JP5697947B2 - Lower limb movement support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lower limb movement support device that supports an operation of a lower limb of a human body using an actuator.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an operation support apparatus that externally applies a driving force for an operation in order to assist a user with a leg motion such as a walking operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The motion support device is designed to help people who have difficulty walking on their own, such as those with weak leg muscles or injured legs, or have a force that exceeds their own tolerance. For example, it is expected to be used at a construction site.

  Further, the apparatus includes a body mounting portion that is mounted on the user's trunk and a link portion that is configured to be unconstrained with respect to the user's thigh, knee joint, and lower leg in the mounted state. There has been disclosed a limb assist device that applies a force to support a part of a user's weight with an actuator (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  With this limb assist device, the user attaches the body wearing part to the buttocks while maintaining the standing position by himself, and puts the foot in the shoe part at the tip, and the link part is attached to the user's foot. Unconstrained. And when the sensor provided on the sole of the foot senses the ground contact state, it is controlled to apply assist force to the knee joint.

JP 2003-250844 A JP 2006-334200 A

  However, in the device described in Patent Literature 2, the assist force of the knee joint is applied, but the weight of the device itself is supported by the user. In other words, the user needs to support the weight of the device by the body wearing part and perform the walking motion on the device while wearing the device, although the assist force of the knee joint is applied. The power exerted by himself was considerable.

  In addition, since the assist force of the knee joint is given from the actuator when the shoe part is installed, the actuator always applies rotational torque to the foot link part in the standing state, which is a natural human body. is necessary. From this, when the operation of the actuator is not appropriately performed for some reason, it is necessary to support the entire weight of the actuator including the weight of the apparatus by itself, and the burden on the user is large.

  In addition, the knee joint of the user is not always in a straight state when the sole is in contact with the ground, and the assist force of the knee joint is required even when the sole is not in contact with the ground. There are cases like this. That is, it is necessary to assist the weight applied to the lower body of the user even in a state of squatting on the ground or standing on one knee. However, the management of torque from the actuator based on the output from the ground sensor and the control of the bending angle of the foot link part with a single actuator in order to give the assist force causes the complexity of the operation control. It is.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems. When performing user operation support, the burden on the user can be further reduced, and torque management by an actuator is not required at all times. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lower limb movement support device that can suppress the output to be small.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a lower limb motion support device having the following configuration.

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A body-mounted part equipped with a saddle on which the user is seated and mounted on the trunk of the user;
A thigh link portion connected to the body mounting portion and provided in an unconstrained state along the thigh of the user;
A leg placement part for placing the user's foot is provided in an unconstrained state along the lower leg of the user provided at the lower end, and is connected to the thigh link part via a knee joint part When,
Applying rotational torque to the knee joint part, and an actuator for driving the knee joint part provided in the thigh link part or the crus link part,
An urging mechanism for urging the thigh link portion and the crus link portion in the extending direction;
There is provided a lower limb movement support device characterized by comprising:

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the knee joint portion is fixed to either the thigh link portion or the crus link portion;
A second pulley which is provided coaxially with the first pulley on the other of the thigh link part or the lower leg link part and receives the power of the knee joint part driving actuator;
With
The biasing mechanism is connected to the other one of the thigh link part or the crus link part on the side where the actuator for driving the knee joint part is not provided and the first pulley. A lower limb movement support device is provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the first pulley is fixed to the crus link part, and the upper end of the spring member is connected to the thigh link part. A support device is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the urging mechanism includes a spring disposed along the thigh link portion and a wire connected to the spring, and the wire is fixed to the first pulley. A lower limb motion support device according to the second or third aspect is provided.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the body mounting portion and the thigh link portion are connected to the body mounting portion so as to be swingable in the left-right direction and swing the thigh link portion in the front-rear direction. It is connected via the femoral joint that connects it,
The lower limb motion support device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising a hip joint drive actuator that drives the thigh link to the thigh joint.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the body mounting portion includes a main body portion extending from the back of the user to both sides, and a saddle mounting portion that is suspended from the main body portion and fixes the saddle. A lower limb movement support device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the weight applied to the knee joint can be compensated by the urging mechanism when the user is standing in a natural state, and the actuator is used to maintain the shape of the knee joint. There is no need to apply torque by the unit. For this reason, the actuator unit does not need to perform management for its own weight compensation, and it is sufficient to manage operation control, so that simple management can be realized.

  Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the first and second pulleys rotating coaxially can compensate for the weight of the knee joint and the biasing mechanism, so that the output of the actuator can be kept small. Can do. In addition, since the spring pulling force according to the bending angle of the knee joint is added, the assisting force according to the bending angle of the knee joint can be secured, and the assisting force and the motion control can be performed easily and with high accuracy. Can do.

  Further, by configuring the urging mechanism with a spring and a wire, it is possible to obtain an urging force following the displacement of the knee joint by the first pulley.

It is a front view which shows the structure of the leg operation | movement assistance apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the lower limb motion support device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower limb motion support device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower limb motion support device of FIG. 1 in a bent state. It is a partial expanded front sectional view of the lower limb movement support device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged side view of the lower limb motion support device of FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the force sensor of the leg operation assistance apparatus of FIG. Functional block diagram of the drive control unit of the lower limb movement support device of FIG.

  Hereinafter, a lower limb motion support device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As for expressions related to position, direction, etc., the user's front-rear direction is the X axis, the left-right direction is the Y axis, and the vertical direction is the Z axis. In addition, in a member provided as a pair of left and right, such as a leg link portion, when distinguishing between the left and right members, L (left) and R (right) are appended to the end of the reference code based on the user P. When there is no distinction between left and right, explanation will be made without attaching L and R.

  1 to 4 are diagrams showing a configuration of a lower limb movement support device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a side view, FIG. 3 is a plan view, and FIG. FIG.

  A lower limb motion support device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a body mounting portion 10, leg link portions 20L and 20R, foot placement portions 50L and 50R, and a backpack BP.

(Body wearing part 10)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the body mounting part 10 is a part to be mounted on the trunk of the user P. The trunk means a torso portion including a user's shoulder, chest, back, abdomen, waist, and buttocks. As shown in FIG. 1, the body mounting portion 10 includes a main body portion 11, a saddle portion 12, a saddle attachment portion 13, actuator attachment portions 14L and 14R as femoral joint portions, and fixed belt portions 15, 16L and 16R. .

  The main body 11 is a U-shaped member that is mounted along the waist from the back to the side of the user P, and a saddle 12 is provided at the center via a saddle attachment 13. The saddle portion 12 is provided below the main body portion, and the mounting position can be adjusted by the saddle mounting portion 13 so that the main body portion 11 is located behind the user P while the user P is sitting. It has become.

  Actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R, which are members for connecting the leg link portions 20L and 20R, are provided on the left and right ends of the main body portion 11, respectively. The actuator attachment portions 14L and 14R are provided with hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R (see FIG. 3) described later.

  The actuator mounting portions 14L, 14R and the main body 11 are connected via first hip joint shafts 18L, 18R along the X-axis direction. Therefore, the actuator attachment portions 14L and 14R can rotate around the X axis.

  The fixing belt portions 15, 16 </ b> L, and 16 </ b> R are members for fixing the body mounting portion 10 to the user P, and fix the body mounting portion 10 by being attached to the buckle portion 17 located on the abdomen of the user P. The fixing belt portion 15 is connected to the tip of the saddle portion 12, and the fixing belt portions 16L and 16R are connected in the left-right direction of the main body portion 11, and fixes a user sitting on the saddle portion 12 from three directions.

(Leg links 20L, 20R)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the leg link portions 20L and 20R connect the body mounting portion 10 and the foot placement portions 50L and 50R via a plurality of joint portions, and the leg ( It is provided along the outer side of the limb.

  In the present embodiment, the leg link portions 20L and 20R are made of an aluminum material, are lightweight, and can have sufficient strength to support the weight of the user P and the weight of the device itself. In addition to the aluminum member, it may be formed of other materials such as a carbon material.

  The leg link portions 20L and 20R include thigh link portions 30L and 30R and crus link portions 40L and 40R. The upper ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are connected to the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R, and constitute hip joint portions 31L and 31R. Further, the lower ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are connected to the crus link portions 40L and 40R, and constitute knee joint portions 32L and 32R.

  The hip joint portions 31L and 31R are located outside the hip joint of the user P. The hip joint portions 31L and 31R are connected via the second hip joint shafts 19L and 19R so as to be rotatable around the X axis.

  The thigh link portions 30L and 30R are links extending along the outer side of the user P's thigh. As described above, the upper ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are connected to the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R. Further, the lower ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R constitute knee joint portions 32L and 32R.

  Hip joint drive gears 33L and 33R are provided at the upper ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R. The hip joint drive gears 33L and 33R are connected to the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R via the second hip joint shafts 19L and 19R, and are rotatable about the second hip joint shafts 19L and 19R.

  Further, the output shafts of the hip joint drive gears 33L and 33R and the hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R are configured to be interlocked by endless belts 33aL and 33aR, and the hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R operate as described later. The thigh link portions 30L and 30R rotate around the Y axis.

  The knee joint portions 32L and 32R are located outside the knee joint of the user P and connect the thigh link portions 30L and 30R and the crus links 40L and 40R so as to be rotatable.

  The lower leg link portions 40L and 40R are links extending along the outer side of the lower leg of the user P. The upper ends of the lower leg links 40L, 40R are connected to the knee joints 32L, 32R. Further, the lower ends of the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R constitute ankle joint portions 41L and 41R.

  Knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R, which are one of the members constituting the knee joint portions 32L and 32R, are provided at the lower ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R. In addition, knee joint pulleys 43L and 43R constituting an urging mechanism described later are fixed to the upper ends of the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R. The knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R are inserted through knee joint drive shafts provided at the center positions of the knee joint pulleys 43L and 43R, and the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are driven around the knee joint drive shafts. . In addition, knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, are provided at the upper ends of the lower leg links 40L and 40R.

  The knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R are configured to be interlocked with output shafts of knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, and endless belts 42aL and 42aR. When the 60R operates, the thigh link portions 30L and 30R rotate around the Y axis.

  As described above, the knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R rotate by operating the hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R connected to the lower leg links 40L and 40R, and as a result, the thigh links 30L and 30R rotate. That is, by operating the hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R, the angles formed by the thigh link portions 30L and 30R and the crus link portions 40L and 40R are changed.

  The knee joint pulleys 43L and 43R are for guiding wires 43aL and 43aR provided on springs 34L and 34R of an urging mechanism described later. It is only necessary that the wire 43aL, 43aR can be wound up and the spring can be pulled when the relative bending angle between the thigh link portions 30L, 30R and the crus link portions 40L, 40R described later is changed. It does not need to be configured in a plate shape.

(Biasing mechanism)
The lower limb motion support device according to the present embodiment includes an urging mechanism that urges the thigh link portions 30L and 30R connected by the knee joint portions 32L and 32R and the crus link portions 40L and 40R to extend. As members constituting the urging mechanism, springs 34L and 34R are provided. The springs 34L and 34R are provided substantially parallel to the front side of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R. The upper ends of the springs 34L, 34R are provided at spring fixing portions 35L, 35R at the upper ends of the thigh link portions 30L, 30R.

  Wires 43aL and 43aR are connected to the lower ends of the springs 34L and 34R, and the wires are wound around and fixed to the knee joint pulleys 43L and 43R from the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the thigh link portions 30L, 30R and the crus link portions 40L, 40R rotate with the knee joint portions 32L, 32R as the bending points, they are rotationally driven together with the crus link portions 40L, 40R. The wires 43aL and 43aR are wound around the knee joint pulleys 43L and 43R. As a result, the springs 34L and 34R extend. Therefore, the thigh link portions 30L, 30R and the crus link portions 40L, 40R are urged in a direction extending in a straight line via the knee joint portions 32L, 32R by the restoring force of the springs 34L, 34R.

  In the above example, the urging mechanism is provided in the upper leg link portions 30L and 30R, and the knee joint drive actuators 61L and 61R are provided in the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R. It is good also as arrangement. For example, one end of each of the springs 34L and 34R constituting the incidental mechanism is provided at the lower end of the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R, and the knee joint drive actuators 61L and 61R are provided at the upper leg link portions 30L and 30R. Also good. In this case, knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R are provided on the upper leg link portions 30L and 30R, and knee joint pulleys 43L and 43R are provided on the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R.

(Foot placement part 50L, 50R)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the foot placement portions 50 </ b> L and 50 </ b> R are portions that are attached to the legs (limb ends) of the user P. As shown in FIG. 2, the foot placement parts 50L and 50R include shoe fixing parts 51L and 51R for fixing dedicated shoes worn by the user and grounding parts 52L and 52R for grounding to the ground. The grounding parts 52L, 52R and the shoe fixing parts 51L, 51R are connected via force sensors 53L, 53R, and detect the force applied to the shoe fixing parts 51L, 51R by the movement of the user's lower limbs. To do.

  The force sensors 53L and 53R are sensors that simultaneously measure the forces in the three axial directions of X, Y, and Z orthogonal to each other and the twists α, β, and γ in the three axial directions as shown in FIG. Yes, for example, a 6-axis force sensor “OPFT series” manufactured by Minebea Co., Ltd. can be used. The force sensors 53L and 53R are configured such that the operating parts 55L and 55R are connected to the reference parts 54L and 54R. Since the reference portions 54L and 54R are fixed to the grounding portions 52L and 52R, and the shoe fixing portions 51L and 51R are fixed to the operation portions 55L and 55R, the user's operation is directly related to the operation portions 55L and 55R. At least one force in the X, Y, and Z directions in the three axes in the portions 54L and 54R and a twist in the three axes in the directions of α, β, and γ are measured and output through the output terminals 56L and 56R. Note that the X, Y, and Z axes for the force sensor and the torsional coordinate axes along the three axes of α, β, and γ are absolute, and the direction of the axis as viewed from the outside varies depending on the direction of the sensor. To do.

  Reinforcing plates 57L and 57R are provided on the outer sides of the shoes of the user P in the grounding parts 52L and 52R, and the floor reaction force received by the grounding parts 52L and 52R when the user P's feet are grounded is a leg link. The structure can be transmitted to the portions 20L and 20R. Ankle joint gears 58L and 58R constituting an ankle joint portion are provided at the tips of the reinforcing plates 57L and 57R, and the leg placement portions 50L and 50R are integrated with the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R via the ankle joint portion. It is the structure which can be rotated with respect to.

  The ankle joint portion connects the crus link portions 40L and 40R and the foot placement portions 50L and 50R so as to be rotatable around the Y axis. The ankle joint portion includes ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R provided in actuator attachment portions 44L and 44R provided to protrude rearward from the lower ends of the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R. The output shafts of the ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R and the ankle joint gears 58L and 58R are configured to be interlocked via endless belts 58aL and 58aR, and the foot joint actuator units 62L and 62R are operated to operate the footrest. The placement portions 50L and 50R rotate around the Y axis.

(Actuator unit)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the lower limb movement support device according to the present embodiment includes hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R, knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R, and ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R as actuator units. Yes.

  Each actuator unit includes an electric motor and a speed reducer, and the output of the electric motor is decelerated by the speed reducer to displace the relative posture of each member feeling to be operated. In other words, the actuator unit is an actuator for applying rotational torque to each joint portion and driving it.

  The bases of the hip joint drive actuator units 60L and 60R are fixed to the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R, and the output shafts of the hip joint drive actuator units 60L and 60R are arranged at the opposing positions of the hip joint drive gears 33L and 33R. Both are connected by an endless belt. That is, the hip joint drive actuator units 60L and 60R according to the present embodiment are integral with the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R, and the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are rotated by rotating the output shaft around the Y axis. With respect to the body mounting portion 10, the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R rotate around the Y axis about the second hip joint shafts 19L and 19R. When the hip joint drive actuator units 60L and 60R are not generating torque, the second hip joint shafts 19L and 19R of the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R have a very small rotational resistance and can rotate. The leg of the wearer P is not disturbed.

  The first hip joint shafts 18L, 18R of the actuator mounting portions 14L, 14R are not operated by the actuator, and can freely rotate according to the operation of the lower limbs of the user P. Therefore, the user can perform the operation of opening and closing the leg in the X-axis direction without being restricted.

  The mounting relationship of the hip joint drive actuator units 60L and 60R is not limited to the above. Further, an actuator unit for rotating the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R around the first hip joint shafts 18L and 18R may be further provided.

  The hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R may be provided with an encoder (rotary encoder, see FIG. 8). This encoder detects the rotation angle of the hip joint drive actuator units 60L and 60R as data relating to the relative positions of the leg link portions 20L and 20R with respect to the actuator mounting portions 14L and 14R. The detected rotation angle is output to the control unit 70.

  The knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R are provided in the lower leg links 40L and 40R, and include an electric motor and a speed reducer. The output of the electric motor is decelerated by the speed reducer, and the thigh link parts 30L and 30R and the lower leg link part. The relative posture with 40L and 40R is displaced. That is, the knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R are actuators for applying rotational torque to the knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R constituting the knee joint portion to drive them. The output shafts of the knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R are connected to knee joint drive gears 42L and 42R provided at the lower ends of the thigh link portions 30L and 30R via endless belts 42aL and 42aR.

  The knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R may be provided with an encoder (not shown) (rotary encoder, see FIG. 8). This encoder detects the rotation angle of the knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R as data relating to the behavior of the leg link portions 20L and 20R. The detected rotation angle is output to the control unit 70.

  The ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R are provided at actuator mounting portions 41L and 41R provided to protrude rearward from the lower ends of the lower leg link portions 40L and 40R, and include an electric motor and a speed reducer. The output of the electric motor is decelerated by a reduction gear, and the relative postures of the crus link portions 40L and 40R and the foot placement portions 50L and 50R are displaced. That is, the ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R are actuators for applying rotational torque to the ankle joint gears 58L and 58R constituting the ankle joint portion to drive them. The output shafts of the ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R are connected to the ankle joint gears 58L and 58R provided at the upper ends of the foot placement portions 50L and 50R via endless belts 58aL and 58aR.

  The ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R may be provided with an encoder (not shown) (rotary encoder, see FIG. 8). This encoder detects the rotation angle of the ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R as data regarding the behavior of the relative positions of the crus link portions 40L and 40R and the foot placement portions 50L and 50R. The detected rotation angle is output to the control unit 70.

(Backpack BP)
The backpack BP is carried by the user P, and stores a control unit 70 (see FIG. 8), a storage device 71 in which a control program and the like are recorded, a battery (not shown), and the like.

  The battery supplies power to the force sensors 53L and 53R, the hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R, the knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R, the ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R, and the control unit 70. The power supply by the battery is controlled by the control unit 70.

(Drive control unit)
FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the drive control unit of the lower limb motion support apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the drive control unit receives the output signals from the force sensors 53L and 53R provided in the left and right leg link units 20L and 20R and the position information from the encoders provided in each actuator unit. The above three types of actuator units are operated. The drive control unit controls the operation of the left and right leg link units 20L and 20R independently. That is, information output from the right operation unit 72R configured by the right force sensor 53R is used as a signal for operating the right drive mechanism 73R configured by the right actuator unit.

  Note that the output signals from the left and right force sensors 53L and 53R may predict the state of the left and right legs of the user P based on both the left and right output signals. . For example, in a continuous walking motion, the motion of the right leg can be analyzed in time series, and the left foot can be controlled to move similarly.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the motion control of the lower limb motion support device 1 according to the present embodiment is governed by a control program 71a that cooperates with a control unit 70 that includes a CPU and the like. For example, an IC chip or the like can be used for the control unit 70 and the control program 71a, and the drive mechanisms 83L and 83R are driven and controlled by inputting detections from the force sensors 53L and 53R to these. Each actuator included in the drive mechanisms 83L and 83R is connected to the control unit 70 through a driver, and operates based on an operation signal from the control unit 70.

  The force sensors 53L and 53R provided in the operation units 72L and 72R detect and output the force in the positive and negative directions and the torsional torsional forces around the α, β and γ axes as described above. To do. Further, as described above, the encoder provided in each actuator unit outputs the current position information of the motor of the actuator unit, that is, information related to the shapes of the left and right leg link portions 20L and 20R.

  The six vector detection signals Sx, Sy, Sz, Sα, Sβ, Sγ output from the force sensors 53L, 53R and the position information Sp from the encoder are input to the control unit 70 and are respectively provided in the drive mechanism. Drive the actuator.

  The vector signal Sx, which has detected the urging force in the direction along the X axis of the force sensor, identifies the actuator unit necessary to move the footrests 50L and 50R in the X axis direction, and performs the necessary operation. .

  The vector signal Sy that detects the urging force in the direction along the Y-axis of the force sensor identifies the actuator unit necessary to move the footrests 50L and 50R in the Y-axis direction, and performs the necessary operation. . However, in the present embodiment, there is no drive shaft for each joint of the leg link portions 20L and 20R that rotates about the Y-axis, and therefore the operation due to the input of the vector signal Sy is not substantially performed.

  The vector signal Sz that has detected the urging force in the direction along the Z-axis of the force sensor identifies the actuator unit that is necessary to move the footrests 50L and 50R in the Z-axis direction, and performs the necessary operation. .

  The vector signal Sβ that detects the biasing force in the torsional direction about the Y-axis center of the force sensor drives the ankle joint actuator units 62L and 62R to rotate the footrests 50L and 50R about the Y-axis. Let the action take place.

  In the present embodiment, which actuator unit is to be operated in response to a signal from the force sensor is determined based on the current relative positions of the leg link portions 20L and 20R. For example, in the state where the thigh link portions 30L and 30R and the crus link portions 40L and 40R are substantially extended, when a positive force in the X direction is input, the hip joint units 60L and 60R are operated and the other And the leg link portions 20L and 20R are moved forward as a whole.

  In addition, when the thigh link portions 30L and 30R and the lower thigh link portions 40L and 40R are bent and the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are raised (posture with the thigh raised), a positive force in the X direction is input. In this case, the knee joint actuator units 61L and 61R are operated to move the knee joint in the extending direction and the hip joint actuator units 60L and 60R are operated to operate the femoral link portions 30L and 30R to be lowered.

  The vector signals Sα, Sβ, and Sγ that detect the urging force in the torsional direction about each XYZ axis of the force sensor are used to directly operate each actuator, and the state of the lower limb of the user P It is also used as an auxiliary signal for detecting whether or not. For example, since the foot of the lower limb of a human usually faces slightly outward, torsion in the Z-axis direction is strongly detected at the initial timing when the user steps on the ground. Further, immediately after the user's foot steps on the ground, torsion in the Y-axis direction is detected strongly.

  Further, for example, when a force is applied in a direction in which the ankle is twisted in the X-axis direction while detecting a force in the Z-axis direction, it is predicted that the leg links 20L and 20R are grounded. be able to.

  Thus, the signal of each torsion direction can be used for prediction of the state of the leg of the user P (that is, the progress of operation and the presence or absence of grounding). Based on these prediction results, it is possible to determine which actuator is to be operated together with the output signal Sp of each axis and the output signal Sp of the encoder. That is, the state of the user's leg is predicted by the signals Sα, Sβ, and Sγ in each torsion direction, and the position information of the device itself is predicted by the output signal Sp from the encoder. Thus, in the lower limb motion support device of this embodiment, the user P's lower limb and the device are fixed only at the tip of the leg, and are in an unconstrained state across the thigh link portions 30L, 30R and the crus link portions 40L, 40R. Therefore, a more appropriate control operation can be realized by using these two types of information.

Next, a method of using the lower limb motion support device according to the present embodiment will be described. When the user is to wear the lower limb movement support device 1 according to the present embodiment, the user sits on the saddle portion 12 in a state of wearing special shoes, and the shoe fixing portions 51L and 51R of the foot placement portions 50L and 50R. Secure the special shoes. The shoe sole of the special shoe is provided with a protrusion (not shown) for fixing to the shoe fixing portions 51L and 51R. By fitting this into the shoe fixing portions 51L and 51R, the special shoes and the shoe fixing portion 51L are provided. , 51R is fixed. These protrusions are used as a mechanism for fixing a shoe for a bicycle and a pedal , for example, in a bicycle race, and this mechanism can be used.

  Thereafter, the fixing belt portions 15, 16L, and 16R of the body mounting portion 10 are tightened to fix the body mounting portion 10 to the user. Therefore, the user has the sole and trunk portion fixed to the lower limb motion support device 1 and the legs are in an unconstrained state.

  In this state, the user rides on the footrests 50L and 50R and is supported by the saddle 12 from below. At this time, the weight of the user is added in the direction in which the thigh link portions 30L and 30R are pressed downward from the body mounting portion 10 and the knee joint is bent.

  At this time, when the knee joint is bent, the springs 34L and 34R of the urging mechanism are extended, and the elastic force and the downward force due to the weight are balanced. As described above, since the force acts to suppress the bending of the knee joint by the elastic force of the springs 34L and 34R of the urging mechanism, the knee joint actuator unit is driven in the stationary standing state of the user P. Weight can be supported without applying torque. Therefore, torque control by a constant actuator is not required, and operation control can be simplified.

  When the user tries to move the legs, signals corresponding to the movements are output from the sensors of the foot placement units 50L and 50R, and the selection and operation mode of each actuator unit is calculated as described above. Thereafter, each actuator unit operates as described above based on the calculation result, and the movement of the lower limb movement support device is assisted according to the movement of the user to assist the movement of the user.

  As described above, in the lower limb motion support device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control unit detects a signal output from the sensor, determines what kind of motion the user is trying to perform, and Since the actuator unit is operated based on the determination result, the user's operation can be assisted reliably. Furthermore, when the user is standing in a natural state, the weight applied to the knee joint can be compensated by the urging mechanism, and the output torque from the actuator unit is extremely reduced to maintain the shape of the knee joint. be able to. For this reason, the actuator unit does not need to perform management for its own weight compensation, and it is sufficient to manage operation control, so that simple management can be realized.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a special effect that the operation support can be performed in the direction and force desired by the user.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower limb movement support apparatus 10 Body mounting part 11 Main body part 12 Saddle part 13 Saddle attaching part 14L, 14R Actuator attaching part 15,16L, 16R Fixed belt part 18L, 18R First hip joint axis 19L, 19R Second hip joint axis 20L, 20R Leg link part 30L, 30R Thigh link part 31L, 31R Hip joint part 32L, 32R Knee joint part 33aL, 33aR Endless belt 34L, 34R Spring 35L, 35R Spring fixing part 40L, 40R Lower leg link part 41L, 41R Ankle joint part 42L, 42R Knee joint drive gears 43L, 43R Knee joint pulleys 43aL, 43aR Wires 50L, 50R Foot placement portions 51L, 51R Shoe fixing portions 52L, 52R Grounding portions 53L, 53R Force sensors 58L, 58R Ankle joint gears 60L, 60 Hip joint actuator unit 6 L, 61R knee joint actuator unit 62L, 62R ankle joint actuator unit

Claims (5)

A body-mounted part equipped with a saddle on which the user is seated and mounted on the trunk of the user;
A thigh link portion connected to the body mounting portion and provided in an unconstrained state along the thigh of the user;
A leg placement part for placing the user's foot is provided at the lower end, provided in an unconstrained state along the user's lower leg, and connected to the thigh link part via a knee joint part; ,
Applying rotational torque to the knee joint part, and an actuator for driving the knee joint part provided in the thigh link part or the crus link part,
An urging mechanism for urging the thigh link portion and the crus link portion in the extending direction;
A lower limbs operation support apparatus to have a,
The knee joint part is a first pulley fixed to either the thigh link part or the crus link part,
A second pulley which is provided coaxially with the first pulley on the other of the thigh link part or the lower leg link part and receives the power of the knee joint part driving actuator;
With
The urging mechanism is connected to the other of the thigh link part or the crus link part on the side where the actuator for driving the knee joint part is not provided and the first pulley, and a lower limb motion support device, . The lower limb motion support device according to claim 1 , wherein the first pulley is fixed to the lower leg link portion, and the urging mechanism has an upper end connected to the thigh link portion. Wherein the biasing mechanism includes a spring disposed along the upper thigh link parts, and a wire connected to said spring, said wire is characterized by being fixed to the first pulley, claim 1 Alternatively , the lower limb movement support device according to 2. The body mounting portion and the thigh link portion are connected to the body mounting portion so as to be swingable in the left-right direction, and via a thigh joint portion that connects the thigh link portion so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. Are connected,
The lower limb movement support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a hip joint drive actuator that drives the thigh joint to drive the thigh link. The body mounting portion, a body portion extending on both sides from behind the user, suspended from the body portion, characterized in that it comprises a saddle mounting portions for fixing the saddle, of claims 1 to 4 The lower limb movement support device according to any one of the above.

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