JP4022632B1 - Lower limb stretcher - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to employ a mechanism capable of automatically stretching a lower limb simply by riding on a pedal plate, calculating the displacement of the center of gravity from the change in torque applied to the pivot support shaft of the pedal plate, and obtaining the obtained center of gravity. It is intended to provide a device for quantitatively evaluating and displaying the flexibility of a user based on the displacement of the user.
A mechanism that automatically stretches the Achilles tendon and calf just by riding on the pedal plate is adopted, and the axial force generated in the link member that transmits the rotational force of the driving device to the pedal plate is measured, and these information are obtained. A lower limb automatic stretch device that calculates the displacement of the center of gravity as a parameter, and quantitatively evaluates and displays the flexibility of the user's body based on various measured and calculated values from the obtained displacement of the center of gravity.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a leg stretching apparatus that stretches an Achilles tendon or calf of a lower limb and displays or evaluates its flexibility.

Stretching exercises are becoming widespread as preparation exercises for various sports and weight training, or as organizing exercises. In addition, walking is adopted as a relatively gentle exercise to eliminate exercise deficiency.
These stretching exercises and walking increase muscle flexibility, increase the range of motion of the joints, and improve exercise capacity. In addition, repeated contraction and expansion of muscles increase blood flow, prevent blood clots, and have an effect on recovery from fatigue.
There are known examples shown in Patent Documents 1 to 4 as conventional examples. The device described in Patent Document 1 is an invention in which the angle of a pedal is made variable and a moment applied to a movable shaft is measured by a load cell to evaluate flexibility. However, since it is not a method of automatically changing the pedal angle, it is not possible to automatically perform a stretching exercise.
The devices of Patent Literature 2 to Patent Literature 4 adopt a method in which the angle of the pedal is automatically changed, and can perform a stretching exercise automatically, but there is no description in relation to evaluation. The device of Patent Document 2 converts the rotation of the motor into a vertical movement of the pedal with a worm gear, and the device of Patent Document 4 converts the rotation of the motor into a vertical movement of the pedal with a cam mechanism. Moreover, the apparatus of patent document 3 employ | adopts the method of performing the vertical motion of a pedal using an air pressure. However, none of these has a function of displaying flexibility and performing quantitative evaluation.
JP 2000-317013 A Registered Utility Model No. 3021043 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-200481 JP-A 63-147464

However, such stretching exercises and walking require a long time to execute, making it difficult to secure time in a busy modern day. Therefore, there is a demand for a stretching device that has a stretching effect in a short time and that can be easily continued. In addition, there are various requests from users, and there is a demand to use such devices to manage their own flexibility while evaluating their body flexibility with quantitative indicators. .

The present invention has been made to achieve the above user's requirements, and the features thereof are as follows.
In the base with the support arm, it supports the standing girder 's left and right feet on the same body or a separate pedal plate and a support girder fixed directly below the part where both footpads of this pedal plate ride A rotation support mechanism fixedly supported by a shaft, a rotation transmission arm that fixes one end to the rotation support shaft of the rotation support mechanism and rotates the pedal plate via the rotation support shaft, and the other end of the rotation transmission arm A link arm having one end axially joined to the shaft, a rotary drive arm having one end axially joined to the other end of the link arm, an electric motor having a rotary shaft fixed to the other end of the rotary drive arm, and rotation of the pedal plate A rotation angle detector that detects the angle ζ and an axial force sensor that is provided on the link arm and detects an axial force P applied to the link arm are installed, and the arithmetic circuit and display device of (1) below are further provided. provided, or (2) Calculation circuit and the display device and the leg stretching device consisting provided.
(1) It is applied to the rotation support shaft of the rotation support mechanism by the vertical distance Cn from the rotation support shaft to the link arm and the axial force P of the link arm which are geometrically determined by the length and inclination of each link. An arithmetic circuit for calculating the rotation torque T3 of the pedal plate, and the rotation angle ζ from the rotation angle detector as the dorsiflexion angle ζ of the both foot joints on the pedal plate, the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the axial force P or The area of the figure formed by the change curve of the axial force P or the rotation torque T3 drawn by the relationship with the rotation torque T3 and the change curve of the axial force P or the rotation torque T3 drawn when the ankle joint moment is zero Display device that displays the flexibility of the lower limbs with its numerical value .
(2) The vertical distance Cn from the rotation support shaft to the link arm obtained geometrically by each link length and inclination and the axial force P of the link arm are applied to the rotation support shaft of the rotation support mechanism. An arithmetic circuit that calculates the rotational torque T3 of the pedal plate, and divides this rotational torque T3 (P · Cn) by the weight W of the user and the foot size LF to calculate the dimensionless center of gravity position r * of the user. And the rotation angle ζ from the rotation angle detector as the dorsiflexion angle ζ of both foot joints on the pedal plate, and the relationship between the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the dimensionless center of gravity position r * of the user, or A display device that displays the flexibility of a lower limb by a graphic of a relationship between a dorsiflexion angle ζ and the axial force P or a relationship between a dorsiflexion angle ζ and the rotational torque T3 .

Leg stretching device of the present invention, a pair of pedals plate for reciprocating rotation aligned the range of a predetermined rotation angle, or user predetermined range of rotation angle of the pedal plate of one piece of reciprocating rotation is left Standing with both feet, simply setting the rotation angle range and usage time etc. of the pedal plate and driving automatically, the leg joints of the lower limbs are automatically bent back and the Achilles tendon and calf stretch exercises efficiently It can be performed and promotes blood flow in the lower limb, which is the main site of thrombosis.
The relationship between the change in rotational torque applied to the pivot support shaft of the pedal plate and the rotation angle of the pedal plate while the pedal plate is rotating at a predetermined angle is quantitatively displayed as an evaluation index of the user's body flexibility. By doing so, the user can directly confirm the effect of the stretch visually, producing a continuous effect such as useful for daily health management, and is expected to lead to the promotion of the use of many people. In addition, the lower limb stretcher of the present invention can easily control the stretch exercise according to the evaluated flexibility level (rotation angle / speed of the pedal plate, exercise time).

1. Principle of the present invention The principle of the present invention will be described based on the dynamic model of the main mechanism of the present invention shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3, the lower limb stretcher of the present invention has a weight W applied to the pedal plate 1 (2) when the pedal plate 1 (2) is fixed to the rotation transmission arm c and the pedal plate 1 (2) is positioned horizontally. The center-of-gravity position r is measured and used as a base point. The (indicated by the distance from the rotation shaft D) center-of-gravity position r of time can reduce the load of the rotation torque is small becomes a driving apparatus according to the rotation transmitting arm c if near the rotation shaft D.
Initially, the action line of the weight W located at a distance r from the rotation support axis D indicates that the contact pressure of the sole accompanying the stretching of the lower limbs when the rotation angle of the pedal plate (ankle dorsiflexion angle) ζ increases. Due to the change in distribution, the center of pressure moves toward the toes and becomes r '. Since the contact pressure change of the sole depends on the flexibility of the lower limb, the flexibility of the lower limb can be quantitatively evaluated by examining the relationship between the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the center of gravity position r. That is, the center of gravity position r ′ is larger for a harder person such as a lower limb muscle, while the amount of change from the center of gravity position r to the center of gravity position r ′ is smaller for a soft person.
Rotation around the rotation support shaft D, where T3 is the rotation torque around the rotation support shaft D due to the weight W, P is the axial force of the link arm b, and Cn is the distance of the perpendicular from the rotation support shaft D to the link arm b. Torque T3 is calculated by Equation 1,

軸力Pはひずみゲージなどの力センサーで検出でき、前記垂直距離Cnの長さは、各リンク長さと傾きで幾何学的に計算できるため、重心位置rの大きさは数２で算出できる。

The axial force P can be detected by a force sensor such as a strain gauge, and the length of the vertical distance Cn can be calculated geometrically by the length and inclination of each link.

これまでの実験から体の筋肉等の固い人は、足関節の背屈角度ζの変化に伴う重心位置rの変化の大きいことが分かっている。
また本装置で数分間ストレッチを行えば柔軟性が増して重心位置rの変化が小さくなることを確認している。
下肢筋肉が無限に柔らかくて足関節モーメントが０である理想的な場合は、ペダル板が水平位置（背屈角ζ＝０）にあるときの重心位置rと利用者の体重Ｗを使えば、ペダル板が任意角度ζに傾いた場合の体重Ｗによる回転トルクＴ３や軸力Ｐは、ペダル板が回転支持軸を中心とした円弧運動を行っているため通常の静力学的な計算により一意的に求めることができる。
数２で求めた重心位置rは次元があり、人の足の大きさによる影響を受ける。そこで、実際には各人の足の大きさLfで除して、無次元化した数３により算出した無次元化重心位置r*を使う方が良い。

It has been found from experiments so far that a hard person such as a body muscle has a large change in the center of gravity position r due to a change in the dorsiflexion angle ζ of the ankle joint.
In addition, it has been confirmed that if the device is stretched for several minutes, the flexibility increases and the change in the center of gravity position r decreases.
In the ideal case where the lower limb muscles are infinitely soft and the ankle joint moment is 0, using the center of gravity position r and the weight W of the user when the pedal plate is in the horizontal position (dorsiflexion angle ζ = 0), The rotational torque T3 and the axial force P due to the weight W when the pedal plate is tilted at an arbitrary angle ζ are unique by normal static calculation because the pedal plate performs an arc motion around the rotation support shaft. Can be requested.
The center-of-gravity position r obtained by Equation 2 has a dimension and is affected by the size of a person's foot. Therefore, in practice, it is better to use the dimensionless center-of-gravity position r * calculated by the dimensionless number 3 divided by the foot size Lf of each person.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1. Outline description of the mechanism structure of the lower limb stretch device of this example.
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the lower limb stretching apparatus of this embodiment includes a pair of left and right pedal plates 1, 2 on which a standing person places both left and right feet and reciprocally rotates within a predetermined rotation angle range. The main components are an electric motor 30 of a rotation drive device that rotates the plates 1 and 2, a link mechanism 40 that transmits the rotational power of the electric motor 30 to the pedal plates 1 and 2, and a rotation support mechanism for the pedal plate. This is installed as a unit on the base frame 5 which is the base. The base frame 5 is integrally provided with a support arm 6, and the base frame and the support arm 6 are L-shaped when viewed from the side. An operation panel 7 is provided on the upper bar of the support arm 6, which includes a start button 71, a stop button 72, a rotation angle range setting dial 73 for adjusting the stretch strength, an electric motor rotation speed setting device 74, and a timer 75. Any of these can be easily set by appropriately setting appropriate values.
For example, the rotation angle range setting dial 73 sets the rotation angle of the pedal plate in advance and is connected to the rotation angle detector 101a of FIG. The set value is compared with the actually measured value to control the electric motor 30 to the set value.
When the user puts his / her feet on the pedal plates 1 and 2 and drives the electric motor 30, the power is transmitted to the pedal plates 1 and 2 via the link mechanism 40, and this is rotated by a predetermined angle. The Achilles tendon and calf of the lower limbs are stretched by flexing the ankle joint of the lower limbs.

2. Detailed description of the mechanism structure of the lower limb stretch device of this example.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the main mechanism of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 2, the pedal plates 1 and 2 are set at a low position so that a person can easily ride the rotation support shaft 44. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 31 of the electric motor is at a slightly higher position because the rotation drive arm 41 rotates. The pedal plates 1 and 2 have anti-slip sheets 1a and 2a attached to the contact surface of the sole, and stoppers 1b and 2b that support the back of the heel are installed at the rear end, A rotation support mechanism for the pedal plate is provided. The pivot support mechanism for the pedal plate has the support girders 1c and 2c fixedly connected to the pedal plate, and the support girders 1c and 2c are fixedly supported on the rotation support shaft 44 for rotating the pedal plate. The rotation support shaft 44 is a bearing. The positions are fixed at 44a and 44b.
The link mechanism 40 of the lower limb stretcher is disposed between a pair of pedal plates 1 and 2, and has a rotation drive arm 41 having one end fixed to the rotation shaft 31 of the electric motor 30 and a power transmission side of the rotation drive arm 41. A link arm 42 in which the other end and one end of the transmission side are axially joined, and the other end of the link arm 42 on the power transmission side and one end of the transmission side are axially joined, and the other end is parallel to the rotating shaft 31 of the electric motor 30. The four-link mechanism 40 is composed of a rotation transmission arm 43 fixedly supported on the rotation support shaft 44 arranged in the above. The rotation transmitting arm 43 is rotated by a predetermined angle on an arc locus around the rotation support shaft 44 by the rotation of the electric motor 30.

3. Detailed description of the evaluation device of the lower limb stretch device of this example.
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the evaluation device 100 for the lower limb stretch device includes an axial force sensor 102, an arithmetic circuit 103, and a display device 104.
The axial force sensor 102 is a strain gauge or the like that detects an axial force generated in the link arm 42 in accordance with the rotation angle of the pedal plate, and introduces the detected value P to the gravity center position calculation calculation circuit 103. The arithmetic circuit 103 obtains the rotational torque T3 (P · Cn) applied to the rotation shafts of the pedal plates 1 and 2 from the detected axial force value, the perpendicular distance Cn from the rotation support shaft 44 to the link arm 42, the weight W, etc. A change in the center of gravity position r (P · Cn / W) of a person on the board is calculated. Display device 104, a display example, change the display of the rotational torque T3 and the pedal plate rotation angle, changes in the human center of gravity r riding on pedal plate (P · Cn / W), from the axial force (strain gauge or the like The detected value) P, the change in the pedal plate rotation angle ζ, the change in the blood flow, the change in the perpendicular distance Cn, etc. are used alone or in combination, and the graph is printed or displayed. As a specific example of this example, graphs shown in FIGS. 4 to 11 described later are displayed on a switching screen.
<Effect>

The effect of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 to 11.
FIG. 4 shows an example of a temporal change in the pedal rotation angle ζ, that is, the dorsiflexion angle ζ. The magnitude of the rotation angle ζ is adjusted by an intensity adjustment dial such as a rotation angle range adjustment on the operation panel.
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the dorsiflexion angle ζ obtained by geometric calculation and the perpendicular distance Cn from the rotation support axis D to the link arm b. If the lengths of the rotation drive arm a and the rotation transmission arm c in FIG. 3 are changed, the loop shape is naturally different. FIG. 5 shows the results when the rotation drive arm a in FIG. 3 is rotated clockwise once. From the calculation results, the perpendicular distance Cn at an arbitrary position of the pedal plate can be obtained, and the center of gravity position r can be obtained from Equation 2.
FIG. 6 shows changes in the axial force P and the dorsiflexion angle ζ immediately after a person having a weight of W = 68 kg starts stretching exercise by the apparatus. The axial force P fluctuates with changes in the dorsiflexion angle ζ, and changes in a complicated manner to maintain a standing balance on the pedal. It can be seen that the axial force P increases as the dorsiflexion angle ζ increases. . 7 and 8 show the non-dimensional center of gravity position (non-dimensional moment arm) r ^* of the hard and soft people over time (FIG. 7) and the change of the dorsiflexion angle ζ ( This is a comparison in relation to FIG. Stiff person dimensionless barycentric position r ^* is the the body, soft average value as compared with the non-dimensional barycentric position r ^* human and amplitude obviously large, the flexibility of the dimensionless gravity position r ^* the body It can be seen that it can be used as an index to express quantitatively. If the size of the non-dimensional center of gravity r ^* is stored in the device as a target value in advance, the device can automatically select the stretch strength according to the hardness of the rider's body and perform stretching. it can.
9 and 10 show changes in the blood flow volume accompanying changes in the dorsiflexion angle ζ. Blood flow was measured near the ankle joint using a laser blood flow meter. FIG. 9 shows the results when the pedal plate is raised and stopped, and FIG. 10 shows the results when the pedal plate is rotated. From these, it can be seen that the blood flow fluctuates greatly in conjunction with the movement of the pedal, and that the blood flow is promoted by moving the pedal plate. Therefore, it can be seen that the static stretch has no blood flow promoting effect.
11, the paw joint mode - link indicating the link axial force change curve Pt in the case of the instrument is 0 (when there is infinite flexibility), when a person has got on the pedal the increase due to the ankle moment It is a graph which shows the result of having compared with axial force change curve Pa .
Since there is an ankle joint moment in a living body, the link axial force change curve Pa of the link arm 42 (b in FIG. 3) is a theoretical curve curve link axial force change curve Pt when the ankle joint moment is zero. Be sure to be on top. Therefore, by evaluating the size of the area of the hatched portion formed by the link axial force change curve Pa and the link axial force change curve Pt of FIG. 11, the flexibility of the lower limb can be quantitatively expressed by one numerical value. This flexibility can be expressed by converting the axial force P into torque T3 using Equation 1, and the area of the shaded portion represents the energy consumed to dorsiflex the ankle joint. As displayed on the flexibility measurement value display 761, it has a clear physical meaning.

Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1. Outline description of the mechanism structure of the lower limb stretch device of this example.
FIG. 12 is a schematic side view illustrating the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a schematic front explanatory view thereof, FIG. 14 is a schematic plan explanatory diagram thereof, and FIG. In FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, the lower limb stretching device of the second embodiment includes a pair of left and right pedal plates 101, 201 with heel stoppers 103, 104, and this pedal. An electric motor 301 accommodated in a cover 901 that uses the plates 101 and 201 as a drive source for reciprocating rotation within a predetermined rotation angle range, and the rotational power of the electric motor 301 is transmitted to the pedal plates 101 and 201. The link mechanism 401 is a main component, and this is installed as one unit on the base frame 501, and a support bar 601 for safety is installed on the base frame 501. The support bar 601 has an inverted U shape when viewed from the front, and is curved upward from the rear portion of the base frame 501 when viewed from the side, forming an inverted L shape with the base frame. That is, the support bar 601 is positioned on the left and right sides of the user riding on the pedal plates 101 and 201 by bending the left and right side bar portions 602 and 603 obliquely, and the lower legs 604 and 605 are positioned on the base frame 501. It is fixed to both the left and right sides from the rear end portion to the front end portion, and the horizontal bar portion 604 at the upper end is projected forward and is positioned in front of the chest of the user riding on the pedal plates 101 and 201. Thus, the user riding on the pedal plates 101 and 201 can obtain an appropriate grip position corresponding to the height and the position of both hands at any position of the left and right bar portions 602 and 603.
A wiring and reinforcement stand 800 with an operation panel 701 is provided between the center portion of the horizontal bar portion 604 and the center portion of the base frame 501, and the operation panel 701 has a power button 702, a start button 711, a stop button 721, and a stretch. Rotation angle range setting dial 731 for strength adjustment, electric motor rotation speed setting device 741, timer 751, flexibility to display the degree of flexibility in relation to the rotation torque of the pedal plate (foot dorsiflexion angle) There is a degree measurement value display 761 and an operation time display 781. Any of these can be set easily according to the user's age, gender, health status, past usage data, etc., and anyone can easily operate it. .
For example, the rotation angle range setting dial 731 sets the rotation angle of the pedal plates 101 and 201 in advance, and connects to the rotation angle detector (101a in FIG. 2) provided on the rotation support shaft 441 and actually measures it. A value is introduced, the set value is compared with an actual measurement value, and the electric motor 301 is controlled to the set value.
When the user puts his / her feet on the pedal plates 101 and 201 and drives the electric motor 301, the power is transmitted to the pedal plates 101 and 201 via the link mechanism 401, and this is simultaneously rotated by a predetermined angle. The Achilles tendon and calf of the lower limbs are stretched by causing the ankle joints of the lower limbs to bend back.
The other detailed parts in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description of the configuration and operation and effects thereof will be omitted.

The present invention exhibits the above-described excellent effects, and is used as a “flexibility evaluation device” and a “calf stretch device” as various sports facilities and personal health care tools, and has great applicability in this type of industry. There is something.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram perspective explanatory drawing which shows Example 1 of this invention. It is side sectional explanatory drawing from arrow AA of FIG. 1 which shows Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the principle of this invention. It is a graph which shows the time change of pedal angle (zeta). It is a graph which shows the relationship between the dorsiflexion angle (zeta) and the perpendicular distance Cn. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between a dorsiflexion angle ζ and an axial force P. It is a graph which shows the difference of the dimensionless gravity center position (moment arm) r * of a hard person and a soft person by a time-dependent change. It is a graph which shows the difference in the dimensionless center-of-gravity position (moment arm) r * of a hard person and a soft person by a change accompanying the dorsiflexion angle ζ. It is a graph which shows the change of the blood flow rate by pedal rotation angle position. It is a graph which shows the change of the blood flow when a pedal rotation angle is changed repeatedly. It is a graph which shows the result of having compared the link axial force change curve when an ankle joint moment is 0 (when there is infinite flexibility) and when a person gets on a pedal. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic front explanatory view of Example 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of Example 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic rear view of the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 A pair of left and right pedal plates
1b, 2b stop
1c, 2c support girder
5 Base frame
30 Electric motor
40 Link mechanism
31 Rotating shaft
41 Rotation drive arm
42 Link arm
43 Rotation transmission arm
44 Rotating support shaft
44a, 44b Bearing
71 activation button,
72 Stop button
73 Rotation angle range setting dial
74 Electric motor rotation speed setting device
75 timer
102 Axial force sensor
103 Center of gravity calculation circuit
104 Display device
101a Rotation angle detector

Claims (1)

In the base with the support arm, it supports the standing girder 's left and right feet on the same body or a separate pedal plate and a support girder fixed directly below the part where both footpads of this pedal plate ride A rotation support mechanism fixedly supported by a shaft, a rotation transmission arm that fixes one end to the rotation support shaft of the rotation support mechanism and rotates the pedal plate via the rotation support shaft, and the other end of the rotation transmission arm A link arm having one end axially joined to the shaft, a rotary drive arm having one end axially joined to the other end of the link arm, an electric motor having a rotary shaft fixed to the other end of the rotary drive arm, and rotation of the pedal plate A rotation angle detector that detects the angle ζ and an axial force sensor that is provided on the link arm and detects an axial force P applied to the link arm are installed, and the arithmetic circuit and display device of (1) below are further provided. provided, or (2) Calculation circuit and the display device and the leg stretching device consisting provided.
(1) The rotation support shaft of the rotation support mechanism is determined by the vertical distance Cn from the rotation support shaft to the link arm geometrically determined by the length and inclination of each link and the axial force P of the link arm. An arithmetic circuit for calculating the rotation torque T3 of the pedal plate to be applied, and the rotation angle ζ from the rotation angle detector as the dorsiflexion angle ζ of the both foot joints on the pedal plate, the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the axial force P Alternatively, the area of the figure formed by the change curve of the axial force P or the rotation torque T3 drawn by the relationship with the rotation torque T3 and the change curve of the axial force P or the rotation torque T3 drawn when the ankle joint moment is zero. A display device that displays the flexibility of the lower limbs as a numerical value .

(2) The rotation support shaft of the rotation support mechanism is determined by the vertical distance Cn from the rotation support shaft to the link arm geometrically determined by the length and inclination of each link and the axial force P of the link arm. Calculation to calculate the torque T3 of the pedal plate to be applied, and to calculate the dimensionless center of gravity r * of the user by dividing this torque T3 (P · Cn) by the weight W of the user and the size LF of the foot A rotation angle ζ from the circuit and the rotation angle detector is defined as a dorsiflexion angle ζ of both foot joints on the pedal plate, and a relationship between the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the dimensionless center of gravity position r * of the user; Alternatively, a display device that displays the flexibility of the lower limbs by a graphic of the relationship between the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the axial force P, or the relationship between the dorsiflexion angle ζ and the rotational torque T3 .

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