JP7157874B2 - assistive device - Google Patents

Description

The present specification relates to an assistance device that assists a person being assisted in standing up.

With the progress of the aging society, the needs for assistive devices are increasing. Assistance devices generally provide assistance by operating a support member that supports a part of the body of the person being assisted. The introduction of the assisting device reduces the physical burden on the caregiver and the care recipient, and alleviates the shortage of caregivers. An example of an assist device is a device that assists a person being assisted in standing up from a sitting posture. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose technical examples related to this type of assistive device.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 discloses a system comprising a base, a motion member capable of at least vertical movement with respect to the base, and a support member provided on the motion member for supporting the upper body of the person being assisted. An assist device is disclosed which is mounted on a motion member for free tilting between a use position and an upper relief position. According to this, since the support member is provided so as to be freely tiltable, it is said that the impact when the support member collides with an object below is alleviated. The above-mentioned objects include the legs of the person being assisted, and the legs of the person being assisted are not sandwiched between the support member and the base.

Patent Document 2 discloses a holder for holding a care receiver, an extension means for extending the back of the care receiver by displacing the lower end of the care receiver while maintaining the vertical position of the care receiver, and a patient with the back muscle stretched. and lifting means for lifting a caregiver. According to this, the contact position of the lower end of the holder and the person being assisted does not deviate, and the person being assisted does not feel uncomfortable.

WO2017/134815 JP 2013-90842 A

By the way, not only in the configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, but generally, there are many cases in which an assistance device is shared by a plurality of persons being assisted. In addition, the configuration of the support member (holding tool) that supports the care recipients is devised so as to suit the various body types of the care recipients. For example, the support member is made of an elastically deformable material so that the body pressure of the person being assisted is not concentrated at one point. However, the structure of the support member may not be able to cope with variations in the body shape of the person being assisted, and the use comfort of the person being assisted may be reduced. In particular, obese care recipients, whose waist circumference is relatively large compared to their chest circumference, often complain of pressure in their abdomen. Therefore, there is a need for further improvements in the construction associated with the support member.

An object of the present specification is to provide an assistance device capable of ensuring good comfort in use, corresponding to various body types of a plurality of persons being assisted.

The present specification is an assistance device for assisting a person being assisted in standing up from a sitting posture to a standing posture, comprising: a base; a support member attached at a predetermined attachment angle to a member and supporting the care receiver by contacting the front surface of the care receiver's upper body; and an initial stage before the care receiver contacts the support member. and an angle adjuster for adjusting the mounting angle in a state of the assistance device.

In the assistive device disclosed in this specification, the attachment angle of the support member to the motion member can be adjusted by the angle adjustment section. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the mounting angle of the support member so as to match the condition of the front surface of the upper body of each of a plurality of persons being assisted, thereby improving the positional relationship between each person being assisted and the support member. As a result, each person being assisted feels comfortable in use. Therefore, the assisting device can accommodate various body types of a plurality of assisted persons and ensure good comfort in use.

It is a side view which shows the initial state of the assistance apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view when the angle adjustment unit adjusts the attachment angle of the support member to the angle for the standard figure. FIG. 10 is a side view when the angle adjuster adjusts the mounting angle of the support member to the obese type angle. FIG. 4 is a side partial cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an angle adjusting portion; FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the positional relationship between a standard-sized person being assisted who is preparing to receive assistance and a support member. FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the positional relationship between an obese person being assisted who is preparing to receive assistance and a support member whose attachment angle has not been adjusted. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the obese person being assisted is standing up, continued from FIG. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which an obese person being assisted is seated after the standing action of FIG. 7; FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the positional relationship between an obese person being assisted who is preparing to receive assistance and a support member whose attachment angle has been appropriately adjusted. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the obese person being assisted is standing up, continued from FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a side view showing a situation in which an obese person being assisted is seated after the standing action of FIG. 10; It is a side view which shows the initial state of the assistance apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view which explains notionally the angle adjustment part of 2nd Embodiment.

1. Configuration of Assistance Device 1 of First Embodiment The configuration of the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. The assistance device 1 is used for transferring between two different places, such as transferring between a bed and a wheelchair of a person being assisted, or transferring between a wheelchair and a toilet seat. The assistance device 1 supports the upper body of the person being assisted, and assists the person to stand up from a sitting posture to a standing posture and to sit down from a standing posture to a sitting posture.

Here, the standing posture means a posture in which the buttocks are lifted from the seat surface and the legs are extended, and includes a standing posture and a crouching posture. In other words, the standing posture includes a standing posture in which the upper body is generally upright, a posture in which the upper body is leaning forward, and a half-bent forward posture. In addition, the assistance device 1 can transfer the person being assisted in a standing posture when the two transfer locations are separated from each other. The assistance device 1 includes a base 2, an action member 3, a support member 4, an actuator 5, a knee rest member 6, a position adjustment section 7, an angle adjustment section 8, a control section (not shown), and the like.

The base 2 is formed by a footrest 21, a base rod 25, a mounting plate 26, a front wheel 28, and the like. The footrest 21 is arranged substantially horizontally close to the floor surface F. As shown in FIG. The footrest 21 is a part on which the person being assisted puts his or her feet. An actuator support portion 22 is provided upward on the upper surface of the footrest 21 toward the front side. A pair of left and right rear wheels 23 are provided on the left and right sides of the rear portion of the lower surface of the footrest 21 . A pair of left and right middle wheels 24 are provided on the left and right sides of the lower surface of the footrest 21 near the front side.

A pair of left and right base rods 25 are provided on the left and right sides of the front side of the footrest 21, respectively. The base rod 25 extends forward and is bent upward. A pair of left and right mounting plates 26 are provided vertically on the bent upper portion of the base rod 25 . A rocking support seat 27 is provided on the upper front side of the pair of left and right mounting plates 26 . A pair of left and right front wheels 28 are provided on the front side of the lower portion of the pair of left and right mounting plates 26 . Due to the steering function of the front wheels 28 and the rear wheels 23, the assistance device 1 is capable of not only straight movement and turning movement, but also lateral movement and pivot turning. Furthermore, the front wheel 28 has a locking function that restricts movement.

The position adjusting section 7 is arranged above the pair of left and right mounting plates 26 . The position adjustment unit 7 is a manual adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the knee support member 6 in the front-rear direction according to the physique of the person being assisted. The knee support member 6 is a member against which the knees of the person being assisted come into contact. The knee support member 6 determines the position of the knee, thereby stabilizing the assisted person's standing motion and sitting motion. The knee support member 6 is formed of a base plate 61, a support rod 62, a hard cushioning member 63, a soft cushioning member 64, and the like.

The base plate 61, as shown in FIG. 1, is arranged with a slight forward tilt relative to the vertical direction. Also, the base plate 61 extends in the left-right direction, and both the left and right sides are obliquely bent rearward. A pair of support rods 62 are provided on the left and right sides of the front surface of the base plate 61 so as to extend forward and obliquely downward. The base plate 61 and the support rods 62 are formed using a metal material such as aluminum.

The hard cushioning member 63 is arranged in contact with the rear side of the base plate 61 . The soft cushioning member 64 is arranged in contact with the rear side of the hard cushioning member 63 . Both the left and right sides of the hard cushioning member 63 and the soft cushioning member 64 are obliquely bent rearward similarly to the base plate 61 . The hard cushioning member 63 and the soft cushioning member 64 are made of an elastically deformable material such as urethane foam. However, the soft cushioning member 64 has a lower resilience than the hard cushioning member 63 and is easily elastically deformed. Both knees of the person being assisted come into contact with the rear surface of the soft cushioning member 64 . The hard cushioning member 63 and the soft cushioning member 64 are covered with a protective cover 65 made of cloth or leather.

The position adjusting portion 7 is composed of a pair of left and right slide support portions 71 , a slide movement portion 72 and a positioning pin 73 . The slide support portion 71 is a metal cylindrical member extending in the front-rear direction, and is fixed above the mounting plate 26 . A pin hole 74 is formed in the top surface of the rear portion of the slide support portion 71 . The slide movement part 72 is a metal round bar member extending in the front-rear direction, and is fixed to the front side of the support rod 62 of the knee support member 6 . The slide movement portion 72 slides in the front-rear direction inside the slide support portion 71 . A plurality of positioning holes arranged in the front-rear direction are provided on the upper surface of the slide moving portion 72 . The positioning pin 73 is inserted into the pin hole 74 of the slide support portion 71 and further into one of the positioning holes of the slide moving portion 72 . Thereby, the position of the knee rest member 6 in the front-rear direction is adjusted.

The motion member 3 can move at least vertically with respect to the base 2 . As shown in FIG. 1, the motion member 3 is formed in the shape of an arm bent in the middle when viewed from the side. A pair of left and right rocking shafts 32 are provided below the motion member 3 . The swing shaft 32 is swingably supported by the swing support seat 27 of the mounting plate 26 . A stopper mechanism (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the swing support seat 27 in order to regulate the swing angle range of the operating member 3 . As a result, the motion member 3 can swing upward and forward and downward and rearward with respect to the base 2 . The upward and forward swinging of the action member 3 (clockwise swinging in FIG. 1) assists the person being assisted in standing up. Further, the downward and rearward swinging motion of the motion member 3 assists the assisted person's seating motion.

A battery and a link mechanism (not shown) are housed inside the operating member 3 . The battery serves as a power source for the actuator 5 and the controller. The applicant of the present application discloses a detailed configuration example of the link mechanism in International Publication No. 2018/167856. A rocking support portion whose reference numeral is omitted is provided on the rear side of the upper portion of the operating member 3, and a rocking member 45 is provided on the rocking support portion. The swinging member 45 swings with respect to the motion member 3 . However, in the initial state before the care receiver contacts the support member 4, the swing member 45 is restricted by the link mechanism and does not swing.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the swinging member 45 has a base plate 42 on the rear side. The base plate 42 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape using a highly rigid plate material made of metal or resin. The base plate 42 corresponds to a mounting seat provided on the motion member 3 and to which the support member 4 is mounted. The base plate 42 has a handle 46 on its front face. The handle 46 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape and extends above the motion member 3 . The handle 46 is a part that is gripped by the person being assisted and also a part that is gripped by the caregiver to move the assistance device 1 .

The support member 4 supports the care receiver by contacting the front surface of the care receiver's upper body. The support member 4 is formed including an upper body support member 41 and a pair of left and right side support members 47 . The upper body support member 41 is attached to the rear surface of the base plate 42 via the angle adjuster 8 . In FIG. 2, a later-described spacer 81 that constitutes the angle adjusting portion 8 is not used. The upper body support member 41 has an attachment angle inclined forward in the initial state. The entire support member 4 is connected to the swing support portion of the action member 3 via the base plate 42 and the swing member 45, and swings around the swing support portion. The forward swinging of the support member 4 (clockwise swinging in FIG. 1) assists the person being assisted in standing up. In addition, the rearward swinging of the support member 4 assists the person being assisted in sitting down.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the upper body support member 41 is formed of a hard cushioning member 43, a soft cushioning member 44, and the like. A hard cushioning member 43 is arranged close to the base plate 42 . The soft cushioning member 44 is arranged in contact with the rear side of the hard cushioning member 43 . The hard cushioning member 43 and the soft cushioning member 44 are made of an elastically deformable material such as urethane foam. However, the soft cushioning member 44 has a lower resilience than the hard cushioning member 43 and is easily elastically deformed. The rear surface of the soft cushioning member 44 is in contact with the front surface of the upper body of the person being assisted, in other words, the region from the chest to the abdomen.

A pair of left and right side support members 47 are attached to the base plate 42 and arranged on both left and right sides of the upper body support member 41 . The side support member 47 is formed in an L shape bent at an obtuse angle. The side support member 47 is formed of a core member and an outer peripheral member (not shown). The core member is formed, for example, by bending a round bar or pipe made of metal or hard resin. The outer peripheral member is formed into a tubular shape that covers the outer periphery of the core member using a cushioning material. A short linear portion from the proximal end on the mounting side of the armpit support member 47 to the bent position serves as a shoulder receiving portion, and a long linear portion from the bent position to the distal end serves as the armpit entry portion. The shoulder support supports the front surface of the shoulder of the person being assisted. The armpit entry section enters the side of the person being assisted to support the upper body. The upper body support member 41 and the side support members 47 may be covered with a cloth or leather protective cover.

The actuator 5 is a telescopic actuator, and includes a body portion 51, a movable portion 52, a motor 53, and the like. The body portion 51 is a vertically elongated cylindrical member with a large diameter, and has an opening that opens upward. A lower end of the body portion 51 is supported by the actuator support portion 22 of the base 2 . The movable part 52 is a vertically elongated thin round bar member. The upper end of the movable portion 52 is connected to the link mechanism of the motion member 3 . A lower portion of the movable portion 52 is fitted into an opening of the main body portion 51 .

The motor 53 is attached to the front side of the lower portion of the main body portion 51 . The motor 53 controls the direction of current flow by a control unit (not shown), and drives the extension and contraction of the movable portion 52 . Driven by the motor 53 , the movable portion 52 expands and contracts with respect to the main body portion 51 . FIG. 1 shows an initial state in which the movable portion 52 is contracted and the actuator 5 has a shortened length. It should be noted that the actuator 5 can use another type of drive source such as a pressure drive source using hydraulic pressure or air pressure instead of the motor 53 .

The actuator 5 performs a first extension operation extending from the shortened length to a predetermined intermediate length, a second extension operation extending from the intermediate length to the extended length, and a contraction operation from the extended length through the intermediate length to the shortened length. conduct. The first extension motion of the actuator 5 is transmitted to the swing member 45 via the link mechanism. As a result, the support member 4 swings forward together with the swing member 45 . A second extension motion of the actuator 5 is transmitted to the motion member 3 via the link mechanism. As a result, the motion member 3 swings upward and forward. Due to the contraction of the actuator 5, the operating member 3 first swings downward and rearward, and then the support member 4 swings rearward.

The control unit (not shown) is composed of an operation unit, a control main unit, and the like. The operator has a raise button and a lower button that operate the actuator 5 . The operating device is operated by a caregiver. The control main unit is configured using a computer device that has a CPU and operates with software. The control main unit controls the presence or absence of current flowing through the motor 53 of the actuator 5 and the direction of current flow according to the operation information of the up button and the down button. Thereby, the operation and stop of the actuator 5 and the switching between the extension operation and the contraction operation are controlled.

2. Configuration of Angle Adjusting Section 8 Next, the configuration of the angle adjusting section 8 will be described in detail. The angle adjuster 8 adjusts the attachment angle of the support member 4 with respect to the motion member 3 in the initial state before the care recipient contacts the support member 4 . Therefore, the angle change of the support member 4 accompanying the progress of the assistance operation of the assistance device 1 after the adjustment and the angle change of the support member 4 due to the action of the person being assisted are not included in the adjustment of the attachment angle.

The angle adjuster 8 has a wedge shape when viewed from the side, and includes a spacer 81 detachably inserted between the mounting seat provided on the operating member 3 and the support member 4 . As shown in FIG. 4, the spacer 81 is formed in a wedge shape with a sharp lower side and a thickness W on the upper side. Moreover, the spacer 81 extends in the left-right direction and has a width dimension approximately equal to that of the upper body support member 41 . In order to stably attach the support member 4 to the base plate 42 regardless of the presence or absence of the spacers 81 , hook-and-loop fasteners 85 are provided on the front upper and lower portions of the upper body support member 41 .

The hook-and-loop fastener 85 is composed of a hook surface 86 having hook-like bristles and a loop surface 87 having loop-like bristles. In the upper hook-and-loop fastener 85 , one of the hook surface 86 and the loop surface 87 extends forward from the upper body support member 41 via above the spacer 81 and above the base plate 42 . The other of the hook surface 86 and the loop surface 87 extends forward from the upper body support member 41 via above the spacer 81 and through a through hole provided in the base plate 42 . Then, on the front side of the base plate 42, the hook surface 86 and the loop surface 87 are bent, overlapped with each other, and tightly bonded.

One of the hook surface 86 and the loop surface 87 of the lower hook-and-loop fastener 85 extends forward from the upper body support member 41 via below the spacer 81 and below the base plate 42 . The other of the hook surface 86 and the loop surface 87 extends forward from the upper body support member 41 via below the spacer 81 and through a through hole provided in the base plate 42 . Then, on the front side of the base plate 42, the hook surface 86 and the loop surface 87 are bent, overlapped with each other, and tightly bonded.

Therefore, the spacer 81 is stably held between the upper and lower hook-and-loop fasteners 85 and prevented from falling off. In addition, the attachment and detachment of the spacer 81 can be easily performed in a short period of time because only the hook-and-loop fastener 85 on the upper side needs to be operated. Also, when the spacer 81 is not used, the close contact location of the upper hook-and-loop fastener 85 is adjusted so that a gap does not occur between the support member 4 and the base plate 42 . Furthermore, the entire upper body support member 41 can be removed by opening the upper and lower hook-and-loop fasteners 85 .

FIG. 2 shows a case where the mounting angle of the support member 4 is adjusted by the angle adjuster 8 to a standard body type angle for a person to be assisted who has a standard body type. As illustrated, the spacer 81 as the angle adjuster 8 is not used. In this specification, the standard body type means a body type in which there is no large difference between the chest circumference and the waist circumference.

On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows a case where the attachment angle of the support member 4 is adjusted to an obese type angle by the angle adjusting section 8 in correspondence with an obese person to be assisted. A spacer 81 is inserted between the base plate 42 and the upper body support member 41 as shown. As a result, the mounting angle of the support member 4 is reduced in the degree of forward inclination and approaches the upright direction. In the present specification, the obese body type means a body type with a relatively large abdominal circumference compared to the chest circumference, for example, an obese body type with visceral fat. Therefore, an obese state in which both chest and waist circumferences are large relative to height does not apply to the obese body type.

The angle adjuster 8 selects whether or not to use the spacer 81 to selectively adjust two types of mounting angles of the support member 4 . The angle adjustment unit 8 may be configured to adjust any one of three or more attachment angles according to the degree of obesity of the person being assisted. For example, by preparing a plurality of spacers 81 having a small thickness W in advance, the angle adjusting section 8 can variably adjust the number of spacers 81 to be inserted. Further, for example, by preparing a plurality of spacers 81 having different thicknesses W in advance, the angle adjusting section 8 can select one of the spacers 81 .

3. Operation of Assistance Device 1 of First Embodiment Next, operation of the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. In the following, a case of assisting the person being assisted in standing up from a sitting posture will be described. The caregiver first returns the actuator 5 to the shortened length to the initial state shown in FIG. Subsequently, the caregiver grips the handle 46 to move the assistance device 1 to approach the person being assisted who is in the sitting posture. Next, the caregiver operates the angle adjuster 8 to adjust the attachment angle of the support member 4 according to the body shape of the caregiver. In addition, the caregiver operates the position adjustment unit 7 to place the knee support member 6 at an appropriate position according to the physique of the person being assisted. This completes preparations for using the assistive device 1 .

The person being assisted moves the lower half of the body into the area below the support member 4 and places both feet on the footrest 21 . The person being assisted can obtain a stable posture by bringing the knees into contact with the knee support member 6 . Subsequently, the person to be assisted leans against the side support members 47 on both sides while bringing the upper body closer to the upper body support member 41 so as to make surface contact with the upper body support member 41 and deposits the upper body. At this time, since the upper body support member 41 is rocking in the standing direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1), the forward inclination angle of the upper body can be small. In addition, since the armpit support members 47 are almost horizontal or slightly downward, the person being assisted can easily lean against the armpit support members 47 .

Subsequently, the caregiver pushes the lift button on the manipulator to proceed with the assistance action. When the actuator 5 performs the first extension motion, the support member 4 swings forward. This operation is continued until the actuator 5 extends to a predetermined intermediate length. At this time, since the armpit support members 47 are lowered forward, the person being assisted is restricted from moving backward and does not fall off the support members 4 .

Further, when the actuator 5 performs the second extension motion, the motion member 3 swings upward and forward. This operation continues until the end state where the swinging motion of the operating member 3 is restricted by the stopper mechanism. As a result, the assisted person assumes a standing posture in which the buttocks are largely lifted from the seat surface and the legs are extended.

4. Action of Angle Adjuster 8 Next, the action of the angle adjuster 8 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 shows a situation in which a person to be assisted M1 of a standard figure, who has no large difference between the chest circumference K1 and the waist circumference H1, is preparing to receive assistance. The spacer 81 as the angle adjuster 8 is unnecessary for the person M1 who has a standard figure. As shown in the figure, when the abdomen of the person being assisted M1 with a standard body touches the lower part of the upper body supporting member 41, the separation distance L1 between the chest of the person being assisted M1 and the upper part of the upper body supporting member 41 is small. Therefore, the person being assisted M1 can come close to the support member 4 and put his/her upper body on by just moving his/her upper body slightly.

On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows a situation in which an obese person M2, whose waist circumference H2 is relatively large compared to his chest circumference K1, prepares to receive assistance. The angle adjuster 8 should originally adjust the attachment angle of the support member 4 using the spacer 81 for the obese person M2 to be assisted. is not used). In this case, when the abdomen of the obese person M2 contacts the lower part of the upper body support member 41, the separation distance L2 between the chest of the person M2 and the upper part of the upper body support member 41 increases. For this reason, the person being assisted M2 cannot approach the support member 4 unless the upper body is largely moved, and it is difficult to leave the upper body. In other words, the use comfort of the person being assisted M2 during the preparatory movement is reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the support member 4 and the motion member 3 swing (see arrow R1) to stand up, the chest of the obese person M2 being assisted and the upper part of the upper body support member 41 are displaced. A relatively large gap remains between them. Therefore, the body pressure of the person being assisted M2 tends to be concentrated on the abdomen. Then, the abdomen of the person being assisted M2 is pressed from the lower part of the upper body support member 41 (see arrow P1). In other words, the use comfort of the person being assisted M2 during the standing motion is reduced.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the support member 4 and the motion member 3 swing in opposite directions (see arrow R2) during the sitting motion, the chest of the obese person M2 and the upper body support member A relatively large gap remains with the upper part of 41 . For this reason, the abdomen of the person being assisted M2 is pressed so as to be sandwiched between the lower parts of the upper body support member 41. As shown in FIG. In other words, the use comfort of the person being assisted M2 during the sitting motion is reduced.

The decrease in comfort in use described above occurs due to the angle adjustment unit 8 not functioning properly. In addition, in the assisting apparatus having the conventional configuration without the angle adjusting portion 8, the attachment angle of the supporting member 4 is determined assuming the assisted person M1 having a standard body type. For this reason, when the obese person M2 to be assisted uses the assisting device of the conventional configuration, the above-described decrease in comfort in use always occurs. Hereinafter, the operation when the angle adjusting section 8 functions properly will be described.

When the angle adjuster 8 functions properly, a spacer 81 is used for the obese assisted person M2, as shown in FIGS. In other words, the angle adjuster 8 adjusts the support member 4 to come close to the chest of the person being assisted M2. When the abdomen of the obese person M2 contacts the lower part of the support member 4, the separation distance L3 between the chest of the person being assisted M2 and the upper part of the upper body support member 41 becomes smaller than in FIG. 6, or disappear. Specifically, the separation distance L3 is smaller than the separation distance L2 in FIG. 6 by approximately the thickness W of the spacer 81 . Therefore, the person being assisted M2 can come close to the support member 4 and put his/her upper body on the support member 4 by only slightly moving his/her upper body. In other words, the use comfort of the person being assisted M2 during the preparatory movement is improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, when the support member 4 and the motion member 3 swing (see arrow R1) to stand up, the chest of the obese person M2 being assisted and the upper part of the upper body support member 41 are displaced. The gap is reduced or eliminated compared to FIG. Therefore, concentration of body pressure on the abdomen of the person being assisted M2 is suppressed. Thus, the pressure exerted on the abdomen of the person being assisted M2 from the lower part of the upper body support member 41 is suppressed. In other words, the use comfort of the person being assisted M2 when standing up is improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, when the support member 4 and the motion member 3 swing in the opposite directions (see arrow R2) during the sitting motion, the chest of the obese person M2 and the upper body support member also move. The gap to the top of 41 is reduced or eliminated compared to FIG. For this reason, the pressure of the abdomen of the person being assisted M2 being pinched by the lower part of the upper body support member 41 is suppressed. In other words, comfort in use of the person being assisted M2 during the sitting motion is improved.

In the assisting device 1 of the first embodiment, the attachment angle of the support member 4 to the motion member 3 can be adjusted by the angle adjusting section 8 . For this reason, the attachment angle of the support member 4 is adjusted so as to match the condition of the front surface of the upper body of each of the persons being assisted (M1, M2), and each person being assisted (M1, M2) and the support member 4 are attached to each other. positional relationship can be improved. As a result, each person being assisted (M1, M2) feels comfortable in use. Therefore, the assisting device 1 can ensure good comfort in use, corresponding to various body types of a plurality of assisted persons (M1, M2).

5. Assistive device 1A of the second embodiment
Next, the assistance device 1A of the second embodiment will be described, mainly focusing on the points different from the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the assistance device 1A of the second embodiment includes a base 2A, a lifting member 3A and an arm member 3B corresponding to motion members, a support member 4A, an angle adjusting section 8A (see FIG. 13), and It is composed of a control unit (not shown) and the like. The base 2A includes a footrest 21 arranged parallel to the floor surface F, a pair of left and right rear wheels 23, and a pair of left and right front wheels 28. As shown in FIG. A strut 29 is erected between the front wheels 28 on the upper surface of the base 2A. A knee rest member 6A is provided rearward from the lower portion of the support 29 so as to be adjustable in height.

The elevating member 3A is provided on the rear surface of the column 29 and is driven up and down by a linear motion device (not shown). An arm member 3B is provided on the upper rear side of the lifting member 3A. The arm member 3B is driven by a driving device (not shown) to swing upward and forward and downward and rearward. The arm member 3B has a handle 46A formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape. The mounting position of the handle 46A is adjustable. A swing support portion 33 is provided at the rear end of the arm member 3B.

A support member 4A having an upper body support member 41 and a pair of left and right side support members 47 is attached to the swing support portion 33 so as to be swingable. The mounting angle of the support member 4A in its initial state is defined by the lower portion of the handle 46A, as shown in FIG. That is, the support member 4A swings downward around the swing support portion 33 by the action of its own weight and is stabilized at the mounting position where it abuts against the handle 46A. Therefore, the handle 46A also serves as an angle defining portion that defines the mounting angle of the support member 4A. It is not limited to this, and a dedicated angle regulating portion may be provided.

The support member 4A can swing with respect to the arm member 3B within an operating angle range whose one end is the mounting angle. Therefore, when the leg of the person being assisted collides with the support member 4A from below, the support member 4A freely swings upward from the illustrated mounting angle position to the relief position (see arrow R3 in FIG. 13). Therefore, the legs of the person being assisted are not caught between the support member 4A and the base 2A.

The angle adjuster 8A adjusts the standard body position of the handle 46A indicated by the solid line in FIG. 13 to the obese body position indicated by the broken line. As a result, the mounting angle of the support member 4A approaches the upright direction. In other words, the angle adjuster 8 adjusts the support member 4A away from the abdomen of the obese person M2 being assisted. The angle adjusting section 8A adjusts the attachment angle of not only the upper body support member 41 but also the armpit support member 47. As shown in FIG. The action of the angle adjuster 8A of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 9-11.

6. Modifications and Applications of the Embodiments The structure of the support members (4, 4A) can be modified, and the shape and insertion location of the spacer 81 can be changed according to the modification. Also, the angle adjusters (8, 8A) are not limited to the aspects of the first and second embodiments. For example, the angle adjustment section can be configured by an angle adjustment mechanism using an actuator. Furthermore, the motions of the motion member 3 (including the lifting member 3A and the arm member 3B) and the support members (4, 4A) are not limited to the described aspects, and for example, the motion member simply moves the support member up and down. may be in the form of In addition, various modifications and applications are possible for this embodiment.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A: Assistance Device 2, 2A: Base 3: Motion Member 3A: Lifting Member 3B: Arm Member 4, 4A: Supporting Member 41: Upper Body Supporting Member 46A: Handle (Angle Regulating Part) 5: Actuator 6, 6A : Knee rest member 7: Position adjusting part 8, 8A: Angle adjusting part 81: Spacer 85: Hook-and-loop fastener M1: Standard-type person being assisted M2: Obese-type person being assisted

Claims (5)

An assistance device for assisting a person being assisted in standing from a sitting posture to a standing posture,
a base;
a motion member capable of moving at least vertically with respect to the base;
a support member that is attached at a predetermined attachment angle to the action member and that contacts the front surface of the upper body of the person being assisted to support the person being assisted;
an angle adjustment unit that adjusts the attachment angle in an initial state before the person being assisted contacts the support member ;
The angle adjusting portion has a wedge shape when viewed from the side, and includes a spacer detachably inserted between a mounting seat provided on the operating member and the supporting member,
Assistive device. 2. The assistance device according to claim 1 , wherein the number of said spacers to be inserted is variable according to the degree of obesity of said person being assisted. 2. The assisting device according to claim 1 , wherein one of the plurality of types of wedge-shaped spacers having different thicknesses is selected and inserted according to the degree of obesity of the person being assisted. An assistance device for assisting a person being assisted in standing from a sitting posture to a standing posture,
a base;
a motion member that can move at least vertically with respect to the base;
a support member that is attached at a predetermined attachment angle to the action member and that contacts the front surface of the upper body of the person being assisted to support the person being assisted;
an angle adjustment unit that adjusts the attachment angle in an initial state before the person being assisted contacts the support member ;
The mounting angle of the supporting member is defined by the angle defining portion, and the supporting member is capable of swinging with respect to the operating member within an operating angle range whose one end is the mounting angle,
The angle adjusting section adjusts the mounting angle by adjusting the angle defining section.
Assistive device. The angle adjusting section is adapted to adjust the support member to approach the chest of the care receiver, or to adjust the support member to the obese care receiver whose abdominal circumference is relatively large compared to the chest circumference. 5. The assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein said attachment angle is adjusted so as to move away from the abdomen of said person being assisted.

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