JP5813901B1 - Lower limb exercise assist device - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To simplify the structure, reduce costs and reduce weight. A rotating body 14 is provided on a base 12 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and a left foot recess 20 and a right foot recess 22 are provided on the upper surface of the rotating body 14 and provided on the base 12. The rotating body 14 is driven to reciprocate with a predetermined rotation angle by the electric motor 30 thus generated. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a lower limb exercise assist device, and more particularly to a continuous passive movement (passive) exercise type lower limb exercise assist device.

  Mainly as a continuous passive movement (CPM) type lower limb movement assist device for bending and stretching the knee joint, the base and the base are provided on one plane so as to be reciprocally movable in parallel in the front-rear direction. The left and right sliders, a drive device that reciprocally drives the left and right sliders in the front-rear direction, and a heel receiving portion on which a user's foot is placed and at least preventing the user's heel from moving backward, At a position corresponding to the heel receiving portion, about an axis extending horizontally in the left-right direction to each slider, or at a position substantially corresponding to a joint of a foot heel mounted with a heel on the heel receiving portion. In particular, there has been proposed a lower limb exercise assisting device having left and right foot orthoses attached to the slider so as to be rotatable about an axis extending horizontally in the left-right direction (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent No. 5475838 Japanese Patent No. 5509396

  In the lower limb movement assist device as described above, since the drive source for reciprocating the slider in the front-rear direction is an electric motor, it is necessary to convert the rotation output of the electric motor into the reciprocating motion of the slider, and the mechanism is complicated accordingly. This increases the cost and the weight of the apparatus.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to simplify the structure of the lower limb exercise assisting device, and to reduce the cost and weight.

  A lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention includes a base (12), a rotating body (14) provided on the base (12) so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and an upper surface of the rotating body (14). And rear walls (20B, 22B) that prevent the user's heel from moving backward, and inner walls (20D) that prevent the user's feet from moving laterally inside and outside. 22D) and a left foot recess (20) and a right foot recess (22) having an upper opening provided with outer walls (20E, 22E), and the base (12). And a drive device (30) that reciprocally rotates with a predetermined rotation angle.

  According to this configuration, since a mechanism for converting the rotational output of the electric motor (30) into the reciprocating motion of the slider is not required, the structure is simplified, and cost reduction and weight reduction are achieved.

  In the lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention, the left foot recess (20) and the right foot recess (22) are on one diameter line passing through the center of rotation of the rotating body (14), and the center of rotation is a symmetric point. It is provided symmetrically.

  According to this configuration, the bending motion of the knee joint is performed equally between the left leg and the right leg.

  In the lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention, the outer wall of the left foot recess (20) and the right foot recess (22) has a toe side (21B, 23B) wall height on the heel side (21A, 21B). Lower.

  According to this configuration, the escape portions (24, 26) to the outside of the toes are formed on the toe side of the left foot recess (20) and the right foot recess (22), and the left foot recess 20 and While the right foot recess 22 moves on the arc trajectory, the toe on the side where the toe moves inwardly becomes the “crotch” shape is naturally positioned at the escape portion (24, 26) and twists at the knee joint. Is avoided.

  According to the lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention, since a mechanism for converting the rotation output of the electric motor into the reciprocating motion of the slider is not required, the structure is simplified, and the cost is reduced and the weight is reduced.

The top view which shows one Embodiment of a leg movement assistance apparatus Perspective view of lower limb exercise assisting device according to this embodiment Sectional view along line III-III in FIG. The top view which shows the operation state of the lower limb exercise | movement assistance apparatus by this embodiment

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of a lower limb exercise assisting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The lower limb exercise assisting apparatus 10 includes a disk-shaped base 12 placed on the floor, and a disk-shaped rotating body 14 provided on the base 12 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis.

  An annular guide rail 16 concentric with the center of rotation of the rotating body 14 is formed on the lower bottom surface of the rotating body 14. The guide rail 16 projects downward from the bottom surface of the rotating body 14 and also serves as a reinforcing rib of the rotating body 14. A metal ball 18 that rotatably engages with the guide rail 16 and supports the rotating body 14 rotatably is provided on the base 12.

  A left foot recess 20 and a right foot recess 22 are formed on the upper surface of the rotating body 14 at positions separated from each other in the left-right direction. The distance between the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 in the left-right direction is substantially equal to the normal left-right distance between the left and right feet of the user. The separation dimension (distance) may be about 340 mm to 400 mm between the center points in the left-right direction of the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22.

  More specifically, the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 are provided on one diameter line passing through the rotation center of the rotating body 14 and are provided symmetrically with respect to the rotation center of the rotating body 14. A flat bottom wall 20A, 22A; a rear wall 20B, 22B having a lower edge connected to the rear edge of the bottom wall 20A, 22A to prevent the user's heel from moving backward; and a lower edge serving as the bottom wall 20A. The front walls 20C and 22C are connected to the front edge of 22A and can be placed on the sole of the user, and the lower edge is connected to the inner edge of the bottom walls 20A and 22A to move the user's foot inward. The plane of the upper opening having inner walls 20D, 22D for blocking and outer walls 20E, 22E having lower edges connected to the outer edges of the bottom walls 20A, 22A to block the movement of the user's foot outward. It is a substantially rectangular depression in view.

  The rear walls 20B and 22B are inclined in the front-rear direction, and the inclination angle with respect to the bottom walls 20A and 22A may be about 25 degrees to 45 degrees. The front walls 20C and 22C are inclined in the front-rear direction, and the inclination angle with respect to the bottom walls 20A and 22A may be about 45 degrees to 75 degrees. The inner walls 20D and 22D and the outer walls 20E and 22E are substantially upright, and the inclination angle with respect to the bottom walls 20A and 22A may be about 75 to 90 degrees.

  In the outer side walls 20E and 22E, the wall height of the toe side 21B and 23B is lower than the wall height of the heel side 21A and 23A. The front walls 20C, 22C are equal to the wall heights of the outer sides 21A, 23A of the outer walls 20E, 22E. As a result, the outer side and the front side of the front part of the left foot recess part 20 and the right foot recess part 22 are one step lower than the rear side (general surface) of the left foot recess part 20 and the right foot recess part 22, and this part is outside the toe. The escape portions 24 and 26 are provided.

  An electric motor 30 is attached to the base 12. A drive pulley 34 is attached to the output shaft 32 of the electric motor 30. A driven pulley 36 is attached to the central shaft 28 of the rotating body 14. An endless transmission belt 38 is stretched between the drive pulley 34 and the driven pulley 36. As a result, the rotating body 14 is driven to rotate about its own center by the electric motor 30.

  A controller 40 is provided on the base 12. The controller 40 includes a motor driver that reciprocates the electric motor 30 with a predetermined rotation angle and a predetermined rotation speed. The controller 40 is of a wireless communication type such as infrared communication or Bluetooth, and performs power ON / OFF and variable setting of the reciprocating rotation angle and the rotation speed by communication with an external handheld controller (not shown). The power source of the lower limb exercise assisting device 10 may be a commercial AC power source or an internal battery that can be recharged.

  The lower limb exercise assisting device 10 puts the left foot into the left foot recess 20 so that the left foot heel is positioned in the vicinity of the corner between the bottom wall 20A and the rear wall 20B in a posture in which the user is seated on a chair. Is used in a state where the right foot is placed in the right foot recess 22 so that the heel is positioned in the vicinity of the corner between the bottom wall 22A and the rear wall 22B. When the power supply is turned on, the rotating body 14 is rotationally driven by the electric motor 30, and the rotating body 14 reciprocates with a predetermined rotation angle and a predetermined rotation speed.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (A), the rotating body 14 has a rotational position where the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 are positioned on a straight line in the horizontal direction parallel to the user as a neutral position. As shown in FIG. 4B, the right rotation position rotated clockwise by the rotation angle θa from the neutral position and the rotation angle θb opposite from the neutral position as shown in FIG. It reciprocates between the counterclockwise rotation position rotated in the clockwise direction.

  As a result, the left and right feet alternately move back and forth, and the knee joint is passively and repeatedly bent. The rotation angles θa and θb of the rotating body 14 may be equal to each other and may be about 25 to 45 degrees. The rotational speed of the rotating body 14 may be about 20 to 40 mm / sec, which is the peripheral speed at the center point in the left-right direction of the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22.

  Since the lower limb exercise assisting device 10 does not require a mechanism for converting the rotation output of the electric motor 30 into the reciprocating motion of the slider, the structure is simplified, and the cost and weight are reduced.

  In addition, the left and right foot restraint portions necessary for the passive flexion movement of the knee joint are the left foot recess portion 20 and the right foot recess portion 22 formed in the rotating body 14, that is, a recess formed integrally with the rotating body 14. Therefore, the structure of the leg restraining portion does not become complicated, which also contributes to cost reduction and weight reduction of the lower limb exercise assisting device 10.

  The left and right feet of the user placed in the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 move on the arc trajectories of the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 due to the rotation of the rotating body 14.

  In this movement of the circular arc locus, when the rotating body 14 rotates clockwise (clockwise rotation), the right foot has a “crotch crotch” shape in which the toes move outward as shown in FIG. 4B. On the other hand, the left foot is going to be in the shape of an “inner crotch” where the toes move inward. When the rotating body 14 is rotated counterclockwise (counterclockwise), as shown in FIG. 4 (C), the left foot has a “crotch crotch” shape in which the toes move outward. The right foot is going to be “in the crotch” where the toes move inward.

  Anatomically, the human foot has a lower degree of freedom in the knee joint than the “crotch crotch” where the toes move inward, and the torsional burden on the knee joint Will be applied.

  On the other hand, since the lower limb exercise assisting device 10 is provided with the escape portions 24 and 26, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, the toe moves inward. The toes on the side that is supposed to have a “crotch” shape are naturally positioned in the escape portions 24 and 26, and the toes are prevented from moving inward. In addition, it becomes necessary to provide a relief in that direction because the toe moves to the outside and has a “crotch crotch” shape because the knee joint in that direction has a high degree of freedom and does not place a torsional burden on the knee joint. Absent.

  As a result, even if the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 move in an arc due to the rotation of the rotating body 14, the knee joint can be bent without applying a torsional burden to the knee joint as in the case of linear motion. Exercise will be done passively. The knee joint bending motion is such that the left foot recess 20 and the right foot recess 22 are on one diameter line passing through the center of rotation of the rotating body 14 and are symmetrically provided with the center of rotation of the rotating body 14 as the symmetry point. Therefore, the left leg and the right leg are equally distributed.

  Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments and can be deviated from the spirit of the present invention, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. It is possible to change appropriately within the range not to be. For example, the shapes of the base 12 and the rotating body 14 are not limited to a disk shape, and can be set to arbitrary shapes. The rotational drive of the rotating body 14 is not limited to the one including the belt-type transmission mechanism, and a direct drive system using a transmission motor coaxially arranged with the center shaft 28 can also be adopted. In addition, all the components shown in the above embodiment are not necessarily essential, and can be appropriately selected without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lower limb exercise | movement assistance device 12 Base 14 Rotating body 16 Guide rail 18 Ball 20 Left foot recessed part 20A Bottom wall 20B Rear wall 20C Front wall 20D Inner side wall 20E Outer side wall 22 Left foot recessed part 22A Bottom wall 22B Rear wall 22C Front wall 22D Inner side wall 22E Outer wall 24 Escape portion 26 Escape portion 28 Central shaft 30 Electric motor 32 Output shaft 34 Drive pulley 36 Driven pulley 38 Transmission belt 40 Controller

Claims (3)

The base,
A rotating body provided on the base so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis;
A rear wall that prevents the user's heel from moving rearward and an inner wall and an outer wall that prevent the user's feet from moving laterally inside and outside the upper surface of the rotating body. A recess for the left foot and a recess for the right foot of the upper opening provided with a wall;
A lower limb exercise assisting device provided on the base and having a driving device that reciprocally drives the rotating body with a predetermined rotation angle.   2. The lower limb exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the left foot recess and the right foot recess are on one diameter line passing through the rotation center of the rotating body and are provided symmetrically with respect to the rotation center.   The lower limb exercise assisting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outer wall of the left foot recess and the right foot recess has a toe side wall height lower than a heel side wall height.

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