JP4400206B2 - Exercise assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exercise assisting device that can apply a load to a muscle group of a leg including a thigh without bending and stretching a knee joint.

  Conventionally, when glucose metabolism is promoted by moderate exercise and excess glucose in the blood is consumed, hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia are improved, resulting in lifestyle-related diseases (diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, etc.) ) Is known to contribute to improvement. In order to efficiently perform glucose metabolism by muscle contraction, it is desirable to cause muscle contraction of a muscle having a large volume that is a red muscle (slow muscle) that contributes to aerobic exercise. Therefore, it is considered effective to cause muscle contraction in the thigh and back muscles.

  By the way, in diabetic patients, glucose metabolism in muscles is lower than that in healthy people, and glucose uptake into muscles is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to actively increase muscle metabolism by causing muscle contraction actively. Necessary, but many people with diabetes often have knee pain, and doing squat exercises or walking exercises with knee joint flexion and extension may increase knee joint pain or worsen symptoms. Problems can arise. Thus, for a person who is difficult to exercise due to knee pain even though exercise is necessary, an exercise assisting device that causes muscle contraction so as not to cause knee pain is required. In order to enhance the exercise effect, it can be said that an exercise assisting device that enables muscle contraction in the thigh with a large muscle volume is desirable.

  Therefore, in the previous application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-144013), the present applicant has proposed a configuration in which the change direction of the relative position between the user's foot position and the center of gravity position is limited to the knee joint flexion / extension direction, Various configurations were proposed for the technique of changing the load acting on the leg without bending or stretching the knee joint. In the previous application, in order not to bend and extend the knee joint, a support body that supports the user's buttocks and a footrest on which the user's foot is placed are provided, and the support body acts on the legs by tilting the support body. The technology to move the footrest up and down or back and forth when changing the load to be applied. The prop body and the footrest are driven by separate drive sources, and the drive sources corresponding to the strut and the footrest are controlled in synchronization so as not to bend and extend the knee joint.

  As described above, since the column body and the footrest are driven by different drive sources, the number of drive sources increases, which may increase the cost. Further, in order to synchronize a plurality of drive sources, it is necessary to recognize the positional relationship between the drive sources, which causes a problem that complicated control is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned reasons, and its purpose is to enable exercise with muscle contraction of the thigh muscles without bending and stretching of the knee joint with one drive source, An object of the present invention is to provide an exercise assisting device that simplifies control and reduces costs compared to the case of providing a plurality of drive sources.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pedestal installed in a fixed position, and the pedestal so as to support the user's buttocks and feet in such a manner that at least a part of the user's own weight acts on the leg including the thigh One of the support unit attached to the gantry and the support unit is displaced with respect to the gantry so that the load acting on the leg part is changed by the user's own weight due to the displacement of the relative position between the user's foot position and the gravity center position And a support section, a stool that supports the buttocks, a footrest that supports the foot, and a stool and a footrest so that the bending angle of the knee joint of the user is not changed. And an interlocking mechanism for mechanically interlocking the two.

  According to this configuration, the support unit that supports the user's buttocks and feet includes the interlocking mechanism unit that mechanically links the stool and the footrest, and the support unit includes one drive source. Because it is displaced with respect to the pedestal by the upper part, it is possible to realize exercise with muscle contraction of the thigh muscles without bending and stretching the knee joint by keeping the relative position of the user's buttocks and feet almost constant. Moreover, since there is only one drive source, the cost can be reduced and the control is simplified.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the interlocking mechanism portion is swung by the driving portion between a position where the stool is provided at the upper end portion and an upright position is inclined with respect to the gantry. The support body includes a support body, and a connection body that connects a fixed position of the support body and a fixed position of the footrest and maintains a constant distance between the fixed position of the support body and the fixed position of the footrest.

  According to this configuration, since the distance between the fixed position of the column body having a stool at the upper end and the fixed position of the footrest is kept constant by the connecting body, when the column body is displaced by the drive unit, The angle of at least one of the ankle joints (ankle joints) changes, but the flexion angle of the knee joints hardly changes, and the muscles contract by changing the load acting on the legs while preventing the knee joints from bending and stretching. Can be encouraged.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a mounting table that arranges the driving unit above the footing table.

  According to this configuration, the driving unit is disposed above the footing table by the mounting table, and the column body is shortened. Therefore, if the inclination angle of the column body is the same as that when the mounting table is not provided, The required torque is reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, the connecting body is positioned at a side of a user's hip joint at the time of use at one end connected to the support body, and the footrest base. And the other end connected to the side of the user's ankle joint in use.

  According to this configuration, since each end of the coupling body is positioned on the side of the hip joint and the side of the ankle joint, the distance between the hip joint and the ankle joint is kept substantially constant by the coupling body. The change in the bending angle of the knee joint is restricted by the coupling body, and the bending and stretching of the knee joint can be reliably prevented.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the interlocking mechanism portion is swung by the driving portion between a position where the stool is provided at the upper end portion and an upright position with respect to the gantry and a tilted position. A strut body, a movement restricting portion for vertically restricting the movement direction of the footrest relative to the gantry, and a fixed position of the strut body and a fixed position of the footrest base are connected to each other, and the strut is hung around a pulley provided at a fixed position. And a wire for moving the footrest downward as the body inclination angle increases.

  According to this configuration, by providing the wire that connects the fixed position of the column body with the stool at the upper end portion and the fixed position of the footrest, and by hanging the wire around the pulley provided at the fixed position, the inclination angle of the column body Since the footrest is moved downward as the height increases, the angle of at least one of the hip joint and ankle joint (ankle joint) changes when the prop is displaced by the drive unit, but the knee joint flexion angle is almost It is possible to promote muscle contraction by changing the load acting on the leg while keeping the knee joint from bending and stretching without changing.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second to fourth aspects of the present invention, an elastic member that generates an upward restoring force against a downward load on the footrest is provided between the footrest and the mount. It is characterized by that.

  According to this configuration, by applying the restoring force from the elastic member during the operation of raising the footrest, it is possible to reduce the load acting on the drive unit when the footrest moves in the upward direction.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the second to sixth aspects of the present invention, the drive unit is configured so that the load acting on the right leg and the left leg of the user changes alternately one leg at a time. It is characterized by rocking.

  According to this configuration, the column body is swung so as to alternately apply a load to the right leg and the left foot of the user one leg at a time. Therefore, when the column body is tilted, it is easily tilted left and right alternately by one drive source. It can be realized by a simple mechanism. In this operation, the column body is tilted to the right and forward from the position where the column is upright with respect to the gantry, returned to the position where it is erected again with respect to the gantry, then tilted forward to the left, and further returned to the position where it is erected with respect to the gantry In other words, the period of tilting the column body to the left and right is doubled with respect to the period of tilting the column body in the front-rear direction.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first to seventh aspects of the invention, the drive unit includes a mechanism for moving the stool at least in the front-rear direction.

  According to this configuration, since the position of the center of gravity of the user is moved back and forth by moving the stool at least in the front-rear direction, the load acting on the legs can be changed as the stool moves.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the drive unit includes a guide device that translates the stool in one plane that intersects the vertical direction.

  According to this configuration, since the movement direction of the stool is limited to parallel movement (for example, movement in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction), it is easy to control the movement of the stool, and the stool is a surface parallel to the gantry. It is possible to displace the stool by using a drive source having a relatively small output without causing a moment due to gravity as in the case of using a column body.

  According to the structure of this invention, the support part which supports a user's buttocks and a foot part is equipped with the interlocking mechanism part which interlocks a seat and a footrest base mechanically, and a support part has one drive source. Because it is displaced with respect to the pedestal by the drive unit provided, the movement with the muscle contraction of the thigh muscles is realized without keeping the knee joint bent and stretched by keeping the relative position between the user's buttocks and feet In addition, since the number of driving sources is one, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced and the control is simplified.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the present embodiment includes a gantry 1 installed at a fixed position on an installation surface such as a floor, and a support unit that supports a user's M's buttocks and feet on the gantry 1. Is attached. The support portion includes a stool on which the user's M's buttocks are placed and a footrest 3 on which the user M places his / her feet. Although a stool is not shown in FIG. 1, a stool is provided at the upper end portion of the column body 2. In the illustrated example, only the footrest 3 on which the left foot of the user M is placed is shown, but it is desirable to provide the footrest 3 on which the left and right feet are respectively placed. Further, the supporting portion is a linkage mechanism portion that mechanically interlocks the stool and the footrest 3, as shown in FIG. And a connecting body 4 made of a rod-like rigid body that connects the rear end portion of the footrest 3 with a fixed position. The lower end portion of the column body 2 is connected to a drive unit 5 mounted and fixed on the gantry 1. The drive unit 5 includes a single motor (not shown) as a drive source, and also includes a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational force of the motor into swinging of the support body 2. A pair of left and right footrests 3 are provided.

  As the stool provided at the upper end portion of the column body 2, those having various shapes can be used, for example, those having the same shape as a saddle in a bicycle or the like can be used. This kind of stool is formed in a triangular shape in which the front end portion (the front side when the user M is seated on the stool) is narrower than the rear end portion in plan view. Alternatively, a circular or oval stool can be used in a plan view, and a cutout recess for determining the position of the thigh of the user M seated on the stool is provided in the periphery. A backrest portion that abuts the back portion of the person M may be provided. The column body 2 is configured to be extendable by forming a lower end portion and an upper end portion in a nested manner, and the height of the stool can be adjusted according to the body shape of the user M.

  The conversion mechanism of the drive unit 5 is a combination of a reduction gear train that decelerates the rotation of a single motor that is a drive source and a mechanical element such as a cam, a crank, a link, a clutch, etc. On the other hand, it is configured to swing (undulate) between an upright position and an inclined position. When only the footrest 2 on which the left foot of the user M is placed is provided as in the illustrated example, the direction in which the column body 2 tilts is the left front of the user M. In this way, the support body 2 swings between the position where the support body 2 stands upright and the position where the support body 2 tilts to the left front, so that the left leg of the user M (especially as the inclination of the support body 2 increases) The load acting on the thigh) is increased, and the load acting on the left leg can be changed as the support column 2 swings. That is, muscle contraction of the left leg of the user M is promoted, and as a result, muscle metabolism and sugar metabolism are promoted.

  By the way, as mentioned above, since the fixed position of the column body 2 and the fixed position of the footrest 3 are connected by the connecting body 4, the distance between the fixed position of the column body 2 and the fixed position of the footrest 3. The distance is kept constant. Therefore, the knee angle is kept substantially constant regardless of the inclination angle of the column body 2 with respect to the gantry 1. In use, in the state where the column body 2 stands upright with respect to the gantry 1 as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the column body 2 supports the weight of the user M more than the footrest 3 and is shown in FIG. 1 (b). Thus, in the state in which the column body 2 is inclined with respect to the gantry 1, the load applied to the footrest 3 becomes larger depending on the weight of the user M than in the state of FIG. That is, in the state of FIG. 1B, the load acting on the thigh is increased by the weight of the user M, as compared with the state of FIG. However, even in the state of FIG. 1B, a part of the weight of the user M is still supported by the support body 2, so that it is lighter than the squat motion in which the entire weight of the user M is applied to the legs as a load. Even if the knee joint has an obstacle, it can be used by adjusting the load acting on the legs by adjusting the inclination angle of the column body 2 with respect to the gantry 1.

  In short, when the load acting on the leg portion of the user M is changed by swinging the support body 2, the knee does not bend and stretch, and the user M has knee pain like osteoarthritis of the knee. Even it can be used without adverse effects such as increased pain or worsening of symptoms. When the user M has pain in the knee joint, the knee joint can be bent and stretched to some extent in the direction connecting the center of the knee and the second finger. May cause severe pain or worsen symptoms. Therefore, the positional relationship between the column body 2 and the footrest 3 is such that the displacement direction of the relative position between the gravity center position of the user M when the column body 2 is swung and the position of the foot placed on the footrest 3 is It is set to match the flexion / extension direction of the knee joint. With this setting, it is possible to change the load acting on the leg portion of the user M without twisting the knee joint.

  As described above, in order to make the undulation direction of the column body 2 coincide with the bending / extending direction of the knee joint, not only the positional relationship between the column body 2 and the footrest 3 but also the foot position and the tip of the foot on the footrest 3. It is necessary to determine the orientation of the foot or to detect the foot position and the orientation of the foot tip with an appropriate sensor. Therefore, a mark for determining the foot position and orientation is written on the footrest 3 and an anti-slip member is provided on the surface of the footrest 3 or the foot position and the direction of the tip of the foot are fixed. It is desirable to provide a toe clip portion into which the foot tip is inserted in the footrest 3 like a tip portion of a slipper or a sandal.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, only the footrest 3 for the left foot is shown, but a configuration in which only the footrest 3 for the right foot is provided is also possible. Moreover, when providing the footrest base 3 which mounts both legs, respectively, each footrest base 3 and the support | pillar body 2 are connected by the connection body 4. FIG. In this case, if the footrest 3 is lowered from the original position (position when the strut 2 is standing upright on the gantry 1) by tilting the pillar 2 toward the one footrest 3, the other footrest 3 Will rise from the original position, and the displacement of the center of gravity of the user M will increase, and a greater load will be applied to the legs.

  In this way, when the footrest 3 on which both the left and right feet are placed is provided, the column body 2 is tilted leftward from the position standing upright with respect to the base 1 and then returned to the position standing upright with respect to the base 1. Then, it is desirable to repeat the operation of inclining to the right or the next and then returning to the position where the frame 1 stands upright. That is, the period of the horizontal swing of the column body 2 and the period of the vertical swing are set to 2: 1. In such an operation, even if the drive unit 5 uses only one drive source, the rotation cycle of the crank or cam for realizing the swing in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction is set to the above relationship. Therefore, it can be easily realized, and it can be handled by the configuration of the conversion mechanism, so that no special control of the drive source is required and the control is simple. In addition, although the structure which provided only one support | pillar body 2 was illustrated, it is also possible to provide the multiple support | pillar body 2. FIG.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the connection body 4 is fixedly coupled to the support body 2 and the footrest 3, and there is no movable part between the support body 2, the footrest 3, and the connection body 4. Therefore, when the column body 2 is inclined with respect to the gantry 1, the footrest 3 that descends with the inclination of the column body 2 moves toward the lower end of the column body 2.

  In the present embodiment, the footrest 3 is movable only in the vertical direction, and the distance between the lower end portion of the column body 2 and the footrest 3 is kept substantially constant. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the guide table 3 is guided by inserting the four guide pins 3 b erected on the frame 1 into the guide holes 3 a provided at the four corners of the plate-shaped foot table 3. The structure which moves only to the up-down direction along the pin 3b is employ | adopted. In the case of this configuration, if the connecting body 4 is fixed to the support body 2 and the footrest 3, the support body 2 cannot be tilted with respect to the gantry 1. 2 and the footrest 3 are respectively connected to hinges 4a. 4b is provided. With this configuration, the angle formed between the column body 2 and the coupling body 4 and the angle formed between the footrest table 3 and the coupling body 4 can be arbitrarily changed. 3 can be moved in the vertical direction.

  The operation similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 3 can also be realized by a configuration in which the footrest 3 is attached to the gantry 1 via a pantograph 3c that can be expanded and contracted only in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. Since the pantograph 3c attached on the gantry 1 is limited in the vertical direction, the footrest 3 also moves only in the vertical direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the footrest 3 is connected to the link 3d pivotally attached by the hinge 1a at the rear position of the user on the gantry 1, and the foot of the user M fixed to the upper surface of the front end portion of the link 3d. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the lower end portion of the connecting body 4 is connected to the front end portion of the link 3d by the hinge 4b (rear of the footrest portion 3e in the illustrated example). . The link 3d is a rigid body, and if the length dimension of the link 3d is set to be sufficiently large so that the footrest part 3e moves substantially only in the vertical direction, the configuration examples shown in FIGS. Similarly, the moving direction of the user's foot can be restricted in the vertical direction.

  In the configuration of the first embodiment, since the connecting body 4 is fixedly fixed at a fixed position with respect to the support body 2 and the footrest 3, the position of the buttocks of the user M with respect to the stool and the user M with respect to the footrest 3. As long as the position of the foot is not shifted, the bending angle of the knee joint is kept constant regardless of the inclination angle of the support body 2 with respect to the gantry 1. On the other hand, when the hinges 4a and 4b are provided at both ends of the coupling body 4 as in the present embodiment, the hip joint and the foot even if the position of the buttocks relative to the stool and the position of the foot relative to the footrest 3 are not displaced. If the positions of the joints deviate from the positions of the hinges 4a and 4b provided at both ends of the connecting body 4, it is approximated to a structure in which five links are connected by five joints. There is a possibility that the bending angle of the knee joint J1 (see FIG. 6) changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, it is desirable to position the hinges 4a and 4b provided at both ends of the connecting body 4 on the side of the hip joint J2 and the side of the ankle joint J3. That is, the hinge 4 a is provided above the stool provided at the upper end of the column body 2, and the hinge 4 b is provided above the upper surface of the footrest 3. In order to realize this configuration, the hinges 4a and 4b are attached to the column body 2 and the footrest 3 via appropriate spacers. Further, in order to prevent the positions of the hip joint J2 and the foot joint J3 from being shifted from the positions of the hinges 4a and 4b, a restraint such as a belt may be provided on the stool and the footrest 3. When it can be ensured that the positions of the hip joint J2 and ankle joint J3 and the positions of the hinges 4a and 4b are not shifted, a configuration in which the moving direction of the footrest 3 is restricted only in the vertical direction is not adopted. However, since such a guarantee is difficult, it is desirable to regulate the moving direction of the footrest 3 (the foot on the footrest 3) in the vertical direction. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the interlocking mechanism unit that interlocks the stool and the footrest 3 is composed of the support body 2 and the connecting body 4 is shown. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. Includes a support body 2 and a wire 6, and further includes a movement restricting portion that restricts the moving direction of the footrest 3 in the vertical direction. Although not shown in FIG. 7, the movement restricting unit is configured similarly to the structure for restricting the moving direction of the footrest 3 described in the second embodiment. The wire 6 connects the fixed position of the upper end portion of the support body 2 and the fixed position of the footrest 3 and passes through the rear of the support body 2 so as to be coupled to the footrest 3 from below the footrest 3. It is hung around pulleys 7a to 7c fixed at fixed positions with respect to the gantry 1. In the illustrated example, three pulleys 7a to 7c are used, and after the wire 6 is pulled backward from the upper end of the support body 2 and hung around the pulley 7a, the direction is changed downward by the pulley 7a to be below the pulley 7a. A structure that hangs around a pulley 7b arranged in the front, then turns forward by the pulley 7b, hangs around a pulley 7c arranged in front of the pulley 7b, and further turns upward by the pulley 7c and is coupled to the footrest 3 Is adopted. Here, since the column body 2 is inclined from the position standing upright with respect to the gantry 1 to the right front and the left front, the direction of the wire 6 from the column body 2 to the pulley 7a can be swung from side to side. Therefore, it is desirable that the pulley 7a is attached to the gantry 1 in such a manner as to allow left and right deflection. The pulleys 7a and 7b can be shared by one.

  In the configuration described above, when the upper end portion of the column body 2 falls to the left in the figure, the footrest 3 moves downward by the tension of the wire 6. However, in the illustrated configuration, the footrest 3 cannot be raised when the column body 2 returns from the tilted position to the upright position, so that the column body 2 is positioned upright from the position inclined with respect to the gantry 1. When returning, the structure which raises the footrest 3 is required. As this structure, the structure which couple | bonds the wire pulled up from the footrest 3 to the support | pillar body 2 from the front of the support | pillar body 2 is employable. Further, as will be described later, an elastic member may be provided between the footrest 3 and the gantry 1 and a spring force against the downward load of the footrest 3 may be generated by the elastic member. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  About Embodiment 1-3 mentioned above, as shown in FIG. 8, when the return spring 8 as an elastic member is arrange | positioned between the mount frame 1 and the footrest base 3, and a downward load acts on the footrest base 3, It is desirable to adopt a configuration in which the spring force against the downward load of the footrest 3 acts on the footrest 3 by compressing the return spring 8. With this configuration, when the column body 2 returns from the position inclined with respect to the gantry 1 to the upright position, the spring force of the return spring 8 can be applied to the column body 2, and the column body can be operated only by the drive unit 5. The force exerted by the drive unit 5 can be reduced as compared with the case of returning 2. It should be noted that other elastic members such as urethane foam may be used in place of the return spring 8.

(Embodiment 4)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a mounting table 9 on which the driving unit 5 is placed is provided so that the driving unit 5 is positioned above the footing table 3. That is, by shortening the distance between the drive unit 5 and the stool 11, the length of the column body 2 is reduced. With this configuration, if the inclination angle of the support column 2 is the same, the moment around the lower end of the support column 2 is reduced, and the force exerted by the drive unit 5 can be reduced. In the illustrated example, a hemispherical or dome-shaped guide 10 is provided in the drive unit 5, and the guide 10 is provided with a guide groove 10 a for guiding the column body 2. Since the moving direction of the column body 2 is regulated by the guide groove 10 a provided in the guide 10, a part of the load acting on the column body 2 is dispersed in the guide 10 by supporting the user's buttocks with the stool 11. Thus, the force exerted by the drive unit 5 can also be reduced. Two guide grooves 10 a are formed from the upper end, which is the apex of the guide 10, so that the column body 2 can be tilted to the right front and left front from the position where it stands upright with respect to the gantry 1. Although not shown in FIG. 9, the stool 11 and the footrest 3 can be interlocked by providing the interlocking mechanism portion used in each of the above-described embodiments also in this embodiment. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 5)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a mounting table 9 is provided on which the driving unit 5 is placed so that the driving unit 5 is positioned above the footing table 3. A device provided with a mechanism limited to reciprocating rotational movement (pitching) around the left and right axes is used. Specifically, the fixed plate 5a fixed to the mounting table 9, the movable plate 5b disposed above the fixed plate 5a, on which the stool 11 is placed, and the front and rear end portions of the fixed plate 5 and the movable plate 5b are coupled to each other. Two links 5c and 5d are provided on the left and right. The links 5c and 5d are coupled to the fixed plate 5a and the movable plate 5b so that the links 5c and 5d can be rotated around a left and right axis. The distance between the coupling portions of the links 5c and 5d with respect to the fixed plate 5a is set shorter than the distance between the coupling positions of the links 5c and 5d with respect to the movable plate 5b. Accordingly, the movable plate 5b tilts slightly backward at the initial position shown in FIG. 10A, the movable plate 5b becomes substantially horizontal at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 10B, and the maximum tilt shown in FIG. 10C. The movable plate 5b tilts forward at the position. The upper surface of the stool 11 does not necessarily have to be parallel to the upper surface of the movable plate 5b, and the upper surface of the stool 11 may be substantially horizontal at the position of FIG. Although the drive source is not shown in FIG. 10, the output of the drive source may be transmitted to the movable plate 5b using a transmission mechanism such as a cam or a crank. Alternatively, the output of the drive source can be transmitted to the shaft on the fixed plate 5a side in the links 5c and 5d, and the links 5c and 5d can be used as the column body 2. That is, the support | pillar body 2 can provide not only one but two or more. Furthermore, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the output of the drive source is transmitted to the middle part in the vertical direction of the links 5c, 5d. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the fourth embodiment.

  In addition, it is possible to use a drive unit 5 that restricts the moving direction only in the front-rear direction, and it is also possible to add a mechanism that reciprocally rotates (rolls) around the front-rear axis.

(Embodiment 6)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a mounting base 9 on which the driving unit 5 is placed is provided so that the driving unit 5 is positioned above the footrest 3, and the column body 2 that swings with respect to the gantry 1. The drive unit 5 is provided with a guide device 12 that translates the stool 11 in one plane that intersects in the vertical direction.

  The guide device 12 includes a first guide rail 12a that restricts the moving direction of the stool 11 in the front-rear direction, and a second guide rail 12b that restricts the moving direction of the stool 11 including the first guide rail 12a in the left-right direction. . By using the first guide rail 12a and the second guide rail 12b at the same time, the drive unit 5 reciprocates the stool 11 between the reference position and the right front position, and also moves the stool 11 between the reference position and the left front position. Move back and forth between locations. In short, the first guide rail 12a and the second guide rail 12b regulate the movement direction of the stool 11, and together with other elements such as a crank provided in the drive unit 5, rotation of one drive source (motor). A part of the conversion mechanism for converting the force into the above-described movement of the stool 11 is configured.

  When the column body 2 is used as in each of the above-described embodiments, a moment is generated around the coupling portion between the driving unit 5 and the column body 2, and therefore the moment is resisted at the coupling site between the driving unit 5 and the column body 2. Although strength is required, since moment does not act in this embodiment, it is only necessary to secure the strength corresponding to the mass of the user in the guide device 12, and it can be realized using a relatively low strength material. Become. Moreover, if the structure which regulates the moving direction of the footrest base 3 to an up-down direction like Embodiment 2 and 3 is employ | adopted, even in this embodiment, the footrest base 3 will be linked with the stool 11 by the connection body 4 or the wire 6. Can do.

  In the illustrated example, the guide device 12 is exposed to the outside together with the stool 11, but the guide device 12 is preferably covered with a cover so as not to be exposed to the outside. In addition, the guide device 12 may be parallel to the upper surface of the gantry 1 or inclined with respect to the upper surface of the gantry 10 as long as the stool 11 is translated in one plane. For example, the guide device 12 may be configured such that the stool 11 moves in a plane inclined downward toward the front. In order to link the stool 11 and the footrest 3, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which a drive source for driving the footrest 3 is provided separately from the drive source for driving the stool 11 and the both drive sources are interlocked. However, since this increases the cost, it is desirable to provide the same interlocking mechanism as in the second and third embodiments to mechanically interlock. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in the second and third embodiments.

Embodiment 1 is shown, (a) is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a column body is upright, and (b) is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the column body is inclined. FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part of the first embodiment. Embodiment 2 is shown, (a) is a principal part schematic side view, (b) is a principal part schematic perspective view. It is a principal part schematic side part which shows the other example of Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a main part showing still another example of Embodiment 2. 10 is a schematic side view of a main part showing another example of Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a main part showing Embodiment 3. It is a principal part schematic side view which shows the structure applicable to Embodiments 1-3. Embodiment 4 is shown, (a) is a schematic perspective view, (b) is a principal part schematic perspective view. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating the fifth embodiment. Embodiment 6 is shown, (a) is a schematic perspective view, (b) is a principal part schematic perspective view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stand 1a Hinge 2 Support body 3 Foot mounting base 3a Guide hole 3b Guide pin 3c Pantograph 3d Link 3e Foot mounting part 4 Connection body 4a, 4b Hinge 5 Drive part 7a-7c Pulley 6 Wire 8 Return spring 9 Mounting base 10 Guide 10a Guide 10a Groove 11 Stool 12 Guide device 12a First guide rail 12b Second guide rail J1 Knee joint J2 Hip joint J3 Ankle joint
M user

Claims (9)

  A pedestal installed at a fixed position, and a support part attached to the pedestal so that at least a part of the user's own weight acts on the legs including the thighs to support the user's buttocks and feet. And a drive unit having a single drive source for displacing the support unit with respect to the gantry so that the load acting on the leg is changed by the weight of the user due to the displacement of the relative position between the user's foot position and the center of gravity position. The support part has a stool that supports the buttocks, a footrest that supports the foot, and an interlocking mechanism that mechanically links the stool and the footrest so that the bending angle of the knee joint of the user is not changed. An exercise assisting device comprising a mechanism portion.   The interlocking mechanism unit includes the column body swinging by the drive unit between the position where the stool is provided at the upper end portion and the position where the stool stands upright with respect to the gantry and the position where the stool is tilted. The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting body that connects the positions and maintains a constant distance between the fixed position of the column body and the fixed position of the footrest.   The exercise assisting device according to claim 2, further comprising a mounting table that arranges the driving unit above the footing table.   The connecting body is positioned at a side of a user's hip joint at the time of use at one end connected to the support body, and the other end of the connecting body at the side of the user's ankle at the time of use. The exercise assisting device according to claim 2, wherein the exercise assisting device is positioned in the opposite direction.   The interlocking mechanism portion has the stool at an upper end portion, and a prop body that is swung by the driving portion between a position standing upright and tilting with respect to the gantry, and a moving direction of the footrest relative to the gantry. The movement restricting portion that regulates in the direction and the fixed position of the support body and the fixed position of the footrest base are connected, and the footrest base is moved downward as the inclination angle of the support body increases as it is hung around the pulley provided at the fixed position. The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising a wire.   6. The elastic member according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein an elastic member that generates an upward restoring force against a downward load on the footrest is provided between the footrest and the mount. The exercise assistance device described.   7. The drive unit according to claim 2, wherein the drive unit swings the column so that a load acting on the right leg and the left leg of the user is alternately changed for each leg. 2. The exercise assisting device according to item 1.   The exercise assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the driving unit includes a mechanism for moving the stool at least in the front-rear direction.   The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit includes a guide device that translates the stool in one plane that intersects the vertical direction.

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