JP6700426B2 - Assistance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an assistance device.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an assistance device that assists the person being assisted in standing up. This assisting device includes, as a first driving unit, a vertically moving vertically moving unit, and as a second driving unit, a swingably provided table above the lifting unit. In this assisting device, during the standing up motion processing, the table is swung forward with the elbow of the person being assisted in a sitting position resting on the table, and then the table is raised by the elevating section to assist the person being assisted. Assist the standing motion so that the person is in a standing position.

JP, 2012-217686, A

  In such an assisting device, the structure of the driving device including the lifting unit and the table is simplified as in Patent Document 1, and the weight of the assisting device and the production cost are reduced. On the other hand, the assistance device is required to further reduce the burden on the person being assisted when assisting the standing motion within the limited operation range of the drive device.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an assistance device that can further reduce the burden on the person being assisted when assisting the standing motion.

  This specification describes a base, a support member that supports the upper half of the body of a person being assisted, an elevating part that moves linearly in the vertical direction with respect to the base, and a swivel around a central axis provided in the elevating part. And a swinging part that swings the support member, and an operation process that assists the person being assisted to stand up, the vertical movement of the elevating part and the swinging motion of the swinging part are coordinated to move the support member. And a control device that controls the movement of a reference position that is set to a position that moves integrally with the support member, and is defined as movement of the support member. While moving the moving part forward, lower the elevating part more than the amount of upward movement of the supporting member with respect to the central axis accompanying the forward turning of the swinging part so that the supporting member moves downward while advancing. A forward step of moving the person being assisted supported by the support member from an initial sitting posture to an intermediate posture in which the upper half of the body leans forward, and raising and lowering the raising and lowering portion to move the person being assisted from the intermediate posture. Disclosed is an assisting device, which includes a rising step of standing up.

  With such a configuration, in the forward movement process in which the person being assisted is moved from the initial sitting posture to the intermediate posture in which the upper body leans forward, the upper body of the person being assisted is supported by the supporting member that descends while moving forward. Therefore, in the period from the sitting posture to the intermediate posture, the person being assisted can gradually deposit the weight of the upper body on the support member. As a result, it is possible to support the waist in accordance with the bending motion, and it is possible to further reduce the burden on the person being assisted when assisting the standing motion.

It is the perspective view which looked at the assistance device of an embodiment from the slanting back. It is a side view which shows the assistance apparatus which supports the person being assisted in a sitting position. It is a side view which shows the assistance apparatus which supports the person being assisted in an intermediate posture. It is a side view which shows the assistance apparatus which supports the person being assisted in a standing position. It is a side view which shows operation|movement of each site|part before and behind execution of an advancing process on the basis of a raising/lowering part. It is a side view which shows movement of the to-be-supported person's upper body before and after execution of an advancing process. It is a figure which shows the movement locus of a reference position, the movement locus of the lower end of a body support part, and the angle of a support member with respect to the position of a reference position.

(1. Embodiment)
The assistance device 1 assists the person being assisted M (see FIG. 2 and the like) in the standing motion from the sitting posture to the standing posture and in the sitting motion from the standing posture to the sitting posture. Since the assistance device 1 supports the upper half of the person to be assisted M in the standing posture, one assistance person can pull the assistance device 1 or the like to move it to, for example, a movement target in the assistance facility.

  The “standing posture” means the posture in which the lower half of the person being assisted M stands, and the posture of the upper half of the body does not matter. That is, the assistance of the standing motion is the assistance of the motion of raising the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted. Further, the assistance of the sitting motion is the assistance of the motion of lowering the position of the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted.

(1-1. Configuration of assistance device 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the assistance device 1 includes a base 10, a drive device 20, a support member 50, and a control unit 70. The base 10 includes a frame 11, columns 12 (shown in FIG. 2 ), a fixed cover 13, a foot rest 14, a lower leg rest 15, and six wheels 16-18. The frame 11 is provided substantially horizontally near the floor surface F.

  The support column 12 is fixed to the frame 11 in a state of extending upward from the center of the front side of the frame 11 in the left-right direction. The columns 12 may be provided so as to be vertical to the floor surface F, or may be provided so as to form a predetermined angle in the front-rear direction. An up-and-down drive unit 21 described later is housed inside the column 12. The fixed cover 13 covers and protects the columns 12 and the lower part of the elevating body 31 described later.

  The foot rest 14 is fixed to the rear of the upper surface of the frame 11 and is provided substantially horizontally. A foot-shaped ground mark 141 for guiding the position where the person being assisted M puts his/her foot is written on the upper surface of the footrest base 14. The lower leg support portion 15 is fixed to the column 12 by a pair of left and right support arms 151 having an L shape. The lower leg contact portion 15 is provided slightly above the front side of the ground mark 141. The main body of the lower leg abutment portion 15 is a cushion material that is arranged over the upright portions of the left and right support arms 151 and extends in the left and right direction. The lower leg contact portion 15 is a portion where the lower leg of the person to be assisted M contacts. The arrangement height of the lower leg contact portion 15 can be adjusted.

  On the lower side of the frame 11, three wheels 16 to 18 are provided on the left and right. Each of the wheels 16 to 18 has a steering function of changing the moving direction. The frontmost wheel 16 has a lock function for restricting movement. With the steering function of the six wheels 16 to 18, the assistance device 1 is capable of not only forward and backward movement and direction change but also lateral movement (moving to the side) and super-spot turning (turning on the spot). Is becoming

  The drive device 20 supports a support member 50 that supports the upper half of the person to be assisted M so as to be movable in the vertical direction and the front-back direction of the base 10. In the present embodiment, the drive device 20 includes a lift drive unit 21, a swing drive unit 22, a lift unit 30, and a swing unit 40. The drive device 20 is controlled by the control device 71 of the control unit 70 to operate the lift drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22. The drive device 20 is configured to move the support member 50 along a predetermined movement locus by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the swinging part 40.

  The elevating part 30 moves vertically with respect to the base 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating part 30 includes an elevating body 31, a swing support part 32, and an elevating cover 33 (see FIG. 1). The elevating body 31 is formed in a long shape that is long in the vertical direction. The elevating body 31 is guided by a guide (not shown) on the rear surface of the column 12. The lifting/lowering body 31 is lifted/lowered along the guide of the column 12 by the driving of the lifting/lowering drive unit 21 which is a linear motion device. A swing drive unit 22 that swings the swing unit 40 is housed inside the lift main body 31.

  The swing support portion 32 supports the swing portion 40 rotatably around the central axis A. As shown in FIG. 1, the raising/lowering cover 33 covers and protects the raising/lowering main body 31 and the column 12 around and above them. The elevating cover 33 is coupled to the elevating body 31 and moves up and down together with the elevating body 31. The lower part of the elevating cover 33 that moves up and down always overlaps with the outer peripheral side of the fixed cover 13. In addition, in the present embodiment, the assistance device 1 has one elevating part 30 corresponding to one column 12. On the other hand, the assistance device 1 may be configured to include two or more columns 12 and a plurality of elevating units 30 corresponding to the number of columns 12.

  The swinging part 40 swings around the central axis A provided on the elevating part 30 to swing the support member 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the swing unit 40 includes a swing body 41, an arm 42, and a first handle 43. The swinging body 41 is a mounting portion to which the support member 50 is attached and detached. The arm 42 is integrally fixed to the swing body 41. One end of the arm 42 is rotatably supported around the central axis A of the swing support part 32 of the elevating part 30. The arm 42 is rotated by the drive of the swing drive unit 22. When the assistance device 1 assists the standing motion, the arm 42 mainly swivels forward from the state of extending rearward. On the other hand, when the assistance device 1 assists the sitting motion, the arm 42 mainly turns backward so that the arm 42 extends rearward.

  The first handle 43 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape. The first handle 43 is formed so as to extend in the front upper direction from the swing body 41. The side portion of the first handle 43 is grasped by both hands of the person being assisted M. Further, the side portion and the front portion of the first handle 43 are gripped by the caregiver in order to move the assistance device 1. With the above-described configuration, the swinging unit 40 swings around the horizontal axis (center axis A) parallel to the left-right direction of the base 10 and is attached to the swinging body 41 on the tip side of the arm 42. The member 50 is swung.

  The support member 50 is a member that supports the upper half of the person to be assisted M. The support member 50 includes a body support portion 51, a pair of armpit support portions 52, a second handle 53, and the like. The body support portion 51 is formed in a plane shape close to the body shape of the person being assisted M, and can be flexibly deformed. The support surface of the body support portion 51 is in surface contact with the front surface of the body of the person to be assisted M to support the body. More specifically, the support surface of the body support portion 51 supports a range of the person being assisted M from the chest to the abdomen from below. Further, the body support portion 51 is attached to the swing body 41.

  Further, the body support portion 51 is supported so as to be freely tiltable in the front-rear direction with respect to the swing body 41. Specifically, the body support portion 51 is configured to be tiltable in a predetermined angle range clockwise in FIG. 2 from the state shown in FIG. The above-mentioned "free tilting" means tilting that can be manually moved, not tilting driven by an actuator or the like.

  The pair of armpit support parts 52 are supported by the body support part 51, and support the armpits of the person being assisted M. Specifically, the pair of side support parts 52 are provided on the left and right of the body support part 51. The side support portion 52 is swingably supported by the body support portion 51. The armpit support part 52 is formed in an L shape by a rod-shaped member. The surface of the side support portion 52 is covered with a material that can be flexibly deformed. The second handle 53 is integrally provided on the front surface of the body support portion 51. The second handle 53 is formed in a horizontally long U-shape. The second handle 53 includes a base shaft portion that is fixed to the lower portion of the body support portion 51 and extends in the left-right direction, and a grip portion that extends from both ends of the base shaft portion toward the first handle 43 side.

  The control unit 70 is provided on the upper right side of the frame 11. The control unit 70 includes a control device 71 that controls the elevation drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22. The control device 71 drives the lift drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22 based on a command from the person being assisted M or the person being assisted in the operation process of assisting the person M to stand up or sit down. The vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the swinging part 40 are coordinated to control the movement of the support member 50.

  As the control device 71, a computer device that operates with software can be used. The computer device may include a remote controller (not shown) that receives a command from the person being assisted M or the person being assisted. As software, an auxiliary program for executing an operation process for assisting a standing motion and an operation process for assisting a sitting motion are stored. Further, below the control device 71 is attached a battery power source, which is omitted from the reference numeral, capable of repeated charging and discharging. The battery power source is also attached to the upper left side of the frame 11. The battery power source is also shared by the lift drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22.

(1-2. Motion processing of standing up motion by the assistance device 1)
An operation process for assisting the standing up operation by the assistance device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. The above-described operation process of the standing motion includes a forward step of moving the support member 50 forward and a raising step of raising the support member 50. In addition, the advance process may include an operation of raising the support member 50, and similarly, the lift process may include an action of advance the support member 50. In addition, the forward movement process and the upward movement process are actually executed in a series, and when the support member 50 follows a smooth movement trajectory, it is not always possible to experience the switching of the processes.

  In the present embodiment, the step of inclining and advancing the support member 50 so that the mass of the upper half of the person to be assisted M is generally stored in the support member 50 is referred to as an advancing step. At this time, the person being assisted M shifts from the sitting posture, which is the initial state shown in FIG. 2, to the intermediate posture in which the upper half of the body is greatly tilted forward as shown in FIG. Further, the process of raising the support member 50 so as to raise the upper half of the person being assisted M is referred to as a raising step. At this time, the person being assisted M shifts from the intermediate posture shown in FIG. 3 to the standing posture in which both legs are extended, which is the end state shown in FIG.

  Here, when the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swinging motion of the rocking part 40 cooperate, the rocking support member 50 may have a part that moves forward and a part that moves backward with respect to the base 10. Similarly, there may be an ascending portion and a descending portion with respect to the base 10. Therefore, hereinafter, the movement of the reference position Ps, which is set to the position where the support member 50 moves integrally, is defined as the movement of the support member 50.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the reference position Ps is set at the upper end of the portion of the body supporting portion 51 that contacts the body. The thick solid lines in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6 indicate the movement trajectory Tu of the reference position Ps during the standing motion of the person being assisted M. That is, the control device 71 cooperates the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the turning movement of the swinging unit 40 so that the reference position Ps moves along the movement locus Tu shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and 6. The movement of the support member 50 is controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the initial state of the motion processing that assists the standing motion, the person being assisted M is in a seated state (a sitting posture) in which the buttocks Mt are in contact with the seat surface 91 of the chair 90. .. The assistance device 1 is set to an initial state of an operation process for assisting the standing operation by an operation by the person being assisted M or the person being assisted. The initial state of the assistance device 1 is a state in which the swinging portion 40 extends rearward so that the support member 50 is located at the rearmost position in the operation process of the standing motion. In this initial state, the foot of the person M to be assisted is placed on the foot rest 14 while being guided by the ground mark 141. At this time, the lower leg of the person to be assisted M contacts the rear surface of the lower leg contact portion 15.

  In this state, the person to be assisted M or the person to be assisted performs an operation such that only the elevating part 30 moves up and down according to the height of the upper half of the person to be assisted M who is sitting on the seat surface 91. As a result, the control device 71 moves the elevating unit 30 up and down, and the height of the support member 50 is adjusted. In this manner, the front surface of the body of the person being assisted M comes into surface contact with the body support portion 51. Further, the person being assisted M places the armpit on the armpit support portion 52 and holds the first handle 43. In this initial state, the person M to be assisted has a posture in which the upper half of the body leans forward to some extent, as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, when the person being assisted M or the assistant starts an assisting operation for the standing motion, the control device 71 causes the support unit 50 to move downward while moving forward and downward, and the swinging unit 40. The forward process of coordinating with the front turn of the vehicle is executed. Specifically, in the advancing process, the swinging unit 40 is swung forward, and the swinging unit 40 is moved up and down more than the upward movement amount Nu (see FIG. 5) of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A with the forward rotation of the swinging unit 40. The part 30 is lowered. As a result, in the forward movement process, the person being assisted M supported by the support member 50 is placed in an intermediate posture in which the upper half of the body leans forward from the initial sitting posture.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows each part of the assistance device 1 before and after the execution of the forward movement process with the elevating part 30 as a reference. The reference position Ps is provided so that the swinging part 40 can swivel around the central axis A provided at the upper part of the elevating part 30, so that the reference position Ps moves forward with the forward swing of the swinging part 40 and moves upward. Move upward by the amount Nu. On the other hand, in the advancing process, the elevating unit 30 is lowered so that the descending amount Nd is larger than the upward moving amount Nu (Nu<Nd). As a result, the reference position Ps is offset by the upward movement amount Nu, and is further lowered by the difference (Nd-Nu) as a whole.

  As a result, in the forward movement process, as shown in FIG. 6, the person being assisted M supported by the support member 50 is in an intermediate posture (FIG. 6) in which the upper half of the body leans forward from the initial sitting posture (shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6). Is indicated by a solid line). At this time, the reference position Ps moves from the position Ps1 to the position Ps2 along the movement trajectory Tu, as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows, as a reference example, a movement trajectory Tr when the support member 50 is moved so that the shoulder of the person being assisted M moves substantially horizontally in the forward movement process, which is indicated by an alternate long and short dash line.

  By the way, the descending amount (Nd-Nu) of the reference position Ps in the forward movement process can be set to various values. In the present embodiment, in the advancing step, as shown in FIG. 6, the support member 50 is moved so that the shoulder Ms and the chest Mb of the person being assisted M supported by the support member 50 move forward while descending. That is, the descending amount (Nd-Nu) of the reference position Ps in the forward movement process is set to such an amount that the chest Mb located at a position lower than the shoulder Ms of the person being assisted M also descends. The lower half of the upper half of the person M to be assisted becomes smaller in the forward step as it goes below the chest Mb.

  Further, in the forward movement process, the support member 50 is moved so that the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 located below the reference position Ps moves upward from the initial height. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 corresponds to the movement of the reference position Ps (movement from the position Ps1 to the position Ps2) in the forward movement process, from the lower end position Pw1 to the lower end position. It rises to Pw2. In the initial state of the assistance device 1, the upper half of the person to be assisted M is in a state of being slightly tilted forward as shown in FIG. The advance process is executed in such a state, and the support member 50 descends while advancing, so that the person being assisted M can gradually deposit the weight of the upper body on the support member 50.

  Furthermore, the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 has a smaller amount of movement (distance between the lower end position Pw1 and the lower end position Pw2) compared to the amount of movement at the reference position Ps (distance between the positions Ps1 and Ps2), and while retracting slightly. To rise. As a result, the person being assisted M gets on the support member 50 by the operation of bending the waist Mm in the forward movement process, and shifts to the intermediate posture. The operation of bending the waist portion Mm once in the initial stage of such a standing motion is a natural motion, which is close to the motion when a healthy person stands up. Further, in the intermediate posture, the position of the center of gravity of the person being assisted M in the front-rear direction is inside the range in the front-rear direction in which the foot of the person being assisted M contacts the footrest 14. Therefore, the person being assisted M in the intermediate posture is in a posture in which he/she can easily support himself/herself with his/her feet even if he/she cannot stand up by himself/herself.

  Subsequently, the operation processing of the standing up operation is continued, and the control device 71 switches the operation of the elevating section 30 from descending to ascending to elevate the elevating section 30 and raises the person being assisted M in an intermediate posture (see FIG. 3). ), the ascending step is performed so that both legs of the person being assisted M extend to the standing posture (see FIG. 4). Specifically, in the raising process, the swinging unit 40 is swung forward and the lifting unit 30 is raised. As described above, the ascending step includes an operation of coordinating the ascending of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the swinging unit 40 during the time period in which the person M to be assisted takes the intermediate posture to the standing posture. In the raising process, after the swinging unit 40 reaches the front end of the movable range, only the raising/lowering unit 30 may perform the raising operation.

  At this time, the reference position Ps moves from the position Ps2 to the position Ps3 along the movement trajectory Tu, as shown in FIG. That is, the shoulder Ms of the person being assisted M rises while moving forward from the intermediate posture. Further, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M separate from the seat surface 91 and rise. The buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M may be separated from the seat surface 91 before the ascending process is performed. For example, depending on the physique of the person being assisted M, the height of the seat surface 91, the degree to which the weight of the upper half of the person being assisted M is deposited on the support member 50, etc., the body support along with the swing of the support member 50 in the forward movement process. The lower end 511 of the part 51 rises, and the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M can be separated from the seat surface 91.

  Then, the support surface of the body support portion 51 further tilts forward due to the front turning of the swinging portion 40 in the rising process. That is, the upper half of the person to be assisted M ascends and leans forward. Therefore, in the rising step, the back muscles of the person being assisted M are maintained in a stretched state, and the upper half of the person being assisted M is stably supported by the support member 50. Further, the position Ps3 reached by the reference position Ps at the end of the ascending step may appropriately change on the movement trajectory Tu. For example, the control device 71 ends the operation process of the standing up operation when the instruction to the assistance device 1 is not input. Therefore, depending on the reference position Ps (position Ps3) at the time of termination, the person being assisted M in the standing posture maintains the state in which, for example, the knee of the lower leg is in contact with the lower leg rest 15 in addition to the posture shown in FIG. It may be done.

  In the present embodiment, the forward movement process and the upward movement process include an operation of turning the swinging unit 40 forward, and an operation of turning the swinging unit 40 backward, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7. Absent. Specifically, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 7, the movement trajectory Tu of the reference position Ps monotonically advances from the rear side to the front side. Further, the forward movement process includes an operation of lowering the elevating unit 30, but does not include an operation of raising the elevating unit 30. On the other hand, the ascending step includes an operation of raising the elevating unit 30, but does not include an operation of lowering the elevating unit 30.

  The lower part of FIG. 7 shows the angle θ of the support member 50 according to the front-back position of the support member 50. The angle θ of the support member 50 is an angle formed by the support surface of the body support portion 51 with respect to the vertical axis, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. The angle θ of the support member 50 is the minimum in the initial state (see FIG. 2) of the assistance device 1, and monotonically increases as the operation process of the standing motion is performed, and the assistance device 1 ends (see FIG. 4 ). ) Is the maximum.

  As described above, in the advancing process, the upward movement amount Nu of the support member 50 that accompanies the forward swing of the swinging unit 40 that occurs due to the mechanical configuration of the lifting unit 30 and the swinging unit 40 is offset by the lowering of the lifting unit 30. While further lowering the support member 50. Therefore, in order to appropriately execute the forward movement process, it is necessary to secure a stroke in which the elevating unit 30 can descend in the initial state of the assistance device 1. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the initial height H1 of the elevating part 30 when executing the advancing process is relative to the upward movement amount Nu of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A associated with the forward turning of the swinging part 40 in the advancing process. Thus, the height is set such that the stroke in which the elevating part 30 can descend in the movable range of the elevating part 30 increases.

  That is, the initial height H1 moves upward to the lower end Be of the movable range of the elevating part 30 as shown in FIG. 6 because the upward movement amount Nu of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A is known in the forward movement process. The height is set to be equal to or higher than the sum of the amounts Nu. In this embodiment, the initial height H1 is set to the height obtained by adding the lowering amount Be to the lower end Be of the movable range of the elevating part 30. Further, as described above, in order to set the assistance device 1 to the initial state, the elevating part 30 is vertically moved and adjusted so that the front surface of the body of the person being assisted M contacts the body supporting part 51. If the adjusted height H2 of the elevating part 30 at this time is equal to or greater than the initial height H1, it means that the stroke of the elevating part 30 that can be lowered is secured.

  When the adjusted height H2 of the elevating part 30 is equal to or greater than the initial height H1 in the initial state, the assistance device 1 executes the operation process of the standing motion according to the start command of the auxiliary operation of the standing motion. On the other hand, when the adjusted height H2 of the lifting unit 30 is less than the initial height H1 in the initial state, the person being assisted M or the caregiver may be guided to lift the lifting unit 30. Alternatively, the assistance device 1 may control the descent amount Nd of the elevating unit 30 in the forward movement process to be small, or the elevating unit 30 may be lowered below the initial height H1 in the adjustment stage for initially setting the initial state. You may regulate what you do.

(2. Effects of the configuration of the embodiment)
The assistance device 1 includes a base 10, a support member 50 that supports the upper half of the person to be assisted M, an elevating part 30 that moves directly in the up-down direction with respect to the base 10, and a central shaft provided in the elevating part 30. In the operation processing of assisting the standing motion of the person being assisted M, the swinging part 40 that swings around the A to swing the support member 50 and the vertical movement of the lifting part 30 and the swinging motion of the swinging part 40 are coordinated. And a control device 71 for controlling the movement of the support member 50. The movement of the reference position Ps, which is set to the position where the support member 50 moves integrally, is defined as the movement of the support member 50.
In the operation process of the standing motion, the swinging part 40 is swung forward, and the support member 50 is moved upward with respect to the central axis A as the swinging part 40 is swung forward so that the support member 50 moves downward while moving forward. The raising and lowering section 30 is lowered by lowering the raising and lowering section 30 by more than the amount Nu to move the person being assisted M supported by the support member 50 from an initial sitting posture to an intermediate posture in which the upper half of the body leans forward. , A raising step of moving the person being assisted M from the intermediate posture to the standing posture.

  With such a configuration, in the forward movement process in which the person to be assisted M is in the intermediate posture in which the upper half of the body leans forward from the initial sitting posture, the upper half of the person to be assisted is supported by the support member 50 that moves down while moving forward. .. Therefore, the person being assisted M can gradually deposit the weight of the upper body on the support member 50 during the period from the sitting posture to the intermediate posture. As a result, it is possible to support the waist Mm in accordance with the bending motion, and it is possible to further reduce the burden on the person being assisted M when assisting the standing motion.

  In addition, the support member 50 has a body support portion 51 that is formed in a planar shape and that is in surface contact with the front surface of the body of the person to be assisted M to support the body. The reference position Ps is set at the upper end of the portion of the body supporting portion 51 that contacts the body.

  The person to be assisted M is supported by the upper body contacting the torso support portion 51 in surface contact. In the advancing process, the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swinging motion of the swinging part 40 are performed so that the reference position Ps set at the upper end of the part of the body supporting part 51 that contacts the body moves downward while advancing. Make them cooperate. As a result, in the forward movement process, the body of the person being assisted M descends while moving forward with the movement of the support member 50. Therefore, the upper half of the person M to lean forward is supported by a natural motion, and the burden on the person M to be assisted can be further reduced.

In the advancing process, the support member 50 is moved so that the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 moves upward from the initial height.
When the advancing process is executed from the initial state, the upper half of the person to be assisted M having the above-described configuration is in a state in which the back muscles are extended while leaning forward and the pelvis is standing. By the support member 50 descending while advancing in such a state, the person being assisted M can gradually store the weight of the upper half of the body on the support member 50, and can stably shift to the intermediate posture. As a result, it is possible to reduce the burden on the person being assisted M, and it is possible to stably shift to the standing posture by executing the raising process.

In the advancing step, the support member 50 is moved such that the shoulder Ms and the chest Mb of the person being assisted M supported by the support member 50 move forward and descend.
With such a configuration, in the advancing step, the support member 50 is configured so that not only the portion holding the shoulder Ms of the person being assisted M but also the portion holding the chest Mb of the person being assisted descends while advancing. Be moved. As a result, the chest Mb is allowed to descend and the upper body is more naturally moved, as compared with the movement of the support member 50 in which, for example, the shoulder Ms moves forward and descends, while the chest Mb moves forward and becomes substantially horizontal or rises. Can be tilted forward. Therefore, the burden on the person being assisted M can be further reduced.

Further, the forward step and the ascending step include an operation of turning the swinging portion 40 forward, and do not include an operation of turning the swinging portion 40 backward.
With such a configuration, in the operation process of the standing motion, the angle of the body of the person being assisted M changes only in the forward leaning direction. If the person is a normal person, the tilting direction of the body in the standing motion is reversed halfway. On the other hand, by configuring the forward step and the ascending step as described above, by the motion processing for the purpose of assisting the standing motion from the sitting posture to the standing posture by standing only the lower half of the person M to be assisted. This is applicable and the application of the present invention is particularly useful.

Further, the ascending step includes an operation of coordinating the ascending of the elevating part 30 and the forward turning of the swinging part 40 from the time when the person being assisted M takes the intermediate posture to the standing posture.
With such a configuration, the support member 50 tilts to the front side when the swinging portion 40 further swivels forward in the raising process. Therefore, the upper half of the body of the person M to be assisted, which is supported by the support member 50, further leans forward in the raising process. Therefore, it is possible to deal with it by the motion processing aiming at assisting the standing motion from the sitting posture to the standing posture by standing only the lower half of the person being assisted M, and the application of the present invention is particularly useful.

  Further, the initial height H1 of the elevating part 30 when executing the advancing process is the elevating part 30 with respect to the upward movement amount Nu of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A associated with the forward turning of the swinging part 40 in the advancing process. Is set to such a height that the stroke in which the elevating part 30 can descend in the movable range is large.

  In order to lower the supporting member 50 by the descending amount Nd while advancing in the advancing step, the amount of lowering Nd is added to the upward moving amount Nu of the supporting member 50 with respect to the central axis A associated with the forward swing of the swinging portion 40. The stroke needs to be ensured in the movable range of the elevating part 30. Therefore, the initial height H1 of the elevating part 30 when executing the forward movement process is set to the height of the elevating part 30 when at least the above stroke is secured. This prevents shortage of the stroke of the elevating part 30 in the advancing process, and the support member 50 can be reliably advanced while being lowered by the descent amount Nd.

(3. Modification of Embodiment)
(3-1. Movement of the support member 50)
In the embodiment, the reference position Ps is set to the upper end of the part of the body support portion 51 that comes into contact with the body of the person being assisted M. On the other hand, the reference position Ps may be set to a position that moves integrally with the support member 50. For example, the reference position Ps may be set to a position on the armpit of the person being assisted M in the structure in which the support member 50 includes the armpit support portion 52 as illustrated in the embodiment.

  Here, when the person M to be assisted is supported by the armpit support portion 52, the position of the person M to be assisted on the side with respect to the support member 50 is determined. Therefore, even if the person M to be assisted has a different physique, the position beside the person M to be assisted is substantially constant. Therefore, in the advancing process, as described above, the vertical movement and swing of the elevating part 30 are performed so that the reference position Ps set at the armpit position corresponding to the position of the armpit support part 52 moves downward while advancing. The turning movement of the part 40 is coordinated. As a result, the armpit of the person being assisted M descends while advancing along with the movement of the support member 50 in the advancing step. Therefore, the upper half of the person M to lean forward is supported by a natural motion, and the burden on the person M to be assisted can be further reduced.

  Further, the reference position Ps is an intersection of a virtual plane including three or more contact points between the body of the person being assisted M supported by the body support portion 51 and the body support portion 51 and a perpendicular line hung from the central axis A to the virtual plane. The configuration may be set to. Here, the support member 50 has a body support portion 51 that is formed in a planar shape and is in surface contact with the front surface of the body of the person to be assisted M to support the body. Therefore, even if the person to be assisted M has a different physique, the angle of the body support portion 51 can be regarded as the angle of the upper half of the person to be assisted M.

  Therefore, in the forward movement process, the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the turning movement of the swinging unit 40 are coordinated so that the reference position Ps set as described above moves downward while moving forward. As a result, in the forward movement process, the body of the person being assisted M descends while moving forward with the movement of the support member 50. Therefore, the upper half of the person M to lean forward is supported by a natural motion, and the burden on the person M to be assisted can be further reduced.

  In addition, the reference position Ps may be a part of the body of the person being assisted M, and may be set, for example, on the shoulder Ms or the chest Mb. The reference position Ps may be on the extension line of the arm 42 extending from the central axis A, and may be the intersection of the extension line and the support surface of the body support portion 51. Even in such a configuration, the same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in the embodiment, in the forward movement process, the support member 50 is moved so that the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 located below the reference position Ps moves upward from the initial height. On the other hand, in the advancing process, the support member 50 is moved so that the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 maintains the initial height, that is, the lower end 511 does not move upward from the initial height. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that allows it. Even in such a configuration, the same effect as that of the embodiment can be obtained.

(3-2. About cooperative operation)
In the embodiment, in the operation process that assists the standing motion, each of the forward movement process and the ascending process includes an operation of turning the swinging unit 40 forward, and does not include an operation of turning the swinging unit 40 backward. And On the other hand, when it is necessary to raise the upper half of the person to be assisted M to some extent in the standing posture due to the difference in the assistance level, the lifting and lowering is performed so that the rear swing of the swinging unit 40 is included in at least one step. The vertical movement of the portion 30 and the turning movement of the swinging portion 40 may be coordinated to control the movement of the support member 50.

  In addition, the operation process of the standing up operation is configured to include two steps of a forward step and an ascending step that are executed in series. On the other hand, the operation process of the stand-up operation may appropriately include another step. For example, the operation process may include a preparatory process for changing the assisting device 1 from the current state to the initial state, a recovery process when the temporarily executed processes are restarted after being stopped, and the like. The control device 71 combines various processes based on the state of the assistance device 1 and the input command, and moves the support member 50 by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swinging motion of the swinging part 40. May be controlled.

  Further, the advancing process included in the operation process of the standing motion is a process of tilting and advancing the support member 50 as described above. Specifically, the starting point of the forward movement process is the initial state of the assistance device 1. Further, the end point of the forward movement process and the start point of the upward movement process can be set to the state when the elevating unit 30 is most lowered when a series of operation processes are executed, as illustrated in the embodiment. Then, the end point of the ascending step is a state when the elevating part 30 reaches a predetermined height so that the person being assisted M is in a standing posture.

  In the embodiment, the forward movement process and the upward movement process are defined as described above, but in addition, the height of the elevating unit 30, the angle of the swinging unit 40, the position and angle of the support member 50 on the movement trajectory Tu, and the posture of the person M to be assisted. You may classify a process by the etc. In any of the sections, in the forward movement process of shifting from the sitting posture to the intermediate posture, the support member 50 is moved forward while the forward swing of the swinging portion 40 is coordinated with the lowering of the elevating portion 30 to assist the assistance. The burden on the person M can be reduced.

1: Assistance device 10: Base 11: Frame, 12: Post, 13: Fixed cover 14: Foot rest, 141: Ground mark 15: Lower leg rest part, 151: Support arm 16: Front wheel, 17, 18: Wheel 20: Drive device, 21: Elevating and lowering drive part, 22: Oscillating drive part 30: Elevating part 31: Elevating body, 32: Oscillating support part, 33: Elevating cover 40: Oscillating part 41: Oscillating body, 42: Arm, 43: First handle 50: Support member 51: Body support part, 511: Lower end 52: Side support part, 53: Second handle 70: Control unit, 71: Control device 90: Chair, 91: Seat surface A: Central axis, F: floor surface M: person being assisted Ms: shoulder, Mb: chest, Mm: waist, Mt: buttocks Ps: reference position, Tu, Tr: movement locus (of reference position) Nu: upward movement amount, Nd : Descending amount, Be: lower end (of movable range of lifting unit) H1: initial height of lifting unit, H2: adjusted height of lifting unit

Claims (9)

A base,
A support member for supporting the upper body of the person being assisted,
An elevating part that moves directly in the vertical direction with respect to the base,
A swinging unit that swings around the central axis provided in the elevating unit to swing the support member;
A control device that controls the movement of the support member by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating portion and the swing movement of the swinging portion in an operation process that assists the person in charge to stand up.
The movement of the reference position set to a position that moves integrally with the support member is defined as the movement of the support member,
In the operation process of the standing up operation,
When the swinging part is swung forward, the lifting member is moved more than the amount of upward movement of the support member with respect to the central axis accompanying the forward swing of the swinging part so that the supporting member moves downward while advancing. A forward step of lowering the person being assisted supported by the support member to an intermediate posture in which the upper body leans forward from an initial sitting posture;
A step of raising the elevating part to raise the person being assisted from the intermediate posture to the standing posture. The support member is formed in a planar shape, and has a body supporting portion that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper half of the person being assisted,
The assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is set to an upper end of a portion of the body supporting portion that comes into contact with the body. The support member is
A torso support portion formed in a planar shape and supporting the torso by making surface contact with the front surface of the torso of the upper half of the person being assisted,
A side support part supported by the body support part and supporting a side of the person being assisted,
The assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is set to a position beside the person being assisted. The support member is formed in a planar shape, and has a body supporting portion that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper half of the person being assisted,
The reference position is set to an intersection of a virtual plane including three or more contact points between the body supported by the body support section and the body support section and a perpendicular line hung from the central axis to the virtual plane. The assistance device according to Item 1. The support member is formed in a planar shape, and has a body supporting portion that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper half of the person being assisted,
In the advancing step, the supporting member is moved so that the lower end of the body supporting portion located below the reference position maintains an initial height or moves upward from the initial height. The assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the assistance device is moved.   The assisting device according to claim 1, wherein in the advancing step, the support member is moved so that the shoulder and the chest of the person being assisted, which are supported by the supporting member, descend while advancing. ..   7. The advancing step and the ascending step include an operation of turning the swinging part forward, and do not include an operation of turning the swinging part backward. Assistance device.   The ascending step includes an operation of coordinating the ascending of the elevating part and the front turning of the swinging part during the period in which the person being assisted takes the intermediate posture to the standing posture. 7. The assistance device according to 7.   The initial height of the elevating part when performing the advancing step is the height of the elevating part with respect to the amount of upward movement of the support member with respect to the central axis that accompanies the forward turning of the swinging part in the advancing step. The assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the assistance device is set to a height such that a stroke in which the elevating unit can descend in the movable range increases.

Images