JP2024125722A - Motion support workwear - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a workwear for assisting motion that is simple in construction and lightweight, can fully assist not only the arms, shoulders, back, waist, and buttocks of one or both bodies that a worker, elderly person, or patient needs assistance with when moving the left and right sides in the same way or separately, but also the legs from the thighs to the knees, does not lose assisting force, does not increase fatigue even when used for a long period of time, and is easy to wear. [Solution] The workwear for assisting motion is provided with an auxiliary belt that supports and connects to the arm support parts of the left and right arms so as to be able to be lifted up, and has an arm auxiliary belt part at least a part of which is elastic, which is connected to the knee holder parts of the left foot of the left leg and the right foot of the right leg, which extends from the thighs through the waist to the back, and has at least a part of which is elastic, and a knee auxiliary belt part that is connected to the stepping part for stepping on and supporting with the sole of the foot, is provided on the knee holder part, covers the front of the knee and/or is an elastic body that holds the left and right knees and stretches when the knee is bent. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This invention relates to motion-assisting workwear that is used when lifting a load in front of the chest or stomach while bending, squatting, or sitting down, or when working for long periods of time with the arms raised in front of the eyes or above the head, while moving both arms and legs equally or separately, and that provides comprehensive support for the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees.

In distribution sites where workers must bend forward, squat, or sit down and bend to lift or twist their waists to move or handle goods, in manufacturing sites where workers must assemble products from parts that flow one after another on a conveyer belt while repeatedly bending forward, squatting, or sitting upright in the same position, or bending and straightening their backs, in agricultural sites where workers must bend down and raise their arms to plant or harvest, and in nursing and medical sites where workers must move patients who need care or treatment, workers in such work sites where heavy labor is required place a heavy physical strain on the arms, shoulders, lower back, legs, and knees, and are prone to becoming fatigued in a short time.

To reduce this physical burden, assistive devices have been developed that support the movement of the muscles in the lower back and legs, reducing the workload while improving work efficiency.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a lumbar burden reducing device that includes a first elastic belt that, when worn, passes from at least the right shoulder to the back, left waist, left buttock, and left thigh to the left knee, and a second elastic belt that, when worn, passes from at least the left shoulder to the back, right waist, right buttock, and right thigh to the right knee.

Patent Document 2 also discloses workwear that supports the left and right arms by connecting the arm support parts so that they can be lifted, and includes arm support belts that extend over the left and right shoulders and across the back, at least a portion of which is made of elastic material, and waist/back/leg support belts that extend across the back via the waist and are at least a portion of which is made of elastic material and are connected to stepping parts that are stepped on and supported by the soles of the left foot of the left leg and the right foot of the right leg, and are connected to stepping parts that extend across the back via the waist and are at least a portion of which is made of elastic material, and are connected to stepping parts that are stepped on and supported by the soles of the left foot of the left leg and the right foot of the right leg, ... connected to stepping parts that extend across the back via the waist and are at least a portion of which is made of elastic material, at least a portion of which is made of elastic material, at the back, without crossing each other on the left and right sides.

Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses pants that utilize the elasticity of the fabric to assist in standing up, with an elastic band that runs from the back of the waist, around the buttocks and sides of the thighs, around to the front, and is fixed below the knees in order to convert the flexion of the hip joint that accompanies the standing up movement into tension in the elastic band.

These lower back burden reducing devices, motion assisting work clothes, and standing up motion assisting pants use rubber belts or elastic cloth to assist motion and reduce the burden on the lower back, etc. The lower back burden reducing device in Patent Document 1 needs to be flexible and can only assist the lower back. On the other hand, the standing up motion assisting pants in Non-Patent Document 1 require a certain degree of flexibility in the rubber belt or elastic cloth when not in motion, and this flexibility is dangerous as it may catch on surrounding equipment or objects. In contrast, the motion assisting work clothes in Patent Document 2 do not need to be flexible.
There was a need for improvements that would comprehensively support the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees, and not only assist able-bodied people with the movement of lifting heavy loads, but also assist physically frail people such as the elderly and hospitalized patients with the movements of standing and sitting down.

Furthermore, about 60% of occupational illnesses caused by lifting heavy loads are back pain. As shown in Figure 7 (a), when lifting a load, if you raise your hips and then try to support the load with your arms, too much moment is placed on your hips, causing back pain. For this reason, it is important to support the hips, but in order to lift the load without putting too much strain on the hips, it is necessary to lift the load in a squatting position with your hips lowered, knees bent, and arms extended, as shown in Figure 7 (b). In this case, support is needed not only for the hips, but also for the arms, which are subject to a large moment, and motion-assisting workwear such as that in Patent Document 2 is useful. However, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 8, this conventional motion-assist workwear 1' supports the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, and thighs, and when the knees are bent, the belt-like auxiliary belt connected to the back and arms is pulled from behind the knees, thereby assisting in straightening the knees. However, when working in a half-squat position, the knees are kept bent, which places a large burden on the knees, and there was a need for more effective knee support according to the angle at which the knees are bent.

JP 2003-153928 A JP 2020-059938 A

Transactions of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (Series C), Vol. 72, No. 713, pp. 176-181 (2006-1)

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a work garment that is simple in construction and lightweight, can fully assist not only the arms, shoulders, back, waist, and buttocks of one or both bodies that a worker, elderly person, or patient wants assistance with, even when moving the left and right sides equally or separately, but also the legs from the thighs to the knees, does not lose assist force, does not increase fatigue even when used for a long period of time, and is easy to wear.

The motion-assist workwear of the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above-mentioned object, is provided with an auxiliary belt that supports and is connected to the arm support parts of the left and right arms so that they can be lifted up, extends over the left and right shoulders and onto the back, respectively, and is at least partially made of an elastic material, a waist/back/leg auxiliary belt that is connected to the knee holder parts of the left leg and the right leg, respectively, extends from the thighs, through the waist, to the back, respectively, and is at least partially made of an elastic material, and a knee auxiliary belt that is connected to the stepping part for stepping on and supporting with the sole of the foot, is attached to the knee holder part, covers the front of the knee and/or is sandwiched between the left and right knees and is made of an elastic material that stretches when the knee is bent.

It is preferable that the knee support belt of this movement-assist workwear be attached on an extension of the waist/back/leg support belt and/or the foot support belt.

The knee support belt of this movement-assisting workwear may be contained within a knee sleeve or knee cover that aligns the direction of extension caused by the bent knee with the vertical direction of the knee.

In this movement-assist workwear, the waist/back/leg support belt part may be attached in the knee holder part, away from the extension of the waist/back/leg support belt part and/or the footrest part.

It is even more preferable for this movement-assisting workwear to have the waist/back/leg support belt part split into two parts on the left and right sides of the thigh toward the knee on the rear surface of the thigh and connected to the knee holder part on the front side of the knee or the back side of the knee.

This motion-assist workwear may be such that, in the lumbar/back/leg support belt, the biceps muscle is housed within a thigh tube or thigh cover that prevents separation at the rear of the thigh, or is bundled to the thigh tube.

At least one of the arm support belts, the waist/back/leg support belts, and the knee support belts of this motion-assisting workwear may have a first elastic fabric or elastic band that is taut so as to elastically stretch with a small forward bending, and a second elastic fabric or elastic band that is slack so as to stretch together with the first elastic fabric or elastic band with a large forward bending.

The knee holder of this movement-assisting workwear can be fastened, for example, with hook-and-loop fasteners, buttons, or hooks so that it wraps around the knee.

The movement-assist workwear may be such that the arm support belt and the waist/back/leg support belt do not cross each other on the left and right sides, but are converged at the back via a converging member.

This motion-assist workwear may be such that the arm support belts for the left and right arms, respectively, and the waist/back/leg support belts for the left and right legs, respectively, are connected to the deformable, planar converging member provided on the back and having anisotropic woven fabric that stretches distortedly in the diagonal direction rather than the chest width direction and the body axis direction.

The movement-assisting workwear of the present invention can selectively and sufficiently support the arms, back, waist, buttocks, thighs and knees when workers repeatedly lift loads while bending forward, crouching, lowering their waists or squatting, or when workers keep working for long periods of time at the workplace while repeating the same movements and maintaining a constant posture while bending forward, crouching, lowering their waists deeply, bending their knees or raising their arms in front of them, or when workers, elderly people or patients stand up or sit down.

This motion-assist workwear is made up of arm support belts that support the arm support parts and are connected so that they can be lifted up, and extend over the shoulders and onto the back, waist, back, and leg support belts that are connected to the knee holder parts and extend over the waist and onto the back, and knee support belts that are connected to the footrest part and are attached to the knee holder parts, so that it can support the arms, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees of a worker carrying a load, and can also assist in lifting the arms holding the load.

Moreover, this motion-assist workwear not only provides stronger and more sufficient support the more the arms, back, and shins that need to be assisted are bent and extended, but also provides comprehensive support by linking the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees.

This motion-assist workwear supports both arms with the arm support belts, and the back and waist with the waist/back/leg support belts while working for long periods of time while bending forward, squatting, or sitting down and lifting a load in front of the chest or stomach, raising the arms in front of the eyes or above the head, and bending and straightening the legs, or standing up or sitting down.

In addition, this movement-assistance workwear can be easily worn over or under a work uniform or prescribed lab coat in a factory, etc., and it is highly versatile because it shortens the time it takes to put it on and take it off, and shortens the time it takes to change it over to adjust the strength of the support.

This motion-assisting workwear supports the forearms and upper arms, reducing the strain on the arms and hands, making it suitable for transporting heavy loads and long-term repetitive work with light work objects overhead or in front of the wearer. In addition, this motion-assisting workwear can assist not only waist movement, but also leg movement from the thighs to the knees and ankles, reducing the strain on the waist, buttocks and legs, making it suitable for lifting and lowering heavy loads and repetitive work. Furthermore, this motion-assisting workwear is suitable for assisting elderly people, patients and others who have difficulty exerting force when standing or sitting down.

Furthermore, this workwear has a simple structure, and all of its components, including the arm support belts, waist/back/leg support belts, and knee support belts, are made of lightweight materials, so not only does it not feel excessively heavy when worn by the worker, but it also does not increase fatigue even when used for long periods of time.

This workwear has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture.

1 is a perspective view showing the front and back of one embodiment of motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing schematic diagrams illustrating support for the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees when using the motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is a development view showing an embodiment of a knee support belt part of another motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is a development view showing an embodiment of a knee support belt part of another motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a knee support belt of another motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a waist/back/leg support belt portion of another motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. 13 is a graph showing the amount of rectus femoris muscle activity with and without the use of the motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the burden on the lower back and arms when using conventional motion-assist workwear to which the present invention is not applied. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing schematic diagrams illustrating support for the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees when using conventional motion-assist work clothing to which the present invention does not apply.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

As shown in Figure 1, one embodiment of the motion-assist workwear 1 of the present invention is worn by a worker who, for example, is in a bent-over, half-squat, or squatting position, or in a straight-back position, with the arms raised or left in front of them, or when repeatedly bending, lowering, or twisting the waist and then standing up, moving luggage or patients for which care is required, or when performing heavy labor such as producing or processing goods, products, or crops.

The motion-assist workwear 1 has an arm support belt 10, a waist/back/leg support belt 30, a knee support belt 32, and a tread belt 31 to form a support belt, and a jacket 40 that is connected in sequence.

The arm support belt 10 supports and connects the arm support parts 11 of the left and right arms so that they can be lifted up, and extends over the shoulders and onto the back, with a portion made of elastic material 10a from the wrist to the back and an inelastic fiber belt from the back to the waist. The arm support belt 10 may have an adjustable length adjuster to adjust its length (not shown). The length of the arm support belt 10 may be adjusted by the adjustable length adjuster 36 of the waist/back/leg support belt 30.

One end of the waist/back/leg support belt 30 is connected to the arm support belt 10, extends over the legs, buttocks and waist to the back, with a portion of the belt made of elastic material 30a extending from the thighs to the waist, and splits into biceps _30a1 and _30a2 on the left and right sides at the back of the thighs, extending to the front of the thighs. The other end is sewn and connected to the knee holders 34 of the left and right legs, respectively.

When the arms, back, and waist are stretched, the arm support belt 10 and waist/back/leg support belt 30 are not loaded and do not generate a reaction force, so no support force is exerted. However, when the arms, back, and waist are bent, the arm support belt 10 and waist/back/leg support belt 30 are loaded according to the load caused by bending, and the elastic body stretches and generates a reaction force that tries to restore itself, so a support force is exerted.

The knee holder parts 34 are made of non-elastic or elastic fabric, preferably elastic, and are provided on both knees so as to envelop the knees from the back side of the knees to the kneecap side while exposing the knees, and are connected to stepping parts 31 for stepping on and supporting with the soles of the left foot of the left leg and the right foot of the right leg. The knee holder parts 34 cover the back side of the knees and open at the front side of the knees, and have hook-and-loop fasteners so that the left below-knee fixing belt 34a- ₁ and the left above-knee fixing belt 34a _-2 and the right below-knee fixing belt 34b _-1 and the right above-knee fixing belt 34b- ₂ can be pulled and fixed to each other to form a knee exposure frame 34c. The left below-knee fixing belt _34b1 and the left above-knee fixing belt _34a2 and the right below-knee fixing belt _34a1 and the right above-knee fixing belt _34b2 are respectively provided with the right knee auxiliary belt _32a1 and the left knee auxiliary belt _32a2, which are made of an elastic body that does not slacken or stretch but is just taut and has no elastic function when the knee is straightened, but stretches and taut when the knee is bent, and has an elastic function.

When the knee is extended, the knee support belt 32 is not loaded and does not generate a reaction force, so it does not exert an assisting force. However, when the knee is bent, the knee support belt 32 is loaded according to the body weight and/or load caused by bending the knee, and generates a reaction force as the stretched elastic body tries to return to its original contracted state, resulting in an assisting force that tries to extend the knee. This assisting force from the knee support belt 32 assists by trying to extend the knee from both the kneecap side and the back side of the knee via the knee holder 34, which wraps around and firmly supports the knee.

When the knee holder 34 is connected to the waist/back/leg support belt 30 and the footrest 31, it holds and supports the knee above and below the kneecap, making it easier to bend and straighten the knee.

The stepping part 31 is stepped on by the soles of the right and left feet, and serves as the foot side starting point of the knee holder part 34, and is supported by the soles of the feet and fixed to the soles of the feet so that they are not dragged. The stepping part 31 consists of a lower ring part 31b that comes into contact with the soles of the feet, and a lower knee ring part 31a that extends from there to the knee holder part 34.

The two ends of the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 of the waist/back/leg support belt 30 and the two ends of the knee annular belt 31a of the stepping part 31 are arranged on the extensions of the right knee support belt _32a1 and the left knee support belt _32a2 , and are sewn to the knee holder part 34. As a result, the waist/back/leg support belt 30, the stepping part 31, and the knee support belt 32 are driven in series. That is, when the user lowers his/her arms, bends his/her waist, and tries to lift a heavy load on the floor, the waist/back/leg support belt 30 is pulled, and even if the knees are not bent, the tension of the knee support belt 32 increases, so that a stronger knee support force is generated and the user can provide efficient support. This is more clear when referring to FIG. 2, which shows the support of the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees when the motion support workwear 1 is used. As shown in Fig. 2, by directly supporting the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, thighs, and knees, the elbow joints, shoulder joints, hip joints, and knee joints are supported in series, and in particular the knees are supported from the kneecap side. In contrast, when using the conventional motion-assist workwear of Patent Document 2, the knees are supported by pulling the back of the knees while supporting the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, and thighs, so the form of knee support is completely different.

The waist/back/leg support belt 30, especially the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 , are housed in the thigh cover 30b (or thigh tube 30c) while being somewhat loose in the upright state, but are bound together so that they do not separate when extended, and movement in any direction other than the extension direction is restricted. The waist/back/leg support belt 30 is adjusted so that the waist/back/leg support belt 30 is pulled and taut in the back/back or leg flexion state. If the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 are loose in the upright state, they may be caught on surrounding equipment or objects, which is dangerous, and when the waist/back/leg support belt 30 is pulled in the flexed state, they may separate and shift from the back of the thigh to the side of the thigh, preventing support of the thigh, especially the thigh muscles, and dispersing the support force of the waist/back/leg support belt 30. Therefore, the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 are slidably housed in the thigh cover 30b or thigh tube 30c, which suppresses separation. As a result, for example, when moving from a standing position to a sitting position, the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 of the lower back and leg support belt 30, which are initially somewhat loose, are pulled and move apart and spread within the thigh cover 30b (or thigh tube 30c), but do not support the thigh muscles. When the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 are pulled further, they move apart further due to the tension. However, when the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 are fully spread within the thigh cover 30b as shown by the arrows, they can no longer separate and begin to stretch, so they are bundled and pulled by the thigh cover 30b and begin to support, and the more they are pulled, the stronger they support the arms, shoulders, back, waist, buttocks, and thighs. It is important that there is a time lag in the start of knee support and that the knee is supported. This allows for safe and efficient support. This makes it possible to support the quadriceps on the front side of the thigh and/or the biceps (hamstrings) on the back side of the thigh. On the other hand, if the waist/back/leg support belt 30 is left somewhat loose in the standing position and is not tied up by the thigh covering part 30b (or thigh tube part 30c), there will be a lot of play until the slack is eliminated, resulting in insufficient support for the knee. Furthermore, if it does not stretch sufficiently, it will dig into the thigh while remaining out of place, causing pain.

In the motion-assist workwear 1, FIG. 1 shows an example in which the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 of the waist/back/leg support belt 30 are slidably housed within the thigh covering portion 30b or the thigh tube portion. However, as shown in the developed view of the knee holder portion 34 in FIG. _3-1 , the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 and the below-knee ring portion _31a of the stepping portion 31 are provided on the extension of the knee support belt portion 32 of the right knee support belt portion 32a1 and the left knee support belt portion 32a2, and sewn to the knee holder portion 34, and the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 are sewn to the non-elastic or weakly elastic thigh tube portion 30c, and may be bound together so as not to come apart.
At the front opening of the knee holder part 34, detachable hook-and-loop fasteners, such as magic tape or Velcro (all registered trademarks), may be provided on the inside of the left below-knee fixing strap 34b _{-1 and} the left above-knee fixing strap 34a- ₂ and on the outside of the right below-knee fixing strap 34a _{-1 and} the right above-knee fixing strap 34b-2.

As shown in the development of the knee holder part 34 in Fig. 3-2, the movement-assisting workwear 1 may be such that the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 of the waist/back/leg support belt part 30 and the knee-below ring part 31a of the step-on part 31 are sewn to the knee-back abutment part of the knee holder part 34, so that the arm support belt part 10, waist/back/leg support belt part 30 and step-on part 31 are driven in series, and the knee support belt part 32 is driven independently to assist the movement. The knee-below ring part 31a of the step-on part 31 may cross over the shin.

4(a), the motion-assist workwear 1 may be such that a single knee support belt 32 is provided on the front of the knee holder 34 to cover the knee, slidably passed through a knee cover 33a sewn or connected to the knee holder 34, and sewn or connected to the lower ends of the biceps _30a1 and _30a2 of the lower back and leg support belt 30 and the upper end of the knee-below ring belt 31a of the footrest 31. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the motion-assist workwear 1 may be such that a single knee support belt 32 is provided on the front of the knee holder 34 to cover the knee, slidably passed through a knee sleeve 33b, and the knee sleeve 33b is slidably passed through a knee cover 33a sewn or connected to the knee holder 34.

The materials of the elastic bodies constituting part or all of the arm support belt 10, the waist/back/leg support belt 30, and the knee support belt 32 include, for example, silicone rubber, synthetic rubber such as butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, fluororubber, and urethane rubber, and natural rubber. Natural rubber does not cause any problems when used in a normal temperature environment such as room temperature, but it is temperature dependent. Therefore, it is preferable to use synthetic rubber when used in a high temperature/high humidity or low temperature environment. Among them, silicone rubber is more preferable because it has excellent heat resistance, its physical properties hardly change from low to high temperatures, it does not cause allergic symptoms, and it has a small surface tension and is easy to slide. The elastic body 10a may be a band-shaped synthetic rubber or natural rubber, or it may be a so-called woven rubber in which an elastic material of natural rubber or synthetic rubber (such as polyurethane) is woven into a string woven with threads such as polyester or rayon. It is more preferable that the arm support belt 10, the waist/back/leg support belt 30, and the knee support belt 32 are flat, columnar, or string-shaped silicone rubber belts. The arm support belt 10 may be a leaf spring made of rubber or the like.

Furthermore, if the elastic bodies constituting all or part of the arm support belt 10, the waist/back/leg support belt 30, and the knee support belt 32 are made of durable rubber that is independent of the environment, such as silicone rubber, whose elastic properties do not change with temperature or humidity, then movement assistance can be provided without being affected by the surrounding environment or its changes or fluctuations, even in hot and humid environments such as summer or boiling treatment plants, or in low-temperature environments such as refrigerators or freezers, and without causing allergic symptoms or impairing physical condition or health. Silicone rubber, in particular, does not cause health damage even when it comes into direct contact with the wearer's skin, is easy to process for smooth movement, has high physical and chemical strength, does not break easily, and can maintain its properties.

The strength of the elastic body that constitutes all or part of the arm support belt 10, waist/back/leg support belt 30, and knee support belt 32 can be adjusted as appropriate according to the worker's physique, bone structure, muscle strength, age, gender, etc., but is adjusted so that the elastic body is not loaded when the arms, back, waist, legs, or knees are extended, but is loaded when bending or stretching while working, and the reaction force assists the worker.

It is preferable that the elastic body does not hinder the movement of a worker when the worker is performing a relatively light movement that does not require much assistance because the worker can perform the work sufficiently by himself, and exerts a supporting effect when the worker performs a relatively large movement that requires assistance and is heavy work that places an excessive load on the worker and the arm and back support belts and/or the back, waist and knee support belts are pulled strongly. A preferable example of such an elastic body is made of silicone rubber,
F = kx (where F is the reaction force of the spring, k is the spring constant, and x is the amount of extension from the natural length)
This means that the spring constant in the law of elasticity (Hooke's law) expressed as follows: increases in proportion to the amount of elongation, and the reaction force and the amount of elongation show a nonlinear correlation.

The arm support belt 10, the waist/back/leg support belt 30, and the knee support belt 32 may be a single elastic body as described above, or at least any of them may be a combination of multiple elastic bodies. For example, the waist/back/leg support belt 30 may be made up of a first elastic fabric 50 that is taut so as to stretch elastically when the arms, waist, or knees are bent at a relatively small angle and the back is bent forward at a relatively small angle, and a second elastic fabric, an elastic belt 10 (see FIG. 1), that is slack so as to stretch together with the first elastic fabric 50 when the arms, waist, or knees are bent at a relatively large angle and the back is bent forward at a relatively large angle. Instead of the first elastic fabric 50 and the second elastic belt 10, multiple layers of multi-stage elastic fabric that stretch sequentially according to the degree of bending may be used. The same can be done for the arm support belt 10 and the knee support belt 32. At this time, the first elastic fabric 50 has its upper end sewn to the neck 45 of the jacket 40 and its lower end sewn to the waist support 47, and the waist support 47 is sewn to the waist/back/leg support 30 via the leg support belt 37, at least a portion of which is elastic, and is connected to the knee holder 34 via the waist/back/leg support belt 30, so that it is pulled together with the waist/back/leg support belt 30 by bending forward or raising the arms. Note that instead of being sewn to the back/leg support belt 30, the leg support belt 37 may extend to the knee holder 34 and be sewn to the knee holder 34 behind the knee.

The arm support part 11 may be provided on a sleeve 17 connected to a belt, glove, and/or jacket 40 that supports the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, and/or upper arm. The arm support part 11 supports the forearm, elbow, and upper arm. The arm support part 11 is composed of a wrist support 12 that wraps around and supports the wrist, a forearm side elbow support 13 that wraps around and supports the base of the forearm on the hand side of the elbow, and an upper arm side elbow support 15 that wraps around and supports the base of the upper arm on the shoulder side of the elbow. The wrist support 12, the forearm side elbow support 13, and the upper arm side elbow support 15 are fastened with some play by a hook-shaped hook fastener 14 that is formed of a belt and has a surface with a hook-shaped hook and a surface with a loop-shaped hook that engages with the hook-shaped hook. For example, the ends of the forearm elbow support 13 and the upper arm elbow support 15 are connected to each other with hook-and-loop fasteners, and the wrist support 12 has a hook-and-loop fastener at its end.

The arm support portion 11 of the arm support belt portion 10 may be exposed on the front surface of the sleeve 17, but may also be stored inside the sleeve 17 to prevent it from catching on surrounding equipment or objects, or may be partially passed through the sheath 18 on the front or back surface of the sleeve 17 so that it can slide easily.

The arm support belt 10 is directly or indirectly connected and linked to the knee support belt 32 via the knee holder 34 through the waist/back/leg support belt. Therefore, when you stretch your arms and raise your legs to lift a load, the arm support belt 10 supports your arms and the knee support belt 32 supports your knees. As a result, support is linked from the arms to the knees.

When the workwear 1 is a garment that supports the movement of the wearer's elbow, the upper arm side elbow support 15 that wraps around the elbow and is connected to the arm support belt 10, the upper arm can be easily raised by pulling on the upper arm side elbow support, even if the angle of the upper arm is approximately 90° or more.

The arm support 11 is a wrist support 12, a forearm elbow support 13, and an upper arm elbow support 15, and is provided on the sleeve 17 in the example shown, but the sleeve 17 may serve as at least one of them, and the wrist support 12 and the forearm elbow support 13 may be connected to a connecting support (not shown) on the inside or outside of the forearm.

In addition to or in place of the hook-and-loop fastener, the belt may be fastened with an adjuster for adjusting the length of the belt, a hook and a hook hanger, a button and a buttonhole, a protrusion and a protrusion locking ring, a belt and a buckle for locking it, a magnet and a magnet receiver, a tightening band with a lock release function, or a locking device such as a string. The arm support portion 11 may be a wrist support having a glove with the fingertips exposed and a glove support sewn to the base of the glove on the wrist side (none of which are shown).

By adjusting the arm support belt 10, shortening the length from the arm support part 11 to the waist/back/leg support belt 30 makes it easier to work with your arms raised high, while lengthening it somewhat makes it easier to work with your arms raised relatively low. The arm support belt 10 can be smoothly adjusted to any length, so work can be stopped and resumed or the height of the arms adjusted quickly, simply, and easily as needed. Such adjustments have an important effect on supporting the knee support belt 32.

The left and right forearm-side elbow supports 13 and the upper arm-side elbow supports 15 are connected to the left and right arm auxiliary belts 10 by, for example, sewing, while connecting the left and right arm support parts 11 on the inside of the elbow so that they can be lifted. As shown in Fig. 5, the right arm auxiliary belt part _10R and the left arm auxiliary belt part _10L of the arm auxiliary belt part 10 and the right waist-leg auxiliary belt part _30R and the right waist-leg auxiliary belt part _30L of the waist-back-leg auxiliary belt part 30 may be connected by sewing so as to converge to two corners at the upper and lower ends of a deformable, flat rectangular converging member 20 provided on the back and made of an anisotropic woven fabric 21 that stretches distortedly in an oblique direction relative to the chest width direction and the body axis direction, without crossing each other on the left and right, for example.

When the ends of the forearm elbow support 13 and the upper arm elbow support 15 are connected and attached to the sleeve as a hook-and-loop fastener, it is preferable that the hook-and-loop fastener fastens the forearm and upper arm and engages with the sleeve at the elbow fossa.

The left and right arm support belts 10 from the arm support section 11 through the waist/back/leg support belt 30 to the knee holder section 34 may be entirely made of elastic material, but by making at least a portion of the belt elastic, it is possible to effectively support the muscles of the forearm and upper arm for movements with the arms raised. It is preferable that the left and right arm support belts 10 from the arm support section 11 to the waist/back/leg support belt 30 have a portion of the arm support belt 10 from the arm to the shoulder made of elastic material.

The arm support belt 10 may be formed by heat-sealing both ends of an elastic body, such as a silicone rubber band, which is elastic body 10a, to a piece of fabric and then firmly sewing the elastic body 10a to a non-elastic fiber band 10b, which is another part of the arm support belt 10, or by heat-sealing and/or sewing the elastic body 10a directly to the fiber band 10b, which is another part of the arm support belt 10. Heat-sealing is performed, for example, by splitting the silicone rubber band in the thickness direction, sandwiching a piece of fabric or a fiber band between the two, and then heat-sealing the two by applying heat. The same applies to the waist/back/leg support belt 30.

Except for the elastic parts, the arm support belts 10 and the waist/back/leg support belts 30 are made of various fibers, such as natural fibers and chemical fibers. If they are too thin, they will dig into the body, causing pain, and if they are too thick, friction with the body and innerwear, and with the motion-assisting workwear 1 will increase, making it difficult to slide and preventing sufficient motion assistance. Examples of materials for such fibers include polyamide resins such as slippery nylon, fluororesins, and silicone resins.

The motion-assisting workwear 1 has a pair of arm support belts 10 that support both arms separately, and supports the movements of the forearms and upper arms of both arms, so it can assist not only front operations but also complex movements diagonally forward and on the left and right sides. The motion-assisting workwear 1 may be such that the support position, support angle, and support strength of the pair of left and right arm support belts 10 can be adjusted separately depending on the work content. As a result, the pair of left and right arm support belts 10 also link with the pair of left and right waist/back/leg support belts 30 and knee support belts 32, and each independently exerts support force. Therefore, the motions of the left and right arms and both left and right legs, especially both knees, waist, and back, are supported separately, independently or in cooperation, so that even complex movements such as bending and stretching movements of the arms, back, waist, legs, and knees, up and down movements, and twisting movements can be reliably supported.

Since the arm support belt 10 bends from the arm side over the shoulder to the back side, strong friction is likely to occur between the arm support belt 10 and the body or innerwear, etc. at the shoulder. To reduce the friction coefficient and make it easier for the arm support belt 10 to slide on the shoulder, shoulder pads 44 made of fluororesin or silicone resin with low surface tension may be attached or sewn to the innerwear or other clothing. Note that a sheath 18 may be used in place of or together with the shoulder pad 44.

This motion-assist workwear 1 may have the jacket 40 also functioning as the back body panel 48.

In addition, if the waist support section 47 and the hem of the back body 48 of the jacket 40 are connected via hook-and-loop fasteners 46 in a position-adjustable manner, the position can be easily adjusted when putting on or after putting on the jacket. Therefore, the posture, support position, support angle, and support strength of the arms, waist, back, legs, and knees can be easily and freely adjusted by the wearer as needed.

The jacket 40 may have a front body 43 that opens at the front and can be opened and closed by dot buttons or a line fastener (not shown). It may also have side fastening parts 49 that extend from the front body 43 and pass through the sides to the waist support part 47, and may have a chest belt, which may be stored inside the jacket so as not to get caught on surrounding equipment or get in the way of care. This allows the action of the arm support belt 10 to be reliably transmitted to the arm support part 11 to support the arms, and the action of the waist, back, and leg support belt 30 to be reliably transmitted without being lost, to support the knees, legs, waist, and back.

The stepping part 31 is stepped on by the sole of the foot, serves as the foot side starting point of the knee holder part 34, and is fixed to the sole of the foot so that it is supported by the sole of the foot and is not dragged. If necessary, a shin pad or an adjuster or hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) that can adjust the length of the stepping part 31 may be provided on the shin.

The stepping part 31 is connected via the knee holder part 34 to the waist/back/leg support belt part 30, which extends from the back of the knee and the buttocks to the waist and back, and therefore supports the knee holder part 34 so that it does not slip up and thus comprehensively supports the arm support belt part 10, waist/back/leg support belt part, and knee support belt part 32 in cooperation with each other.

When the length of the waist/back/leg support belt 30 to the knee holder 34 is shortened by the adjuster 36, it becomes easier to stand up and provides more support when bending or crouching, making it easier to work. On the other hand, when it is somewhat longer, the support provided is reduced when bending the back a lot or bending low, but it promotes support for light work when bending the back slightly or bending slightly, making it easier to work continuously for long periods of time. The length of the waist/back/leg support belt 30 can be smoothly adjusted, so work can be stopped and resumed and the degree of support for the waist/back/knees can be adjusted quickly, simply, and easily.

By making at least a portion of the left and right waist/back/leg support belts 30 elastic 30a, it is possible to effectively support the muscles of the knees, waist, and back when lifting or moving a load from side to side while bending forward, crouching, or squatting. It is preferable that the left and right waist/back/leg support belts 30 are partially elastic 30a from the buttocks to the thighs.

The waist/back/leg support belt 30 is prone to strong friction between the buttocks or thighs and the body or clothing such as innerwear. Therefore, in order to reduce the coefficient of friction, the waist/back/leg support belt 30 may be passed through a sheath 35 made of fluororesin or silicone resin so that it can slide easily over the buttocks or thighs and its movement can be made smooth.

With this configuration, not only when the waist is bent but also when the knees are bent and the person is in a squatting position, the waist/back/leg support belt 30 is pulled, supporting not only the knees, legs, and waist but also the entire back, while the knee support belt 32 supports the knees held by the knee holder 34, thereby assisting the bending and straightening of the legs, waist, and knees.

As shown in Figure 1, the motion-assist workwear 1 is worn and used as follows. The following describes the example of lifting the motion-assist workwear 1 to about stomach to chest height when standing up.

First, the worker puts on the jacket 40 of the motion-assisting workwear 1, puts both arms through the sleeves 17, and closes the jacket 40 with dot buttons or line zippers. Next, the worker steps on the lower loop portion 31b of the stepping-on portion 31 with the sole of the foot. The left below-knee fixing belt 34a _-1 and the left above-knee fixing belt 34a- ₂ and the right below-knee fixing belt 34b _-1 and the right above-knee fixing belt 34b- ₂ of the knee holder portion 34 are pulled to close so as to hold the knee. The length from the stepping-on portion 31 to the knee holder portion 34 is adjusted using an adjustable adjuster (not shown) so that it is not too tight.

Next, the length of the left and right waist/back/leg support belts 30 are appropriately adjusted with the adjustable adjusters so that when the worker wearing the belt is standing upright and not bending forward, the left and right waist/back/leg support belts 30 are neither loose nor stretched, but are just taut and not elastic. After that, the adjusters 36 of the wrist support 12, forearm side elbow support 13, and upper arm side elbow support 15 are tightened, respectively, and the length of the waist/back/leg support belts 30 is adjusted with the adjustable adjusters 36 so that the arms are supported at the desired support position, support angle, and support strength for the arms, particularly the forearms and upper arms, when the worker lifts the arms together with the arm support 11 to a height of about the stomach or chest, or continues to work at that height. Finally, the worker puts on shoes, and the wearing is completed.

After adjustment, this motion-assist workwear 1 supports the desired muscles when in use.

If necessary, readjustment may be made using the adjuster 36 or the hook-and-loop fastener 46 between the hem of the back body 48 of the jacket 40 and the waist support part 47. Even after the final adjustment, the degree of readjustment can be freely made. Therefore, when walking from the work site or moving to another floor using stairs or a ladder, the arm support belt part 10 and the waist-back-leg support belt part 30 can be released as appropriate, and when returning to the work site, the arm support belt part 10 and the waist-back-leg support belt part 30 can be freely readjusted. If necessary, the knee holder part 34 may be opened or closed.

Normally, conventional support devices are difficult to readjust once adjusted, and when worn for long periods of time, this can cause physical and mental fatigue. However, with this motion-assist workwear 1, the level of support can be freely adjusted or released at any time, so fatigue is less likely to build up.

This workwear 1 can assist when you are in a crouching position, but it can also fully assist when you are in a dangerous position where you are bending only your waist to lift something, which can easily strain your waist. It can also assist when you are only bending and straightening your legs, especially your knees.
The example described above is one in which the robot assists a robust worker lifting heavy loads, but it can also assist relatively frail or weak people, such as elderly people or patients, who have difficulty standing up or sitting down.

This motion-assist workwear 1 operates as follows when a worker squats down to pick up a load from the floor.

When a worker squats down and tries to lift a load on the floor, the worker's arms extend, and the elastic body 10a of the arm support belt 10 extends and uses its reaction force to help bend the arms. The elastic body 30a of the waist/back/leg support belt 30 also extends and uses its reaction force to help stretch or raise the back and waist. Furthermore, the elastic body of the knee support belt 32 extends and uses its reaction force to help straighten the knees.

In addition, if the right arm auxiliary belt _10R and the left arm auxiliary belt _10L of the arm auxiliary belt 10 and the right waist/leg auxiliary belt _30R and the right waist/leg auxiliary belt _30L of the waist/back/leg auxiliary belt 30 are sewn so as to converge to the upper and lower corners of the converging member (not shown) at the back without crossing each other on the left and right, when the worker twists his/her body, raises or stretches only one arm, or spreads both legs forward and backward, the deformable converging member will be distorted in one diagonal direction and stretched further, and will be distorted in the other diagonal direction and contracted further accordingly. As a result, the difference in tension between the left and right of the arm auxiliary belt 10 and the waist/back/leg auxiliary belt 30 is distributed in a balanced manner, and the movement of the arm, leg, back, or waist on one side that needs assistance can be more stably assisted.

The motion-assist workwear 1 may be mounted on the exterior or inside of a coverall, uniform, or white coat.

The movement-assistance workwear 1 is made of soft, flexible material, making it comfortable to wear. It is also washable, making it hygienic.

The following describes examples of the present invention in detail, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

(Example 1, Comparative Example 1)
A motion-assist workwear 1 of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 (which has a first elastic fabric 50 and an elastic band 10 as a second elastic fabric) was prototyped and used as Example 1. On the other hand, a control in which the motion-assist workwear 1 was not worn was used as Comparative Example 1. A total of 14 people, including seven people aged 22-26, five people aged 43-57, and two people aged 62-64, were fitted with the workwear, and the amount of muscle activity of the rectus femoris (RF) was evaluated using an electromyography device. The electromyography was measured by repeating five times a standing up for three seconds and a sitting down for three seconds, and the measured values were full-wave rectified to calculate an integrated electromyogram (iEMG). Since each person has different muscle strength and can produce different myoelectric potentials, the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC, the maximum potential that the muscle strength can produce) was measured, and the ratio of the peak value of the integrated electromyogram to the MVC (%MVC) was calculated and analyzed.

Figure 6(a) shows the maximum %MVC while standing and sitting, and the average %MVC while standing and sitting. Figure 6(b) shows the reduction in the maximum %MVC while standing and sitting and the reduction in the average %MVC while standing and sitting when wearing motion-assist workwear 1, with Comparative Example 1 (control) taken as 100%.

6, the maximum %MVC during standing was about 30%MVC in Comparative Example 1, whereas it was about 25%MVC in Example 1, a reduction of about 18%. The maximum %MVC during sitting was about 31%MVC in Comparative Example 1, whereas it was about 22%MVC in Example 1, a significant difference of p<0.05 in the T-test, a reduction of about 30%.
On the other hand, the average %MVC during standing was about 11%MVC in Comparative Example 1, whereas it was about 9%MVC in Example 1, which was a significant difference with p<0.05 in the T-test, and was reduced by about 25%. The average %MVC during sitting was about 11%MVC in Comparative Example 1, whereas it was about 7%MVC in Example 1, which was a significant difference with p<0.01 in the T-test, and was reduced by about 34%.

In this way, wearing the motion-assist workwear 1 as in Example 1 effectively assisted the motions of standing up and sitting down. Furthermore, these results suggest that the same effect is achieved when squatting down to pick up a load and then standing up.

The motion-assist workwear of the present invention can be widely used when necessary to assist workers in lifting, holding, and maintaining a posture with their arms raised in a variety of work sites, including nursing care, welfare, logistics, factories, agricultural work, and fishing. In particular, the degree of assistance can be easily changed and set as desired depending on how far the arms are raised, so it can be adjusted to meet the needs of these sites.

This workwear can also be used to assist able-bodied people with ADLs (activities of daily living), such as by supporting the upper and forearms when reading while standing or lying down, or using a keyboard or tablet.

Furthermore, this motion-assist workwear can be used not only by able-bodied people and workers who transport heavy loads, but also by elderly people and patients with weak strength when standing or sitting down, particularly in toilets where falls are common. In addition, it can also be used as a welfare tool to assist ADLs of people who can move their fingers but cannot lift their arms, such as patients with muscle diseases or neurological diseases, for example, when eating, washing the face, putting on makeup, or using the toilet.

1 is a motion-assisting workwear, 1' is a conventional motion-assisting workwear, 10 is an arm support belt (or a second elastic belt), _10R is a right arm support belt, _10L is a left arm support belt, 10a is an elastic body, 10b is a non-elastic fiber belt, 11 is an arm support part, 12 is a wrist support, 13 is a forearm side elbow support, 14 is a hook and loop fastener, 15 is an upper arm side elbow support, 17 is a sleeve, 18 is a sheath, 20 is a deformable bundling member, 21 is a woven fabric, 22 is a sewing part, 23 is a hook metal fitting, 30 is a waist/back/leg support belt, 30R is a right waist, _30b is a leg support belt, _30L is a right waist/leg support belt, 30a is an elastic body, 30a ₁ , 30a Reference numeral ₂ denotes a bimanual muscle, 30b denotes a thigh covering portion, 30c denotes a thigh sleeve portion, 31 denotes a footrest portion, 31a denotes a below-knee ring portion, 31b denotes a lower ring portion, 32 denotes a knee support belt portion, _32a1 denotes a right knee support belt portion, _32a2 denotes a left knee support belt portion, 33a denotes a knee covering portion, 33b denotes a knee sleeve portion, 34 denotes a knee holder portion, _34b1 denotes a right below-knee fixing belt, _34b2 denotes a right above-knee fixing belt, 34c denotes a knee exposure frame, _34d1 and _34d2 denote hook-and-loop fasteners, 36 denotes an adjuster, 37 denotes a leg support belt portion, 40 denotes a jacket, 43 denotes a front body portion, 44 denotes a shoulder pad, 45 denotes a collar portion, 46 denotes a hook-and-loop fastener, 47 denotes a waist supporting portion, 48 denotes a back body portion, 49 denotes an underarm tightening portion, and 50 denotes a first elastic cloth.

Claims (10)

A work garment that supports movement and is characterized by being provided with an auxiliary belt that includes: an arm auxiliary belt that is connected to support and lift the arm support parts of the left and right arms, extends over the left and right shoulders to the back, and is at least partially made of an elastic material; a waist/back/leg auxiliary belt that is connected to the knee holder parts of the left leg and the right leg, extends from the thighs to the back via the waist, and is at least partially made of an elastic material; and a knee auxiliary belt that is connected to a stepping part for stepping on and supporting with the soles of the feet, is provided on the knee holder part, covers the front of the knee and/or is sandwiched between the left and right knees and is made of an elastic material that stretches when the knee is bent. The motion-assist workwear described in claim 1, characterized in that the knee support belt is attached on an extension of the waist/back/leg support belt and/or the footrest. The workwear for assisting movement according to claim 1, characterized in that the knee support belt is housed within a knee sleeve or knee cover that aligns the direction of extension caused by the bent knee with the vertical direction of the knee. The motion-assist workwear described in claim 1, characterized in that the waist/back/leg support belt is attached in the knee holder part, away from the extension of the waist/back/leg support belt and/or the footrest part. The workwear for assisting movement according to claim 1, characterized in that the waist, back and leg support belt part is divided into two parts on the left and right sides of the thigh toward the knee on the rear surface of the thigh and connected to the knee holder part on the front side of the knee or the back side of the knee. The motion-assist workwear described in claim 5, characterized in that, in the lumbar-back-leg support belt, the biceps are housed in a thigh tube or thigh cover that prevents separation at the rear of the thigh, or are bundled together with the thigh tube. The motion-assist workwear described in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the arm support belts, the waist/back/leg support belts, and the knee support belts has a first elastic fabric or elastic belt that is taut so as to elastically stretch with a small forward bending, and a second elastic fabric or elastic belt that is slack so as to stretch together with the first elastic fabric or elastic belt with a large forward bending. The motion-assist workwear described in claim 1, characterized in that the knee holder portion is fastened with hook-and-loop fasteners, buttons, or hooks so as to encase the knee. The workwear for assisting movement according to claim 1, characterized in that the arm support belt and the waist/back/leg support belt are converged at the back via a converging member without crossing each other on the left and right. The motion-assist workwear described in claim 9, characterized in that the arm support belts for the left and right arms, respectively, and the waist/back/leg support belts for the left and right legs, respectively, are connected to the deformable, planar converging member provided on the back and having anisotropic woven fabric that stretches distortedly in the diagonal directions rather than the chest width direction and the body axis direction.

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