JP5653626B2 - Walking assist device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking assistance device that applies power generated by a power generation device to a user's lower limb as walking assistance force.

  2. Description of the Related Art A walking assistance device that provides power generated by a power generation device such as an electric motor as an assisting force for thigh movement has been proposed for walking assistance, walking rehabilitation, and the like for people with lower leg muscle strength.

  For example, a substantially C-shaped waist frame that is attached to the user's waist and extends from the waist back to the left and right waist sides, and left and right attached to the left and right waist sides of the waist frame. There is known a walking assist device that includes a power generation device and a thigh orthosis that transmits power generated by the power generation device to the thigh (see Patent Document 1).

  Further, in this type of walking assist device, a waist pad member such as a cushion pad is provided on a portion of the waist frame that directly contacts the human body for the purpose of reducing the feeling of pressure of the user wearing the device. The configuration is known (see Patent Document 2).

JP 2009-95645 A JP-A-2005-634

  By the way, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, an electrical unit composed of a battery, a controller, and the like is provided on the waist back side of the waist frame. However, since this electrical unit is built in the waist frame, there is a disadvantage that it is not easy to handle during battery replacement or inspection.

  Further, even when the electrical unit is exposed from the waist frame, etc., it can be accessed from the outside. However, in the configuration provided with the waist rest member as described in Patent Document 2, the electrical unit from the inside of the waist frame is provided. There has been a disadvantage that access to the body is obstructed by the waist rest member.

  The present invention has been devised in view of the problems of the prior art, and in the configuration in which the electrical unit and the waist support member are attached to the waist frame, it is easy to access the electrical unit from the inside of the waist frame. An object of the present invention is to provide a walking assist device.

  1st invention made | formed in order to solve the said subject is a walking assistance apparatus (10) which provides the motive power which a motive power generator (26,28) generate | occur | produces to a user's leg as a walking assistance force, A substantially C-shaped lumbar frame (22) that is mounted on the lumbar region of the user and extends from the lumbar back portion of the user to the left and right lumbar side portions, and a housing that is formed in a portion corresponding to the lumbar back portion of the lumbar frame. An electrical unit (25) attached to the hole (23) and used for control of the power generation device, and a waist support member (24) attached to the waist frame and abutting on the back of the user, The waist support member is provided so as to be openable and closable with the hinge portion (121) as a fulcrum with respect to the waist frame, and is configured to expose or shield the electrical unit according to the opening and closing.

  As a second invention, the electrical unit can be configured to include a battery (101) that is detachably provided on the waist support member side of the unit main body and supplies power to the power generation device. .

  As a third aspect of the invention, the waist pad member may include a contact portion (151) that contacts the battery when closed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the waist support member may have a plate shape in which a plurality of slits (24A) extending vertically are arranged in the left-right direction.

  As a fifth aspect of the invention, the waist support member may have an engagement portion (125) that engages with the waist frame by a magnetic force.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the configuration in which the electrical unit and the waist support member are attached to the waist frame, the electrical unit from the inside of the waist frame to the electrical unit can be easily operated by opening and closing the waist support member with the hinge portion as a fulcrum. Easy access.
Moreover, according to the said 2nd invention, it becomes possible to attach or detach a battery by simple operation which opens and closes a waist support member by using a hinge part as a fulcrum.
In addition, according to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to stably maintain the battery mounting state without providing a member (such as an outer lid) for fixing the battery while facilitating access to the battery. It becomes.
Moreover, according to the said 4th invention, in the waist support member, the appropriate rigidity which can contact | abut along a user's waist circumference, and favorable air permeability can be ensured.
Further, according to the fifth aspect, the closed state can be stably maintained while facilitating the opening / closing operation of the waist rest member that exposes or shields the electrical unit.

It is a perspective view of the walk auxiliary device concerning an embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the main frame periphery of a waist orthosis. It is sectional drawing of the intermediate part of the main frame in a lower back orthosis. It is an enlarged view of the IV section in FIG. It is a figure which shows the attachment method of the battery with respect to an electrical equipment unit. It is detail drawing which shows the attachment method of the battery with respect to an electrical equipment unit. It is principal part sectional drawing of the electrical equipment unit which shows the fixation structure of a battery.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a walking assistance device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of the walking assist device will be described based on the directions shown in the drawings. The walking assist device has a substantially bilaterally symmetric structure, and when attached to the user, the front-rear direction coincides with the user's sagittal axis, and the left-right direction corresponds to the user's forehead axis. Match.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the walking assist device 10 has a waist orthosis 20. The waist orthosis 20 includes a main frame 22 having a hollow structure having a substantially C shape in plan view. The main frame 22 extends outward and forward from the left and right waist sides from the back of the waist while being mounted on the waist of the user. The main frame 22 is a plastic molded product, and is made of a material having high rigidity (mechanical strength) such as polyamide resin, glass fiber reinforced plastic, or carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

  A housing hole 23 (see FIG. 2) penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the intermediate portion 22A corresponding to the user's waist and back of the main frame 22, and a control device and a battery are installed in the housing hole 23. The equipped electrical unit 25 is accommodated. A back pad 24 is attached to the inside of the intermediate portion 22 </ b> A of the main frame 22. The back pad 24 is made of plastic, and a number of slits 24A extending in the vertical direction are formed at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction in order to obtain air permeability and flexibility.

  The front end portions 22B and 22C, which are the left and right tip portions of the main frame 22, are located on the left and right waist sides of the user. A left electric motor unit 26 and a right electric motor unit 28, which are power generation devices, are attached to the lower sides of the front end portions 22B and 22C via hinges (not shown). The hinge part has a rotating shaft (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction. Thereby, each electric motor unit 26 and 28 can be rotated around a user's sagittal axis. Each of the electric motor units 26 and 28 incorporates an electric motor and an angle sensor (not shown) for detecting the rotation angle of the output member of the electric motor in the casing.

  An abdominal belt 30 that is wound around the user's abdomen is provided inside the main frame 22. In the present embodiment, the abdomen belt 30 includes a left belt 36, a right belt 38, a front belt 40, a left lateral abdomen belt 44, and a right lateral abdomen belt 46. These belts 36, 38, 40, 44, 46 are made of a flexible material such as woven fabric or leather.

  Both ends of the left belt 36 are connected to upper and lower portions of the left portion of the intermediate portion 22A of the main frame 22 by clasps (not shown), the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction is folded back, and the folded end extends forward. . The left belt 36 has a buckle (not shown) for adjusting the belt length at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction. The right belt 38 has the same configuration as the left belt 36 except that the right belt 38 is symmetrically disposed.

  A hook member 51 having a hook-shaped portion 51A having a lateral width equivalent to the belt width of the left belt 36 and a belt passing opening 51B is provided in the middle portion of the left belt 36, and the left belt 36 passes through the belt passing opening 51B. It is attached in the form. Similarly, a hook member 52 provided with a hook-shaped portion 52A having a lateral width equivalent to the belt width of the right belt 38 and a belt threading opening 52B is provided at the folded tip end of the right belt 38 on the right side of the belt threading opening 52B. A belt 38 is attached in a threaded form. The hook members 51 and 52 are formed from a plastic material, a metal material, or the like.

  Engaging members 56 and 58 are attached to both ends of the front belt 40. The engaging members 56 and 58 include rectangular openings 56A and 58A that are detachably engaged with the hook-shaped portions 51A and 52A, and belt length adjusting buckles 56B and 58B, and the belt length adjusting buckle 56B. , 58B, each end of the front belt 40 is attached.

  The front belt 40 is configured such that the rectangular openings 56A and 58A of the engaging members 56 and 58 are detachably hooked on the hook-shaped portions 51A and 52A of the hook members 51 and 52, so that both ends of the front belt 40 are the left belt 36 and the right belt. 38 is detachably connected.

  The left belt 36, the right belt 38, and the front belt 40 form a closed loop that surrounds the user's abdomen in cooperation with the intermediate portion 22A of the main frame 22, so that the main frame 22 can be attached to the user's waist. It has become. The size of the closed loop can be adjusted by belt length adjusting buckles 47 and 48 and belt length adjusting buckles 56B and 58B.

  The left lateral abdomen belt 44 is inside the left belt 36, and one end thereof is attached to the left part of the intermediate part 22 </ b> A of the main frame 22 together with the left belt 36 by a stopper (not shown). Similarly, the right lateral belly belt 46 is inside the right belt 38, and one end thereof is attached to the right portion of the intermediate portion 22 </ b> A of the main frame 22 together with the right belt 38 by a stopper (not shown).

  The left lateral abdomen belt 44 and the right lateral abdomen belt 46 are wider than the left belt 36 and the right belt 38, and a part thereof is made of a mesh fabric to enhance air permeability. Plastic swires 44B and 46B that can be elastically deformed are sewn into the outer edges of the left lateral belly belt 44 and the right lateral belly belt 46. The plastic wires 44B and 46B impart appropriate rigidity to the left and right lateral abdominal belts 44 and 46 without impairing the fit of the user to the lateral abdominal region. Keep the curved shape following the shape.

  One end portions of the left stabilizer member 53 and the right stabilizer member 54 are connected to inner portions of the left and right front end portions 22B and 22C of the main frame 22 by clasps (not shown). Each of the stabilizer members 53 and 54 is rotatable in a substantially vertical direction with respect to the main frame 22 around a connecting portion by a stopper.

  The front end portions 53A and 54A of the stabilizer members 53 and 54 are connected to the vicinity of the front end portions of the lateral abdomen belts 44 and 46 disposed inside thereof via cushion members 55 and 57 made of sponge or the like.

  As described above, the left stabilizer member 53 includes the front end portion of the left lateral abdominal belt 44 and the vicinity of the folded end of the left belt 36, that is, the middle portion on the left side of the abdominal belt 30 and the front end portion on the left side of the main frame 22. 22B is connected. Similarly, the right stabilizer member 54 connects the middle portion on the right side of the abdominal belt 30 and the front end portion 22B on the right side of the main frame 22.

  Each stabilizer member 53, 54 is formed in a plate shape from an elastomer material such as vulcanized rubber. Each stabilizer member 53, 54 can be at least self-supporting by selecting the rubber hardness, thickness, cross-sectional shape, etc., and the direction (front-rear) connecting the left and right front end portions 22 B, 22 C of the main frame 22 and the middle portion of the abdominal belt 30. Direction) and a relatively high rigidity (bending strength) in the vertical direction, and a relatively low rigidity (bending strength) in the left-right direction (plate thickness direction). That is, the stabilizer members 53 and 54 are more easily elastically deformed in the left-right direction than in the up-down direction. The stabilizer members 53 and 54 can be set to optimum values that meet the specifications by appropriately adjusting the plate thickness, plate shape (cross-sectional shape), material, and the like.

  The stabilizer members 53 and 54 are elastically deformed inward in the left-right direction when the abdominal belt 30 is fastened to the user's abdomen, and the distal end portions 53A and 54A are left and right upper anterior iliac of the user. Located at the top of the thorn.

  The electric motor units 26 and 28 are detachably connected to base end portions 60A and 62A of swing arms 60 and 62 that are connected to an output member of the electric motor in a torque transmission relationship.

  The swing arms 60 and 62 are made of a light metal such as aluminum, or a material having high rigidity such as glass fiber reinforced plastic or carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and from the outside of the user's hip joint to the front of the user's thigh. It has a shape twisted so as to extend along the thigh and has tip portions 60B and 62B located on the front side of the thigh.

  Thigh front abutment plates 68 and 70 are attached to the front end portions 60B and 62B of the swing arms 60 and 62 by connecting portions 64 and 66 so as to be able to swing. The front thigh plate 68, 70 is made of plastic and has a curved shape that matches the shape of the front thigh, and in order to improve air permeability and flexibility, a number of slits 68A extending in the vertical direction, 70A is formed.

  Hook-shaped portions 71 and 72 are integrally formed on the thigh front plate 68 and 70. Further, one end portions of the thigh belts 73 and 74 are connected to the thigh front abutting plates 68 and 70. Engagement members including rectangular openings 75A and 76A, which are detachably engaged with the hook-shaped portions 71 and 72, and belt length adjustment buckles 75B and 76B, at the tip portions of the thigh belts 73 and 74 75 and 76 are attached. In other words, the front ends of the thigh belts 73 and 74 are attached to the belt length adjustment buckles 75B and 76B so that the belt length can be adjusted.

  The thigh belts 73, 74 are engaged with the front thigh plate 68, 70 by engaging the rectangular openings 75 A, 76 A of the engaging members 75, 76 with the hook-shaped portions 71, 72 detachably. Removably connected.

  The thigh belts 73 and 74 integrally include auxiliary belt portions 84 and 86 that are bifurcated above the middle portion in the longitudinal direction. The tips of the auxiliary belt portions 84 and 86 are pivotally connected to intermediate portions of the swing arms 60 and 62 by clasps 88 and 90.

  The thigh belts 73 and 74 including the auxiliary belt portions 84 and 86 can be made of a flexible material such as woven fabric or leather. In this embodiment, the mesh fabric is used to improve air permeability. It is comprised by. The thigh belts 73 and 74 are shaped so as to surround the thighs even when the plastic swires 73A and 74A that are elastically deformable are sewn into the outer edges of the thigh belts 73 and 74 and are not connected to the front thigh padding plates 68 and 70. Hold.

  As described above, in the walking assist device 10, the main frame 22 is attached to the user's waist by the abdominal belt 30, and the tip portions 60B and 62B of the swing arms 60 and 62 are the thigh belts 73 and 74 and the front thigh. It is mounted on the left and right thighs of the user by the part contact plates 68 and 70. In this state, when the user walks, the swing arms 60 and 62 pivot back and forth about the base end portions 60A and 62A by swinging back and forth of the thigh by walking.

  The rotation of the swing arms 60 and 62 is detected by the angle sensors of the electric motor units 26 and 28, whereby the electric motors of the electric motor units 26 and 28 are driven according to the user's walking, and the left and right swing arms are driven. 60 and 62 are rotationally driven according to the user's walking. Thereby, the motive power which an electric motor generate | occur | produces is provided to a user's leg as a walk assistance force.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electrical unit 25 has a unit main body 100 that is loosely fitted in a housing hole 23 having a substantially oval shape in the main frame 22. On the front side of the unit main body 100, an accommodation recess 102 in which the battery 101 is detachably attached is formed. The battery 101 supplies power to a control device (not shown) built in the unit main body 100 and the electric motor units 26 and 28. Further, an upper bolt hole 103 and a lower bolt hole 104 are formed on the front side of the unit main body 100 so as to sandwich the upper and lower sides of the housing recess 102. These bolt holes 103 and 104 are located in the center of the unit body 100 in the left-right direction.

  Further, rubber connection blocks 105 are provided on the left and right sides of the unit main body 100 so as to project outward. Each connection block 105 is loosely fitted in a connection hole 107 formed on the left and right edges of the accommodation hole 23 of the main frame 22 with the left and right cables 106 inserted therethrough. The left and right cables 106 electrically connect the electrical unit 25 and the electric motor units 26 and 28, and are used for transmission / reception of control signals, power supply, and the like.

  On the upper edge of the accommodation hole 23 of the main frame 22, an upper fixing piece 111 for fixing the electrical unit 25 protrudes downward. Further, a lower fixing piece 113 that is paired with the upper fixing piece 111 is provided so as to protrude upward from the support block 112 that protrudes forward from the lower edge of the accommodation hole 23. These fixed pieces 111 and 113 are located in the center of the main frame 22 in the left-right direction.

  The electrical unit 25 is fixed to the main frame 22 by two step bolts 114 as shown in FIG. Each stepped bolt 114 is screwed into the upper and lower bolt holes 103 and 104 of the unit main body 100 while being inserted into the through holes 111A and 133A of the upper and lower fixing pieces 111 and 113, respectively. Rubber bushings 115 and 116 are interposed on the outer periphery of each stepped bolt 114.

  When the walking assist device 10 is used, the main frame 22 has its left and right front end portions 22B and 22C turned upside down as shown by arrows A and B in FIG. It can be deformed to twist in the direction. However, as described above, the electrical unit 25 has the unit main body 100 loosely fitted in the accommodation hole 23 and the main unit 100 via the two fixing pieces 111 and 113 provided on the upper edge side and the lower edge side of the accommodation hole 23. Since the configuration is fixed to the frame 22, the influence of the distortion of the main frame 22 when the apparatus is used is suppressed from reaching the electrical unit 25. In particular, since the two fixing pieces 111 and 113 are arranged on the lower back portion side (the central portion in the left-right direction) that is difficult to deform in the main frame 22, the influence of the distortion of the main frame 22 reaches the electrical unit 25. It can suppress more reliably. Further, since the rubber bushes 115 and 116 are interposed in the stepped bolt 114, there is an advantage that the mounting accuracy of the electrical unit 25 with respect to the main frame 22 and the allowable range of distortion of the main frame 22 are expanded.

  The back plate 24 is provided on the front side of the electrical unit 25 and is supported by the hinge 121 (see FIG. 5) so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main frame 22. The back plate 24 can rotate between a closed position (see FIG. 1) that shields the front side of the electrical unit 25 and an open position (see FIG. 5) that exposes the front side of the electrical unit 25.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the hinge portion 121 protrudes from the lower portion of the back surface of the back plate 24 and is opposed to the pair of elastic locking pieces 122 arranged at predetermined intervals, and the elastic locking pieces 122 are pivotally supported. And a support block 112. The elastic locking piece 122 can be elastically deformed so as to widen the tip end side thereof, whereby the shaft portion 123 protruding from the inner surface on the tip end side is formed on the left and right side walls of the support block 112. Each of the holes 124 can be inserted. In the support block 112, the left and right lower portions 112A at the front end in which the shaft hole 124 is formed are cut out in a tapered manner toward the front, whereby the shaft hole is opened in the open state as shown by an arrow C in FIG. The shaft 123 can be easily inserted into 124.

  In addition, magnets are embedded in the left and right engaging portions 125 having a columnar shape protruding from the back upper portion of the back plate 24, respectively. On the other hand, an iron fixing portion 126 for fixing the left belt 36, the right belt 3, the left flank belt 44, and the right flank belt 46 protrudes from the left and right upper sides of the accommodation hole 23 in the main frame 22. ing. The engaging portions 125 of the back plate 24 are disposed so as to abut against the fixed portions 126 of the main frame 22 when the back plate 24 is closed, and are attracted to the fixed portions 126 by magnetic force. With such a configuration, in the walking assistance device 10, the closed state can be stably maintained while the back plate 24 is easily opened and closed by the hinge portion 121.

  Further, by providing the back pad 24 having the above-described configuration, the user can access the electrical unit 25 from the inside of the main frame 22 by a simple operation of opening and closing the back pad 24 with the hinge part 121 as a fulcrum. Is easy. Since the back plate 24 is provided with a plurality of slits 24A (see FIG. 1), it is necessary to ensure appropriate rigidity that enables contact along the waist of the user and good air permeability. Is possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the battery 101 is attached to and detached from the housing recess 102 of the electrical unit 25 from the front side (user side) of the electrical unit 25 with the back plate 24 opened. Is done. That is, the user can attach and detach the battery 101 by a simple operation of opening and closing the back pad 24 with the hinge part 121 as a fulcrum.

  As shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, a substantially horizontal U-shaped bullet piece 131 that can be bent in the vertical direction is provided at the upper center of the battery 101. Two locking claws 132 are projected. Further, on the left and right sides of the lower surface of the battery 101, locking projections 133 are provided to project.

  The electrical unit 25 is locked to the battery 101 by an upper locking claw 132 and a lower locking projection 133. More specifically, the locking claw 132 is inserted into the locking recess 134 opened on the upper surface of the housing recess 102 of the electrical unit 25, and the locking projection 133 is locked on the lower surface of the housing recess 102. It is inserted into the hole 135. In this case, the front surface 133A of the locking projection 133 is inclined toward the front side, and similarly, the front surface 135A of the opening edge of the locking hole 135 is inclined toward the front side. Insertion into the hole 135 is easy.

  In addition, when the battery 101 is mounted on the electrical unit 25, the battery side terminal 141 (see FIG. 6) provided at the lower center of the battery 101 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the housing recess 102 of the electrical unit 25. It is electrically connected to the side terminal 142. The battery-side terminal 141 can be connected to a charger-side terminal (not shown) in the same manner as a known electronic device. With such a configuration, the battery 101 can be easily attached to and detached from the electrical unit 25, and the battery 101 can be easily replaced or charged.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of ribs 151 extending in the vertical direction are provided on the back surface of the back pad 24. As shown in FIG. 3, at least one of these ribs 151 can be provided so that the tip portion 151 </ b> A contacts the front surface (exposed surface) of the battery 101 when the back plate 24 is closed.

  Thus, since the back pad 24 can function as an outer lid of the battery 101, the battery 101 can be easily accessed without providing a member for fixing the battery 101. It is possible to stably hold the mounted state. Since the battery 101 is detachably attached to the electrical unit 25, as in the case of the electrical unit 25 described above, the distortion of the main frame 22 during use extends to the electrical connection of the battery 101 and the like. It is suppressed.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail based on specific embodiments, these embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. All of the components of the walking assistance device according to the present invention shown in the above embodiment are not necessarily essential, and can be selectively used at least as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

10 Walking assistance device 20 Lumbar orthosis 22 Main frame (lumbar frame)
22A Intermediate portion 22B, 22C Front end portion 23 Receiving hole 24 Back plate (waist support member)
24A slit 25 electrical unit 26 left side electric motor unit (power generation device)
28 Right electric motor unit (power generator)
100 unit main body 101 battery 102 accommodation recess 111 upper side fixing piece (unit fixing part)
112 Support block 113 Lower fixed piece (unit fixed part)
114 Stepped bolt 121 Hinge part 122 Elastic locking piece 125 Engaging part 126 Fixing part 131 Ejection piece 132 Locking claw 133 Locking protrusion 134 Locking recess 135 Locking hole 141 Battery side terminal 142 Unit side terminal 151 Rib (Contact part)

Claims (5)

A walking assistance device that applies power generated by the power generation device to the user's lower limbs as walking assistance force,
A substantially C-shaped waist frame that is attached to the user's waist and extends from the user's waist back to the left and right waist sides;
An electrical unit that is loosely fitted in a housing hole formed in a portion corresponding to the waist back portion in the waist frame and is used for control of the power generation device;
A waist support member attached to the waist frame and having flexibility to abut against the user's waist back;
The electrical unit has a battery that is detachably provided to a housing recess provided on the front side of the waist support member in the unit body, and that supplies power to the power generation device,
The waist support member is provided to be openable and closable toward the user with a hinge portion as a fulcrum with respect to the waist frame, and the battery assisting device is exposed or shielded according to the opening and closing.   The walking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the waist support member has a contact portion that contacts the battery when the waist support member is closed.   The walking assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is a rib extending in a vertical direction in the waist support member.   The walking support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the waist rest member has a plate shape in which a plurality of slits extending vertically are arranged in the left-right direction.   The walking assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the waist support member includes an engaging portion that engages with the waist frame by a magnetic force.

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