JP2022051617A - Standing/sitting support device and walker - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a standing/sitting support device capable of mitigating a load on flexion of a user's body including knees in standing/sitting.SOLUTION: A standing/sitting support device comprises: a support frame for supporting a user's upper limb; actuators for supporting the support frame 1 so that the support frame is longitudinally tiltable and vertically movable; and control means for making the actuators perform forward tilting support operation and subsequent stretching support operation in standing supporting, or in sitting supporting, making the actuators perform forward tilting support operation and subsequent bending support operation, or further making the actuators perform autonomic support operation subsequent to the stretching support operation or the bending support operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a device that assists a user in standing and sitting, and in particular, is accompanied by induction to a precursory motion for the purpose of alleviating a load when bending and stretching the knee during standing and sitting.

Conventionally, various devices have been introduced to support standing and sitting and walking of a person who is undergoing rehabilitation due to an injury to the lower limbs or a person whose lower limb function has deteriorated due to aging or the like.

For example, a stretchable strut is provided by tilting forward, and the strut is expanded and contracted by a built-in hydraulic cylinder so that the user leaning against the arm rest at the upper end of the strut can stand and sit. (See Patent Document 1 below), or the fulcrum of the link mechanism moves according to the amount of expansion of the expansion / contraction portion when the expansion / contraction portion contracts, and the first member and the second member connected by the connecting member are connected. By adopting a configuration in which the connection angle θ with the member is increased and the support frame held by the user rises, stability during standing and sitting and compactness during walking are taken into consideration (see Patent Document 2 below), etc. Is.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-102795 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-93221

However, since the standing / sitting support mechanism of the walker described in the patent document has a structure in which the upper limbs of the user leaning on the arm rest are lifted with all their might to stand and sit, the lower limbs are weakened. For those who are injured or injured, the burden on the upper limbs that are gripped by the arm rest and pull up the body is heavy, and for those who have a weak grip on the upper limbs, the physical and mental burden when trying to endure weakness or injury is further increased. There is a problem that it is big.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a standing / sitting support device and a walker capable of reducing the load on the bending / stretching of the user's body when standing / sitting.

The standing / sitting support device according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, includes a support frame that supports the upper limbs of the user, an actuator that supports the support frame so as to be tiltable back and forth, and an actuator that supports the support frame so as to be able to move up and down. The actuator is provided with a control means for causing a forward tilting support operation and a subsequent extension support operation.
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the actuator is provided with a control means for performing an autonomous support operation following the extension support operation.

In the present invention, a support frame that supports the upper limbs of the user, an actuator that supports the support frame so as to be tiltable back and forth and ascending and descending, and the actuator in seating support, a forward tilt support operation and a subsequent bending support operation. It is possible to adopt a configuration provided with a control means for performing the above.
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the actuator is provided with a control means for performing an autonomous support operation following the bending support operation.

The standing / sitting support device includes, as the actuator, a front elevating actuator that raises and lowers the front portion of the support frame under the control of the control means, and a rear elevating actuator that raises and lowers the rear portion of the support frame under the control of the control means. It can be configured as a standing / sitting support device.

In addition to the above configuration, in the standing / sitting support device, as the actuator, the advancing / retreating actuator that moves the support frame back and forth under the control of the control means and the front part of the advancing / retreating actuator under the control of the control means are moved up and down. It is possible to adopt a configuration including a front elevating actuator and a rear elevating actuator that elevates the rear part of the advancing / retreating actuator under the control of the control means.

The standing / sitting walker according to the present invention made to solve the above problems is characterized by comprising any one of the above standing / sitting support devices and a walking base that supports the standing / sitting support device.

According to the standing / sitting support device according to the present invention, the forward elevating actuator and the rear elevating actuator and the rear are performed so that the forward tilt support operation and the extension support operation are performed in the standing support, and the forward tilt support operation and the bending support operation are performed in the sitting support. By controlling an actuator consisting of an elevating actuator and an advance / retreat actuator, etc., during standing support or sitting support, the forward tilting support motion guides the user to a precursory motion that slightly shifts the center of gravity forward, and the body is moved. It is possible to support the upper limbs or lower limbs to significantly reduce the burden of resisting gravity when extending or flexing.

Furthermore, by controlling the actuator so that the autonomous support motion is performed after the extension support motion or the flexion support motion, the balance lost by the standing / sitting support device is reasonably restored, and the posture of oneself is maintained by oneself. It can give an opportunity to create a posture that can be done.

In addition, such support movements also provide training for appropriate standing and sitting movements with less burden, and can support the user as a support device for the user to quickly withdraw from the life of relying on a wheelchair.

It is explanatory drawing which shows one aspect of (A) standing support and (B) sitting support performed by the standing support device and the walker according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows one aspect of (A) standing support and (B) sitting support performed by the standing support device and the walker according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the standing-sitting support device and a walker by this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of the standing-sitting support device and a walker by this invention. It is a back view which shows an example of the standing-sitting support device and a walker by this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the standing-sitting support device and a walker by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the actuator used in the standing-sitting support device and the walker by this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the standing / sitting support device according to the present invention and the walker using the standing / sitting support device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
An example shown in the figure is a walker including a standing / sitting support device A and a walking base B that supports the standing / sitting support device A.

In the walking base B, a left base frame LB made of a high-strength and lightweight material such as an aluminum alloy and a right base frame RB are arranged in parallel, and the tips of both are connected by a front base frame FB made of the same material. It is a thing.
The left base frame LB and the right base frame RB include a steering wheel MW that can turn forward and a walking wheel SW that is fixed to the rear in a straight-ahead state (see FIG. 3).

The walking base B includes a brake BR that can be braked and released by a foot immediately before the walking wheel SW in the left base frame LB and the right base frame RB.
The brake BR releases a rod-shaped braking leg α that is urged upward and advances and retreats in the vertical direction, and a ring-shaped stopper β that elastically interferes with the braking leg α and maintains the support height of the braking leg α. The configuration is provided with the brake BR, but the configuration of the brake BR can be selected as appropriate.

The length of the front base frame FB is set to an intermediate length between the shoulder width and the chest width of the user, and the lengths of the left base frame LB and the right base frame RB fall even when the center of gravity of the user moves back and forth. It is set to a safe length that can avoid.
When the front base frame FB interferes with walking, it is desirable to form the front base frame FB in a U-shape (see FIG. 3) or an arch shape facing forward or upward.

The standing / sitting support device A includes a pair of support frames 1, 1 that support the left and right upper limbs of the user, a pair of advancing / retreating actuators 4, 4 that move the support frames 1, 1 back and forth, and left and right of the user. A pair of front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and rear portions of the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4 that support the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4 and the support frames 1 and 1 so as to be tiltable back and forth and raise and lower the front portions of the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4. A pair of rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 for elevating and lowering, and control means (not shown) for controlling the advancing / retreating amount and elevating speed of the front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 and the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4. Be prepared.

The front elevating actuator 2, the rear elevating actuator 3, and the advancing / retreating actuator 4 used in this example include a linear motion shaft 10 having a male screw and a bearing (not shown) that rotatably supports the linear motion shaft 10. , A linear motion member 11 having a female thread screwed with the male screw, a block guide 12 that regulates the posture and trajectory of the linear motion member 11 screwed to the linear motion shaft 10, and a block guide 12 that encapsulates and protects them. It includes a tubular first housing 13, a driving means (motor, speed reducer, etc.) 14 for rotating the linear motion shaft 10, and a second housing 15 that includes and protects the driving means 14 (FIG. 7). reference).
The actuator advances and retreats the linear motion member 11 with respect to the first housing 13 by the kinematic pair of the male screw of the linear motion shaft 10 and the female screw of the linear motion member 11 that receives the rotational force of the drive means 14. Let me.

In this example, the second housing 15 is integrally fixed to the end portion of the first housing 13, and the rotational force of the drive means 14 fixed inside the second housing 15 is a belt or a gear. It is transmitted to the end portion of the linear motion shaft 10 via the interlocking means 16 and the like.
The linear motion shaft 10, the linear motion member 11, the block guide 12, the first housing 13, and the second housing 15 are made of the same material as the walking base B.

The support frames 1 and 1 have a grip portion 5 and 5 gripped by the user, an arm base portion 6 and 6 on which the user's forearm portion or armpit portion is placed, and the grip portion 5 and the arm base portion 6 arranged therein. It is provided with a support frame 9 that supports while maintaining the above.
The support frame 9 is connected to a linear motion rod provided by each of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 as a linear motion member 11, and moves back and forth as the linear motion rod advances and retreats.

The grip portions 5 and 5 are arranged immediately in front of the arm base portions 6 and 6 in the support frame 9 in an upright position, or inclined forward or upward, or inclined forward and inward, and the user. However, a configuration is provided in which the support frames 1 and 1 can withstand changes in the center of gravity in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions due to the ascent and descent of the support frames 1 and 1 without falling.

In this example, the grip portions 5 and 5 include an operation means (not shown) for the front elevating actuator 2, the rear elevating actuator 3, and the advancing / retreating actuator 4, and start and brake these actuators 2, 3 and 4. It is designed so that the user can do it directly.
It is desirable that the operating means is started by positive pressurization (throttle button, etc.) or rotation (throttle lever, throttle grip, etc.), and is braked by the pressurization or release (opening) of the rotation.

The advancing / retreating actuator 4 of this example is provided with a guide portion (not shown) that supports the support frame 9 in a stable posture on the outer surface of the first housing 13 along the longitudinal direction. A connecting portion 7 is provided on the lower surface of the first housing 13 so as to be pivotally supported by the tips of the linear motion rods (linear motion members 11) of the front lift actuator 2 and the rear lift actuator 3 (see FIG. 4).

The grip portion 5 and the arm base portion 6 constituting the support frame 1 pass through the support frame 9 to the linear motion member (linear motion rod) 11 loaded in the inner space of the first housing 13 of the advancing / retreating actuator 4. In accordance with the rotation of the linear motion shaft 10, a linear motion is performed along the guide portion.
For the purpose of reinforcing the frame structure or inducing a sense of security for the user, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the tips of the left and right linear motion rods are connected to each other by a hollow frame or the like.

The front elevating actuator 2 is fixed upright in front of the left base frame LB and the right base frame RB of the walking base B, and the rear elevating actuator 3 is the front elevating actuator 2 in the left base frame LB and the right base frame RB. Behind (in this example, the middle part), it is supported (shaft support, etc.) so that it can swing back and forth.
The linear motion member (linear motion rod) 11 of the front lift actuator 2 and the rear lift actuator 3 is a bearing portion to which a connecting portion 7 provided in the first housing 13 of the advance / retreat actuator 4 is pivotally supported at the tip thereof. 8 is provided.

In the walker provided with the standing / sitting support device A, the lower ends of the front-rear elevating actuators 2 and 3 are fixed to each of the left base frame LB and the right base frame RB as described above, and the front-rear elevating actuators 2 and 2 are provided. It is assembled by connecting the bearing portion 8 of the linear motion rod 3 and the connecting portions 7 and 7 of the advancing / retreating actuators 4 of the support frames 1 and 1 so as to be swingable back and forth, respectively.
At that time, the front-rear elevating actuators 2 and 3 and the advancing / retreating actuator 4 stand symmetrically from the left base frame LB and the right base frame RB, respectively, and have a pair of left and right rectangular shapes that support the user's left and right upper arms or armpits. It is formed as a frame, and the linear motion rod of the advance / retreat actuator 4 is arranged so as to advance / retreat in the front-rear direction of the walker (see FIG. 4).

The control means prompts the forward elevating actuators 2, 2 and the rear elevating actuators 3, 3 and the advancing / retreating actuators 4, 4 to perform forward tilting support operation, extension support operation, and autonomous support operation in standing support, and seating support. In, the forward leaning support motion, the bending support motion, and the autonomous support motion are promoted (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 2).
In the standing support and the sitting support, the front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 and the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4 arranged symmetrically are assumed to advance and retreat at the same speed at the same time in principle. ..

In the forward leaning support motion, in order to reduce the burden on the user's joints, for example, the line connecting the crown, neck, tail and ankle is appropriately tilted forward and the balance is lost forward when standing or sitting. This is an operation that induces a precursory operation.

The forward tilting support operation is, for example, as the forward tilting support operation, a control means for simultaneously lowering the support height of the front elevating actuator 2 from the support height of the rear elevating actuator 3 by a set length, left and right, and supporting the rear elevating actuator 3. It can be obtained by providing a control means for simultaneously raising the height from the support height of the front elevating actuator 2 by a set length left and right, or a control means for simultaneously lowering the front elevating actuator 2 and the rear elevating actuator 3 by a set length left and right. As the forward tilt support operation, it can be obtained by providing a control means for simultaneously advancing the advance / retreat actuator 4 to the left and right for a set length.

The control means in this example is assumed to be in an autonomous state (a steady state in which no support operation is performed), in which the extension lengths of the left and right advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 are 0 mm, and the left and right front ascending / descending when standing and sitting. When the extension lengths of the actuators 2 and 2 and the rear lift actuators 3 and 3 are in a stable state at around 1200 mm height (standing height) and around 700 mm height (seating height), respectively, when the forward tilt support operation is performed, the advance / retreat actuator 4 , 4 and the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 are not operated from the autonomous state, and the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 are simultaneously lowered by about 100 mm from the standing height or the sitting height, or the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4 and the front elevating actuator 2 The left and right rear lifting actuators 3 and 3 are simultaneously raised by about 100 mm from the standing height or the sitting height, and the left and right support frames 1 and 1 are tilted forward and downward by about 10 to 20 degrees without operating the left and right rear lifting actuators 3 and 2 from the autonomous state. Control to lower the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 at the same time by about 100 mm from the standing height or the sitting height without operating the advancing / retreating actuators 4 and 4 from the autonomous state.
In addition, in the forward tilt support operation, it is also possible to extend the left and right advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 forward by about several tens of mm to 100 mm to positively move the center of gravity of the user forward.

<Standing support>
The extension support motion raises the support height of the user's upper arm by utilizing the weakness generated in the user's joint induced in the forward leaning posture in the standing support, and moves upward to the user's lower limb joint and the like. This is an action that promotes extension (see the latter part of FIGS. 1 (A) and 2 (A)).

At that time, the control means extends the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 at substantially the same speed from the time when the forward tilting support operation of the standing support is completed, and the left and right rear elevating actuators 3 Control is performed when, 3 reaches the axillary height (near the standing height) when the user stands up.
When the left and right advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 are extended in the forward tilt support operation, the operation of stopping the operation of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 or the operation of gradually reducing the extension length of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 is performed. You may add control to perform in parallel.

The autonomous support operation in the standing support guides the center of gravity of the user when standing up slightly backward from the state in which the center of gravity collapses forward, so that the posture of oneself is not controlled or restricted by the standing / sitting support device A. It is an action that gives an opportunity to maintain.

At that time, the control means sets the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 at the same height as the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 or slightly more than the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 from the time when the extension support operation of the standing support is completed. The operation of extending to a high height, or the operation of contracting the left and right rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 to the same height as the front elevating actuators 2 and 2 or to a height slightly lower than the front elevating actuators 2 and 2. Then, the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 are controlled to be in an autonomous state.
When the left and right advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 are extended in the forward tilt support operation, the extension length of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 is gradually reduced to return to the extension length (autonomous state) before the standing support. Controls performed in parallel may be added.

<Sitting support>
In the flexion support motion, the support height of the user's upper arm is lowered by utilizing the weakness generated in the user's joint induced in the forward leaning posture in the sitting support, and the user's lower limb joint or the like is lowered. This is an operation that promotes bending (see the latter part of FIGS. 1 (B) and 2 (B)).

At that time, the control means contracts the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 at substantially the same speed from the time when the forward tilting support operation of the seating support is completed, and the left and right rear elevating actuators 3 Control is performed to complete when, 3 reaches the axillary height (near the seating height) at the time of sitting of the user.
When the left and right advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 are extended in the forward tilt support operation, the operation of stopping the operation of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 or the operation of gradually reducing the extension length of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 is performed. You may add control to perform in parallel.

The autonomous support operation in sitting support guides the center of gravity of the user when sitting forward to slightly backward, so that the user's posture is not controlled or restricted by the standing / sitting support device A. It is an action that gives an opportunity to maintain.

At that time, the control means sets the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 at the same height as the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 or slightly more than the rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 from the time when the contraction support operation of the standing support is completed. The operation of extending to a high height, or the operation of contracting the left and right rear elevating actuators 3 and 3 to the same height as the front elevating actuators 2 and 2 or to a height slightly lower than the front elevating actuators 2 and 2. Then, the left and right front elevating actuators 2 and 2 and the rear elevating actuator 3 are controlled to be in an autonomous state.
When the left and right advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 are extended in the forward tilt support operation, the operation of gradually reducing the extension length of the advance / retreat actuators 4 and 4 and returning to the extension length before the seating support is performed in parallel. Control may be added.

The control means includes, for example, a storage device such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory, and controls each part of the standing / sitting support device A according to information input by a user to an input unit (not shown). Can be adopted.
The control means is fixed to the walking base B as a control box (not shown), and is connected to the front elevating actuator 2, the rear elevating actuator 3, the advancing / retreating actuator 4, the battery, and the like).

Further, the control means is, for example, the extension / contraction of the front elevating actuator 2, the rear elevating actuator 3, and the advancing / retreating actuator 4, and the speed thereof, which reflects the posture and movement at the time of appropriate standing and sitting, which is the least burden on the user. A configuration that controls each actuator so that the sequence related to the above is stored in the storage device and reproduced by the operating means attached to the grip portion 5, and a sensor that detects the current flowing through the motor of each actuator, etc., support standing and sitting. The load applied to the main part of the frame of the device A is detected, the load applied to the user's joint is estimated, and the standing support is detected while detecting the completion of the forward tilting support operation, the standing support operation or the sitting support operation, and the autonomous support operation. Alternatively, a configuration can be adopted to control the seating support.

The standing / sitting support device A is not limited to the above configuration as long as it has a function of leading to a precursor operation of standing / sitting and is not large enough to hinder practicality, and is not limited to the above configuration, for example. A pair of support frames 1, 1 that support the left and right upper limbs of the user, and the support frames 1, 1 that can be tilted back and forth on the left and right sides of the user, and the front and rear of the support frames 1, 1 are individually raised and lowered. Various configurations are adopted, such as adopting a configuration including the actuator 2 and the rear elevating actuator 3, and a control means (not shown) for controlling the advancing / retreating amount and the elevating speed of the front elevating actuator 2 and the rear elevating actuator 3. Can be done.

A Standing and sitting support device,
B walking base,
LB left base frame, RB right base frame, FB front base frame,
MW steering wheel, SW walking wheel,
BR brake,
1 support frame, 2 front lift actuator, 3 rear lift actuator,
4 Advance / retreat actuator,
5 Grip part, 6 Arm base part, 7 Connection part, 8 Bearing part, 9 Support frame,
10 linear motion shaft, 11 linear motion member, 12 block guide,
13 1st housing, 14 driving means, 15 2nd housing, 16 interlocking means,

Claims (7)

A support frame that supports the user's upper limbs,
An actuator that supports the support frame so that it can be tilted back and forth and can be raised and lowered,
A standing / sitting support device comprising: a control means for causing the actuator to perform a forward tilting support operation and a subsequent extension support operation in the standing support. The standing / sitting support device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is provided with a control means for performing an autonomous support operation following the extension support operation. A support frame that supports the user's upper limbs,
An actuator that supports the support frame so that it can be tilted back and forth and can be raised and lowered,
A standing / sitting support device comprising: a control means for causing the actuator to perform a forward tilting support operation and a subsequent bending support operation in seating support. The standing / sitting support device according to claim 3, wherein the actuator is provided with a control means for performing an autonomous support operation following the bending support operation. As the actuator
A front elevating actuator that raises and lowers the front part of the support frame under the control of the control means,
The standing / sitting support device according to claim 1, further comprising a rear-lifting actuator that raises and lowers the rear portion of the support frame under the control of the control means. As the actuator
An advancing / retreating actuator that advances / retreats the support frame back and forth under the control of the control means,
A front elevating actuator that raises and lowers the front part of the advancing / retreating actuator under the control of the control means, and a front elevating actuator.
The standing / sitting support device according to claim 1, further comprising a rear-lifting actuator that raises and lowers the rear portion of the advancing / retreating actuator under the control of the control means. A walker comprising the standing / sitting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and a walking base that supports the standing / sitting support device.

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