JP5879984B2 - Walking assist device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking assistance device that assists a user's walking, and more particularly to a walking assistance device that is applied to a rehabilitation patient with a foot.

  There are various types of walking assistance devices that assist the user's walking (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As an example, this type of walking assist device assists walking by swinging the user's lower leg part around the hip joint and knee joint in the front-rear direction using a hip joint and knee joint actuator, as shown in Patent Document 1.

  On the other hand, there is a high demand for a walking assistance device that assists the walking movement of rehabilitation patients such as elderly people and injured persons with weak muscle strength.

  What is required of a general walking assistance device is to reduce the burden when the user is burdened, for example, when carrying heavy loads or walking on a hill, whereas the walking assistance device used for rehabilitation etc. Differ in that the user's body learns an appropriate walking motion, and the motion required for the walking assist device is different.

Japanese Patent No. 4092322

  Therefore, it is difficult to use a commonly used walking assistance device for walking assistance of a rehabilitation patient. In particular, a walking assistance device used for a rehabilitation patient needs to be easily detachable.

  On the other hand, rehabilitation patients have various forms and severity levels, and manufacturing costs increase if the specifications of the walking assist device are appropriately manufactured in order to cope with such rehabilitation patients. Therefore, there is a need for a walking assist device that can be easily customized according to the user's symptoms at low cost.

  Therefore, in order to solve an example of such a problem, an object of the present application is to provide a walking assistance device that is easy to attach and detach and can be customized according to a user's symptoms at low cost.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a walking assist device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a waist attachment device (11) attached to a user's waist, and is swingably connected to the waist attachment device. Left and right thigh mounting devices (12) mounted along the thighs are connected to each thigh mounting device so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction, and mounted along the user's thighs Left and right lower leg attachment devices (13), a first detection device (60) for detecting the rotational motion of the user's hip joint, and a second for detecting the rotational motion of the user's knee joint. A detection device (65), and the thigh attachment device receives detection signals from the drive unit (M) that swings the crus attachment device and the first and second detection devices. And a control board (62) for driving and controlling the drive section, and power to the drive section and the control board. And a left and right base body (80) having a plurality of holes (80a) for mounting a battery (63) to be supplied, and outputting or inverting the detection signal as it is to the control board. A signal switching means (95, 97) for outputting is provided, and the hole in the base body is formed such that the hole in the other base body is symmetrical with respect to the hole in one base body. It is characterized by that.

  Further, the walking assistance device according to claim 2 is the walking assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the signal switching means includes a jumper pin (95) and a plurality of jumper pin inserts into which the jumper pin can be inserted. The jumper pin insertion body includes a first jumper pin insertion section (96b) that outputs the detection signal as it is, and a second jumper pin insertion section that inverts and outputs the detection signal. (96a).

The walking assistance device according to claim 3 is the walking assistance device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control board is arranged at four corners of a rectangular base body having a long side and a short side. Two hole portions (87a to 87d) to be attached to the base body and a pair of opposite sides arranged on a pair of opposing sides connecting the pair of holes arranged in the long side direction ( 88a, 88b).

  By reducing the manufacturing cost by using a dual-purpose member as part of the members attached to the left and right feet, the unit can be easily customized according to the user's symptoms at a low cost.

It is a figure which shows the mounting state of a walking assistance apparatus, Fig.1 (a) is a wearing figure of the walking assistance apparatus in the state where the user stood up, FIG.1 (b) is walking assistance in the state where the user performed bending motion It is a figure which shows the operation state of an apparatus. FIG. 2A is a configuration diagram of the walking assistance device, FIG. 2A is a plan view of the walking assistance device, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the walking assistance device. It is an external appearance block diagram of a waist | hip | lumbar part mounting tool. It is a schematic block diagram for demonstrating the operation example of a walking movement unit. It is a figure which shows an example of the output signal of a potentiometer. FIG. 6A is a schematic wiring diagram, FIG. 6B is a plan view, and FIG. 6C is a front view. FIG. 7A shows an example of a component member housed in the housing of the thigh-mounted body, FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the component member on the affected leg side, and FIG. 7B is a component member on the healthy leg side It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning. FIG. 8A is a view showing a base body on the left foot side, and FIG. 8B is a view showing the right foot side. It is a figure which shows a base body. It is a schematic block diagram of a control board.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a wearing state of the walking assistance device, FIG. 1 (a) is a wearing diagram of the walking assistance device in a state where the user stands, and FIG. 1 (b) is a state where the user performs a bending operation. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the walking assistance device, FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view of the walking assistance device, and FIG. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the walking assistance device. FIG. 3 is an external configuration diagram of the waist attachment device, FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining an operation example of the walking motion unit, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output signal of the potentiometer, and FIG. 6 is an example of a signal switching unit. 6 (a) is a schematic wiring diagram, FIG. 6 (b) is a plan view, FIG. 6 (c) is a front view, and FIG. 7 is an example of a component housed in a housing of a thigh-mounted body. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of the component members on the affected leg side, FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of the component members on the healthy leg side, and FIG. FIG. 8A shows an example of arrangement of holes formed in a base body housed in a housing, FIG. 8A shows a left foot side base body, FIG. 8B shows a right foot side base body, FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the control board.

  In the following description, “bending operation” refers to an operation of bending the knee joint, and “extension operation” refers to an operation of extending the knee joint. The “affected foot” refers to a foot that requires rehabilitation, and the “healthy foot” refers to a foot that can operate normally.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the walking assistance device S of the present embodiment is attached to a user's waist 3 and a waist attachment 11 attached to the waist attachment 11 in a swingable manner. The walking assist unit 10 can be attached to both left and right legs (only one leg (right leg) is shown in FIG. 1). The walking assist unit 10 includes a thigh attachment device 12 attached along the outer surface of the user's thigh 5 and the lower end of the thigh attachment device 12 on the left and right outer sides of the user's hip joint. A lower leg mounting tool 13 which is pivotally supported in a swingable manner in the front-rear direction and is mounted along the outer side surface of the user's lower leg part 7.

  The walking assist device S swings around the hip joint and the knee joint by swinging the lower leg wearing tool 13 in the front-rear direction with respect to the thigh wearing tool 12 by driving the drive motor M (FIG. 2). Then, the walking assistance is performed by causing the user to appropriately perform the extending operation shown in FIG. 1A and the bending operation shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the waist attachment device 11 includes a pair of left and right waist attachment bodies 50 that covers both the left and right sides of the user's waist 3 and has a substantially semicircular cross section, and the waist attachment body 50. , And a lumbar plate 21 that is fixedly attached to the left and right sides of the thigh 5 and fixed along the outer surface of the thigh 5.

  As shown in FIG. 3, lateral belts 51 and 52 are attached to the left and right waist attachment bodies 50a and 50b, respectively. The front and rear lateral belts 51a and 52a of one waist attachment body 50a are connected to the other waist part. An insertion portion 53 is provided for inserting the front and rear lateral belts 51b and 52b of the mounting body 50b and connecting the belts to each other. Then, the waist attachment body 50 can be attached to the waist 3 according to the user's physique by inserting and tightening the front and rear lateral belts 51b, 52b of the other waist attachment body 50b through the insertion portion 53.

  Note that the waist attachment body 50 is configured such that the length of the front and rear lateral belts 51 and 52 is adjusted through the front and rear insertion portions 53 so that the waist plate 21 is positioned on both the left and right sides of the user. 3 is attached.

  Further, the waist mounting body 50 is provided with a shoulder belt 55 that is disposed substantially in parallel from the front to the rear of the left and right waist mounting bodies 50a, 50b, and is arranged so as to cross each other on the back of the user. . For example, one end portion of the shoulder belt 55 is folded back at the front portion and locked by a fastener 56, and the length of the shoulder belt 55 can be adjusted. With the shoulder belt 55, the waist attachment body 50 can be suspended and attached to the user's waist 3 more accurately and reliably.

  The waist plate 21 is connected to the thigh attachment device 12 via the ball joint portion 15. As shown in FIG. 2, the ball joint portion 15 includes a sphere 16 and a columnar receiver 17 having a hollow portion 17a for receiving the sphere 16 so as to be slidable on the surface. The body 17 slidably receives the sphere 16 on the surface in accordance with the operation of the sphere 16. Further, the sphere 16 and the receiver 17 are adsorbed by magnetic force, and as a result of the sphere 16 being supported by the receiver 17 from below, the sphere 16 is supported without falling off from the receiver 17.

  The lumbar plate 21 is attached to the left and right sides of the lumbar attachment body 50 so as to be along the outside of the thigh 5 and is slidably attached to the base frame 23 in the vertical direction. The plate-like auxiliary frame 24 is provided, and the length S1 of the waist plate 21 can be appropriately adjusted according to the physique of the user (see FIG. 2B). The length S1 of the lumbar plate 21 is adjusted according to the user's physique so that the center of the sphere 16 of the ball joint portion 15 is located on the side of the user's hip joint (on the hip joint axis L in FIG. 3). The

  Further, the auxiliary frame 24 is formed in a flat shape with a lower end 24a bent from the side of the thigh of the user to the outside, and the whole is formed in a substantially L shape. A receiving body 17 for supporting the spherical body 16 is fixedly attached to the lower end portion 24a formed in a flat shape so as to protrude upward with the recessed portion 17a as an upper side.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the thigh attachment tool 12 includes a thigh plate 31 provided along the outer surface of the thigh 5, and the thigh plate 31 is substantially the same. The belt 9 formed in an annular shape is fixed to the left and right sides of the thigh 5.

  The thigh plate 31 includes a plate-like base frame 33 and a plate-like upper extension frame 34 slidably attached to the inner side of the upper end of the base frame 33. The length S2 of the thigh plate 31 can be adjusted appropriately according to the physique of the person.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper extension frame 34 has a housing 35 using the upper extension frame 34 as an inner side surface at the upper part thereof. The spherical body 16 having a cylindrical shaft 36 is attached to a substantially central portion of the housing 35 toward the user's thigh. The shaft 36 and the sphere 16 are fixedly attached, and the shaft 16 is rotatably attached to the housing 35.

  In addition, a potentiometer 60 (hereinafter referred to as “a hip potentiometer”) for detecting the rotation angle of the shaft 36 is provided inside the housing 35, and the potentiometer 60 rotates the hip joint. (Rotation angle) is detected. The potentiometer 60 functions as the first detection device of the present application.

  The base frame 33 has a housing 38 using the base frame 33 as an inner side surface. Inside the housing 38, a connecting portion 70 that rotatably connects between the knee joint side end portions of the thigh attachment device 12 and the crus attachment device 13, and the thigh around the connection portion 70. A drive mechanism (not shown) for relatively sliding the front and rear knee joints between the knee joint side end portions while relatively rotating the head mounting device 12 and the crus mounting device 13; Further, a motor M as a power source for the drive mechanism, a control board 62 for driving and controlling the drive, and a battery 63 for supplying power to the motor M are appropriately selected as necessary. Is contained. In addition, a base body 80 having a plurality of holes 80a for mounting the motor M, the control board 62, and the battery 63 directly or via the mounting member 81 is provided inside the housing 38. The motor M, the control board 62, and the battery 63 are directly screwed into the hole 80a or the mounting member 81 is screwed (see FIG. 2B). .

  As shown in FIG. 8, the base body 80 includes symmetrically formed bases 83 and 84 formed in a thin plate shape, and the plurality of hole portions 80 a formed in the bases 83 and 84 have one side. The hole 80a of the other base 84 (right base body) is formed to be symmetrical with respect to the hole 80a of the base 83 (left base body). Thereby, when manufacturing the left and right bases 83, 84, it is not necessary to design the holes 80a for mounting the motor M, the control board 62, or the battery 63 respectively on the left and right, and can be unified. The manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, a potentiometer 65 (hereinafter referred to as “a knee joint potentiometer”) for detecting the rotation angle of the camshaft is provided in the housing 38, and the rotation angle of the knee joint is determined by the potentiometer 65. Is appropriately detected. The potentiometer 65 functions as the second detection device of the present application.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the control board 62 includes a rectangular and thin base 86 having a long side and a short side. On the base 86, a plurality of electronic components 87 and a signal switching unit to be described later are provided. 99 etc. are installed. Further, the base 86 is disposed at the four corners so as to connect the holes 87a to 87d for attaching to the base body 80 and the pair of holes 87a, 87b and 87c, 87d arranged in the long side direction. It has two holes 88a and 88b arranged opposite to each other on a pair of sides. The two holes 88a and 88b are formed as auxiliary holes for the two holes 87b and 87d arranged at the corners in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, in the control board 62, the longitudinal end of the control board 62 is disposed in the vicinity of the substantially semicircular projection of the base body 80 (see FIG. 7A). In the vicinity, a cable for wiring (not shown) is arranged, and further, this part is rotated by the bending operation of the knee part. For example, when the hole part 87d is used, the cable and the board inserted into the hole part 87d are used. There may be interference with fixing fixtures. Therefore, the interference with the cable can be easily prevented by using the hole 88b formed as the auxiliary hole without using the hole 87d at one corner where interference is expected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hole 87b or 87d disposed on the protrusion side of the base body 80 at the end in the long side direction of the base 86 is not used, and the hole 88a or 88b as an auxiliary hole is used. Used. Thereby, the control board 62 can be used as the combined member of the left and right thigh attachment devices 12, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, the hip joint potentiometer 60 and the knee joint potentiometer 65 described above are electrically connected to the control board 62, and an output signal indicating the detected rotation angle is input. This output signal functions as an index for determining whether the user's walking state is good or bad, and is stored in the storage unit 90 (see the dotted line in FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the potentiometers 60 and 65 used in the present embodiment have their output signals proportionally represented between 0.5 v and 4.5 v centered on 2.5 v at the effective electrical rotation angle. . In the present embodiment, the rotation of the shaft 36 to which the sphere 16 is attached and the shaft of the connecting portion 70 are reversed in the left and right positions of the user, so that the output signals of the potentiometers 60 and 65 It can be seen that the control board 62 can be shared by the left and right walking assist units 10 by reversing.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6C, the output signals of the potentiometers 60 and 65 for detecting the rotation angles of the user's hip joint and knee joint are output to the control board 62 as they are or inverted and output. There is provided signal switching means 99 for switching to do so. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the signal switching unit 99 includes a jumper pin 95 and a plurality of jumper pin inserts 97 having a hole portion 96 into which the jumper pin 95 can be inserted. The jumper pin insertion body 97 has a first jumper pin insertion portion 96a that outputs the output signal as it is, and a second jumper pin insertion portion 96b that inverts and outputs the output signal. Yes. For example, when manufacturing the walking assist unit 10 for the left foot, the jumper pin 95 is inserted into the second jumper pin insertion portion 96b, and when manufacturing the walking assist unit 10 for the right foot, the jumper pin 95 is manufactured. By inserting 95 into the first jumper pin insertion portion 96a, the left and right walking assist units 10 can be easily used as the dual-purpose control board 62.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a lower leg attachment tool 13 is disposed below the thigh attachment tool 12. The crus attachment 13 includes a crus plate 43 and is rotatably connected to the thigh plate 31 by a connecting part 70.

  Although not shown, the crus plate 43 includes a crus frame and a lower extension frame that is slidably attached up and down inside the lower end of the crus frame, According to the user's physique, the length S3 of the crus mounting plate can be adjusted appropriately.

  Next, an example of attaching the walking assist device S to the user will be described.

  In the walking assistance device S of the present embodiment, the waist attachment device 11 and the walking assistance unit 10 in which the thigh attachment device 12 and the crus attachment device 13 are integrated can be separated at the ball joint portion 15. After the user wears the waist attachment device 11 on the waist 3 of the user, the walking assistance unit 10 is attached to the thigh 5 and the lower leg 7 for use.

  First, the waist attachment device 11 has the lengths of the lateral belts 51 and 52 attached to the front and back of the waist attachment body 50 so that the waist plate 21 is disposed along the outer surface of the thigh 5 of the user. Is adjusted, and the waist attachment body 50 is attached to the waist 3.

  Next, the length of the lumbar plate 21 is adjusted by sliding the auxiliary frame 24 with respect to the base frame 23 so that the position of the sphere 16 of the ball joint portion 15 is arranged to the side of the hip joint.

  Next, the sphere 16 is arranged on the receiver 17, the waist attachment device 11 and the walking assist unit 10 are connected, and the thigh plate 31 and the crus plate 35 are fixed by the belt 9 and the like to assist walking. The mounting of the device S is finished. Note that the lengths of the thigh plate 31 and the crus plate 35 are appropriately adjusted according to the physique of the user.

  As described above, the walking assist device S of the present embodiment includes the waist mounting unit 11, the thigh mounting unit 12, and the crus mounting tool 13 integrated in the ball joint unit 15, Can be separated. Therefore, when the walking assist device S is mounted, the walking assist unit 10 can be mounted after the waist mounting portion 11 is mounted on the waist, so that it can be smoothly mounted on the user. Moreover, since the waist mounting part 11 and the walking assistance unit 10 need only place the sphere 16 of the ball joint part 15 on the receiving body 17, anyone can detach and wear the waist mounting part 11 and the walking assistance unit 10. Easy to do.

  In addition, since the waist mounting portion 11 and the walking assist unit 10 are connected by the ball joint portion 15, one walking assist unit 10 is appropriately used for healthy feet, or both walking assist units 10 are used for healthy feet. It can be easily customized according to the user's condition. In addition, wiring of each part can be performed with a connector, and recombination of wiring can also be performed easily.

  Furthermore, the walking assistance device S of the present embodiment is provided with signal switching means 99 for outputting the detection signal to the control board 62 as it is or by inverting it, and when producing the left and right walking assistance units 10. Since the control board 62 can be used as a board that can also be used, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Further, the motor M, the control board 62, or the battery 63 attached to the thigh attachment device 12 can be attached to the base body 80 having a plurality of holes 80a, and the left and right walking assist units 10 are manufactured. In doing so, it is not necessary to separately perform a process for attaching the members attached to the left and right walking assist units 10 and can be used as the dual-purpose base body 80 in the left and right walking assist units 10. Since it is only necessary to attach various components (motor M, control board 62, battery 63, etc.), the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Next, a usage example of the walking assist device of the present embodiment will be described.

  This embodiment is an example in the case of applying to a rehabilitation patient whose right foot is an affected foot and whose left foot is a healthy foot. When the walking assistance device S is applied to such a rehabilitation patient, the walking assistance unit 10 attached to the right foot requires the walking assistance device S including the motor M, but the walking assistance device 10 attached to the left foot is used as the walking assistance unit 10 attached to the left foot. Need not have a motor M. However, if the walking assistance unit 10 is attached only to the right foot, the right and left weight balance of the user is very different, and thus the normal walking motion cannot be performed. As an example of eliminating this uncomfortable feeling, it can be solved by applying an equal load to the left and right. Therefore, in this embodiment, the walking assist unit 10 is attached to the healthy leg side, and as shown in FIG. The foot-side walking assist unit 10 is provided with a motor M, a control board 62 for driving and controlling the motor M, and the like, and a battery 63 for driving the motor M provided on the affected foot side in the walking assist unit 10 on the healthy foot side. In addition, other necessary control boards 64 and the like are provided, and the weight distribution of the left and right walking assist units is approximately equalized and attached to the user.

  On the other hand, as treatment progresses, it is necessary to verify the treatment of rehabilitation patients. In this case, the motor M is removed from the walking assist unit 10, and the detection result of the walking assist unit 10 attached to the healthy foot side is obtained using information on the rotation angle of the hip joint and knee joint detected by the potentiometers 60 and 65. What is necessary is just to compare the detection result of the walking assistance unit attached to the affected leg side. In such a case, the necessary control board 62 and the battery 63 are provided in the waist attachment device 11, or small rechargeable batteries are provided for the thigh attachment devices 12 of the left and right walking assist units 10, respectively. It is more preferable that the weight distribution of the left and right walking assist units is provided approximately equally.

  In the case where both feet are affected feet, a main control board (main control board) and a battery are provided in the waist attachment device 11, and a control board 62 provided in the left and right walking assist units 10 is provided by the main control board. It can respond by controlling. In addition, the walking assistance unit 10 attached to the left and right feet can be operated by alternately operating the legs of the user by appropriately operating both feet of the user by shifting the phases.

  Next, an operation example of the walking assistance device will be described. This embodiment is an example in the case of applying to a rehabilitation patient whose right foot is an affected foot and whose left foot is a healthy foot.

  When the motor M is driven by the user, an output signal stored in advance in the storage unit 90 is input to the control unit of the motor M, and the motor M of the walking assist unit 10 on the right foot side is rotationally driven according to the output signal. The user's walking practice is started by the crus wearing device 13 swinging back and forth in a predetermined cycle with respect to the thigh wearing device 12 (see the solid line in FIG. 4). At this time, the user walks by appropriately moving the left foot in accordance with the movement of the right foot.

  On the other hand, in the user's walking motion, the rotation angles of the hip joint and knee joint are detected by the potentiometers 60 and 65 provided in the hip joint and knee joint by the user's bending motion and extension motion, respectively. The detected output signal of the storage unit 90 is stored by the function 62 (see the dotted line in FIG. 4).

  In addition, since the rotation axis of this rotation angle is located on the side of the hip joint and the knee joint, the rotation angle of the hip joint and the knee joint is detected linearly in the walking assist device of this embodiment. The value can be measured.

S walking assist device 11 waist attachment tool 12 thigh attachment tool 13 lower leg attachment tool 60, 65 potentiometer 62 control board 63 battery 80 base body 80a hole 99 signal switching means

Claims (3)

A waist attachment device to be attached to the user's waist;
Left and right thigh attachment devices that are swingably connected to the waist attachment device and are attached along the thighs of the user;
Left and right lower leg attachments that are connected to each of the upper leg parts so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction and are attached along the lower leg part of the user;
A first detection device for detecting a rotational movement of the user's hip joint;
A second detection device for detecting a rotational movement of the knee joint of the user;
With
The thigh attachment device is:
A drive unit that swings the lower leg wearing tool, a control board that receives detection signals from the first and second detection devices and controls the drive unit, and power to the drive unit and the control board A left and right base body having a plurality of holes for mounting each of the battery
The control board includes signal switching means for outputting the detection signal as it is or inverting and outputting it,
2. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the hole of the base body is formed so that the hole of the other base body is symmetrical with respect to the hole of the one base body.   The signal switching means includes a jumper pin and a plurality of jumper pin inserts into which the jumper pins can be inserted, and the jumper pin insert includes a first jumper pin insertion unit that outputs the detection signal as it is, The walking assistance device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second jumper pin insertion unit that inverts and outputs the detection signal. The control board includes a pair of opposing holes connecting a hole for attachment to the base body disposed at the four corners of a rectangular base having a long side and a short side, and a pair of holes disposed in the long side direction. The walking assist device according to claim 1, further comprising: two holes disposed opposite to each other on the sides of the walking assist device.

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