JP7006455B2 - Walking assist device and control program for walking assist device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a walking assist device and a control program for the walking assist device.

A walking assist device for supporting walking of a patient who has a temporary difficulty in walking due to an injury or the like, or an elderly person who has a chronic difficulty in walking due to a decrease in physical ability is known (for example). See Patent Document 1). For example, when the user pushes the grip portion in the traveling direction, the walking assist device moves by a preset distance and stops.

JP-A-2015-24160

When the walking assist device moves intermittently according to each step of the user, there may be a deviation from the walking sensation of the user with respect to the start time and end time of the movement, the speed during that time, and the like.
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and provides a walking assist device capable of moving according to the walking sensation of a user.

The walking assist device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a walking assist device that assists the user in walking and moves independently, and is a grip portion gripped by the user and a load that the user pushes and pulls the grip portion. It is provided with a detection unit that detects a physical quantity that changes depending on the vehicle, and a movement control unit that increases or decreases the movement speed of the walking assist device based on the detection result of the detection unit.

By increasing or decreasing the moving speed of the walking assist device in this way, the intention of the user can be directly reflected in the increase or decrease of the moving speed. Moreover, since the grip portion is an indispensable user interface with the walking assist device for the user who uses the walking assist device as a moving cane that autonomously moves, the speed can be increased by increasing or decreasing the speed by inputting to the grip portion. Does not require an additional user interface to increase or decrease.

In the walking assist device, the movement control unit targets the movement speed when the physical quantity detected by the detection unit exceeds the first threshold value corresponding to the first load when moving at a predetermined target speed. It may be decelerated from the speed, and when the second threshold corresponding to the second load set between the no load and the first load is exceeded again, the moving speed may be increased to recover to the target speed. Rather than constantly changing the speed according to the load on the grip, increasing or decreasing the speed according to a strong load that makes the user's condition and intention clearer matches the walking sensation of the user. ..

In this case, the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be a threshold value corresponding to a load pulled backward with respect to the traveling direction of the walking assist device, or a threshold value corresponding to a load pushed down in the direction of gravity. There may be. Since the user's backward pulling behavior is directly linked to the will to "slow down", the deceleration control tends to match the pedestrian's will. In addition, the applicant has obtained the finding that when the user 900 is a patient suffering from severe paralysis, the force for pushing down the grip portion during leg movement is often large, and the grip portion is strongly pushed down. It has been found that it is preferable for the user to decelerate when it is done.

Further, the movement control unit may make the amount of speed change when speeding up larger than the amount of speed change when decelerating. It was found that such control according to the periodicity of the leg movement is in good agreement with the walking sensation of the user.

Further, the walking assist device may include a measuring unit for measuring the distance to the user's leg, and the movement control unit may increase or decrease the moving speed based on the distance. In this way, if the distance from the walking assist device to the user's leg is taken into consideration, the user can follow the walking assist device more smoothly.

The control program of the walking assist device according to the second aspect of the present invention is a control program of the walking assist device that assists the user in walking and moves independently, and is based on a load that pushes and pulls the grip portion gripped by the user. The computer is made to execute a detection step for detecting a changing physical quantity and a movement control step for increasing or decreasing the movement speed of the walking assist device based on the detection result of the detection step. The walking assist device controlled by such a control program can increase or decrease the moving speed by reflecting the will of the user, as described above.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a walking assist device that can move according to the walking sensation of a user.

It is a side view of the walking assist device. It is a top view of the walking assist device. It is a control block diagram of a walking assist device. It is a figure explaining the 1st control which concerns on the adjustment of a speed. It is a figure explaining the 2nd control which concerns on the adjustment of a speed. It is a figure explaining the 3rd control which concerns on the adjustment of a speed. It is a control flow diagram of a walking assist device. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the grip part which concerns on the modification.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Moreover, not all of the configurations described in the embodiments are indispensable as means for solving the problem.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the walking assist device 100 according to the present embodiment observed from the side. FIG. 2 is an overview view of the upper surface of the walking assist device 100 in the state of FIG. 1 observed from above. The walking assist device 100 is used for rehabilitation training for patients who have difficulty walking temporarily due to injury or the like, or to support walking of elderly people who have chronic difficulty in walking due to deterioration of physical ability. It is used for. The walking assist device 100 leads the walking and runs in parallel while supporting the load from such a user.

The walking assist device 100 includes two front wheels 111 and one rear wheel 113 along the moving direction. The front wheels 111 are arranged on the bogie base 110 and are driven by a motor and a reduction mechanism (not shown) housed in the bogie base 110 to function as drive wheels. The rear wheel 113 is arranged near the rear end of the bogie frame 112 extending rearward from the bogie base 110, and functions as a driven wheel that follows the moving direction of the walking assist device 100. The walking assist device 100 is a statically stable vehicle that is grounded at three points by three wheels and can stand on its own even in a standby state not used by the user 900.

The support column 114 is erected with respect to the bogie base 110, and is a support member for transmitting the load from the user 900 to the bogie base 110. The support column 114 supports a handle 115 that protrudes in the horizontal direction in the vicinity of the other end side opposite to the one end side supported by the bogie base 110. A urethane grip 116, for example, is provided at the tip of the handle 115 so that the user 900 can easily grip it. The grip 116 is a grip portion gripped by the user 900, receives a load from the user 900, and transmits the load to the handle 115 and further to the support column 114.

The control unit 120 includes a movement control unit and a memory, which will be described later. The control unit 120 is electrically connected to various elements to be controlled in addition to the motor that drives the front wheels 111. These elements include various sensors for observing the state of the walking assist device 100, the state of the surrounding environment, and the operation of the user 900.

The various sensors in this embodiment include a distance measuring sensor 130 and a load sensor 134. The distance measuring sensor 130 is fixed to the support column 114 and measures the distance to the leg of the user 900. More specifically, the distance measuring sensor 130 is, for example, a laser range finder, and by scanning the range R in the horizontal plane surrounded by the broken line shown in FIG. 2 and continuously acquiring the detection distance in each direction. , Detects the walking motion of the user 900. Although the walking assist device 100 is used to move on the right side of the user 900 in FIGS. 1 and 2, it can also be used to move on the left side of the user. Therefore, the range R is set to a range symmetrical with respect to the moving direction so that the walking motion of the user can be detected regardless of which side of the walking assist device 100 the user stands on. ..

As the load sensor 134, for example, a strain sensor is used. The handle 115 has a narrow portion 115a formed as a strain-causing body between an end supported by the support column 114 and a portion where the grip 116 is arranged, and the load sensor 134 has the narrow portion 115a. It is affixed to. Therefore, when the user 900 grips the grip 116, the narrow portion 115a is distorted according to the load from the user 900 received by the grip 116, and the load sensor 134 outputs a load signal according to the amount of the distortion. The load sensor 134 can detect each of the load that pushes and pulls in the traveling direction and the load that pushes and pulls in the direction of gravity. The load sensor 134 functions as a detection unit that detects a physical quantity (strain amount in this embodiment) that changes depending on the load that the user 900 pushes and pulls the grip 116.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the walking assist device 100. The movement control unit 200 is, for example, a CPU, and is housed in the control unit 120. The movement control unit 200 comprehensively controls the entire walking assist device 100.

The drive wheel unit 210 includes a drive circuit and a motor for driving the front wheels 111, which are drive wheels, and is housed in the bogie base 110. The movement control unit 200 executes rotation control of the front wheels 111 by sending a drive signal to the drive wheel unit 210. The vehicle speed sensor 220 monitors the amount of rotation of the front wheels 111 and detects the speed of the walking assist device 100. The vehicle speed sensor 220 transmits the detection result as a speed signal to the movement control unit 200 in response to the request of the movement control unit 200. The movement control unit 200 transmits a drive signal to the drive wheel unit 210 so that the difference between the set speed and the current speed calculated from the output of the vehicle speed sensor 220 becomes zero.

The memory 230 is a non-volatile storage medium, and for example, a solid state drive is used. The memory 230 stores various parameter values, functions, look-up tables, etc. used for control in addition to the control program for controlling the walking assist device 100.

As described above, the distance measuring sensor 130 detects the distance to the leg of the user 900. The distance measuring sensor 130 transmits the detection result as a distance measuring signal to the movement control unit 200 in response to the request of the movement control unit 200. As described above, the load sensor 134 detects the load applied to the grip by the user. The load sensor 134 transmits the detection result as a load signal to the movement control unit 200 in response to the request of the movement control unit 200.

The walking assist device 100 starts forward movement when the user 900 grabs the grip 116. The movement control unit 200 determines that the user 900 has grasped the grip 116 when the load signal from the load sensor 134 becomes a value at which some load is detected. When the movement control unit 200 starts moving, the movement control unit 200 accelerates to a predetermined target speed. The target speed is input by the training assistant after determining the condition of the user 900, the target speed at the end of the previous training is taken over, or a standard reference value is automatically set.

When the walking assist device 100 moves at a constant speed of the target speed, the user 900 may have difficulty in following or may feel a sense of inconsistency with the periodicity of the step-by-step movement. The condition of the user 900 varies from time to time and can change from moment to moment during walking. Therefore, it is desirable that the movement control unit 200 sequentially adjusts the speed according to the condition of the user 900. Therefore, some examples of control for adjusting the speed after the start of movement will be described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first control related to speed adjustment. The upper figure of FIG. 4 shows an example of the time transition of the push-pull load F in which the user 900 pushes and pulls the grip 116 in the traveling direction, which is converted from the output signal of the load sensor 134. The lower figure of FIG. 4 shows the time transition of the velocity V. In both cases, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time, and the transition of time coincides with each other in the upper and lower figures.

In the above figure, when the push-pull load F is a positive value, it indicates that the grip 116 is pushed in the traveling direction. When the push-pull load F is a negative value, it indicates that the grip 116 is pulled backward. As shown in the figure, the transition of the push-pull load F shows periodicity. That is, since the user 900 repeats pushing and pulling the grip 116 step by step, the periodicity of the moving leg appears as the periodicity of the pushing-pull load F. More specifically, the push-pull load F has a positive output during the swinging of the healthy leg on the side close to the walking assist device 100, and a negative output during the swinging of the affected leg on the side far from the walking assist device 100. It becomes an output. In the example of the figure, it represents the luck of about two cycles.

If the leg on the healthy leg side precedes the walking assist device 100, the speed may be increased by that amount, but in order to reduce the discomfort that the speed frequently increases or decreases, the speed exceeds the initial target speed in this control. Do not do. On the other hand, when the leg on the affected leg side lags behind the walking assist device 100, it is preferable to decelerate from the viewpoint of safety. Therefore, the walking assist device 100 does not increase the speed beyond a predetermined target speed, but controls the deceleration when the leg moves behind the target speed.

The user 900 does not pull the grip 116 with such a large force as long as the moving speed of the walking assist device 100 is not disturbed. On the other hand, when the walking speed of the walking assist device 100 is high, that is, when the walking assist device 100 cannot keep up with the walking assist device 100, the force for pulling the grip 116 increases. Therefore, the movement control unit 200 monitors whether or not the ever-changing push-pull load F is below the threshold value F ₁₁ .

In the example of the figure, the push-pull load F is below the threshold value F ₁₁ at the time t ₁₁ during movement at the initially set target speed V ₀ . Therefore, the movement control unit 200 starts deceleration at time _t11 . Then, while the push-pull load F is equal to or less than the threshold value _F12 , the speed is gradually reduced. When the push-pull load F exceeds the threshold value F ₁₂ at the time t ₁₂ , the movement control unit 200 changes from the speed V ₁ at that time to an increasing speed, and gradually increases the speed. Then, after recovering to the initially set target speed V ₀ at time t ₁₃ , the movement is continued at the speed V ₀ thereafter. Similarly, in the movement of the next cycle, the movement control unit 200 starts deceleration again when the push-pull load F falls below the threshold value F ₁₁ at time t ₁₄ .

It is desirable that the threshold value F ₁₂ for increasing the speed is set to a value smaller than 0 and larger than the threshold value F ₁₁ for starting deceleration. By providing such a difference, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that speed increase and deceleration are repeated in a short time due to a slight change in the push-pull load F. Further, as shown in the figure, it is desirable to make the amount of speed change when speeding up larger than the amount of speed change when decelerating. That is, it is desirable to slowly lower the speed when decelerating and to raise the speed quickly when increasing the speed. By repeating the experiment, the applicant has found that such control according to the periodicity of the leg movement is in good agreement with the walking sensation of the user 900. In the example shown in the figure, the speed is continuously decreased / increased, but the speed may be gradually decreased / increased.

Further, in this embodiment, since the load when the grip 116 is pulled backward is treated as a negative value, the relationship of 0> F ₁₂ > F ₁₁ is established. Based on the magnitude (positive value) of the load pulled backward, the movement control unit 200 decelerates from the target speed when the speed exceeds the first threshold value, and is set between no load and the first threshold value. It can be said that when the speed falls below the two threshold values again, the speed is increased and the speed is restored to the target speed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second control related to speed adjustment. The upper figure of FIG. 5 shows an example of the time transition of the push-pull load F in which the user 900 pushes and pulls the grip 116 in the direction of gravity, which is converted from the output signal of the load sensor 134. The lower figure of FIG. 5 shows the time transition of the velocity V. In both cases, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time, and the transition of time coincides with each other in the upper and lower figures.

In the above figure, when the push-pull load F is a positive value, it indicates that the grip 116 is pulled up in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity. When the push-pull load F is a negative value, it indicates that the grip 116 is pushed down in the direction of gravity. As shown in the figure, the transition of the push-pull load F shows periodicity. That is, since the user 900 repeats pushing and pulling the grip 116 step by step, the periodicity of the moving leg appears as the periodicity of the pushing-pull load F. More specifically, the push-pull load F has a positive output during the swinging of the healthy leg on the side close to the walking assist device 100, and a negative output during the swinging of the affected leg on the side far from the walking assist device 100. It becomes an output. In the example of the figure, it represents the luck of about two cycles.

When the user 900 is a patient suffering from severe paralysis, the force for pushing and pulling the grip 116 is increased, and the amplitude of pushing and pulling tends to be increased as a whole. Therefore, if the user 900 is a patient suffering from severe paralysis, it is preferable to decelerate both when the grip 116 is pulled up with a large force and when it is pushed down with a large force. Therefore, the walking assist device 100 controls deceleration in such a situation where it is assumed that the leg movement is not performed smoothly.

The movement control unit 200 monitors whether or not the ever-changing push-pull load F is below the threshold value F ₂₁ or exceeds the threshold value F ₂₃ . In the example of the figure, the push-pull load F exceeds the threshold value F ₂₃ at the time t ₂₁ during movement at the initially set target speed V ₀ . Therefore, the movement control unit 200 starts deceleration at time _t21 . Then, while the push-pull load F is equal to or higher than the threshold value F ₂₄ , the speed is gradually reduced. When the push-pull load F falls below the threshold value F ₂₄ at time t ₂₂ , the movement control unit 200 starts to increase the speed and gradually increases the speed. After the speed recovers to the preset target speed V ₀ , the movement continues at the speed V _0. However, in the example of the figure, the push-pull load F has a threshold value F ₂₁ at time t ₂₃ before recovering to V ₀ . Is below. Therefore, the movement control unit 200 starts decelerating again and gradually reduces the speed.

When the time t ₂₄ is reached, the push-pull load F exceeds the threshold value F ₂₂ . Therefore, the movement control unit 200 starts speed increasing from time _t24 . Then, while the push-pull load F is equal to or higher than the threshold value F ₂₂ , the speed is gradually increased. The movement control unit 200 similarly increases / decreases the speed in the next cycle of movements following the times t ₂₅ , t ₂₆ , and t ₂₇ .

It is desirable that the threshold value F ₂₄ for increasing the speed is set to a value larger than 0 and smaller than the threshold value F ₂₃ for starting deceleration. Further, it is desirable that the threshold value F ₂₂ for increasing the speed is set to a value smaller than 0 and larger than the threshold value F ₂₁ for starting deceleration. By providing such a difference, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that speed increase and deceleration are repeated in a short time due to a slight change in the push-pull load F.

Further, as shown in the figure, it is desirable to make the amount of speed change when speeding up larger than the amount of speed change when decelerating. That is, it is desirable to slowly lower the speed when decelerating and to raise the speed quickly when increasing the speed. By repeating the experiment, the applicant has found that such control according to the periodicity of the leg movement is in good agreement with the walking sensation of the user 900. In the example shown in the figure, the speed is continuously decreased / increased, but the speed may be gradually decreased / increased. Further, if the deceleration is repeatedly executed without the speed recovering to V ₀ , the speed may become too slow for the user 900. Therefore, a lower limit speed _VL may be provided. That is, when the speed during the gradual decrease reaches the lower limit speed _VL , the movement control unit 200 does not decelerate thereafter and keeps the speed constant at _VL unless the speed is increased.

Further, in this embodiment, the load when the grip 116 is pulled up is treated as a positive value, and the load when the grip 116 is pushed down is treated as a negative value. Therefore, F ₂₃ > F ₂₄ >0>. The relationship of F ₂₂ > F ₂₁ holds. If the magnitude of the load (positive value) is used as a reference for both pulling up and pushing down, the movement control unit 200 decelerates from the target speed when the speed exceeds the first threshold value, and is between no load and the first threshold value. It can be said that when the speed falls below the set second threshold value again, the speed is increased and the speed is restored to the target speed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a third control related to speed adjustment. The upper figure of FIG. 6 shows an example of the time transition of the push-pull load F in which the user 900 pushes and pulls the grip 116 in the traveling direction, which is converted from the output signal of the load sensor 134. The middle figure of FIG. 6 shows an example of the time transition of the affected leg distance D, which is the distance from the ranging sensor 130 to the affected leg of the user 900, which is converted from the output signal of the ranging sensor 130. The lower figure of FIG. 6 shows the time transition of the velocity V. In both cases, the horizontal axis represents the passage of time, and the transition of time coincides with each other in the upper and lower figures.

The upper figure of FIG. 6 is the same as the upper figure of FIG. 4, and when the push-pull load F is a positive value, it indicates that the grip 116 is pushed in the traveling direction, and the push-pull load F is negative. A value indicates that the grip 116 is being pulled backwards. The periodicity of the leg movement shown in the upper figure is linked to the periodicity of the affected leg distance D shown in the middle figure.

In the first control, it is monitored whether the push-pull load F is below the threshold value F ₁₁ or above the threshold value F ₁₂ , and the speed is increased or decreased accordingly. In the third control, such a push is performed. In addition to the attractive load F, the speed is increased or decreased in consideration of the affected leg distance D. That is, in a state where the affected leg distance D is larger than a predetermined value, there is a possibility that the user loses his / her posture. In such a case, deceleration processing is performed.

In the example of the figure, the push-pull load F is below the threshold value F ₁₁ at the time t ₃₁ during movement at the initially set target speed V ₀ . However, at this point, since the affected leg distance D does not exceed the predetermined threshold value D ₀ , the velocity V ₀ is maintained as it is. After that, since the affected leg distance D exceeds the threshold value D ₀ at time t ₃₂ and the push-pull load F is below the threshold value F ₁₁ , the movement control unit 200 starts deceleration from time t ₃₂ . Then, while the push-pull load F and the affected leg distance D are in this state, the speed is gradually reduced.

The affected leg distance D becomes less than or equal to the threshold value D ₀ at time t ₃₃ , but at this point, the push-pull load F is still below the threshold value F ₁₁ , so that the movement control unit 200 stops decelerating but increases the speed. Does not turn and maintains the velocity V2 at that _time . Then, when the push-pull load F exceeds the threshold value F ₁₂ at time t ₃₄ , the movement control unit 200 changes from the speed V ₂ at that time to an increasing speed, and gradually increases the speed. After recovering to the initially set target speed V ₀ at time t ₃₅ , the movement is continued at the speed V ₀ thereafter. The movement control unit 200 similarly increases or decreases the speed in the movement of the next cycle. However, as shown in the figure, if the affected leg distance D does not exceed the threshold value D ₀ , the movement at the speed V ₀ is continued. As described above, when the affected leg distance D is also taken into consideration, the safety of the user 900 can be improved, and the user can follow the walking assist device 100 more smoothly.

The combination of gradually decreasing, gradually increasing, or maintaining the speed with respect to each state of the push-pull load F and the affected leg distance D is not limited to the above example. For example, in the example of FIG. 6, deceleration may be started at time t ₃₁ and decelerated more rapidly from time t ₃₂ . Further, deceleration may be started when either the push-pull load F is lower than the threshold value F ₁₁ or the affected leg distance D is higher than the threshold value D ₀ .

The walking assist device 100 can adopt any of the first to third controls described above, but it may be possible to select which control to adopt depending on the situation. For example, the training assistant may determine the state of the user at the start of use and select a control suitable for the state from the menu screen. Further, the training assistant or the like may be able to select the deceleration amount and the speed increase amount per hour. Further, when only the first control is adopted, the load sensor 134 only needs to be able to detect the push-pull load F along the traveling direction of the walking assist device 100, and when only the second control is adopted, the load It suffices that the sensor 134 can detect the push-pull load F along the direction of gravity. That is, a sensor or the like may be equipped according to the control method to be adopted.

Next, the control flow related to the speed control of the walking assist device 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a control flow diagram of the walking assist device 100. Here, the control flow when the above-mentioned first control is adopted will be described.

When the movement control unit 200 detects that the user 900 has gripped the grip 116, the movement control unit 200 transmits a drive signal to the drive wheel unit 210 according to the output of the vehicle speed sensor 220 so that the movement speed reaches the target speed V ₀ . do.

In step S101, the movement control unit 200 measures the push-pull load F using the load signal from the load sensor 134. Step S101 is executed approximately every 10 msec in the loop processing described below. That is, the push-pull load F is sampled approximately every 10 msec. In step S102, the movement control unit 200 confirms whether or not the current state is moving at a constant speed of V ₀ . If it is moving at a constant speed, the process proceeds to step S103, and if not, the process proceeds to step S105.

When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S103, it determines whether or not the push-pull load F measured in step S101 is below the threshold value F ₁₁ . If it is determined that the value is lower, the process proceeds to step S104, and if it is determined that the value is not lower, the process proceeds to step S112. The movement control unit 200 starts deceleration when the process proceeds to step S104. After starting deceleration, the process proceeds to step S112.

When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S105, it confirms whether or not the current state is decelerating. If the vehicle is decelerating, the process proceeds to step S106. If not, it is determined that the current state is increasing, and the process proceeds to step S109.

When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S106, it determines whether or not the push-pull load F measured in step S101 exceeds the threshold value F ₁₂ . If it is determined that the result is exceeded, the process proceeds to step S107, and if it is determined that the result is not exceeded, the process proceeds to step S108. When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S107, the deceleration up to that point is stopped and the speed increase is started. After starting the speed increase, the process proceeds to step S112. When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S108, the movement control unit 200 continues deceleration as it is and proceeds to step S112.

When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S109, it determines whether or not the current speed V exceeds the initially set target speed V ₀ . If it is determined that the value has been exceeded, the process proceeds to step S110, and if it is determined that the value has not been exceeded, the process proceeds to step S111. When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S110, the speed increase up to that point is stopped and the speed shifts to constant speed movement of speed _V0 . After shifting to constant speed movement, the process proceeds to step S112. When the movement control unit 200 proceeds to step S111, it continues to increase the speed and proceeds to step S112.

The movement control unit 200 confirms in step S112 whether or not a stop command has been issued. The stop command is when the user 900 detects that the grip 116 has been released by the load signal from the load sensor 134, or the leg of the user 900 is predetermined from the walking assist device 100 by the distance measurement signal from the distance measurement sensor 130. It is generated when it is detected that the distance is longer than the distance. If it is confirmed that there is no stop command, the movement control unit 200 returns to step S101, and if it is confirmed that there is a stop command, the movement control unit 200 stops the movement of the walking assist device 100 and ends a series of processes.

In the above-described embodiment, the strain amount of the narrow portion 115a of the handle 115 is measured as a physical quantity that changes depending on the load that pushes and pulls the grip 116. However, for example, when the first or third control is adopted, it is sufficient that the push-pull load F along the traveling direction of the walking assist device 100 can be detected, so that another physical quantity may be detected. An example of modification for detecting another physical quantity will be described.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the structure of the grip portion according to the modified example. The grip portion according to the modified example includes a shock absorber 135 between the handle 115 and the grip 116. The shock absorber 135 expands and contracts according to the load that the user 900 pushes and pulls the grip 116.

A distance measuring sensor 136 is provided at the end of the handle 115, and a reflector 115b is provided on the grip 116 side. The distance measuring sensor 136 detects the distance to the reflector 115b. That is, in the modified example, the amount of expansion and contraction of the shock absorber 135 is measured as a physical quantity that changes depending on the load that the user 900 pushes and pulls the grip 116 in the traveling direction of the walking assist device 100. The movement control unit 200 can execute the above-mentioned control by converting the expansion / contraction amount of the shock absorber 135 into the push-pull load F.

100 walking assist device, 101 dolly base, 111 front wheel, 112 dolly frame, 113 rear wheel, 114 stanchion, 115 handle, 115a narrow part, 115b reflector, 116 grip, 120 control unit, 130 distance measurement sensor, 134 load sensor , 135 shock absorber, 136 range sensor, 210 drive wheel unit, 220 vehicle speed sensor, 230 memory, 900 user

Claims (6)

It is a walking assist device that assists the user in walking and moves independently.
The grip portion gripped by the user and
A detection unit that detects a physical quantity that changes depending on the load that the user pushes and pulls on the grip portion.
A movement control unit that increases or decreases the movement speed of the walking assist device based on the detection result of the detection unit is provided .
When the movement control unit moves at a predetermined target speed and the physical quantity detected by the detection unit exceeds the first threshold value corresponding to the first load, the movement speed is set to be higher than the target speed. When the vehicle is decelerated and falls below the second threshold corresponding to the second load set between the no load and the first load again, the moving speed is increased to restore the target speed.
The first threshold value and the second threshold value are threshold values corresponding to a load pulled backward with respect to the traveling direction of the walking assisting device. It is a walking assist device that assists the user in walking and moves independently.
The grip portion gripped by the user and
A detection unit that detects a physical quantity that changes depending on the load that the user pushes and pulls on the grip portion.
A movement control unit that increases or decreases the movement speed of the walking assist device based on the detection result of the detection unit is provided .
When the movement control unit moves at a predetermined target speed and the physical quantity detected by the detection unit exceeds the first threshold value corresponding to the first load, the movement speed is set to be higher than the target speed. When the vehicle is decelerated and falls below the second threshold corresponding to the second load set between the no load and the first load again, the moving speed is increased to restore the target speed.
The first threshold value and the second threshold value are walking assist devices that are threshold values corresponding to a load pushed down in the direction of gravity . The walking assist device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the movement control unit increases the amount of speed change when accelerating rather than the amount of speed change when decelerating. It is equipped with a measuring unit that measures the distance to the user's legs.
The walking assist device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the movement control unit reduces the movement speed in a state where the distance becomes larger than a predetermined value . It is a control program of a walking assist device that assists the user in walking and moves independently.
A detection step for detecting a physical quantity that changes depending on a load that pushes and pulls the grip portion gripped by the user, and a detection step.
A control program for a walking assist device that causes a computer to execute a movement control step that increases or decreases the movement speed of the walking assist device based on the detection result of the detection step.
In the movement control step, when the movement is performed at a predetermined target speed and the physical quantity detected by the detection step exceeds the first threshold value corresponding to the first load, the movement speed is changed from the target speed. When the vehicle is decelerated and falls below the second threshold corresponding to the second load set between the no load and the first load again, the moving speed is increased to restore the target speed.
The first threshold value and the second threshold value are control programs of the walking assist device, which are threshold values corresponding to a load pulled backward with respect to the traveling direction of the walking assist device . It is a control program of a walking assist device that assists the user in walking and moves independently.
A detection step for detecting a physical quantity that changes depending on a load that pushes and pulls the grip portion gripped by the user, and a detection step.
A control program for a walking assist device that causes a computer to execute a movement control step that increases or decreases the movement speed of the walking assist device based on the detection result of the detection step.
In the movement control step, when the movement is performed at a predetermined target speed and the physical quantity detected by the detection step exceeds the first threshold value corresponding to the first load, the movement speed is changed from the target speed. When the vehicle is decelerated and falls below the second threshold corresponding to the second load set between the no load and the first load again, the moving speed is increased to restore the target speed.
The first threshold value and the second threshold value are control programs of the walking assist device, which are threshold values corresponding to the load pushed down in the direction of gravity .

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