JP6052951B2 - Walking assist device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a walking assist device that can assist a user's walking motion.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a walking assist device that assists walking motion has been used mainly for walking training for persons with lower limb disabilities and injured lower limbs. The walking assist device is for a user to perform a walking motion by moving only a leg while sitting on a seating portion. In a state where the user is seated on the seating portion, the seating portion supports the weight of the user, so that the burden on the user's lower limb during walking training is reduced.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a seat raising / lowering walking vehicle in which a seat is raised by an electric actuator from a state where a user is seated on the seat. In this seat part raising and lowering walking vehicle, the user can take a suitable standing posture by adjusting the height of the seat part.

JP 2004-8464 A

  However, the seat part raising and lowering walking vehicle described in Patent Document 1 moves when a user sitting on the seat part moves his / her leg. Therefore, in this seat part raising / lowering walking vehicle, the burden on the leg of the user during walking training was large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a walking assist device that can perform walking training in a state where the burden on the lower limbs of the user is further reduced.

The present invention has a base portion that has a rear end portion that is open and is supported by driving wheels and that can travel on a road surface, a handrail and a saddle, is supported from the front and is mounted on the base portion so as to be movable up and down. A walking assisting device for assisting a user's walking motion, the driving actuator driving the drive wheel, comprising: a seating portion that can be seated from a seat; and a lifting actuator that lifts and lowers the saddle integrally with the handrail. And a driving force applied to the driving wheel from the driving actuator by operating a tilting direction and a tilting angle when assisting the user's walking motion by the user seated on the seating portion. An adjustable operation unit; and a control unit that adjusts a driving force applied to the drive wheel from the drive actuator based on an operation of the operation unit by a user. Each of the drive actuators is provided in a pair and arranged on the left and right sides of the base portion, and the operation unit transmits a signal corresponding to the tilt direction and the tilt angle to the control unit, The control unit adjusts the driving force applied to each of the driving wheels from the left and right driving actuators according to a signal transmitted from the operation unit.

  In the present invention, when the user operates the operation unit, the driving actuator drives the driving wheel to move the base unit. Therefore, the user can perform walking training in which the legs are moved in accordance with the moving base portion while adjusting the load applied to the lower limbs. Therefore, walking training is possible in a state where the burden on the user's lower limbs is further reduced.

It is a side view of the walk auxiliary device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a top view in FIG. It is a control block diagram of the walking assistance apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of a walking assistance apparatus, and shows the state which the user approached from back. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of a walking assistance apparatus, and shows the state which the user sat down on the seating part. It is a figure explaining the effect | action of a walking assistance apparatus, and shows the state which the seating part which the user sat down raised.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  First, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, a walking assistance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The walking assist device 100 is mainly used for assisting a user's walking motion in walking training for a person with a lower limb disability or a leg injured person. The walking assist device 100 includes a base portion 1 that is supported by the drive wheels 4 and can travel on a road surface, and a seating portion 10 that is attached to the base portion 1 so as to be able to move up and down and can be seated by a user. The walking assist device 100 includes a drive unit 5 having an electric motor 6 as a drive actuator for driving the drive wheels 4, and a drive applied by the user seated on the seat portion 10 to the drive wheels 4 from the electric motor 6. A joystick 8 as an operation unit capable of adjusting the force, and a controller 9 (as a control unit for adjusting the driving force applied to each drive wheel 4 from the left and right electric motors 6 based on the operation of the joystick 8 by the user. 3).

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the walking assist device 100 travels at a low speed while sitting on the seat 10 in a posture in which the user is standing, and the user moves his / her legs to perform a walking motion in accordance with the traveling. belongs to. In a state where the user is seated on the seating portion 10, the seating portion 10 supports the weight of the user, so that the burden on the user's lower limbs during walking training can be reduced.

  The base portion 1 includes a frame 2 that forms a vehicle body frame, a pair of universal wheels 3, and a pair of drive wheels 4.

  The frame 2 is formed by a pipe. The frame 2 has a U-shaped bottom portion 2a that is provided horizontally along the road surface and has a rear end portion that is open, and a pair of standing portions 2b that are erected upward from the rear end portions of the bottom portion 2a. With. The frame 2 is supported on the road surface by a free wheel 3 and a drive wheel 4 attached to the bottom 2a.

  The free wheel 3 is a small front wheel that always faces the traveling direction during traveling. A pair of the universal wheels 3 are provided, and are arranged on the left and right sides of the base portion 1 at intervals. The universal wheel 3 is turned by the frictional resistance with the road surface and is steered so as to face the traveling direction.

  The drive wheel 4 is a rear wheel provided so as not to be steered in the front-rear direction of the base portion 1. A pair of drive wheels 4 are provided, and are arranged on the left and right sides of the base portion 1 with an interval. The drive wheel 4 has a larger diameter than the universal wheel 3. The drive wheel 4 is disposed rearward as compared to a force point at which the weight of the user seated on the seat portion 10 acts on the base portion 1.

  Specifically, the weight of the user seated on the seat portion 10 acts on the bottom portion 2a from a guide portion 25 of a link mechanism 20 described later provided along the standing portion 2b. Therefore, the position where the guide portion 25 and the bottom portion 2a intersect is the weighting point of the weight of the user seated on the seating portion 10. The drive wheel 4 is disposed rearward compared to the position where the guide portion 25 and the bottom portion 2a intersect. Thereby, even if a user's weight acts on the base part 1, the walk auxiliary | assistance apparatus 100 can drive | work stably, without inclining back.

  The seat portion 10 includes a saddle 11 on which a user can sit and straddle, a handrail 12 on which the user seated on the saddle 11 puts his arm, a connecting portion 13 that connects the saddle 11 and the handrail 12, and will be described later. A pair of support portions 14 that connect the handrail 12 and the base portion 1 via a guide portion 25 are provided. The seating part 10 is supported via the guide part 25 so as to be vertically movable with respect to the base part 1.

  The seating part 10 can be moved up and down according to the height of the user and fixed at an arbitrary height. By adjusting the height of the seating portion 10 according to the height of the user, the user can take a standing posture while straddling the saddle 11. Thereby, walking training can be performed while reducing the burden on the user's lower limbs while the seating unit 10 supports the weight of the user.

  Further, if the height of the seating portion 10 is adjusted to be lower than the height of the user, it is possible to perform walking training with a little burden on the lower limbs of the user.

  The saddle 11 is provided toward the front-rear direction of the base portion 1. The saddle 11 is supported from the front by a connecting portion 13 extending from the handrail 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the user can sit across the saddle 11 from the rear without hindering the user's access from the rear.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the handrail 12 is formed in a U shape with an open rear end. Thereby, the handrail 12 does not prevent the user from accessing from behind. The handrail 12 has a protruding portion 12a that protrudes substantially horizontally from the center toward the front. A pair of gripping portions 12b that can be gripped by a user seated on the seating portion 10 are provided on the protruding portion 12a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 13 extends in a substantially J shape from the center portion of the handrail 12 and is connected to the lower surface of the saddle 11. As a result, the saddle 11 is supported by the handrail 12 and can be moved up and down integrally with the handrail 12.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support portion 14 supports the vicinity of both end portions of the handrail 12. The support portion 14 is connected to the guide portion 25 and supports the handrail 12 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the base portion 1.

  The drive unit 5 is attached to the frame 2 of the base portion 1 and drives the drive wheels 4. The drive unit 5 has a pair of rollers (not shown) that come into contact with each other so as to sandwich the side surface of the drive wheel 4. The drive unit 5 applies a driving force to the drive wheel 4 by transmitting the rotation of the roller to the drive wheel 4.

  The electric motor 6 rotates the rollers of the drive unit 5. The electric motor 6 is driven by a command from the controller 9. The driving force of the electric motor 6 is decelerated via a transmission (not shown) and the direction of rotation is changed and transmitted to the rollers.

  The joystick 8 is provided in the upper part of the protrusion part 12a of the handrail 12. The joystick 8 is attached to a position where both arms can be operated with fingers when the user takes out both arms forward from the handrail 12 while the user is seated on the seating portion 10. An input signal from the joystick 8 is transmitted to the controller 9. Specifically, a signal corresponding to the tilt direction and tilt angle of the joystick 8 is transmitted to the controller 9.

  When the user operates the joystick 8, the electric motor 6 is driven in response to a signal from the controller 9, the drive unit 5 drives the drive wheel 4, and the walking assist device 100 travels in the tilt direction of the joystick 8. It will be. The traveling speed at this time is determined according to the inclination angle of the joystick 8.

  The controller 9 is mounted on the base unit 1 together with a power supply device (not shown) and other electronic devices (not shown). The controller 9 controls the walking assist device 100 and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an I / O interface (input / output interface). It consists of a microcomputer. The RAM stores data in the processing of the CPU, the ROM stores a control program of the CPU in advance, and the I / O interface is used for input / output of information with the connected device. Control of the walking assist device 100 is realized by operating a CPU, a RAM, and the like according to a program stored in the ROM.

  The walking assist device 100 connects the electric cylinder 30 as an actuator for raising and lowering the seat portion 10, the pair of link mechanisms 20 that transmit the output of the electric cylinder 30 to the seat portion 10, and the pair of link mechanisms 20. And a connecting bar 40 (see FIG. 2) that operates in synchronization with each other.

  The electric cylinder 30 includes a rod 31 that can be advanced and retracted. The electric cylinder 30 is configured such that when a user or his / her assistant operates the lift switch 7 (see FIG. 3), power is supplied from the power supply device and the rod 31 moves forward and backward. The lift switch 7 is provided in the vicinity of the joystick 8.

  The electric cylinder 30 is rotatably supported at one end 30 a by the base portion 1, and the other end 30 b that is the tip of the rod 31 is connected to the other end 21 b of the first link 21, which will be described later, via a connecting bar 40. One electric cylinder 30 is provided between the pair of link mechanisms 20, and rotates the pair of first links 21 in synchronization via the connecting bar 40. Further, the electric cylinder 30 is rotatable toward the seating portion 10 around the one end 30a.

  The electric cylinder 30 is provided at the front end portion of the frame 2 in the base portion 1, and raises and lowers the seating portion 10 provided at the rear end portion of the frame 2 via the link mechanism 20. That is, the electric cylinder 30 is located at a position farthest from the seating portion 10. Therefore, even if the electric cylinder 30 is provided at the approximate center in the width direction of the frame 2, there is no interference when the worker seated on the seating portion 10 performs walking training.

  The electric cylinder 30 includes a brake mechanism (not shown) that restricts the advance / retreat of the rod 31 when not operating. Therefore, even if the weight of the user seated on the seating portion 10 is transmitted via the link mechanism 20, the rod 31 does not advance or retreat. Therefore, after the seating portion 10 is adjusted to an arbitrary height, when the electric cylinder 30 is deactivated, the seating portion 10 is fixed at that height.

  Instead of using the electric cylinder 30, for example, an actuator for directly rotating the first link 21 may be attached to the one end 21a.

  The link mechanism 20 includes a first link 21 that is supported at one end 21 a by the base portion 1 and rotated by the output of the electric cylinder 30, and a second link 22 that has one end 22 a coupled to the other end 21 b of the first link 21. The other end 22b of the second link 22 has one end 23a connected to the seat portion 10 and the other end 23b connected to the seating portion 10, and the base portion 1 has one end 24a supported in the same direction as the first link 21. The other end 24b is provided with the 4th link 24 which supports the support part 23c of the 3rd link 23, and the guide part 25 which guides the seating part 10 so that a movement to a perpendicular direction is possible. A pair of link mechanisms 20 are provided in parallel, and are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the base portion 1.

  The first link 21 is provided so that the other end 21 b can rotate toward the seating portion 10. The first link 21 is tilted toward the front of the base portion 1 when the rod 31 of the electric cylinder 30 is the shortest, and is rotated back and forth so as to tilt toward the seating portion 10 when the rod 31 is the longest. . The other ends 21 b of the left and right first links 21 are integrally connected by a connecting bar 40.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting bar 40 extends in the width direction of the base portion 1 and connects the other ends 21 b of the left and right first links 21. The other end 30 b of the electric cylinder 30 is connected to the approximate center of the connecting bar 40. Thereby, the output of the electric cylinder 30 is simultaneously transmitted to the left and right first links 21, and the left and right link mechanisms 20 operate in synchronization.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second link 22 has one end 22 a connected to the connecting bar 40. The other end 22 b of the second link 22 is inclined toward the seating portion 10. The second link 22 is formed shorter than the first link 21.

  The third link 23 is formed shorter than the second link 22. The third link 23 is nearly horizontal when the rod 31 of the electric cylinder 30 is the shortest, and is inclined so that the other end 23b rises and approaches the vertical as the rod 31 becomes longer.

  The third link 23 is supported by the other end 24 b of the fourth link 24 at a support portion 23 c located in the middle of the third link 23. The support portion 23 c is located at a position where the distance between the one end 23 a connected to the second link 22 is smaller than the distance between the other end 23 b connected to the seating portion 10.

  In addition, the support portion 23c of the third link 23 supported by the fourth link 24 is connected to the seating portion 10 at a distance from the other end 21b of the first link 21 pressed by the electric cylinder 30. It is provided at a position longer than the distance from the other end 23b of 23. Thereby, the electric cylinder 30 can raise / lower the seating part 10 using the principle of a lever so that it may mention later.

  The fourth link 24 is formed to be the shortest compared to the first link 21, the second link 22, and the third link 23. The fourth link 24 is inclined toward the front of the base portion 1 when the rod 31 of the electric cylinder 30 is the shortest, and is inclined so as to approach the vertical as the rod 31 becomes longer.

  The guide portion 25 is a slider mechanism that supports the support portion 14 of the seating portion 10 so as to be movable only in the vertical direction. The guide portions 25 are provided along the standing portions 2b at both ends of the U-shaped frame 2, respectively.

  By providing the guide portion 25, the other end 23b of the third link 23 can move only in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the electric cylinder 30 is extended, one end 23a of the third link 23 moves downward, and the other end 23b moves upward.

  At this time, the distance between the support 23c of the third link 23 and the one end 23a connected to the second link 22 is smaller than the distance between the other end 23b connected to the seating part 10. Therefore, when the one end 23a moves downward, the other end 23b moves higher than the displacement of the one end 23a due to the lever ratio.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the walking assistance device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, a user on the wheelchair 50 approaches the walking assist device 100 from behind. At this time, the walking assist device 100 is fixed by a parking brake (not shown) provided in the base portion 1 so that it cannot travel.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the user changes from the wheelchair 50 to the walking assist device 100. The user sits on the saddle 11 from behind. At this time, the electric cylinder 30 is adjusted so that the length of the rod 31 is the shortest and the height of the seating portion 10 is the lowest. Thereby, the user can easily straddle the saddle 11 from behind. When the user is seated on the saddle 11, the height of the saddle 11 is lower than the height of the user, so that the knee of the user is bent.

  Next, when the user operates the elevating switch 7, as shown in FIG. 6, the electric cylinder 30 extends to rotate the first link 21, and is seated via the second link 22 and the third link 23. Part 10 rises. Since the seating part 10 is guided by the guide part 25 so as to be vertically movable, the seating part 10 on which the user is seated can be raised vertically. Therefore, since the user does not move back and forth or left and right while the seating portion 10 is lifted and lowered, the user does not feel uncomfortable while the seating portion 10 is lifted and lowered.

  Thus, the user can take a standing posture while straddling the saddle 11 by adjusting the height of the seating portion 10 according to the height of the user. Thereby, walking training can be performed while reducing the burden on the user's lower limbs while the seating unit 10 supports the weight of the user.

  At this time, since the link mechanism 20 raises the seating portion 10 according to the lever principle, the electric cylinder 30 having a small capacity can be used. Specifically, the support portion 23c of the third link 23 supported by the fourth link 24 is a fulcrum, and one end 22a of the second link 22 pressed from the electric cylinder 30 via the connecting bar 40 is a power point. The other end 23b where the third link 23 presses the seating portion 10 is the point of action.

  The distance between the one end 22 a of the second link 22 pressed by the electric cylinder 30 and the support portion 23 c of the third link 23 is such that the other end 23 b of the third link 23 connected to the seating portion 10 and the third link 23. It is long compared with the distance between the support part 23c. Therefore, even if the output of the electric cylinder 30 is small, the seating part 10 can be raised by the lever principle.

  When the user operates the joystick 8 in the state shown in FIG. 6, the electric motor 6 drives the drive wheels 4 in response to a signal from the controller 9. Thus, the base part 1 will move by operation of the joystick 8 by a user.

  At this time, the direction in which the walking assist device 100 travels is determined according to the tilt direction of the joystick 8. Specifically, the driving force applied to the drive wheels 4 from the left and right drive units 5 is adjusted according to the tilt direction of the joystick 8. When driving straight, the driving force applied to the left and right drive wheels 4 is the same, and when turning, the driving force applied to the inner wheel side driving wheel 4 is compared with the driving force applied to the outer wheel side driving wheel 4. Get smaller. Further, the speed at which the walking assistance device 100 travels is determined according to the inclination angle of the joystick 8.

  Thereby, the user can perform the walking training which moves a leg according to the moving base part 1, adjusting the load concerning a leg. Therefore, compared with the case where the user moves the base 1 by moving the leg, walking training is possible in a state where the burden on the user's lower limbs is further reduced.

  When ending the walking training, when the user operates the lift switch 7, the electric cylinder 30 contracts in the direction in which the rod 31 becomes shorter, and the height of the seating portion 10 can be lowered. Thereby, it becomes easy for the user to get up from the saddle 11 and change to the wheelchair 50 standing behind.

  According to the above embodiment, the following effects are obtained.

  When the user operates the joystick 8, the electric motor 6 drives the drive wheels 4 to move the base portion 1. Therefore, the user can perform walking training in which the legs are moved in accordance with the moving base unit 1 while adjusting the load applied to the lower limbs. Therefore, compared with the case where the user moves the base 1 by moving the leg, walking training is possible in a state where the burden on the user's lower limbs is further reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea.

  The walking assist device according to the present invention can be used for walking training for persons with lower limb disabilities and lower limb injuries.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Walking assistance apparatus 1 Base part 4 Drive wheel 6 Electric motor (drive actuator)
8 Joystick (operation unit)
9 Controller (control unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Seat part 20 Link mechanism 21 First link 22 Second link 23 Third link 24 Fourth link 25 Guide part 30 Electric cylinder (lifting actuator)
31 Rod

Claims (4)

A base portion whose rear end is open and supported on the driving wheel and capable of traveling on the road surface;
A seating part having a handrail and a saddle, supported from the front and attached to the base part so as to be movable up and down;
An elevating actuator for raising and lowering the saddle integrally with the handrail, and
A walking assistance device for assisting a user's walking movement,
A driving actuator for driving the driving wheel;
The driving force applied to the driving wheel from the driving actuator can be adjusted by operating the inclination direction and the inclination angle when the user sitting on the seating part assists the walking motion of the user. The operation part,
A control unit that adjusts a driving force applied to the driving wheel from the driving actuator based on an operation of the operation unit by a user, and
The drive wheel and the drive actuator are each provided in pairs and are arranged on the left and right sides of the base portion with a space therebetween,
The operation unit transmits a signal according to the tilt direction and the tilt angle to the control unit,
The control unit adjusts a driving force applied to each driving wheel from the left and right driving actuators in accordance with a signal transmitted from the operation unit.   The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the driving wheel is disposed rearward in comparison with a force point at which a weight of a user seated on the seating portion acts on the base portion. A link mechanism for transmitting the output of the lifting actuator to the seat;
The link mechanism is
A first link supported at one end by the base portion and rotatably provided toward the seating portion, and rotated by an output of the elevating actuator;
A second link having one end connected to the other end of the first link;
A third link having one end connected to the other end of the second link and the other end connected to the seat;
A fourth link that is supported at one end by the base portion and rotatably provided in the same direction as the first link, and the other end rotatably supports the third link;
The walking assist device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide portion that guides the seating portion so as to be vertically movable. A pair of the link mechanisms are provided in parallel,
4. The walking assist device according to claim 3, wherein one lift actuator is provided between the pair of link mechanisms and rotates the pair of first links in synchronization. 5.

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