JP6636545B2 - Assistance robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an assistance robot.

  Patent Literature 1 discloses an assistance robot that supports a care-giving person's standing operation and sitting operation by appropriately moving a holding member that holds the care-receiver's upper body. In such an assistance robot, it is desired to appropriately control the position of the holding member so as not to give the care recipient a sense of discomfort. The assistance robot of Patent Literature 1 has different trajectories corresponding to the standing motion and the sitting motion, respectively. Accordingly, when the standing motion or the sitting motion is input as the required motion, the assisting robot controls the position of the holding member based on the movement trajectory corresponding to the required motion.

International Publication No. WO 2014/122752

  Here, the position of the upper body of the assisted person in the sitting posture differs depending on the seat height and the physique of the assisted person. Therefore, the position of the holding member in the assistance robot is controlled based on, for example, a set value indicating, for example, the height of the seating surface or the physique of the person being assisted, in addition to the movement locus. Specifically, the holding member is moved along a sitting locus whose end point is a height corresponding to the set value in the sitting operation. In such a configuration, it is necessary to input an appropriate setting value in advance. In addition, when the seat height is changed or when used for an assisted person having a different physique, it is necessary to correct the set value accordingly.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an assisting robot capable of supporting a seated operation of an assisted person in various use states.

The assistance robot according to claim 1 supports a base placed on the floor, a holding member for holding an upper body of the care recipient, and a supporting member movably in a vertical direction and a front-rear direction of the base. A driving device for moving the holding member along a plurality of different movement trajectories, and, in a seating operation in which the care recipient sits on a seat surface, the holding member is moved based on a seating trajectory corresponding to the seating operation among the plurality of movement trajectories. And a control device for performing an operation process for moving and controlling an operation of the driving device. The driving device includes an elevating unit that moves up and down with respect to the base, and a holding member that moves in the front-rear direction of the base with respect to the elevating unit. And a swing unit for rotating. In the motion processing based on the seating locus, the holding member is lowered or raised to a fixed seating position at a specified height from the floor surface and the buttocks of the care recipient is located above the seating surface, and the operation of the rocking portion is performed. The retreating step of retreating the holding member to the rear end in the movable range of the holding member, and the descending step of lowering the holding member by the operation of only the elevating unit from the fixed seating position until the care receiver sits on the seat surface, included.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, when the holding member is moved based on the seating locus, the holding member passes through the fixed seating position. When the holding member passes through the fixed seating position, the assisted person held by the holding member is gradually shifted to the sitting posture while maintaining the state in which the buttocks are positioned above the seating surface. Thereby, even if the seating surface height is indefinite, it is possible to ensure that the care recipient is seated irrespective of the physique and the riding posture of the care recipient. As described above, the assistance robot can omit inputting the setting values indicating the seat height, the physique of the care recipient, and the like in advance, and support the sitting motion of the care recipient in various use states. can do.

It is a rear perspective view of the appearance of the assistance robot of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of an assistance robot, and an assistance person in a sitting posture. It is a figure which shows the structure of an assistance robot, and a person to be assisted in a standing posture. It is a block diagram showing a controller and a control device of an assistance robot. It is a flow chart which shows operation processing based on a seating locus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a movement locus of the holding member and an angle of the holding member with respect to a position of the holding member in the operation processing of FIG. 5. FIG.

<Embodiment>
(Configuration of the assistance robot 1)
The assistance robot 1 assists the assisted person M (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) in standing up from a sitting posture to a standing posture and assisting a sitting operation from a standing posture to a sitting posture. Since the assistance robot 1 supports the upper body of the assistance recipient M in the standing posture, one assistance person can pull the assistance robot 1 and move the assistance robot 1 to a moving target in an assistance facility, for example. The “standing posture” means a state where at least the lower body of the care recipient M is standing, and does not mean a state where the upper body is standing.

  The assistance robot 1 includes a base 10, a support device 20, a controller 50, and a control device 60, as shown in FIGS. Hereinafter, the front, rear, left, right, up, and down are defined as front, rear, left, right, up, and down as seen from the care recipient M, as shown in FIG. The base 10 is configured such that the assisted person M can be boarded, and is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction while the assisted person M is on board. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base 10 includes a frame 11, a support 12, a footrest 13, a fixed cover 14, and a plurality of wheels 15.

  The frame 11 of the base 10 is provided at a position slightly distant from the floor surface 2 (ground surface, ground) and substantially horizontal to the floor surface 2. The column 12 is fixed to the frame 11 and is provided in a state of standing upward from the front upper surface of the frame 11. The support 12 is disposed at the center in the left-right direction in the front of the frame 11. In the present embodiment, the assistance robot 1 has one support 12, but may include two or more supports 12.

  The foot rest 13 is fixed to the rear of the upper surface of the frame 11, and rests the feet of the person M on board. On the upper surface of the footrest 13, a ground mark 13 a of the foot of the care receiver M is written. The ground mark 13a has a role of guiding the position of the foot to the care recipient M. The fixed cover 14 is fixed to the frame 11 or the support 12 as shown in FIG. The fixed cover 14 protects the inside of the driving device 23 by covering the periphery of a lower portion of the elevating body 31 of the elevating unit 30 in the driving device 23 described later. The plurality of wheels 15 are provided on the base 10 and support the base 10 movably with respect to the floor 2.

  The support device 20 is provided on the base 10, and is configured to be able to support the care recipient M in a standing posture (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, the support device 20 includes a holding member 21, a lower leg contact portion 22, and a driving device 23. The holding member 21 holds the upper body of the care recipient M. In the present embodiment, the holding member 21 includes a body receiving portion 21a that comes into contact with the body of the care recipient M, and a side receiving portion 21b that holds both sides of the care recipient M. Note that the holding member 21 may include only one of the body receiving portion 21a and the side receiving portion 21b.

  The body receiving portion 21a supports the body of the care recipient M from below. The body receiving portion 21a is formed in a planar shape, and is formed of a cushion material. The body receiving portion 21a is formed in an initial shape corresponding to the standard body of the care receiver M, and is flexibly deformed according to the body of each care receiver M. In the present embodiment, the torso receiving portion 21a comes into contact with the care receiver M from the chest to the abdomen.

  The side receiving portion 21b is formed in an arc shape, and is disposed on each of the right and left sides of the body receiving portion 21a such that the arc opening faces upward. The side receiving part 21b supports the upper part of the person to be assisted M by supporting the side of the person to be assisted M from below. Further, the side receiving portion 21b regulates the back and forth movement of the assisted person M by sandwiching both sides of the assisted person M from the front and rear directions. Therefore, the body receiving portion 21 a and the side receiving portion 21 b can regulate the position of the shoulder of the care receiver M in a state where the person M is held by the holding member 21.

  The lower leg contact portion 22 determines the position and posture of the lower body of the care receiver M in the sitting posture by bringing the front lower leg (shin or knee) of the care recipient M in the sitting posture into contact. In particular, the position of the foot is determined to some extent. The leg support 22 is fixed to the support 12 of the base 10. The lower leg contact portion 22 includes two support members 22a and a lower leg contact body 22b.

  The support member 22a is formed in an L shape. One end of the L-shape of the support member 22a is fixed to the column 12, and the other end of the L-shape of the support member 22a is located behind the column 12. The lower leg support body 22b is fixed to the other end side of the support member 22a, and is located behind the elevating cover 33 and below the swing support portion 32. The lower leg support body 22b is a portion that contacts the lower leg front of the care recipient M, is formed in a planar shape, and is formed of a cushion material.

  The driving device 23 is a device that supports the holding member 21 movably in the up-down direction and the front-back direction of the base 10 and moves the holding member 21 along a plurality of different movement trajectories. In the present embodiment, the driving device 23 includes a lifting unit 30 and a swing unit 40. The elevating unit 30 moves up and down with respect to the base 10. The elevating unit 30 includes an elevating body 31, a swing support unit 32, and an elevating cover 33.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting main body 31 is formed in a vertically long shape. The elevating body 31 is provided on the rear surface of the column 12 so as to be able to move vertically. The elevating body 31 is guided by a guide (not shown) on the rear surface of the column 12 and is driven by a linear motion device (not shown). The elevating main body 31 is surrounded by the fixed cover 14. The swing support portion 32 is provided on the upper end side of the elevating main body 31 and has a swing axis 32a parallel to the left and right direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lifting cover 33 is fixed to the lifting unit 30 and surrounds the lifting main body 31 and the swing support unit 32. Further, the lifting cover 33 surrounds the column 12 and the fixed cover 14. In the present embodiment, the assistance robot 1 has one lifting unit 30 corresponding to one support 12. On the other hand, if the assistance robot 1 has two or more columns 12, the assistance robot 1 may have a configuration in which the number of the lifting / lowering units 30 corresponds to the number of columns 12.

  The swing unit 40 moves the holding member 21 in the front-rear direction of the base 10 with respect to the elevating unit 30 and rotates the holding member 21 around an axis parallel to the left-right direction of the base 10. The swing unit 40 includes a swing main body 41, an arm 42, and a grip 43. The swing body 41 is detachably attached to the body receiving portion 21a of the holding member 21.

  The arm 42 is provided so as to be rotatable about a swing axis 32 a of the swing support portion 32 of the elevating unit 30 as a center axis. The arm 42 is rotated by an arm driving device (not shown). When the assistance robot 1 performs the standing assistance, the arm 42 turns to the front side from the state of extending rearward. On the other hand, when the assistance robot 1 performs the seating assistance, the arm 42 turns rearward so as to extend rearward.

  The grip 43 is formed in a U-shape as viewed in the front-rear direction, and both ends of the U-shape of the grip 43 are fixed to the swing body 41. The central portion of the grip 43 is located in front of the body receiving portion 21a and the swing main body 41, and is gripped by the care receiver M held by the holding member 21. The grip 43 is also used when the caregiver pulls the care robot 1 or the like.

  With the above-described configuration, the swing unit 40 moves the holding member 21 attached to the swing body 41 on the distal end side of the arm 42 around an axis (swing axis 32 a) parallel to the left-right direction of the base 10. Rotate. The swing unit 40 swings the holding member 21 by rotating the holding member 21 so that the holding member 21 has an angle defined with respect to the position of the holding member 21 in the front-rear direction.

  The controller 50 is an input device that receives an operation performed by an operator (a caregiver or a care recipient M). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the controller 50 has an upright switch 51, a sitting switch 52, an up switch 53, and a down switch 54. The upright switch 51 receives an operation of a request to execute a upright operation for setting the care receiver M in the upright posture from the current state including the current position and the current angle of the holding member 21. The sitting switch 52 receives an operation of a request to execute a sitting operation for setting the care recipient M in a sitting posture from the current state of the holding member 21.

  The raising switch 53 receives an operation of a request to execute a raising operation for raising the holding member 21 from the current state. The down switch 54 receives an operation of an execution request of a down operation for lowering the holding member 21 from the current state. The controller 50 is communicably connected to the control device 60. When only one of the switches is pressed, the controller 50 sends an operation corresponding to the pressed switch to the control device 60 as an input requested operation. Send.

  The control device 60 controls the operation of the driving device 23 so as to move the holding member 21 up and down and swing according to the requested operation transmitted from the controller 50. The control device 60 is fixed to the frame 11 of the base 10 on the side of the column 12. The control device 60 includes a storage unit 61, a trajectory setting unit 62, and a drive control unit 63. The storage unit 61 stores standing operation data 71 and sitting operation data 72.

  The standing motion data 71 is two-dimensional coordinate data indicating a standing locus 81 (see the upper part of FIG. 6) that is a moving locus of the holding member 21 corresponding to the standing motion of the care recipient M. The sitting operation data 72 is two-dimensional coordinate data indicating a sitting trajectory 82 (see the upper part of FIG. 6) which is a movement trajectory of the holding member 21 corresponding to the sitting operation of the care recipient M. The origin of the two-dimensional coordinate data may be an arbitrary reference point in the movable range of the holding member 21 or may be the position of the center of gravity of the assistance robot 1.

  Here, the standing trajectory 81 and the sitting trajectory 82 of the holding member 21 are trajectories in which, for example, a reference point on the holding member 21 moves by the operation of the driving device 23. Specifically, the standing locus 81 is a curved locus from the first position P1 to the second position P2, as shown in FIG. The sitting locus 82 is a locus composed of a curved locus from the second position P2 to the third position P3 and a linear locus from the third position P3 to the first position P1.

  The trajectory setting unit 62 sets one of the upright trajectory 81 and the sitting trajectory 82 as a reference trajectory based on the current state of the holding member 21 when the standing operation or the sitting operation is input as the request operation. The drive control unit 63 moves the holding member 21 based on the set reference trajectory. Specifically, the drive control unit 63 controls the operation of the driving device 23 so that the operation of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging unit 40 is synchronized and the holding member 21 moves along the reference trajectory.

  According to such a configuration, the control device 60 controls the movement of the holding member 21 along the seating locus 82 corresponding to the requested seating operation, for example, when the seating switch 52 of the controller 50 is pressed. In some cases, the movement of the holding member 21 is controlled along the standing locus 81. As described above, the operation process of the holding member 21 is performed based on the movement trajectory (the standing trajectory 81) that does not correspond to the request operation (the sitting operation) depending on the use state of the assisting robot 1 until the current position is reached. In some cases, it is preferable to move back along the trajectory, and the purpose is to optimize the reference trajectory.

  In addition, in the seating operation in which the care receiver M sits on the seating surface 91 of the chair 90, when the trajectory setting unit 62 sets the seating trajectory 82, which is the movement trajectory corresponding to the requested operation, as the reference trajectory, the control device The drive controller 63 of 60 executes an operation process of moving the holding member 21 based on the sitting locus 82 (hereinafter, referred to as “operation process based on the sitting locus 82”) to control the operation of the driving device 23. Note that the control device 60 controls the operation of the driving device 23 during a period when the execution request of the seating operation is input via the seating switch 52, that is, during a period when the seating switch 52 is pressed.

  The operation processing based on the seating locus 82 includes a retreating step and a descending step. In the retreating step, the holding member 21 is lowered or raised to a fixed seating position Pf at a predetermined height from the floor surface 2 and above the seating surface 91 where the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M is located, and the holding member 21 is retreated. This is the step of causing The fixed seating position Pf corresponds to the “third position P3” in the present embodiment. The prescribed height of the fixed seating position Pf is the height of the holding member 21 that makes the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M contact the seat surface 91 when the seat surface 91 is at the highest height that the assistance robot 1 can support. Set to more than that.

  The above-mentioned “the highest height that the assisting robot 1 can support” means the height of the seating surface 91 on which the assisted robot M can be properly seated on the assisting robot 1 due to the configuration of the assisting robot 1. It corresponds to the maximum value of the range. The prescribed height of the fixed seating position Pf is, in the present embodiment, the height of the holding member 21 for bringing the buttocks Mb of the care recipient M into contact with the seat surface 91 assuming that the seat surface 91 is at the highest height. Is set to In the present embodiment, the position of the fixed seating position Pf in the front-rear direction is set at the rear end in the movable range of the holding member 21 associated with the operation of the swing unit 40.

  With such a configuration, the holding member 21 retreats while being lowered or raised in the retreating process depending on the current position (see the upper part of FIG. 6). When the current height of the holding member 21 matches the prescribed height of the fixed seating position Pf, the holding member 21 retreats while maintaining the height in the retreating step. Further, the movement trajectory of the holding member 21 from the current position to the fixed seating position Pf is appropriately corrected so that the care recipient M does not feel uncomfortable with the movement, and is set to, for example, a smooth arc shape. Thereby, in the retreating step, the holding member 21 is retreated on the movement locus set based on the position of the holding member 21 and the fixed seating position Pf at the time of executing the operation processing based on the seating locus 82.

  The lowering step included in the operation processing based on the seating locus 82 is a step of lowering the holding member 21 from the fixed seating position Pf until the care receiver M sits on the seating surface 91. In addition, since the position in the front-rear direction of the fixed seating position Pf is set at the rear end in the movable range of the holding member 21 as described above, the lowering step lowers the holding member 21 by the operation of only the elevating unit 30. . In the lowering step, the holding member 21 is moved down along a certain movement locus. In the present embodiment, the constant movement trajectory in the descending step is set to be a linear shape extending in the up-down direction because the linear motion device drives the elevating unit 30.

  With the above-described configuration, in the lowering step, the holding member 21 is lowered so that the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M are vertically lowered toward the seat surface 91. Here, “vertically descending” allows a tilt angle that can be generated due to an installation error of the support 12 or the driving device 23 of the base 10, and means a configuration in which the holding member 21 descends substantially vertically. I do.

(Motion processing based on sitting locus)
Operation processing based on the seating locus 82 by the control device 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The operation process based on the seating locus 82 is executed, for example, when the seating locus 82 is set as the reference locus of the seating motion by the locus setting unit 62 after the seating switch 52 of the controller 50 is pressed. Note that when the standing locus 81 is set as the reference locus of the sitting motion by the locus setting unit 62, the operation process based on the sitting locus 82 is not executed.

  Further, it is assumed that the seating switch 52 is continuously depressed during execution of the following operation processing, and a seating operation execution request is always input. The control device 60 interrupts the operation process when the operator releases the seat switch 52, and stops the operation of the drive device 23.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 60 first acquires the current position of the holding member 21 (step 11 (hereinafter, “step” is described as “S”)). The current position of the holding member 21 is calculated based on, for example, a detection result by a linear scale in a linear motion device in the driving device 23 or an angle detector in the arm driving device.

  Next, the control device 60 determines whether the current position of the holding member 21 is on the front side of the fixed seating position Pf (S12). Here, the position in the front-rear direction of the fixed seating position Pf is set at the rear end in the movable range of the holding member 21. Therefore, the control device 60 determines whether or not the holding member 21 has passed through the fixed seating position Pf before reaching the current position, depending on whether or not the current position of the holding member 21 is at the rear end in the movable range of the holding member 21. Is determined.

  When the current position of the holding member 21 is on the front side of the fixed seating position Pf (S12: Yes), the control device 60 is in a state where the holding member 21 does not pass through the fixed seating position Pf. Is executed (S13). Thereby, the holding member 21 retreats from the current position to the fixed seating position Pf along a predetermined movement trajectory, and rotates so that the angle θ with respect to the vertical axis becomes smaller. When the holding member 21 reaches the fixed seating position Pf located at the rear end of the movable range in the front-rear direction, the angle θ of the holding member 21 becomes minimum as shown in the lower part of FIG.

  Subsequently, the control device 60 executes a descending step (S14). As a result, the holding member 21 descends vertically along a certain movement locus. Specifically, the holding member 21 is linearly lowered from the fixed seating position Pf until the care receiver M sits on the seat surface 91. In the lowering step, only the elevating unit 30 of the driving device 23 is driven, and the swing unit 40 is in a rest state. Therefore, the angle θ of the holding member 21 is kept at the minimum during the period in which the holding member 21 is moving down.

  On the other hand, if the current position of the holding member 21 is not on the front side of the fixed seating position Pf at the time of executing the operation processing based on the seating locus 82 (S12: No), the control device 60 moves the holding member 21 to the fixed seating position. Since it is at Pf or has already passed, only the descending step is executed (S14). Thus, the holding member 21 vertically descends from the current position along a certain movement locus.

  When the holding member 21 is lowered to some extent, the buttocks Mb of the care recipient M are placed on the seat surface 91 of the chair 90. The operator confirms that the care recipient M has been shifted to the sitting posture, and then releases the sitting switch 52. The descending step executed by the control device 60 ends when the operator releases the seat switch 52 or when the lower end of the movable range of the holding member 21 in the vertical direction is reached.

  According to the above-described operation processing, since the holding member 21 passes through the fixed seating position Pf before the lowering step (S14), in the lowering step (S14), the buttocks Mb of the care recipient M are above the seat surface 91. Is maintained. Therefore, even if the height of the seat surface 91 is not fixed, it is possible to adjust the height at which the caretaker M finishes descending irrespective of the physique and the riding posture of the care recipient M. Further, the operator can execute these series of operations only by pressing the seat switch 52.

  Further, when the seating switch 52 is released and pressed again after the shift to the lowering step, the lowering step is restarted and lowered without moving the holding member 21 to the fixed seating position Pf again (S12). : No, S14). Thus, the operator can intermittently lower the holding member 21 while checking the state of the care recipient M.

(Effects of Configuration of Embodiment)
The assistance robot 1 supports the base 10 placed on the floor 2, a holding member 21 for holding the upper body of the care recipient M, and supports the holding member 21 movably in the up-down direction and the front-back direction of the base 10. And a driving device 23 for moving the holding member 21 along a plurality of different movement trajectories, and a seating trajectory corresponding to the seating operation among the plurality of movement trajectories in the seating operation in which the care recipient M sits on the seat surface 91. And a control device 60 that performs an operation process for moving the holding member 21 based on the control device 82 and controls the operation of the driving device 23. In the motion processing based on the seating locus 82, the holding member 21 is lowered or raised to a fixed seating position Pf at a specified height from the floor surface 2 and above the seating surface 91 where the buttocks Mb of the care recipient M are located. Further, a retreating step (S13) of retreating the holding member 21 and a lowering step (S14) of lowering the holding member 21 from the fixed seating position Pf until the care receiver M sits on the seat surface 91 are included.

  According to such a configuration, when the holding member 21 is moved based on the seating locus 82, the holding member 21 passes through the fixed seating position Pf. When the holding member 21 passes through the fixed seating position Pf, the care receiver M held by the holding member 21 maintains the state in which the buttocks Mb are positioned above the seat surface 91, and is gradually shifted to the sitting posture. You. Thereby, even if the seating surface height is indefinite, it is possible to adjust the height at which the assisted person M finishes descending irrespective of the physique and the riding posture of the assisted person M, and to reliably seat the assisted person M. Become. As described above, the assistance robot can omit inputting the setting values indicating the seat height and the physique of the care recipient M in advance, and can perform the sitting motion of the care recipient in accordance with various use states. I can help.

In addition, the driving device 23 moves the elevating unit 30 that moves vertically with respect to the base 10, and moves the holding member 21 in the front-rear direction of the base 10 with respect to the elevating unit 30. And a swinging unit 40 that rotates around an axis parallel to the left-right direction of FIG. In the retreating step (S13), the holding member 21 is retreated to the rear end in the movable range of the holding member 21 accompanying the operation of the swinging part 40. In the lowering step (S14), the holding member 21 is moved down by the operation of only the elevating unit 30.
According to such a configuration, the operation in the descending step (S14) is performed only by the elevating / lowering unit 30, which is simplified. In the lowering step (S14), the holding member 21 can be lowered while maintaining the angle.

In the retreating step (S13), the holding member 21 is retracted along the movement locus set based on the position of the holding member 21 and the fixed seating position Pf at the time of executing the operation processing based on the seating locus 82. In the lowering step (S14), the holding member 21 is moved down along a certain movement locus.
According to such a configuration, in the retreating step (S13), it is possible to appropriately support the sitting operation of the care receiver M on the movement trajectory according to the situation. Further, in the descending step (S14), even if the height of the seating surface 91 is indefinite, the assisted person M can be reliably seated regardless of the physique and the riding posture of the assisted person M.

In the lowering step (S14), the holding member 21 is moved down so that the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M descend vertically toward the seat surface 91.
According to such a configuration, the state in which the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M are located above the seat surface 91 in the descending step (S14) is reliably maintained. Therefore, since the seating can be performed at any height, it is possible to cope with various seating surface 91 heights.

The fixed height of the fixed seating position Pf is such that the holding member 21 that makes the buttocks Mb of the care recipient M contact the seat surface 91 when the seat surface 91 is at the highest height that the assist robot 1 can support. Is set higher than the height of
According to such a configuration, it is possible to cope with a seat height that is equal to or less than the uppermost height in the specification, and by performing the retreating step (S13) and the descending step (S14), the care recipient M is reliably shifted to the sitting posture. it can.

Further, in the operation processing based on the seating locus 82, the control device 60 executes the retreating step and the descending step when the current position of the holding member 21 is on the front side of the fixed seating position Pf (S12: Yes) (S13, S14). If the current position of the holding member 21 is not on the front side of the fixed seating position Pf (S12: No), only the lowering step is executed (S14).
According to such a configuration, when not passing through the fixed seating position Pf, the holding member 21 is lowered via the fixed seating position Pf. Thereby, even if the current height of the holding member 21 is lower than the specified height of the fixed seating position Pf, the holding member 21 is raised to the specified height of the fixed seating position Pf. On the other hand, when the vehicle has already passed the fixed seating position Pf, the movement to the fixed seating position Pf is omitted, and the holding member 21 is lowered to an appropriate height. Thereby, the movement control according to the current state of the holding member 21 can be performed.

In addition, the assistance robot 1 further includes a seating switch 52 that receives an operation of an execution request for a seating operation. The control device 60 controls the operation of the driving device 23 while the execution request for the seating operation is being input via the seating switch 52.
According to such a configuration, the control device 60 controls the operations of the elevating unit 30 and the swing unit 40 while the seat switch 52 is being pressed. Accordingly, the operator can perform the retreat and the descent of the holding member 21 only by operating the seat switch 52. Further, the operator can stop the movement of the holding member 21 by releasing the seat switch 52. As described above, the care receiver M can be reliably shifted to the sitting posture while responding to the irregular seating surface 91 height only by operating the seating switch 52 without using a plurality of switches.

<Modification of Embodiment>
(About the necessity of the retreat process)
In the embodiment, the control device 60 determines whether the retreating step and the descending step are performed by determining whether the current position of the holding member 21 is on the front side of the fixed seating position Pf (S12) (S12: Yes, S13). , S14), whether to execute only the descending step (S12: No, S14). On the other hand, the necessity of the retreating step may be determined based on another criterion.

  Specifically, the vertical position of the holding member 21 may be considered in addition to the vertical position of the holding member 21. The necessity of executing the retreating process may be determined based on a distance between the fixed seating position Pf and the current position, an angle of a straight line passing through the fixed seating position Pf and the current position, and the like. This prevents unnecessary passage through the fixed seating position Pf, and allows the assisted person M and the operator operating the assisted robot 1 to assist the seated operation of the assisted person M without giving a sense of incongruity. Becomes

(About the trajectory of the descending process)
In the embodiment, the movement trajectory of the holding member 21 in the descending step (S14) descends along a fixed trajectory. On the other hand, the control device 60 may correct the movement trajectory of the holding member 21 in the descending step (S14) in consideration of the current state of the holding member 21, the physique of the care recipient M, and the like.

  In addition, the control device 60 lowers the holding member 21 so that the buttocks Mb of the care recipient M vertically lowers toward the seat surface 91 in the lowering step (S14). If it is possible to maintain a state in which the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M is located above the seating surface 91, the holding member 21 may be lowered while being retracted from the fixed seating position Pf, for example.

(About the fixed seating position Pf)
In the embodiment, the position in the front-rear direction of the fixed seating position Pf is set at the rear end in the movable range of the holding member 21 associated with the operation of the swing unit 40. On the other hand, when the holding member 21 is moved to the fixed seating position Pf, if the buttocks Mb of the care receiver M are located above the seat surface 91, the movable range of the holding member 21 May be set on the front side of the rear end.

(Aspect of drive device)
In the embodiment, the driving device 23 is configured to include the elevating unit 30 that moves vertically with respect to the base 10 and the swing unit 40 that swings the holding member 21. On the other hand, the driving device 23 supports the holding member 21 so as to be movable in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the base, and can move the holding member 21 along a plurality of different movement trajectories. Then, various aspects can be adopted.

  Specifically, in addition to rotating the swing main body 41 about the axis while rotating the swing main body 41 in the front-rear direction by rotating the arm 42, for example, the swing section 40 The swing main body 41 may be supported by a rail inclined at an angle. According to such a configuration, the holding member 21 attached to the swinging body 41 can be moved in the front-rear direction and tilted by the swinging body 41 moving along the rail.

  In addition, the driving device 23 includes a rotating member provided on the base 10 and rotating about an axis parallel to the left-right direction, and a telescopic arm provided on the rotating member and capable of expanding and contracting in the radial direction of the rotating member. It may be configured. Alternatively, the driving device 23 includes a first rotating member that rotates around an axis parallel to the left-right direction, and a second rotation that is provided on the first rotating member and rotates around an axis that is parallel to the rotation axis of the first rotating member. And a member.

  In such a configuration, by attaching the holding member 21 to the telescopic arm or the second rotating member, the holding member 21 can move in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the base 10 and move along a plurality of movement trajectories. Movement is possible. Then, when performing the operation process based on the seating locus 82 among the plurality of moving locuses, the same effect as the embodiment can be obtained by appropriately executing the retreating step and the descending step.

(About the seat switch)
In the embodiment, the seat switch 52 is provided in the controller 50. On the other hand, as long as the seating switch 52 can receive the operation of the execution request of the seating operation, various modes can be adopted. Specifically, for example, an operation pedal provided on the base 10 or the like and receiving an operation by an operator's leg, or an operation lever provided on the grip 43 or the like and receiving an operation performed by the operator may be used as the seating switch. .

1: assistance robot, 2: floor surface, 10: base, 11: frame, 12: support, 13: foot rest, 13a: ground mark, 14: fixed cover, 15: wheels, 20: support device, 21: holding member, 21a: body Receiving portion, 21b: armpit receiving portion 22: lower leg contact portion, 22a: support member, 22b: lower leg contact body 23: drive device,
30: lifting section
31: lifting body, 32: swing support, 32a: swing axis
33: lifting cover 40: swinging part,
41: Swing body, 42: Arm, 43: Grip 50: Controller 51: Standing switch, 52: Seated switch 53: Up switch, 54: Down switch 60: Control device 61: Storage unit, 62: Trajectory setting unit, 63 : Drive control unit 71: standing motion data 72: sitting motion data 81: standing locus, 82: sitting locus 90: chair, 91: seat surface M: assisted person, Mb: buttocks (of assisted person) P1 : First position, P2: Second position, P3: Third position Pf: Fixed seating position

Claims (6)

A base placed on the floor,
A holding member for holding the caregiver's upper body,
A driving device that supports the holding member so as to be movable in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the base, and moves the holding member along a plurality of different movement trajectories;
In the seating operation in which the care recipient sits on a seating surface, the operation of the driving device is performed by executing an operation process of moving the holding member based on a seating trajectory corresponding to the seating operation among the plurality of trajectories. And a control device for controlling,
The drive device,
An elevating unit that moves vertically with respect to the base,
A swing unit that moves the holding member in the front-rear direction of the base with respect to the elevating unit, and rotates the holding member about an axis parallel to the left-right direction of the base.
In the operation processing based on the sitting locus,
The holding member is lowered or raised to a fixed seating position at a specified height from the floor surface and above the seating surface where the buttocks of the care recipient are located , and the holding associated with the operation of the swinging portion A retreating step of retreating the holding member to a rear end in a movable range of the member,
A lowering step of lowering the holding member by operation of only the elevating unit from the fixed seating position until the care receiver sits on the seat surface. A base placed on the floor,
A holding member for holding the caregiver's upper body,
A driving device that supports the holding member so as to be movable in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the base, and moves the holding member along a plurality of different movement trajectories;
In the seating operation in which the care recipient sits on a seating surface, the operation of the driving device is performed by executing an operation process of moving the holding member based on a seating trajectory corresponding to the seating operation among the plurality of trajectories. And a control device for controlling,
In the operation processing based on the sitting locus,
The holding member is lowered or raised to a fixed seating position at a specified height from the floor surface and above the seating surface where the buttocks of the care recipient are located , and execution of the operation processing based on the seating locus. A retreating step of retreating the holding member on a movement trajectory set based on the position of the holding member and the fixed seating position at the time ,
A lowering step of lowering the holding member with a fixed movement trajectory from the fixed seating position until the care receiver sits on the seat surface. A base placed on the floor,
A holding member for holding the caregiver's upper body,
A driving device that supports the holding member so as to be movable in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction of the base, and moves the holding member along a plurality of different movement trajectories;
In the seating operation in which the care recipient sits on a seating surface, the operation of the driving device is performed by executing an operation process of moving the holding member based on a seating trajectory corresponding to the seating operation among the plurality of trajectories. And a control device for controlling,
In the operation processing based on the sitting locus,
A retreating step of lowering or raising the holding member to a fixed seating position where the buttocks of the care recipient is located above the seating surface at a prescribed height from the floor surface and retreats the holding member,
A lowering step of lowering the holding member from the fixed seating position until the care recipient sits on the seating surface ,
The prescribed height of the fixed seating position is equal to or greater than the height of the holding member that contacts the buttocks of the care recipient with the seat surface when the seat surface is at the highest height that the assistance robot can support. The assistance robot to be set .   The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the descending step lowers the holding member so that the buttocks of the care recipient descend vertically toward the seat surface. The control device executes the retreating step and the descending step when the current position of the holding member is on the front side of the fixed seating position in the operation processing based on the sitting locus, and the current position of the holding member is The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein only the descending step is performed when the lowering step is not on the front side of the fixed seating position. The assistance robot further includes a seating switch that receives an operation of an execution request for the seating operation,
The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the control device controls the operation of the driving device while the execution request of the seating operation is being input via the seating switch.

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