sensors and having a planar shape smaller than the corresponding sheet-shaped upper rigid body, and a plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies.
A sheet-shaped lower elastic body provided under the plurality of sheet-shaped lower rigid bodies and having substantially the same planar shape as the sheet-shaped upper elastic body, and a sheet-shaped lower elastic body.
A load detector equipped with. In the load detection device according to claim 1,
A load detection device provided with a circuit board for controlling a plurality of load sensors under the sheet-shaped upper rigid body at the position of the arch. In the load detection device according to claim 2,
A load detection device provided with a battery that supplies electric power to the circuit board under the sheet-shaped upper rigid body at the position of the arch.

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