JP7163713B2 - walking support device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a walking assistance device.

For users who can walk independently, it is very important that they do not lean on the walker, keep their trunk straight, and swing their arms correctly in sync with their legs. be.

For example, the wheelbarrow (corresponding to a walking support device) described in Patent Document 1 has a handle force that is a force that a user holds a handle bar (corresponding to a fixed handle) and pushes the wheelbarrow, and its direction. , an assist force is generated to assist movement of the handcart in the traveling direction. In addition, the handcart has a rotation angle sensor and an inclination angle sensor, and based on information such as the traveling direction and inclination angle of the vehicle body in various usage conditions, the user can stably push the handcart and walk. Drive the wheels as you can.

A rollator (corresponding to a walking support device) described in Patent Document 2 includes a pair of left and right front wheels, rear wheels, main frames, side frames, sliders, handles, and connecting rods. A handle is fixed to the slider, and the slider is slidable back and forth along the side frame. Also, the slider is connected to the rear wheel via a connecting rod. As a result, when the user grips the left and right handles with the left and right hands and pushes the walker forward to move the vehicle forward, the left and right handles alternately move back and forth due to the rotational motion of the rear wheels. In other words, the walker moves with the user who walks by swinging his arm, and the power source of the walker is the force of the user swinging his arm back and forth.

JP 2017-12546 A JP 2009-106446 A

In order to support high-quality walking of the user by swinging the arms correctly in synchronization with the movement of the user's legs, the walking speed of the user who swings the arms and walks at his/her own pace, and the walking support device must match the speed at which .

The wheelbarrow described in Patent Literature 1 cannot support high-quality walking by correctly swinging the user's arms in synchronization with the movement of the user's legs.

The rollator described in Patent Literature 2 can assist the user in walking while swinging his or her arms. However, in addition to the fact that the swing width of the user's arm is fixed, there is no drive source for driving the wheels, and the user's arm swing drives (rotates) the wheels of the rollator. Therefore, the movement speed of the walker is determined by the arm swing speed, which is the speed at which the user swings his arm. Therefore, in order to adjust the travel speed of the walker, the user's arm swing speed must be adjusted. For this reason, the user has to forcibly adjust the walking speed and arm swing speed in order to match the user's own walking speed and the traveling speed of the rollator, so there is a possibility that the user cannot walk appropriately at his/her own pace. There is

The present invention has been invented in view of these points, and assists the walking of a high-quality user who swings his/her arms correctly in synchronism with the movement of the user's legs, and provides a natural ( An object of the present invention is to provide a walking support device that achieves a progressing speed corresponding to a comfortable arm swing state and walking speed.

In order to solve the above problems, a first invention provides a frame, a plurality of wheels including at least one drive wheel provided at the lower end of the frame, and a walking support device that drives the drive wheel to move forward or backward. A walking assistance device comprising: driving means for allowing the user to move, a battery serving as a power source for the driving means, and drive control means for controlling the driving means, the device being held by a user and swinging the arm as the user walks. a pair of left and right movable handles that move back and forth with respect to the frame according to the movement of the user; It has a hand guide means and a grip state detection means for detecting the state of the movable handle, and the drive control means is based on the state of the movable handle detected by the grip state detection means. and controlling the driving means to control the traveling speed of the walking assistance device.

A second aspect of the invention is the walking support device according to the first aspect, wherein the drive control means detects the state of the movable handle detected by the grip portion state detection means. A frame relative front-rear position, which is the position of the movable handle with respect to the frame in the frame front-rear direction, is obtained, and the driving means is controlled based on the frame relative front-rear position according to the arm swing of the user. , is a walking support device.

A third invention is the walking support device according to the second invention, wherein the frame has a virtual front-rear reference position set at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction of the frame, and the drive control means A handle front-rear center position that is the center in the frame front-rear direction of the frame relative front-rear position of the movable handle and the frame relative front-rear position of the left movable handle is obtained, and the handle front-rear center position is on the front side of the virtual front-back reference position, the control amount of the driving means is increased so as to increase the traveling speed of the walking support device, and the front-back center position of the handle is adjusted to the virtual front-back reference position. In the walking support device, the control amount of the driving means is corrected to reduce the amount of control so as to decrease the traveling speed of the walking support device when it is on the rear side of the position.

A fourth invention is the walking support device according to the third invention, wherein the virtual front-rear reference position is set forward of a center position of the movable range in the front-rear direction of the frame. is.

A fifth invention is the walking support device according to the third invention or the fourth invention, wherein the drive control means controls the movement of the handle front-rear center position and the virtual front-rear reference position in the frame front-rear direction. In the walking support device, the correction amounts of the increasing correction and the decreasing correction are increased as the front-rear direction difference, which is the difference, is increased.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the walking support device according to the fifth aspect, wherein when the longitudinal difference is within a predetermined range, the correction amounts of the increasing correction and the decreasing correction are proportional to the longitudinal difference. It is a walking support device that is set to a proportional correction amount.

A seventh invention is the walking support device according to the sixth invention, wherein when the difference in the front-rear direction is out of the predetermined range, the correction amounts of the increasing correction and the decreasing correction are adjusted to the proportional correction. This walking support device is set to a correction amount larger than the amount.

An eighth invention is the walking support device according to any one of the second invention to the seventh invention, wherein the drive control means controls the width of movement of the right movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame. is larger than the movement width of the left movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame, the driving means is controlled so as to turn the walking support device to the left, and the frame of the left movable handle is controlled. A walking support device for controlling the driving means to turn the walking support device to the right when the width of movement in the front-rear direction is larger than the width of movement of the right movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame. be.

A ninth invention is the walking support device according to any one of the second invention to the eighth invention, wherein the pair of left and right movable handles are connected to respective electric motors. and the drive shaft of each electric motor is rotated according to the movement of each movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame. can be detected and is one of the gripping portion state detection means, and the drive control means obtains based on the detection signal from each of the phase detection means. is a walking support device that obtains each of the frame relative front-rear positions based on the phase of the drive shaft of the electric motor.

A tenth invention is the walking support device according to the first invention, wherein the drive control means is obtained based on the state of the movable handle detected by the grip portion state detection means. The driving means is controlled based on a forward evaluation speed, which is the forward movement speed of the movable handle relative to the frame, and a rear evaluation speed, which is the rearward movement speed of the movable handle relative to the frame. It is a walking support device that

An eleventh invention is the walking support device according to the tenth invention, wherein the drive control means controls the forward evaluation speed and the rear evaluation speed when at least one of the movable handles is held. is equal to the driving means.

A twelfth invention is the walking support device according to the tenth invention or the eleventh invention, wherein the drive control means moves the left movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame, which is the front-rear direction of the frame. When the width is larger than the movement width of the frame in the right movable handle in the longitudinal direction, the driving means is controlled so as to turn the walking support device to the right, and the frame in the right movable handle is controlled. The walking support device controls the driving means to turn the walking support device to the left when the width of movement in the front-rear direction is larger than the width of movement of the left movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame. .

A thirteenth invention is the walking support device according to any one of the tenth invention to the twelfth invention, wherein the drive control means is configured such that the rear evaluation speed is greater than the front evaluation speed. controls the driving means so as to decrease the advancing speed of the walking support device, and increases the advancing speed of the walking support device when the forward evaluated speed is greater than the backward evaluated speed; It is a walking support device that controls a driving means.

A fourteenth invention is the walking support device according to any one of the tenth invention to the thirteenth invention, wherein the drive control means controls the grip portion state when the user swings the arm as the user walks. When it is determined that the movable handle has moved to the vicinity of the front end of the movable range of the handle guide means based on the information from the detecting means, the driving is performed so as to increase the traveling speed of the walking support device. means, and when it is determined that the movable handle has moved to the vicinity of the rear end of the movable range in the handle guide means, the driving means is controlled so as to decrease the traveling speed of the walking support device. It is a walking support device that

According to the first invention, the drive means is controlled based on the state of the movable handle (for example, the position of the movable handle and the moving speed of the movable handle) detected by the grip portion state detection means. The traveling speed of the walking support device is adjusted according to the arm swinging state of the user. Therefore, it supports the user's high-quality walking by correctly swinging the arms in synchronization with the movement of the user's legs, and the movement speed is set according to the user's natural (comfortable) arm swing state and walking speed. be able to.

According to the second invention, by controlling the driving means based on the position of the movable handle (frame relative front-rear position), the traveling speed of the walking support device can be appropriately controlled.

When the user walks while swinging the left and right arms alternately, it can be considered that the central position of the handle with respect to the body of the user does not substantially change regardless of the positions of the left and right arms. According to the third invention, the front-rear center position of the handle is regarded as the position of the user's body, and based on this front-rear center position of the handle and the virtual front-rear reference position, the user can walk appropriately in real time. It is possible to control the advancing speed of the support device, and to advance the walking support device so that the position of the walking support device with respect to the walking user is maintained at an appropriate position.

When the user is walking while swinging the left and right arms alternately, the center position of the handle in the front-rear direction is usually located slightly forward of the position of the user's body. According to the fourth invention, the position of the user's body (the position in the front-rear direction of the frame) can be maintained substantially at the center of the movable range.

According to the fifth invention, when the walking support device is deviated forward or backward with respect to the user's body in the longitudinal direction of the frame, the correction speed (correction amount) is increased as the amount of deviation (difference in the longitudinal direction) increases. Since it is made larger, the deviation can be corrected in a shorter time.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the front or rear deviation amount (front-back direction difference) of the walking support device with respect to the user's body is not so large in the frame front-rear direction, the correction speed (correction amount) is set as the proportional correction amount. By doing so, it is possible to stably maintain the position of the walking support device with respect to the position of the user who is walking.

According to the seventh invention, in the front-rear direction of the frame, when the amount of front or rear deviation (front-back direction difference) of the walking support device with respect to the user's body is extremely large, the correction speed (correction amount) is set to be greater than the proportional correction amount. By setting the correction amount to be large, the amount of deviation can be corrected in a shorter time.

According to the eighth invention, when the user walking while alternately swinging the left and right arms wishes to turn the walking support device to the right, it is possible to turn the device to the right appropriately and easily. , when the walking support device is desired to turn left, it is possible to turn left appropriately and easily.

According to the ninth invention, the position of the movable handle can be detected appropriately and easily by detecting the rotational phase of the drive shaft of the electric motor that rotates with the movement of the movable handle.

According to the tenth invention, when the user moves the movable handle with respect to the frame, based on the forward movement speed of the movable handle and the rearward movement speed of the movable handle with respect to the frame, , the driving means can be controlled to control the traveling speed of the walking assistance device. In other words, since the advancing speed of the walking support device is controlled in accordance with the user's arm swing speed, it is possible to support the user's high-quality walking by correctly swinging the arm in synchronization with the user's leg movement. It is possible to provide a walking support device that provides a natural (easy) arm swing state for the user and a walking speed corresponding to the walking speed.

When walking while alternately swinging the arm, the forward evaluation speed corresponding to the forward arm swing speed and the backward evaluation speed corresponding to the backward arm swing speed are usually the same. According to the eleventh invention, by controlling the driving means and controlling the advancing speed of the walking support device so that the forward evaluation speed and the rear evaluation speed are equal, To suppress the position of a walking support device from shifting in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the position of the walking support device in the front-rear direction with respect to the user can be maintained at an appropriate position.

According to the twelfth invention, when the user who is walking while alternately swinging the left and right arms wishes to turn the walking support device to the right, it is possible to turn the device to the right appropriately and easily. , when the walking support device is desired to turn left, it is possible to turn left appropriately and easily.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, when the rear evaluation speed is higher than the front evaluation speed, the traveling speed of the walking support device is decreased, and when the front evaluation speed is higher than the rear evaluation speed, the walking speed of the walking support device is reduced. By increasing , the walking speed of the user and the advancing speed of the walking support device can be equalized. That is, it is possible to stably maintain the position of the walking support device with respect to the user who is walking while swinging his arms.

According to the fourteenth invention, it is possible to prevent the movable handle from coming into contact with the front end or the rear end of the handle guide means when the user swings his or her arms while walking.

It is a perspective view explaining the whole structure of a walking assistance device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the structures and functions of a movable handle, a fixed handle, and rails; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the movable handle viewed from the III-III direction in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the movable handle viewed from the direction IV-IV in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a fixed handle in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fixed handle viewed from the direction VI-VI in FIG. 5; 4 is a block diagram illustrating input/output of drive control means of the walking support device; FIG. It is a figure explaining the operation mode of a walking assistance apparatus determined based on the output of each detection means. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing conditions for shifting from the determination mode to each operation mode and conditions for returning to the determination mode in FIG. 8 ; 4 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of overall processing of the first embodiment in drive control means of the walking support device; 4 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing in assist mode 1 and training mode 4 in drive control means of the walking support device; 4 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing in assist mode 2 and training mode 3 in drive control means of the walking support device; 4 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing in training mode 1 in drive control means of the walking support device; 4 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing in training mode 2 in drive control means of the walking support device; 4 is a flow chart for explaining a procedure of a process of determining a turn in drive control means of the walking support device and determining a difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the user's walking speed. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining mode transition conditions for transitioning an operation mode based on a body state, an atmosphere state, and a vehicle body state; It is a figure explaining the conditions which shift to each operation mode in the case of switching an operation mode automatically. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of overall processing of the second embodiment in the drive control means of the walking support device; Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining procedures of processing [S900] in training modes 1 and 2 in drive control means of the walking support device; FIG. 4 is a plan view of the walking support device, and is a diagram for explaining a frame relative front-rear position, a handle front-rear central position, a virtual front-rear reference position, and the like. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a front-rear direction difference/correction amount characteristic; It is a figure explaining the example of the walking assistance apparatus which changed the movable handle which slides in the front-back direction to the movable handle which swings in the front-back direction.

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, when the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis are described in the drawing, each axis is orthogonal to each other. 1, the Z-axis direction indicates the direction from the front wheel 60FR to the rear wheel 60RR, and the X-axis direction indicates the direction from left to right on the frame 50. As shown in FIG. In the frame 50, the X-axis direction is defined as "right", the direction opposite to the X-axis direction is defined as "left", the direction opposite to the Z-axis direction is defined as "front", and the Z-axis direction is defined as "rear". Also, the Y-axis direction is defined as "up", and the opposite direction to the Y-axis direction is defined as "down". Angular velocities around each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as the pitch angular velocity for rotation viewed from the X-axis direction, the yaw angular velocity for rotation viewed from the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. The roll angular velocity is defined as the angular velocity with respect to the rotation viewed from . It should be noted that the magnitude of each angular velocity is defined as the magnitude of the angular velocity for clockwise rotation when viewed from each direction of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis is "positive", and each of the X-, Y-, and Z-axes The magnitude of the angular velocity for counterclockwise rotation viewed from the direction of is assumed to be "negative".

● [Schematic overall configuration of the first embodiment (Fig. 1)]
A schematic configuration of a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a walking support device 10 according to this embodiment. The walking support device 10 includes rails 30R and 30L (corresponding to arms and handle guide means), drive control means 40, frame 50, front wheels 60FR and 60FL, rear wheels 60RR and 60RL, drive means 64R, 64L (for example, an electric motor), a control panel 70, a battery B, and regenerative power recovery means 65. The front wheels 60FR and 60FL and the rear wheels 60RR and 60RL correspond to a plurality of wheels.

As shown in FIG. 1, the frame 50 has a symmetrical shape with respect to the left-right direction. are provided respectively. A user enters between the rails 30R and 30L from the open side of the frame 50 and operates the walking support device 10. - 特許庁The front wheels 60FR and 60FL are driven wheels (rotatable caster wheels) provided at the front lower end of the frame 50 .

Further, the frame 50 is provided with an outside air temperature sensor 54 for detecting the outside air temperature, and a three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52 for detecting the inclination of the walking support device 10 in the respective axial directions of the X, Y, and Z axes. there is The rear wheels 60RR and 60RL are drive wheels provided at the rear lower end of the frame 50 and driven by drive means 64R and 64L via belts 62, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right rear wheels, which are driving wheels, are driven independently by a driving means. The rear wheels 60RR and 60RL allow the walking support device 10 to move forward, backward, turn right, and turn left.

The rail 30R has a movable handle 20R (corresponding to a grip portion) that can be gripped by the user and a fixed handle 20FR (corresponding to a grip portion). The rail 30L has a movable handle 20L (corresponding to the grip) that can be gripped by the user, and a fixed handle 20FL (corresponding to the grip). The movable handle 20R is provided on the rail 30R and is movable in the front-rear direction along the rail 30R in accordance with the swing of the user's arm while walking. In addition, the movable handle 20L is provided on the rail 30L and is movable in the front-rear direction along the rail 30L in accordance with the swing of the user's arm while walking.

The rails 30R, 30L of the frame 50 are provided with fixed handles 20FR, 20FL, respectively. In addition, the rails 30R and 30L are not limited to the upwardly concavely curved shape, and may have a linear shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control panel 70 is provided, for example, on the top of the frame 50 at a position where it is easy for the user to operate. The control panel 70 includes a main switch 72, an assist amount adjustment volume 74a, a load amount adjustment volume 74b, a manual mode switching means 76a, an automatic mode switching means switch 76b, and a monitor 78 (corresponding to display means). have.

The walking support device 10 has, as operation modes, a training mode in which a load is applied to the user's body motion accompanying walking of the user, and a load of the user's body motion accompanying walking in a reduced load. and an assist mode. The operation mode switching means 76 has a manual mode switching means 76a, an automatic mode switching means switch 76b, and an automatic mode switching means 76AT (see FIG. 7). The mode manual switching means 76a switches the operation mode of the walking support device 10 by manual operation of the user. The mode manual switching means 76a can select the state of four operation modes of "assist mode", "training mode 1", "training mode 2", and "training modes 3 and 4" (see FIG. 9).

The mode automatic switching means switch 76b is a switch that permits the drive control means 40 to automatically switch the operation mode. When the automatic mode switching means switch 76b is on, the automatic mode switching means 76AT in the drive control means 40 automatically switches the operation mode based on the information selected by the manual mode switching means 76a and the conditions shown in FIGS. switch to

The assist amount adjustment volume 74a is for adjusting the magnitude of the assist force (assist amount) in the assist mode, and the load amount adjustment volume 74b is for adjusting the magnitude of the load (load amount) in the training mode.

The monitor 78 is a monitor for displaying operation mode information. In addition to displaying the operation mode information, for example, the charge amount of the battery B, walking history, information on the user's physical condition, user's physical information history, ambient atmosphere condition, etc. , the amount of load/assistance, the operation history of the walking support device 10, the state of the vehicle body, and the like.

● [Detailed structure of walking support device 10 (Figs. 2 to 6)]
The structure of the walking support device 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. The walking support device 10 has a symmetrical structure on the left and right sides of the frame 50 except for the control panel 70, the drive control means 40, the battery B, and the regenerative power recovery means 65. The structure of is explained. FIG. 2 is a perspective view explaining the structure and function of the movable handle 20R, the fixed handle 20FR and the rail 30R. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the movable handle 20R viewed from the III-III direction in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the movable handle 20R viewed from the IV-IV direction in FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the fixed handle 20FR in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fixed handle 20FR viewed from the VI-VI direction in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rail 30R has a movable handle 20R, pulleys PB and PF, and a wire W. As shown in FIG. The rail 30R has an upwardly concave curved shape, and has a rail slit portion 38 which is a movable range of the movable handle 20R and which opens upward along the front-rear direction. Further, the rail 30R is provided with pulleys PB and PF at both ends in the front-rear direction. The wire W is hooked on the pulley PF arranged in front and the pulley PB arranged in the rear, and the respective rotations are interlocked. In addition, the motor 32R, the right handle position detecting means 34R (for example, an encoder), and the handle movement limiting means 35R are provided coaxially with respect to the pulley PF. As shown in FIG. 4, a wire is fixed to the wire connection portion WA of the anchor portion 22B, and the wire is inserted through the wire hole WH without being fixed. A movable handle 20R is connected to the anchor portion 22B. Accordingly, the motor 32R rotates the pulley PF to rotate the wire W between the pulleys, thereby assisting the movement of the movable handle 20R or applying a load to the movement of the movable handle 20R. The right handle position detection means 34R outputs to the drive control means 40 the amount of rotation of the pulley PF accompanying the movement of the movable handle 20R on the rail 30R.

As shown in FIG. 3, the movable handle 20R has a handle shaft portion 21a, a shaft portion insertion hole 21b, a slider 22, a grip portion 26a, a switch grip portion 26b, and a brake lever BKL. ing. Further, the slider 22 is composed of a handle holding portion 22A and an anchor portion 22B.

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the biasing means 24 is connected to the handle shaft portion 21a, and the other end is connected to the bottom portion of the shaft portion fitting hole 21b. A collar portion 21c is provided in the circumferential direction at the end portion of the handle shaft portion 21a to which the biasing means 24 is connected. An inner flange portion 20c is provided on the inner wall surface of the opening of the shaft fitting hole 21b. Thereby, the grip portion 26a can slide up and down along the longitudinal direction of the handle shaft portion 21a without being separated from the handle shaft portion 21a. That is, the movable handle 20R has an extension/contraction mechanism that enables extension/contraction in the projecting direction.

A handle support shaft JK is provided on the side of the handle shaft portion 21a to which the biasing means 24 is not connected. The handle support shaft JK has a substantially spherical tip, and forms a ball joint with a concave portion provided in the handle holding portion 22A. As a result, the movable handle 20R can be tilted forward, backward, left and right within a range restricted by the opening with respect to the handle holding portion 22A (see FIGS. 3 and 4). A right handle inclination detection means 33R for detecting the amount of inclination is provided in the opening of the handle holding portion 22A and arranged with respect to the handle support shaft JK from the front, back, left and right. The right handle inclination detecting means 33R may be, for example, a pressure sensor that detects pressure due to expansion and contraction of the spring provided between the side surface of the handle support shaft JK and the opening of the handle holding portion 22A.

As shown in FIG. 3, the switch grip portion 26b is provided so that a predetermined gap is formed between the grip portion 26a and the switch grip portion 26b by a grip biasing means 28 (for example, a spring). When the user grips the movable handle 20R, the switch grip portion 26b moves toward the grip portion 26a and the grip detection means 25R is turned on when pressure is applied, and is turned off when the pressure is removed. The grasp detection means 25R may be, for example, a pressure switch or a push switch.

As shown in FIG. 3, a heart rate body temperature sensor 27a is provided on a portion of the grip portion 26a. The heart rate and body temperature sensor 27a measures the user's heart rate and body temperature at predetermined intervals when the user holds the movable handle 20R (20L). The user's heart rate may be measured, for example, by measuring the blood flow in the gripped part of the hand using infrared rays. Also, the user's body temperature may be measured, for example, by measuring changes in the resistance of a thermistor that changes according to temperature changes, or by measuring changes in infrared rays emitted from a portion held by the user.

One end of the brake lever BKL is connected to the lower front side of the grip portion 26a. A mechanism that locks the rotation of the front wheels 60FR and 60FL and the rear wheels 60RR and 60RL when the user grasps the brake lever BKL and pulls it toward the grip portion 26a, maintains the locked state, and releases the lock when the user pulls the brake lever BKL further. (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the rail 30R is provided with a handle movement restricting means 35R that permits and prohibits movement of the movable handle 20R with respect to the frame 50. As shown in FIG. For example, the handle movement restricting means 35R has a lock mechanism that locks the rotation of the motor 32R. , allows movement of the handle relative to the rail (ie, relative to the frame).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, one wire W is inserted through the wire hole WH provided in the anchor portion 22B, and the other wire W is connected (fixed) to the wire connection portion WA. there). In addition, the movable handle 20R can move on the rail 30R by sliding the rail slit portion 38 at the constricted portion connecting the handle holding portion 22A and the anchor portion 22B.

One end of the signal cable 36 is connected to the anchor portion 22B, and the other end is connected to the drive control means 40. Detection signals from the grip detection means 25R and the right hand inclination detection means 33R are transmitted to the drive control means 40. do. The signal cable 36 may be, for example, a flexible cable such as a flexible cable. The drive control means 40 can detect the position of the movable handle 20R on the rail 30R based on the detection signal from the right handle position detection means 34R. The drive control means 40 can detect how much the movable handle 20R is tilted in the front, rear, left, and right direction based on the detection signal from the right hand tilt detection means 33R. The drive control means 40 can detect whether or not the movable handle 20R is being held by the user based on the detection signal from the holding detection means 25R.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fixed handle 20FR (20FL) has a grip portion 26Fa and a switch grip portion 26Fb. The heart rate and body temperature sensor 27b measures the user's heart rate and body temperature at predetermined intervals when the user holds the movable handle 20R. The measurement of the user's heart rate and body temperature by the heart rate and body temperature sensor 27b is the same as that of the heart rate and body temperature sensor 27a, so the description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the switch grip portion 26Fb is provided so that a predetermined gap is formed between the grip portion 26Fa and the switch grip portion 26Fb by a grip biasing means 28 (for example, a spring). When the user grips the fixed handle 20FR, the switch grip portion 26Fb moves toward the grip portion 26Fa and pressure is applied to the grip detection means 25FR. It turns off when it runs out. The grasp detection means 25FR may be any device that outputs a detection signal proportional to the applied pressure, such as a pressure sensor.

● [Functions of walking support device 10 and processing in each operation mode (FIGS. 7 to 17)]
Functions of the walking support device 10 and processing in each operation mode will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 17. FIG.

[Input/output of drive control means 40 of walking support device 10 (FIG. 7)]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining input/output of the drive control means 40 (for example, a control device having a CPU) in the walking support device 10 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 7, the drive control means 40 controls the motors 32R and 32L, and the motors 32R and 32L based on input information from the state detection means 80, information stored in the storage means 44, and input information from the control panel 70. It controls the hand movement restricting means 35R, 35L and the driving means 64R, 64L.

The drive control means 40 controls the driving means 64R, 64L to achieve target traveling speeds (VR, VL), which are targets for advancing the walking support device 10, and drives the rear wheels 60RR, 60RL which are driving wheels. . Note that the target traveling speed VR is a target traveling speed for advancing the rear wheels 60RR of the walking support device 10 based on the user's motion, and the target traveling speed VL is the target traveling speed of the walking support device 10 based on the user's motion. This is the target traveling speed for advancing the rear wheels 60RL (see FIG. 1).

● [Configuration and function of state detection means 80]
As shown in FIG. 7, the state detection means 80 is composed of grip portion state detection means 81 , body state detection means 82 , vehicle body state detection means 83 , and atmosphere state detection means 84 .

The grip portion state detection means 81 is composed of a movable handle acting force detecting means 81a, a movable handle movement amount detecting means 81b, and a fixed handle acting force detecting means 81c.

The movable handle acting force detection means 81a includes grip detection means 25R and 25L, right handle inclination detection means 33R, and left handle inclination detection means 33L. The movable handle acting force detection means 81a detects whether or not the user is gripping the movable handles 20R and 20L (see FIG. 1), and the forward and rearward force pushing the movable handles 20R and 20L gripped by the user. It detects the force acting on the movable handle, which is a pulling force, and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected state to the drive control means 40 .

The movable handle movement amount detection means 81b has right handle position detection means 34R and left handle position detection means 34L. The movable handle movement amount detection means 81b detects the movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L relative to the rails 30R and 30L (see FIG. 1) for a predetermined time when the user walks while holding the movable handles 20R and 20L and swinging their arms. , and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected amount to the drive control means 40 .

The movable handle movement amount detection means 81b detects the movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L in the front-rear direction with respect to the rails 30R and 30L when the user walks while holding the movable handles 20R and 20L and swinging their arms. Certain movement widths DR and DL (corresponding to arm swing widths) are detected, and a signal corresponding to the detected state is output to the drive control means 40 .

The fixed handle acting force detection means 81c has grip detection means 25FR and 25FL. The fixed handle acting force detecting means 81c detects whether or not the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL are held by the user, the force pushing forward the fixed handle 20FR (20FL) (see FIG. 1) held by the user, and the It detects the force acting on the fixed handle, which is the force of pulling backward, and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected state to the drive control means 40 .

The physical condition detection means 82 is means for detecting the physical condition of the user, and has heart rate and body temperature sensors 27a and 27b and a physical information history 82a. The physical condition detection means 82 detects the user's physical condition, for example, the user's heart rate and body temperature, using the heart rate and body temperature sensors 27a and 27b, and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected condition to the drive control means 40.

The physical condition detection means 82 stores the user's physical information history (for example, heart rate, body temperature, number of steps) in the physical information history 82a. Note that the number of steps is calculated based on the information from the movable handle movement amount detecting means 81b, with the number of steps taken when the user swings his arm back and forth once in the forward and backward direction, for example, as two steps.

The vehicle body state detection means 83 is a means for detecting the state of the walking support device 10 including the operation history of the walking support device 10, and is a means for detecting the progressing speed acquisition means 56R, the progressing speed acquisition means 56L, and the triaxial acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52. , and operation history information 58 .

The traveling speed acquiring means 56R and the traveling speed acquiring means 56L are connected to the driving means 64R and 64L, respectively, and measure the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the rear wheels 60RR and 60RL (see FIG. 1) traveling forward or backward. to the drive control means 40.

The three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52 measures acceleration with respect to each of the three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes, and also measures angular velocity in rotation about each of the three axes. For example, when the walking support device 10 is traveling on an inclined surface, the three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52 outputs detection signals corresponding to the respective inclinations of the X, Y, and Z axes of the vehicle with respect to the inclined surface to the drive control means 40. output to The three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52 also detects changes in acceleration applied to the vehicle body of the walking support device 10 (impact to the vehicle body), and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected acceleration change to the drive control means 40. do. The three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52 also detects the pitch angular velocity, yaw angular velocity, and roll angular velocity of the vehicle body of the walking support device 10 and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected angular velocity to the drive control means 40 .

The vehicle body state detection means 83 stores the operation history (e.g., walking distance, walking time) of the walking support device 10 in the operation history information 58, and detects the state of the walking support device 10 (e.g., traveling speed of the walking support device, tilt, traveling speed) are detected.

The atmospheric state detection means 84 is means for detecting the atmospheric state (for example, outside temperature) around the user, and has the outside temperature sensor 54 . The atmospheric state detection means 84 detects the outside air temperature with the outside air temperature sensor 54 and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected state to the drive control means 40 .

● [Calculation of front evaluation speed VRhf, VLhf and rear evaluation speed VRhb, VLhb]
The drive control means 40 determines a forward evaluation speed (VRhf , VLhf) and the rear evaluation speeds (VRhb, VLhb), which are the speeds of movement of the movable handles 20R, 20L in the rearward direction with respect to the frame 50, are calculated. The moving speed of the movable handles 20R and 20L with respect to the frame 50 is "positive" when moving forward, and "negative" when moving backward.

The forward evaluation speeds (VRhf, VLhf) or rear evaluation speeds (VRhb, VLhb) are calculated, for example, from the moving speeds of the movable handles (20R, 20L) when the user swings his arms forward or backward. Specifically, it is derived according to the following procedure. Since the processing is the same for the left and right movable handles, only the forward evaluation speed (VRhf) and rearward evaluation speed (VRhb) for the right movable handle 20R will be described.

Derivation of the forward evaluation speed (VRhf) of the right movable handle 20R: The drive control means 40 obtains the moving speed of the movable handle 20R based on the amount of movement of the movable handle 20R measured at predetermined intervals. The drive control means 40 integrates (integrates) only the forward moving speed at which the movable handle 20R moves forward (the magnitude of the moving speed is "positive") among the determined moving speeds of the movable handle 20R. The drive control means 40 divides the integrated forward moving speed of the movable handle 20R by a predetermined time (average processing) to derive the forward evaluation speed (VRhf).

Derivation of the rear evaluation speed (VRhb) of the right movable handle 20R: The drive control means 40 obtains the moving speed of the movable handle 20R based on the amount of movement of the movable handle 20R measured at predetermined intervals. The drive control means 40 integrates (integrates) only the rearward movement speed (the magnitude of the movement speed is "negative") at which the movable handle 20R moves backward among the obtained movement speeds of the movable handle 20R. The drive control means 40 divides the integrated forward moving speed of the movable handle 20R by a predetermined time (average processing) to derive the rear evaluation speed (VRhb).

● [Change of load amount and magnitude of assist force by load amount/assistance amount changing means 74]
The load amount/assist amount changing means 74 has an assist amount adjustment volume 74a and a load amount adjustment volume 74b. The assist amount adjustment volume 74a outputs to the drive control means 40 a detection signal corresponding to the adjustment amount (assist adjustment amount) for adjusting the magnitude of the assist force (assist amount) in the assist mode. The load adjustment volume 74b outputs to the drive control means 40 a detection signal corresponding to the adjustment amount (load adjustment amount) for adjusting the load size (load amount) in the training mode. In the assist mode, the load amount/assist amount changing means 74 changes the assist amount based on the information from the state detecting means 80 and the assist adjustment amount. In the training mode, the load amount/assist amount changing means 74 changes the load amount based on the information from the state detecting means 80 and the load adjustment amount.

● [Function of learning means 74c in load amount/assistance amount changing means 74]
The load amount/assistance amount changing means 74 has a learning means 74c, and the atmosphere state around the user detected by the atmosphere state detection means 84 and the walking support device detected by the vehicle body state detection means 83 are detected. 10 and the physical condition of the user detected by the physical condition detecting means 82, the load amount is adjusted in the training mode, and the assist amount is adjusted in the assist mode. The learning means in the learning means 74c is, for example, the user's past usage history (walking time, walking distance, load amount, assist amount) stored in the storage means 44 and the user's past physical information history (heart rate , body temperature, and number of steps) to determine an appropriate amount of load and an appropriate amount of assistance. As a result, it is possible to more appropriately suppress the decrease in the user's physical strength (physical strength maintenance) because the user is not excessively assisted without excessively applying a load to the user.

● [Functions in storage means 44]
The storage means 44 is a means for storing information, and stores and reads information according to a request from the drive control means 40 . The storage means 44 stores the information acquired by the state detection means 80, the calculation result of the drive control means 40, the operation history of the walking support device 10, the amount of assistance in the past assist mode during walking of the user, the amount of load in the training mode, and the like. store the information of

● [Functions in control panel 70]
The control panel 70 provides switches and a monitor 78 necessary for the user to operate the walking assistance device 10 . By turning on the main switch 72, the user puts the walking support device 10 in a state in which it can proceed. The user can adjust the load amount in the training mode and the assist amount in the assist mode by the assist amount adjustment volume 74a and the load amount adjustment volume 74b. Also, the user can select a desired operation mode ("assist mode", "training mode 1", "training mode 2", and "training modes 3 and 4") by switching the mode manual switching means 76a. When the automatic mode switching means switch 76b is turned on, the drive control means 40 automatically switches the operation mode between the operation mode selected by the user and a predetermined operation mode.

● [Processing procedure in each operation mode in drive control means 40 (FIGS. 8 to 17)]
Determination of the operation mode of the walking support device 10 (see FIG. 1) by the drive control means 40 (see FIG. 7) and processing based on the determined operation mode will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 17. FIG.
● [Overview of each operation mode and conditions for shifting to the operation mode (Figs. 8 to 10)]
FIG. 8 is a state transition diagram for explaining the operation modes of the walking support device 10 determined based on the output of each detection means. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing conditions for shifting from the determination mode JDM to each operation mode and conditions for returning to the determination mode JDM in FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the overall processing procedure of the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10. As shown in FIG.

● [Summary of operation and operation mode judgment at power ON/OFF]
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation mode of the walking support device 10 determined based on the output of each detection means. As shown in FIG. 8, the walking support device 10 has a determination mode JDM, an assist mode 1 (AM1), an assist mode 2 (AM2), a training mode 1 (TR1), a training mode 2 (TR2), It has operation modes consisting of a training mode 3 (TR3) and a training mode 4 (TR4).

The drive control means 40 reads the operation history stored in the storage means 44 and writes it in the operation history information 58 when the main switch 72 (see FIG. 7) is turned on (power ON). After that, the drive control means 40 shifts the walking support device 10 to the determination mode JDM. After shifting to the determination mode JDM, the drive control means 40 obtains each state by the state detection means 80, and shifts the walking support device 10 to the operation mode based on each state obtained. When the main switch 72 is turned off (the power supply is turned off), the drive control means 40 stores information (for example, walking distance and walking time) related to the operation history in the operation history information 58 in the storage means 44 and performs the operation. finish.

● [Explanation of fixed handle gripping mode and movable handle gripping mode]
As shown in FIG. 8, the operation modes consist of a fixed handle gripping mode FXHM and a movable handle gripping mode FRHM. The fixed handle holding mode FXHM is a case where the user holds the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL (see FIG. 1) and advances the walking support device 10 to walk. The movable handle gripping mode FRHM is a case where the user grips the movable handles 20R and 20L (see FIG. 1) and advances the walking support device 10 to walk.

The fixed handle gripping mode FXHM is a non-swinging arm walking mode NHM1 in which the arms are not swung because the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL are used. The movable handle gripping mode FRHM is composed of a non-swinging walking mode NHM2 in which the user holds the movable handles 20R and 20L but does not swing the arm, and a walking mode YHM with swinging the arm in which the user swings the arm.

In the non-swinging walking mode NHM2 in the movable handle gripping mode FRHM, the user grips the movable handles 20R and 20L, which are fixed at predetermined positions on the rails 30R and 30L (see FIG. 1). This corresponds to the fixed hand gripping mode FXHM (walking mode NHM1 without swinging arms). The arm-swinging walking mode YHM is a case where the user walks while holding the movable handles 20R and 20L and moving the walking support device 10 forward and backward along the rails 30R and 30L.

The fixed hand grip mode FXHM consists of assist mode 1 (AM1) and training mode 4 (TR4). The arm-swing-less walking mode NHM2 in the movable handle gripping mode FRHM consists of an assist mode 2 (AM2) and a training mode 3 (TR3). The arm-swinging walking mode YHM in the movable hand gripping mode FRHM consists of a training mode 1 (TR1) and a training mode 2 (TR2).

● [Description of functions in training mode and assist mode (Fig. 8)]
Assist mode 1 (AM1) and assist mode 2 (AM2) can reduce the load of the user of the walking support device 10 due to physical movement. Specifically, the walking support device 10 is advanced with an assisting force that is a predetermined amount greater than the assisting force at which the motion (walking) of the user's body accompanying the user's walking is the motion (walking) in the no-load state. can be done. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load on the user's body movement (walking) accompanying the user's walking.

In training mode 1 (TR1), the walking support device 10 is advanced while the regenerative power recovery means 65 is operated. The regenerative power recovery means 65 is connected to the rear wheels 60RR and 60RL (see FIG. 1), converts rotational energy into power and recovers it (see FIGS. 1 and 7). In training mode 1 (TR1), the walking support device 10 can be advanced by applying a load to the forward and backward movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L by the motors 32R and 32L. This makes it possible to apply a load to the motion of the user's body (walking, arm swinging) that accompanies the user's walking.

In training mode 2 (TR2), there is no load on the movable handles 20R and 20L, and the user's body movement (walking) accompanying walking of the user is supported by an assist force that makes the movement in the no-load state. Device 10 can be advanced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load on the user's body movement (walking) accompanying the user's walking.

In training mode 3 (TR3), the walking support device 10 is advanced while operating the regenerative power recovery means 65 . Therefore, the user needs to push or pull the walking support device 10 with a stronger force in order to advance the walking support device 10 compared to assist mode 2 (AM2). Thereby, a load can be applied to the movement (walking) of the user's body that accompanies the user's walking.

In training mode 4 (TR4), the walking support device 10 is advanced while the regenerative power recovery means 65 is operated. Therefore, the user needs to push or pull the walking support device 10 with a stronger force in order to advance the walking support device 10 compared to assist mode 1 (AM1). Thereby, a load can be applied to the movement (walking) of the user's body that accompanies the user's walking.

● [Judgment to each operation mode and judgment of transition to judgment mode JDM (Fig. 9)]
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing conditions for shifting from the determination mode JDM to each operation mode and conditions for returning to the determination mode JDM in FIG. In FIG. 9, conditions C1 to C6 are conditions for shifting from the judgment mode JDM in FIG. 8 to each operation mode, and conditions CR1 to CR6 are conditions for returning from each operation mode to the judgment mode JDM. In FIG. 9, "-" indicates that the state may be either "0" or "1".

The transition to each operation mode is performed by the mode manual switching means 76a (see FIG. 7), the state of the movable handles (20R, 20L) (see FIG. 1), and the state of the fixed handles (20FR, 20FL) (see FIG. 1). ) and is determined by Conditions for returning from each operation mode to the determination mode JDM are determined by the current operation mode, the state of the movable handles (20R, 20L), and the state of the fixed handles (20FR, 20FL).

In FIG. 9, the gripping state of the movable handle is "1=gripping" when the grip detecting means 25R, 25L (see FIG. 3) detects that the user is gripping either one of the movable handles 20R, 20L. When it is detected that both are not gripped, the result is "0=not gripped".

The fixed handle holding state is "1=holding" when the holding detection means 25FR, 25FL (see FIG. 6) detects that the user is holding either one of the fixed handles 20FR, 20FL. If it is detected that both are not gripped, then "0=not gripped".

The arm swing state of the movable handles 20R and 20L is determined by outputting a detection signal accompanying movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L from either the right handle position detection means 34R or the left handle position detection means 34L. If so, "1=yes", otherwise "0=no".

When any one of the conditions C1 to C6 is established, the drive control means 40 sets the operation mode to the operation mode corresponding to each condition. Determination of transition from the determination mode JDM to each operation mode will be described in detail below.

● [Judgment of assist mode (AM1, AM2)]
The selection of the mode manual switching means 76a is "assist mode", the movable handle grip state is "0=no grip", the arm swing state is "0=no", and the fixed handle grip state is "1=grip". If "Yes", the condition C1 is satisfied, and the drive control means 40 shifts the operation mode from the determination mode JDM to the assist mode 1 (AM1).

The selection of the mode manual switching means 76a is "assist mode", the movable handle gripping state is "1=gripped", the arm swing state is "0=no", and the fixed hand gripping state is "0=gripped". If "No", the condition C2 is established, and the drive control means 40 shifts the operation mode from the determination mode JDM to the assist mode 2 (AM2).

● [Judgment from judgment mode JDM to training mode (TR1 to TR4)]
The selection of the mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 1", the movable handle grip state is "1=hold", the arm swing state is "1=yes", and the fixed hand grip state is "0= In the case of "not gripped", the condition C3 is established, and the drive control means 40 changes the operation mode from the determination mode JDM to the training mode 1 (TR1).

"Training mode 2" is selected by the mode manual switching means 76a, the movable handle gripping state is "1=holding", the arm swing state is "1=present", and the fixed hand holding state is "0= In the case of "not gripped", the condition C4 is established, and the drive control means 40 changes the operation mode from the determination mode JDM to the training mode 2 (TR2).

The selection of the mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 3", the movable handle gripping state is "1=holding", the arm swing state is "0=no", and the fixed hand gripping state is "0= In the case of "not gripped", the condition C5 is established, and the drive control means 40 changes the operation mode from the determination mode JDM to the training mode 3 (TR3).

"Training mode 3" is selected by the mode manual switching means 76a, the movable handle grip state is "0=no grip", the arm swing state is "0=no grip", and the fixed handle grip state is "1=grip". In the case of "possible", the condition C6 is established, and the drive control means 40 changes the operation mode from the judgment mode JDM to the training mode 4 (TR4).

● [Judgment of transition to judgment mode (JDM) in each operation mode]
The drive control means 40 terminates the current operation mode (see FIG. 8) and shifts to the judgment mode JDM when any one of the conditions CR1 to CR6 is satisfied. Determination to shift from each operation mode to the determination mode JDM will be described in detail below.

When the current mode is "assist mode 1 (AM1)" and the fixed handle grip state is "0=not gripped", the condition CR1 is established regardless of other states, and the drive control means 40 enters the operation mode. is changed from the assist mode 1 (AM1) to the determination mode JDM.

When the current mode is "assist mode 2 (AM2)" and the movable handle gripping state is "0=not gripped", condition CR2 is established regardless of other states, and the drive control means 40 enters the operation mode. is changed from the assist mode 2 (AM2) to the determination mode JDM.

When the current mode is "training mode 1 (TR1)" and the state of gripping the movable handle is "0=no gripping", the condition CR3 is satisfied regardless of other states, and the drive control means 40 enters the operation mode. from training mode 1 (TR1) to judgment mode JDM.

When the current mode is "training mode 2 (TR2)" and the state of gripping the movable handle is "0=no gripping", the condition CR4 is established regardless of other states, and the drive control means 40 enters the operation mode. from training mode 2 (TR2) to judgment mode JDM.

When the current mode is "training mode 3 (TR3)" and the state of gripping the movable handle is "0=no gripping", the condition CR5 is established regardless of other states, and the drive control means 40 enters the operation mode. from training mode 3 (TR3) to judgment mode JDM.

When the current mode is "training mode 4 (TR4)" and the state of gripping a fixed handle is "0=no gripping", condition CR6 is established regardless of other states, and the drive control means 40 enters the operation mode. from training mode 4 (TR4) to judgment mode JDM.

● [Flowchart for explaining the overall processing procedure in the processing procedure of the first embodiment (Fig. 10)]
The processing procedure of the drive control means 40 includes the processing procedure of the first embodiment and the processing procedure of the second embodiment. The processing procedure of the first embodiment is a processing procedure for controlling the driving means 64R, 64L based on the moving speeds of the movable handles 20R, 20L in training mode 1 and training mode 2 shown in FIG. The processing procedure of the second embodiment is a processing procedure for controlling the driving means 64R and 64L based on the position of the movable handle in training mode 1 and training mode 2 shown in FIG. First, the processing procedure of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 17. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the overall processing procedure in the processing procedure of the first embodiment of the drive control means 40 (see FIG. 7) of the walking support device 10 (see FIG. 1). A processing procedure of the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. For the operation mode in each process, the reference numerals in FIG. 8 are omitted unless necessary for convenience of explanation.

The overall processing of the drive control means 40 consists of acquisition of each state by the state detection means 80 (step S100), determination of the operation mode based on each acquired state (step S200), and determination of the target advancing speed for advancing the walking support device 10. (Step S170, Steps S300 to S800), and a process of driving the rear wheels 60RR and 60RL (see FIG. 1) so as to achieve the target traveling speed (Step S180). . When activated, the drive control means 40 executes the entire process at predetermined time intervals (for example, several [ms] intervals).

● [Acquisition of each state by the state detection means 80 (step S100)]
Hereinafter, step S100 (acquisition of each state by the state detection means 80) will be described in detail.

In step S100, the drive control means 40 acquires information (detection signal) from the state detection means 80 (grip portion state detection means 81, body state detection means 82, vehicle body state detection means 83, atmosphere state detection means 84). Then, various detected states (input states) are stored in the storage means 44 . The drive control means 40 calculates front evaluated speeds VRhf, VLhf and rear evaluated speeds VRhb, VLhb based on the information acquired by the state detection means 80 , and stores them in the storage means 44 . The drive control means 40 terminates acquisition of each state by the state detection means (step S100), and returns to the overall processing.

For example, the drive control means 40 detects the following input states and stores them in the storage means 44 in step S100.
● [Grip part state (state of fixed handles 20FR, 20FL and movable handles 20R, 20L)]
Fixed handle holding state: whether or not the user is holding either one of the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL.
Fixed handle acting force: Force pushing forward and pulling backward the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL held by the user.
Movable handle holding state: whether the user is holding either one of the movable handles 20R and 20L.
Movable handle acting force: A force that pushes forward and a force that pulls backward the movable handles 20R and 20L held by the user.
Arm swing state: whether or not the user holds either one of the movable handles 20R and 20L and swings the arm back and forth.
Range of movement (DR, DL): The width of movement of the movable handles 20R, 20L in the front-rear direction with respect to the rails 30R, 30L when the user holds the movable handles 20R, 20L and swings his/her arms while walking. equivalent to amplitude).
Forward evaluation speed (VRhf, VLhf): forward moving speed of the movable handles 20R, 20L relative to the frame 50;
Backward evaluation speed (VRhb, VLhb): Moving speed of the movable handles 20R, 20L relative to the frame 50 in the rearward direction.
● [User's physical condition]
Heart rate, body temperature: Heart rate and body temperature when the user is using the walking support device 10 .
● [Vehicle state of walking support device 10]
Traveling speed (VdR, VdL): Traveling speed of each of the rear wheels 60RR, 60RL moving forward or backward.
Acceleration: Acceleration with respect to each of the three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes applied to the walking support device 10 .
Angular velocity: Angular velocity in rotation about each of the three directions of the X, Y, and Z axes.
Accumulated walking time: Accumulated walking time of the walking support device 10 of the user stored in the storage means 44 .
Cumulative walking distance: The cumulative walking distance of the walking support device 10 of the user stored in the storage means 44 .
walking, cumulative walking distance.
● [Surrounding Atmosphere]
Outside temperature: the temperature of outside air around the walking support device 10 .
● [Output information from control panel 70]
State of main switch 72: The main switch of the walking support device 10, ON (operation) or OFF (stop) state.
State of mode manual switching means 76a: Operation mode of walking support device 10 selected by user.
State of the automatic mode switching means switch 76b: the state of the switch being ON (operation mode automatic switching operation) or OFF (operation mode automatic switching stop).
Assist adjustment amount: Adjustment amount for adjusting the magnitude of assist force in assist mode.
Load adjustment amount: Adjustment amount for adjusting the size of the load in training mode.

● [Determination of operation mode based on each acquired state (step S200)]
In step S200 (determination of the operation mode based on each acquired state), the drive control means 40 reads each state acquired by the state detection means stored in the storage means 44, and based on these information, according to FIG. The operation mode (see FIG. 8) that satisfies the condition is determined, and the process proceeds to step S110 (see FIG. 10).

In step S110, if the determined operation mode is assist mode 1 (AM1) (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S300, and if not (No), proceeds to step S120. .

In step S120, if the determined operation mode is training mode 4 (TR4) (Yes), drive control means 40 proceeds to step S400, and if not training mode 4 (TR4) (No), proceeds to step S130. .

In step S130, if the determined operation mode is the assist mode 2 (AM2) (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S500, and if not (No), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S140. .

In step S140, if the determined operation mode is training mode 3 (TR3) (Yes), drive control means 40 proceeds to step S600, and if not training mode 3 (TR3) (No), proceeds to step S150. .

In step S150, if the determined operation mode is training mode 1 (TR1) (Yes), drive control means 40 proceeds to step S700, and if not training mode 1 (TR1) (No), proceeds to step S160. .

In step S160, if the determined operation mode is training mode 2 (TR2) (Yes), drive control means 40 proceeds to step S800, and if it is not training mode 2 (TR2) (No), proceeds to step S170. .

In step S170, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed of the walking support device 10 to 0 (determination mode), and proceeds to step S180.

In step S180, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speeds (VR, VL) of the walking assistance device 10 to the target traveling speeds (VfdR, VfdL), which are the target traveling speeds for forward movement in the case of forward movement, and The driving means 64R and 64L are controlled so that the target reverse travel speeds (VbdR, VbdL), which are the target reverse travel speeds, are set to "0" otherwise, and the rear wheels 60RR and 60RL are driven. End the process.

● [Process in assist mode 1 (step S300) (Fig. 11)]
[S300] shown in FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of assist mode 1 (AM1) processing in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 7, and 8). Step S300 (processing in assist mode 1) will be described using the flowchart of [S300] shown in FIG.

In step S310, the drive control means 40, based on the information from the fixed handle acting force detection means 81c, if the force applied by the user to the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL is forward (Yes), the process proceeds to step S320. , the force applied to the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL by the user is not in the forward direction (No), the process proceeds to step S330.

In step S320, the drive control means 40 calculates the target forward speed (VfdR, VfdL) according to the force acting on the fixed handles 20FR, 20FL and the assist amount derived by the load amount/assist amount changing means 74. , the process in assist mode 1 (step S300) is terminated, and the process returns to the overall process.

In step S330, the drive control means 40 calculates the target reverse speed (VbdR, VbdL) according to the acting force on the fixed handles 20FR, 20FL and the assist amount derived by the load amount/assist amount changing means 74. , the process in assist mode 1 (step S300) is terminated, and the process returns to the overall process.

In assist mode 1 (AM1) (see FIG. 8), the motion of the user's body (walking) accompanying walking of the user is performed with an assist force that is a predetermined amount greater than the motion in the no-load state. can proceed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load on the user's body movement (walking) accompanying the user's walking.

● [Processing in training mode 4 (step S400) (Fig. 11)]
[S400] shown in FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing in training mode 4 (TR4) in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 7, and 8). Step S400 (processing in training mode 4) will be described using the flowchart of [S400] shown in FIG. Note that the regenerative power recovery means 65 is operated and does not generate an assist force to the walking support device 10 in accordance with the action force of the user.

In step S410, the drive control means 40, based on the information from the fixed handle acting force detection means 81c, if the force applied by the user to the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL is forward (Yes), the process proceeds to step S420. , the force applied to the fixed handles 20FR and 20FL by the user is not in the forward direction (No), the process proceeds to step S430.

In step S420, the drive control means 40 calculates the target forward speeds (VfdR, VfdL) according to the forces acting on the fixed handles 20FR, 20FL, ends the processing in training mode 4 (step S400), and Return to processing.

In step S430, the drive control means 40 calculates the target reverse speed (VbdR, VbdL) corresponding to the acting force on the fixed handles 20FR, 20FL, ends the processing in training mode 4 (step S400), and Return to processing.

In training mode 4 (TR4) (see FIG. 8), the walking support device 10 is advanced while the regenerative power recovery means 65 is operated. In order to proceed, it is necessary to push or pull the walking support device 10 with a stronger force. Thereby, a load can be applied to the movement (walking) of the user's body that accompanies the user's walking.

● [Process in assist mode 2 (step S500) (Fig. 12)]
[S500] shown in FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of assist mode 2 (AM2) processing in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 7, and 8). Step S500 (processing in assist mode 2) will be described using the flowchart of [S500] shown in FIG.

In step S510, the drive control means 40 drives the motors 32R and 32L to limit the movement on the rails 30R and 30L by the handle movement limiting means 35R and 35L and fix them at predetermined positions, and the process proceeds to step S520.

In step S520, the drive control means 40, based on the information from the movable handle acting force detection means 81a, if the user's acting force on the movable handles 20R and 20L is forward (Yes), the process proceeds to step S530. , the force acting on the movable handles 20R, 20L by the user is not in the forward direction (No), the process proceeds to step S540.

In step S530, the drive control means 40 calculates the target forward speed (VfdR, VfdL) according to the force acting on the movable handles 20R, 20L and the assist amount derived by the load amount/assist amount changing means 74. , the process in assist mode 2 (step S500) is terminated, and the process returns to the overall process.

In step S540, the drive control means 40 calculates the target reverse speed (VbdR, VbdL) according to the acting force on the movable handles 20R, 20L and the assist amount derived by the load amount/assist amount changing means 74. , the process in assist mode 2 (step S500) is terminated, and the process returns to the overall process.

In the assist mode 2 (AM2), the walking support device 10 can be advanced with an assist force that is a predetermined amount greater than the assist force at which the motion (walking) of the user's body accompanying walking is in a no-load state. can. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load on the user's body movement (walking) accompanying the user's walking.

● [Processing in training mode 3 (step S600) (Fig. 12)]
[S600] shown in FIG. 12 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure of training mode 3 (TR3) processing in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 7, and 8). Step S600 (processing in training mode 3) will be described using the flowchart of [S600] shown in FIG. Note that the regenerative power recovery means 65 is operated and does not generate an assist force to the walking support device 10 in accordance with the action force of the user.

In step S610, the drive control means 40 drives the motors 32R and 32L to limit the movement on the rails 30R and 30L by the handle movement limiting means 35R and 35L and fix them at predetermined positions, and the process proceeds to step S620.

In step S620, the drive control means 40, based on the information from the movable handle acting force detection means 81a, if the force applied by the user to the movable handles 20R and 20L is in the forward direction (Yes), the process proceeds to step S630. , the force applied to the movable handles 20R, 20L by the user is not in the forward direction (No), the process proceeds to step S640.

In step S630, the drive control means 40 calculates the target forward speeds (VfdR, VfdL) according to the forces acting on the movable handles 20R, 20L, ends the processing in training mode 3 (step S600), and Return to processing.

In step S640, the drive control means 40 calculates the target reverse speed (VbdR, VbdL) according to the acting force on the movable handles 20R, 20L, ends the processing in the training mode 3 (step S600), and Return to processing.

In the training mode 3 (TR3) (see FIG. 8), the walking support device 10 is advanced while the regenerative power recovery means 65 is operated. In order to proceed, it is necessary to push or pull the walking support device 10 with a stronger force. Thereby, a load can be applied to the movement (walking) of the user's body that accompanies the user's walking.

● [Processing in training mode 1 (step S700) (Fig. 13)]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of training mode 1 (TR1) processing in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 7 and 8). Step S700 (processing in training mode 1) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The regenerative power recovery means 65 is in operation and does not generate an assisting force against the acting force of the user.

In step S705, the drive control means 40 acquires the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking support device 10 from the storage means 44, and proceeds to step S710.

In step S710, the drive control means 40 controls the motors 32R and 32L so as to apply the load amount derived by the load amount/assist amount changing means 74 to the movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L. Proceed to S715.

In step S715, the drive control means 40 determines that both the right movable handle 20R and the left movable handle 20L are moving based on the information from the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b. If there is a swing (Yes), the process proceeds to step S720, and if there is no swing of both the left and right arms (No), the process proceeds to step S725.

In step S720, the drive control means 40 calculates the forward evaluated speed Vhfd and the rearward evaluated speed Vhbd based on the evaluated speeds (VRhf, VRhb, VLhf, VLhb) of the left and right movable handles 20R and 20L. After making a decision, the process proceeds to step S1200 (determination of turning). When the amount of movement of the right movable handle 20R is "positive" and the amount of movement of the left movable handle 20L is "negative" (the user's right arm is swung forward and the left arm is When the vehicle is swung in the rear direction), the evaluated front speed Vhfd is determined as the evaluated front speed VRhf, and the evaluated speed Vhbd in the rear direction is determined as the evaluated rear speed VLhb. Also, when the amount of movement of the right movable handle 20R is "negative" and the amount of movement of the left movable handle 20L is "positive" (the left arm of the user is swung forward and the right arm is When the vehicle is swung in the rearward direction), the forward evaluated speed Vhfd is determined as the front evaluated speed VLhf, and the rearward evaluated speed Vhbd is determined as the rearward evaluated speed VRhb.

In step S725, the drive control means 40 determines that only the right movable handle 20R is moving based on the information from the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b, that is, if the right arm is being swung (Yes), The process proceeds to step S730, and if the right arm is not swung (No), the process proceeds to step S735.

In step S730, the drive control means 40 determines the forward evaluation speed (Vhfd=VRhf) and the rearward evaluation speed ( Vhbd=VRhb) is determined, and the process proceeds to step S760.

In step S735, the drive control means 40 determines the forward evaluation speed (Vhfd=VLhf) and the rearward evaluation speed ( Vhbd=VLhb) is determined, and the process proceeds to step S760.

In step S740, the driving control means 40 proceeds to step S745 if the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 is turning right (Yes), and proceeds to step S750 if the traveling direction is not turning right (No). move on.

In step S745, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed VdR'=VdR-ΔVr (predetermined speed) of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and sets the rear wheel 60RR, which is the left drive wheel. The target traveling speed of the wheel 60RL is set to VdL'=VdL+.DELTA.Vr (predetermined speed), and the process proceeds to step S1300 (judgment of the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the walking speed of the user). ΔVr is a predetermined speed corresponding to the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) and is stored in the storage means 44 in advance.

In step S750, the driving control means 40 proceeds to step S755 if the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 is turning left (Yes), and proceeds to step S760 if the traveling direction is not turning left (No).

In step S755, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed VdR'=VdR+ΔVr (predetermined speed) of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, is set to VdL'=VdL-.DELTA.Vr (predetermined speed), and the process proceeds to step S1300 (judgment of deviation between the walking assist device's advancing speed and the user's walking speed).

In step S760, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed VdR'=VdR of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and sets the target traveling speed VdL of the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left drive wheel. '=VdL, and the process proceeds to step S1300 (judgment of deviation between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the walking speed of the user).

In step S765, if the traveling speed of the walking assistance device 10 is the same as the walking speed of the user (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S770, where the traveling speed of the walking assistance device 10 increases to the walking speed of the user. If not the same as the speed (No), the process proceeds to step S775.

In step S770, the drive control means 40 sets the target forward speed VfdR=VdR' of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and the target forward speed VfdL of the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left drive wheel. =VdL', the processing in training mode 1 (step S700) is terminated, and the overall processing is returned to.

In step S775, if the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is lower than the walking speed of the user (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S780, and the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is higher than the walking speed of the user. If not (No), the process proceeds to step S785.

In step S780, the drive control means 40 sets the target forward speed VfdR=VdR'+ΔVd (predetermined speed) of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and the rear wheel 60RR, which is the left drive wheel. The target forward speed VfdL=VdL′+ΔVd (predetermined speed) of 60 RL is set, the processing in training mode 1 (step S700) is completed, and the overall processing is returned to. ΔVd is a predetermined speed corresponding to the target advancing speed (VdR', VdL') and is stored in the storage means 44 in advance.

In step S785, the drive control means 40 sets the target forward speed VfdR of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, to VfdR=VdR'-ΔVd, and sets the target forward speed of the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left drive wheel. The speed is set to VfdL=VdL'-ΔVd, the processing in training mode 1 (step S700) is terminated, and the overall processing is returned to.

In training mode 1 (TR1) (see FIG. 8), the walking support device 10 can be advanced by applying a load to the forward and backward movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L by the motors 32R and 32L. Thereby, a load can be applied to the movement of the user's body (arm swing) that accompanies the user's walking.

Even if either one of the movable handle 20R and the movable handle 20L in the movable handle acting force detection means 81a and the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b malfunctions, the drive control means 40 performs the above operation. With this control, the walking support device 10 can be advanced by the other movable handle.

When the user desires to turn the walking support device 10 to the right, the drive control means 40 swings the left movable handle 20L forward and backward more than the right movable handle 20R, and thus determines that the user is turning to the right. Then, the driving means 64L is controlled so that the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left driving wheel, is at a predetermined speed (ΔVr) higher than the target traveling speed, and the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right driving wheel, is controlled to be higher than the target traveling speed. Also, the driving means 64R is controlled so that the speed (.DELTA.Vr) increases by a predetermined speed.

When the user desires to turn the walking support device 10 to the left, the drive control means 40 swings the right movable handle 20R forward and backward more than the left movable handle 20L, and therefore determines that the user is turning left. Then, the driving means 64R is controlled so that the right driving wheel, the rear wheel 60RR, exceeds the target traveling speed by a predetermined speed (ΔVr), and the left driving wheel, the rear wheel 60RL, exceeds the target traveling speed. The driving means 64L is controlled so as to increase a predetermined speed (ΔVr).

Even if either one of the movable handle 20R and the movable handle 20L in the movable handle acting force detection means 81a and the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b malfunctions, the drive control means 40 performs the above operation. With this control, it is possible to correct the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 and the user's walking speed by the other movable handle.

When the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user are the same, and the swing speed of the arm swinging back and forth by the user is the same, the forward evaluation speed Vhfd and the backward evaluation speed Vhbd are the same. On the other hand, when the walking speed of the walking support device 10 is smaller than the walking speed of the user, the difference between the walking speed of the user and the walking speed of the walking support device 10 causes the evaluation speed Vhfd in the forward direction to decrease in the backward direction. It becomes larger than the magnitude of the evaluated speed Vhbd. Therefore, the drive control means 40 corrects the difference between the traveling speed of the walking assistance device and the walking speed of the user. The target traveling speed of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right driving wheel, is set to VdR′=VdR′+ΔVd (predetermined speed), and the target traveling speed of the rear wheel, 60RL, which is the left driving wheel, is set to VdL′=VdL′+ΔVd (predetermined speed). speed). This makes it possible to correct the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the user's walking speed.

● [Processing in training mode 2 (step S800) (Fig. 14)]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of training mode 2 (TR2) processing in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1, 7, and 8). Step S800 (processing in training mode 2) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing in training mode 2 is the same as step S700 (processing in training mode 1) except for the control of the motors (32R, 32L) (step S710) so as to apply load to the movement of the movable handle.

In step S805, the drive control means 40 acquires the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking support device 10 from the storage means 44, and proceeds to step S815.

In step S815, the drive control means 40 determines that both the right movable handle 20R and the left movable handle 20L are moving based on the information from the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b. If there is a swing (Yes), the process proceeds to step S820, and if there is no swing of both the left and right arms (No), the process proceeds to step S825.

In step S820, the drive control means 40 calculates the forward evaluated speed Vhfd and the rearward evaluated speed Vhbd based on the evaluated speeds (VRhf, VRhb, VLhf, VLhb) of the left and right movable handles 20R and 20L. After making a decision, the process proceeds to step S1200 (determination of turning). When the amount of movement of the right movable handle 20R is "positive" and the amount of movement of the left movable handle 20L is "negative" (the user's right arm is swung forward and the left arm is When the vehicle is swung in the rear direction), the evaluated front speed Vhfd is determined as the evaluated front speed VRhf, and the evaluated speed Vhbd in the rear direction is determined as the evaluated rear speed VLhb. Also, when the amount of movement of the right movable handle 20R is "negative" and the amount of movement of the left movable handle 20L is "positive" (the left arm of the user is swung forward and the right arm is When the vehicle is swung in the rearward direction), the forward evaluated speed Vhfd is determined as the front evaluated speed VLhf, and the rearward evaluated speed Vhbd is determined as the rearward evaluated speed VRhb.

In step S825, the drive control means 40 determines that only the right movable handle 20R is moving based on the information from the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b, that is, if the right arm is being swung (Yes), The process proceeds to step S830, and if the right arm is not swung (No), the process proceeds to step S835.

In step S830, the drive control means 40 determines the forward evaluation speed (Vhfd=VRhf) and the rearward evaluation speed ( Vhbd=VRhb) is determined, and the process proceeds to step S860.

In step S835, the drive control means 40 determines the forward evaluated speed (Vhfd=VLhf) and the backward evaluated speed ( Vhbd=VLhb) is determined, and the process proceeds to step S860.

In step S840, the driving control means 40 proceeds to step S845 if the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 is turning right (Yes), and proceeds to step S850 if the traveling direction is not turning right (No). move on.

In step S845, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed VdR′=VdR−ΔVr (predetermined speed) of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and sets the rear wheel 60RR, which is the left drive wheel. The target traveling speed of the wheel 60RL is set to VdL'=VdL+.DELTA.Vr (predetermined speed), and the process proceeds to step S1300 (judgment of the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the walking speed of the user). ΔVr is a predetermined speed corresponding to the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) and is stored in the storage means 44 in advance.

In step S850, the driving control means 40 proceeds to step S855 if the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 is turning left (Yes), and proceeds to step S860 if the traveling direction is not turning left (No).

In step S855, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed VdR'=VdR+ΔVr (predetermined speed) of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left drive wheel. is set to VdL'=VdL-.DELTA.Vr (predetermined speed), and the process proceeds to step S1300 (judgment of deviation between the walking assist device's advancing speed and the user's walking speed).

In step S860, the drive control means 40 sets the target traveling speed VdR'=VdR of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right driving wheel of the walking support device 10, and sets the target traveling speed VdL of the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left driving wheel. '=VdL, and the process proceeds to step S1300 (judgment of deviation between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the walking speed of the user).

In step S865, if the traveling speed of the walking assistance device 10 is the same as the walking speed of the user (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S870, and the traveling speed of the walking assistance device 10 changes to the walking speed of the user. If not the same as the speed (No), the process proceeds to step S875.

In step S870, the drive control means 40 sets the target forward speed VfdR of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, to VdR', and sets the target forward speed VfdL of the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left drive wheel, to VfdL. =VdL', the process in training mode 2 (step S800) is terminated, and the process returns to the overall process.

In step S875, if the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is lower than the walking speed of the user (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S880, where the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is higher than the walking speed of the user. If not (No), the process proceeds to step S885.

In step S880, the drive control means 40 sets the target forward speed VfdR=VdR'+ΔVd (predetermined speed) of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, and the rear wheel 60RR, which is the left drive wheel. The target forward speed VfdL=VdL'+ΔVd (predetermined speed) of 60 RL is set, the processing in training mode 2 (step S800) is terminated, and the overall processing is returned to. ΔVd is a predetermined speed corresponding to the target advancing speed (VdR', VdL') and is stored in the storage means 44 in advance.

In step S885, the drive control means 40 sets the target forward speed VfdR of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right drive wheel of the walking support device 10, to VfdR=VdR'-ΔVd, and sets the target forward speed of the rear wheel 60RL, which is the left drive wheel. The speed is set to VfdL=VdL'-ΔVd, the processing in training mode 2 (step S800) is terminated, and the overall processing is returned to.

In training mode 2 (TR2) (see FIG. 8), no load is applied to the movable handles 20R and 20L, and the motion of the user's body (walking) accompanying the user's walking becomes motion in the no-load state. The walking support device 10 can be advanced with the assist force.

Even if either one of the movable handle 20R and the movable handle 20L in the movable handle acting force detection means 81a and the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b malfunctions, the drive control means 40 performs the above operation. With this control, the walking support device 10 can be advanced by the other movable handle.

When the user desires to turn the walking support device 10 to the right, the drive control means 40 swings the left movable handle 20L forward and backward more than the right movable handle 20R, and thus determines that the user is turning to the right. Then, the drive means 64L is controlled so that the left rear wheel 60RL is driven at a predetermined speed (ΔVr) higher than the target traveling speed, and the right rear wheel 60RR is driven at a predetermined speed (ΔVr) higher than the target traveling speed. The driving means 64R is controlled so that

The drive control means 40 controls the movement of either the movable handle 20R or the movable handle 20L in the movable handle acting force detection means 81a and the movable handle movement amount detection means 81b even if there is a problem with the information of either the movable handle 20R or the movable handle 20L. By the control described above, it is possible to correct the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user based on the information of the other movable handle.

When the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user are the same, and the swing speed of the arm swinging back and forth by the user is the same, the forward evaluation speed Vhfd and the backward evaluation speed Vhbd are the same. On the other hand, when the walking speed of the walking support device 10 is smaller than the walking speed of the user, the difference between the walking speed of the user and the walking speed of the walking support device 10 causes the evaluation speed Vhfd in the forward direction to decrease in the backward direction. It becomes larger than the magnitude of the evaluated speed Vhbd. Therefore, the drive control means 40 corrects the difference between the traveling speed of the walking assistance device and the walking speed of the user. The target traveling speed of the rear wheel 60RR, which is the right driving wheel, is set to VdR′=VdR′+ΔVd (predetermined speed), and the target traveling speed of the rear wheel, 60RL, which is the left driving wheel, is set to VdL′=VdL′+ΔVd (predetermined speed). speed). This makes it possible to correct the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the user's walking speed.

● [Turn judgment (step S1200) (Fig. 15)]
[S1200] shown in FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure of turning determination processing in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 7). Step S1200 (determination of turning) will be described with reference to the flowchart of [S1200] shown in FIG.

In step S1210, the drive control means 40 acquires the movement width DR of the right movable handle 20R and the movement width DL of the left movable handle 20L from the storage means 44, and proceeds to step S1220.

In step S1220, the drive control means 40 determines if the absolute value of the difference |DR-DL| is not smaller than the preset Derr (No), the process proceeds to step S1240. Note that Derr is a predetermined value, which is stored in the storage means 44 .

In step S1230, the drive control means 40 sets the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 to "straight ahead", ends the turn determination (step S1200), and proceeds to step S740 when called in step S700. , if called in step S800, the process proceeds to step S840.

In step S1240, if the movement width DR is greater than the movement width DL (Yes, it is determined to be a left turn), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S1250, and if the movement width DR is not greater than the movement width DL (No, right turn). turning), the process proceeds to step S1260.

In step S1250, the drive control means 40 sets the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 to turn left, ends the turn determination (step S1200), and proceeds to step S740 when called in step S700, If called in step S800, the process proceeds to step S840.

In step S1260, the drive control means 40 sets the traveling direction of the walking support device 10 to turn right, ends the turn determination (step S1200), and proceeds to step S740 when called in step S700. , if called in step S800, the process proceeds to step S840.

When the user desires to turn the walking support device 10 to the right, the drive control means 40 swings the left movable handle 20L forward and backward more than the right movable handle 20R, and thus determines that the user is turning to the right. do. Further, when the user desires to turn the walking support device 10 to the left, the drive control means 40 swings the right hand movable handle 20R back and forth more than the left movable hand 20L. I judge.

● [Determination of the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the walking speed of the user (step S1300) (Fig. 15)]
[S1300] shown in FIG. 15 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure for determining the deviation between the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (FIGS. 1 and 3). 7). Step S1300 (determining the deviation between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the walking speed of the user) will be described with reference to the flowchart of [S1300] shown in FIG.

In step S1320, the drive control means 40 determines whether or not the absolute value |Vhfd+Vhbd| of the difference between the forward evaluation speed Vhfd and the rearward evaluation speed Vhbd, which is the first determination condition, is smaller than a preset ΔVerr. to determine. If the absolute value |Vhfd+Vhbd| is smaller than ΔVerr, the drive control means 40 determines “Yes” for the first determination condition, and otherwise determines “No”. Further, based on the information from the grip portion state detection means 81, the drive control means 40 determines that the movable handles 20R and 20L, which is the second determination condition, are in the vicinity of the front end of the rail slit portion 38 of the rails (30R and 30L) or It is determined whether or not the object has moved to the vicinity of the rear end. When both of the movable handles 20R and 20L have not moved near the front end (near the front end) or near the rear end (near the rear end) of each rail slit portion 38, the drive control means 40 , the second determination condition is determined to be "Yes", and otherwise determined to be "No". If the first determination condition is "Yes" and the second determination condition is "Yes" (Yes), the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S1330; otherwise (No), the process proceeds to step S1340. move on. Since the forward evaluation velocity Vhfd is "positive" and the rearward evaluation velocity Vhbd is "negative", the difference between them is the sum of them (Vhfd+Vhbd).

In step S1330, the drive control means 40 sets the traveling speed of the walking assistance device to "same as the walking speed of the user", and determines the difference between the traveling speed of the walking assistance device and the walking speed of the user (step S1300). ) is terminated, and if called at step S700, the process proceeds to step S765, and if called at step S800, the process proceeds to step S865.

In step S1340, the drive control means 40 determines whether or not the absolute value |Vhfd| of the evaluated velocity in the forward direction, which is the first determination condition, is greater than the absolute value |Vhbd| of the evaluated velocity in the backward direction. The drive control means 40 determines “Yes” for the first determination condition when determining that the absolute value |Vhfd| is greater than the absolute value |Vhbd|, otherwise determines “No”. Further, based on the information from the grip portion state detection means 81, the drive control means 40 determines whether the movable handle 20R or the movable handle 20L, which is the second determination condition, is the rail of each rail (30R, 30L). It is determined whether or not it has moved to the vicinity of the front end of the slit portion 38 . When the movable handle 20R or the movable handle 20L has moved to the vicinity of the front end of each rail slit portion 38, the drive control means 40 determines "Yes" for the second determination condition, Otherwise, "No" is determined.

In step S1350, the drive control means 40 sets the traveling speed of the walking support device to "less than the walking speed of the user", and determines the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device and the user's walking speed (step S1300). ) is terminated, and if called at step S700, the process proceeds to step S765, and if called at step S800, the process proceeds to step S865.

In step S1360, the drive control means 40 sets the advancing speed of the walking support device to "greater than the walking speed of the user", and determines the difference between the advancing speed of the walking support device and the user's walking speed (step S1300). ) is terminated, and if called at step S700, the process proceeds to step S765, and if called at step S800, the process proceeds to step S865.

Note that the determinations in steps S1320 and S1340 may be made based only on the first determination condition or the second determination condition.

When the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user are the same, and the swing speed of the arm swinging back and forth by the user is the same, the forward evaluation speed Vhfd and the backward evaluation speed Vhbd are the same. On the other hand, when the walking speed of the walking support device 10 is smaller than the walking speed of the user, the difference between the walking speed of the user and the walking speed of the walking support device 10 causes the evaluation speed Vhfd in the forward direction to decrease in the backward direction. It becomes larger than the magnitude of the evaluated speed Vhbd. When the travel speed of the walking support device 10 is higher than the walking speed of the user, the difference between the walking speed of the user and the travel speed of the walking support device 10 causes the magnitude of the forward evaluation speed Vhfd to increase to the backward evaluation speed. smaller than the magnitude of Vhbd. When the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking assistance device 10 is lower than the walking speed of the user, the drive control means 40 increases the traveling speed (VdR, VdL) of the walking assistance device 10 to make the walking assistance device 10 move faster. When the traveling speed is higher than the user's walking speed, the walking assistance device 10 reduces the traveling speed. As a result, the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user is corrected, and the walking supporting device 10 of the pedestrian is properly advanced according to the swing speed of the user's arm swinging back and forth. You can control it.

● [Processing when the operation mode is automatically switched (Fig. 16, Fig. 17)]
FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining mode transition conditions for transitioning the operation mode based on the body state, atmosphere state, and vehicle body state. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating conditions for shifting to each operation mode when the operation mode is automatically switched. When the automatic mode switching means switch 76b is on, the drive control means 40 determines the operation mode based on the information selected by the manual mode switching means 76a in step S200 of FIG. The operation mode is determined according to the conditions shown in FIGS. 9, 16, and 17. FIG.

When any one of the conditions S1 to S6 is established, the drive control means 40 sets the operation mode to the operation mode corresponding to each condition. 16 and 17, "-" indicates that the state may be either "0" or "1".

In FIG. 16, the mode transition condition is determined based on the physical condition, atmosphere condition, and vehicle body condition. The drive control means 40 sets the mode transition condition to "1=abnormal" only when all the states are "1", and sets the mode transition condition to "0=abnormal" when any condition is "0". .

The physical condition is, for example, the user's heart rate and body temperature. The drive control means 40 compares the heart rate and body temperature acquired by the heart rate and body temperature sensors 27a and 27b with predetermined values stored in advance in the storage means 44, and if the predetermined values are exceeded, "abnormal = 0" is detected. ” and “Normal=1” otherwise.

The atmospheric condition is, for example, the outside temperature. The drive control means 40 compares the outside air temperature acquired by the outside air temperature sensor 54 with a predetermined value stored in advance in the storage means 44, and if it exceeds the predetermined value, "discomfort = 0", otherwise The case of "comfort = 1".

The vehicle body state is, for example, the inclination of the vehicle body, impact on the vehicle body (change in acceleration applied to the body), walking distance, and walking time. Based on the information acquired by the three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52, the drive control means 40 compares the information with the predetermined value stored in advance in the storage means 44, and if the tilt of the vehicle body exceeds the predetermined value, " "Yes=0" and otherwise "No=1". Based on the information acquired by the three-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 52, the drive control means 40 compares the information with the predetermined conditions stored in advance in the storage means 44, and if the conditions are met, the impact on the vehicle body is 0”, and “none=1” otherwise.

Based on the history of walking distances stored in the storage means 44, the driving control means 40 sets "long = 0" when the walking distance is longer than a predetermined distance, and sets "short = 1" otherwise. do. Based on the walking time history stored in the storage means 44, the drive control means 40 sets "long = 0" if the walking time is longer than a predetermined time, and sets "short = 1" otherwise. do.

In FIG. 17, the drive control means 40 controls assist mode 2 (AM2) and training mode 3 (TR3) during assist mode 1 (AM1) and training mode 4 (TR4) in FIG. 8 based on conditions S1 to S6. ) or between training mode 1 (TR1) and training mode 2 (TR2).

Condition S1 and condition S2 are conditions for switching operation mode determination between training mode 1 (TR1) and training mode 2 (TR2). The mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 1", the movable handle gripping state is "1 = gripped", the arm swing state is "1 = gripped", and the fixed hand gripping state is "0 = not gripped". , and the mode transition condition is "1=no abnormality", the condition S1 is established, and the drive control means 40 transitions the operation mode from the training mode 2 (TR2) to the training mode 1 (TR1). The mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 1", the movable handle gripping state is "1 = gripped", the arm swing state is "1 = gripped", and the fixed hand gripping state is "0 = not gripped". , and the mode transition condition is "0=abnormal", the condition S2 is established, and the drive control means 40 transitions the operation mode from training mode 1 (TR1) to training mode 2 (TR2).

Condition S3 and condition S4 are conditions for switching operation mode determination between assist mode 2 (AM2) and training mode 3 (TR3). The mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 3", the movable handle gripping state is "1 = gripped", the arm swing state is "0 = not gripped", and the fixed hand gripping state is "0 = not gripped". , and the mode transition condition is "1=no abnormality", the condition S3 is established, and the drive control means 40 transitions the operation mode from the assist mode 2 (AM2) to the training mode 3 (TR3). The mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 3", the movable handle gripping state is "1 = gripped", the arm swing state is "0 = not gripped", and the fixed hand gripping state is "0 = not gripped". , and the mode transition condition is "0=abnormal", the condition S4 is established, and the drive control means 40 transitions the operation mode from the training mode 3 (TR3) to the assist mode 2 (AM2).

Condition S5 and condition S6 are conditions for switching operation mode determination between assist mode 1 (AM1) and training mode 4 (TR4). The mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 3", the movable handle grip state is "0=not gripped", the arm swing state is "0=no", and the fixed handle grip state is "1=hold". , and the mode transition condition is "1=no abnormality", the condition S5 is established, and the drive control means 40 transitions the operation mode from the assist mode 1 (AM1) to the training mode 4 (TR4). The mode manual switching means 76a is "training mode 3", the movable handle grip state is "0=not gripped", the arm swing state is "0=no", and the fixed handle grip state is "1=hold". , and the mode transition condition is "0=abnormal", the condition S6 is established, and the drive control means 40 transitions the operation mode from the training mode 4 (TR4) to the assist mode 1 (AM1).
● [Effects of the application]

As described above, when the walking speed of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user are the same, and the swing speed of the arm swinging back and forth by the user is the same, the forward evaluation The velocity and the estimated velocity in the backward direction have the same magnitude. On the other hand, when the travel speed of the walking support device 10 is smaller than the walking speed of the user, the difference between the walking speed of the user and the travel speed of the walking support device 10 causes the evaluation speed in the forward direction to change to the evaluation speed in the backward direction. greater than the magnitude of velocity. When the walking speed of the walking support device 10 is higher than the walking speed of the user, the difference between the walking speed of the user and the walking speed of the walking support device 10 causes the evaluated speed in the forward direction to be larger than the evaluated speed in the backward direction. smaller than size. When the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is lower than the walking speed of the user, the driving control means 40 increases the traveling speed of the walking supporting device 10 so that the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is higher than the walking speed of the user. In this case, the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 is decreased. As a result, the difference between the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 and the walking speed of the user is corrected, and the walking supporting device 10 of the pedestrian is properly advanced according to the swing speed of the user's arm swinging back and forth. You can control it.

Even if one of the movable handle and the movable handle has a problem, the target progress speed of the walking support device is set based on the other movable handle, and the progress speed of the walking support device and the user walking speed deviation can be corrected.

● [Processing procedure of the second embodiment (Figs. 18 to 21)]
Next, the processing procedure of the second embodiment in the processing procedure of the drive control means 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 21. FIG. In the processing procedure of the first embodiment described above, the driving means 64R and 64L are controlled based on the moving speeds of the movable handles 20R and 20L in training mode 1 and training mode 2 shown in FIG. In the processing procedure of the second embodiment described below, driving means 64R and 64L are controlled based on the positions of movable handles 20R and 20L in training mode 1 and training mode 2 shown in FIG. Also, in the following description, differences from the processing procedure of the first embodiment will be mainly described.

● [Processing procedure for overall processing (Fig. 18)]
FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the overall processing of the processing procedure of the second embodiment. The flowchart of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 18 differs from the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 10 in steps S160A and S900, and the other steps are the same. Note that the processing procedure of the second embodiment (FIG. 18) is executed at predetermined time intervals (for example, several [ms] intervals) like the processing procedure of the first embodiment (FIG. 10).

When the process proceeds to step S150, the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S900 if the determined operation mode is the training mode 1 (TR1) (Yes), and proceeds to step S900 if the determined operation mode is not the training mode 1 (TR1) (No ) advances the process to step S160A.

When the process proceeds to step S160A, if the determined operation mode is training mode 2 (TR2) (Yes), drive control means 40 proceeds to step S900, and if not training mode 2 (TR2) (No ) advances the process to step S170.

When the process proceeds to step S900, the drive control means 40 executes the process of [S900] shown in FIG. 19, returns to the overall process, and proceeds to step S180.

● [Processing in training modes 1 and 2 (step S900) (Fig. 19)]
FIG. 19 is a flow chart for explaining the processing procedure of training mode 1 (TR1) and training mode 2 (TR2) in the drive control means 40 of the walking support device 10 (see FIG. 8). In the following description, a procedure for obtaining the (left) target forward speed (VfdL) and the (right) target forward speed (VfdR) when the walking support device 10 moves forward will be described.

In step S905, the drive control means 40 determines the current (left) progressing speed (VdL) and (right) progressing speed of the walking assistance device 10 based on the detection signals from the progressing speed acquisition means 56L and 56R (see FIG. 7). Velocity (VdR) is obtained, and the process proceeds to step S910. If the (left) traveling speed (VdL) and the (right) traveling speed (VdR) are acquired in step S100, step S905 may be omitted.

In step S910, the drive control means 40 detects the position of the (right) movable handle 20R relative to the frame based on the detection signal from the right hand position detection means 34R (see FIG. 2). PmR) (see FIG. 20). Then, the drive control means 40 determines the position of the (left) movable handle 20L with respect to the frame based on the detection signal from the left hand position detection means 34L (see FIG. 2). 20) is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S920. Note that as shown in FIG. 20, the (right) frame relative front-rear position (PmR) is the position a distance LR behind the frame front-rear reference position (Po), and the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) is the frame front-rear position. In the case of a position behind the reference position (Po) by a distance LL, the drive control means 40 acquires the (right) frame relative front-rear position (PmR) and the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) as follows. can do. Note that if the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) and the (right) frame relative front-rear position (PmR) are acquired in step S100, this step S910 may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the right hand position detection means 34R is, for example, an encoder provided in the motor 32R (equivalent to an electric motor), and the left hand position detection means 34L is, for example, a motor 32L (equivalent to an electric motor). ). The encoder is phase detection means for detecting the phase (rotational angle) of the drive shaft of the motor. The drive shafts of the respective motors 32R, 32L are rotated according to the movement of the respective movable handles 20R, 20L in the longitudinal direction of the frame.

FIG. 20 is a top view of the walking support device 10, showing the frame front-rear reference position (Po), (right) the frame relative front-rear position (PmR) of the movable handle 20R, and (left) the movable handle 20L. It is a figure explaining a flame|frame relative front-back position (PmL), a virtual front-back reference position (Ps), a handle front-back center position (Pmc), and the center position (Pc) of the movable range (rail slit part 38). For example, the front end position of the movable range (rail slit portion 38) of the movable handles 20R and 20L is set at the frame front-rear reference position (Po) in the frame front-rear direction, which is the frame front-rear direction. In addition, if the distance from the frame front-rear reference position (Po), which is the front end position of the movable range (rail slit portion 38), to the rear end position (Pr) of the movable range is L1, then the distance from the frame front-rear reference position (Po) is to the rear. The position at the distance L1/2 is the central position (Pc) of the movable range. A position (corresponding to a predetermined position) located a predetermined distance La ahead of the center position (Pc) of the movable range is set as a virtual front-rear reference position (Ps).

The drive control means 40 controls the movable range based on the phase (that is, rotation angle) of the drive shaft of the motor 32R (see FIG. 2) obtained based on the detection signal from the right hand position detection means 34R (see FIG. 2). The moving distance of the (right) movable handle 20R within the range can be obtained. Similarly, the drive control means 40 controls the phase (that is, rotation angle) of the drive shaft of the motor 32L (see FIG. 2) obtained based on the detection signal from the left hand position detection means 34L (see FIG. 2). , the moving distance of the (left) movable handle 20L within the movable range can be obtained.

For example, in the example of FIG. 20, the drive control means 40 can detect that the moving distance of the (right) movable handle 20R rearward from the frame front-rear reference position (Po) is the distance LR. In this case, the drive control means 40 determines that the (right) frame relative front-rear position (PmR), which is the position of the (right) movable handle 20R with respect to the frame in the frame front-rear direction, is a distance LR behind the frame front-rear reference position (Po). can be recognized as the position of Similarly, in the example of FIG. 20, the drive control means 40 can recognize that the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) is a position at a distance LL rearward from the frame front-rear reference position (Po).

As shown in FIG. 20, when the distance in the front-rear direction between the (right) frame relative front-rear position (PmR) and the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) is a distance Ld, the (right) frame in the frame front-rear direction The center position between the relative front-rear position (PmR) and the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) is defined as the handle front-rear central position (Pmc). As shown in FIG. 20, the handle front-rear central position (Pmc) is located at a distance LR+distance Ld/2 rearward from the frame front-rear reference position (Po). Since distance Ld=distance LL-distance LR, distance LR+distance Ld/2 is distance LR+(distance LL-distance LR)/2=(distance LR+distance LL)/2. That is, the handle front-rear central position (Pmc) is a position behind the frame front-rear reference position (Po) by (distance LR+distance LL)/2.

When the process proceeds to step S920, the drive control means 40 proceeds to step S925 if the operation mode is training mode 1 (Yes), and proceeds to step S930 if the operation mode is not training mode 1 (No). Proceed with processing.

When the process proceeds to step S925, the drive control means 40 applies the load amount derived by the load amount/assist amount changing means 74 to the movement of the movable handles 20R and 20L, as in step S710. The motors 32R and 32L are controlled so as to advance the process to step S930.

When the process proceeds to step S930, as described above, the drive control means 40 determines the handle front-rear center position based on the (left) frame relative front-rear position (PmL) and the (right) frame relative front-rear position (PmR). (Pmc) is calculated, and the process proceeds to step S935.

In step S935, the drive control means 40 calculates a front-rear direction difference (ΔL) that is a difference in the frame front-rear direction between the handle front-rear center position (Pmc) and the virtual front-rear reference position (Ps) shown in FIG. The process proceeds to S940. Note that the difference in the front-rear direction (ΔL)=virtual front-rear reference position (Ps) (distance L1/2−predetermined distance La)−handle front-rear center position (Pmc) ([distance LR+distance LL]/2). When the front-rear direction difference (ΔL) is positive, the handle front-rear center position (Pmc) is forward of the virtual front-rear reference position (Ps), and when the front-rear direction difference (ΔL) is negative. , the handle front-back center position (Pmc) is behind the imaginary front-back reference position (Ps).

In step S940, the drive control means 40 calculates the correction amount (ΔVd) based on the longitudinal difference (ΔL) and the longitudinal difference/correction amount characteristic shown in FIG. 21, and proceeds to step S945. Note that the longitudinal difference/correction amount characteristic is stored in the storage means 44 .

As shown in FIG. 21, the front-rear direction difference/correction amount characteristic is such that as the front-rear direction difference (ΔL) on the “positive” side increases, the correction amount of the “positive” side correction amount (ΔVd) (increase correction) increases. is larger, and the larger the |longitudinal difference (ΔL)| on the “negative” side, the larger the |correction amount| there is Further, in the longitudinal direction difference/correction amount characteristics shown in FIG. 21, when the longitudinal direction difference (ΔL) is within a predetermined range (in the case of Lr≦ΔL≦Lf in the example of FIG. 21), an increase correction and a decrease correction are performed. The correction amount (ΔVd) is set to a proportional correction amount (a value along the proportional straight line T1) proportional to the longitudinal difference (ΔL). Further, in the longitudinal direction difference/correction amount characteristic shown in FIG. 21, when the longitudinal direction difference (ΔL) is out of the predetermined range (in the example of FIG. 21, when ΔL<Lr or Lf<ΔL), the amount is increased. The correction amount (ΔVd) of correction and reduction correction is set to a value larger than the proportional correction amount (a value larger than a value along the proportional straight line T1).

With the front-back direction difference/correction amount characteristics set as described above, when the handle front-back center position (Pmc) is in the vicinity of the virtual front-back reference position (Ps), the handle front-back center position (Pmc ) relatively slowly approaches the virtual front-back reference position (Ps), the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 can be finely adjusted. In addition, when the handle front-back center position (Pmc) is farther away than the virtual front-back reference position (Ps), the handle front-back center position (Pmc) approaches the virtual front-back reference position (Ps) relatively quickly. , the traveling speed of the walking support device 10 can be adjusted.

In step S945, the drive control means 40 obtains and stores (left) target travel speed (VdL1)=(left) travel speed (VdL)+correction amount (ΔVd), and (right) target travel speed (VdR1)= (Right) Traveling speed (VdR)+correction amount (ΔVd) is obtained and stored, and the process proceeds to step S950. Note that the (left) advancing speed (VdL) and the (right) advancing speed (VdR) correspond to the control amount.

In step S950, the drive control means 40 acquires the (left) front-rear direction movement width (DL) of the movable handle 20L, (right) acquires the front-rear direction movement width (DR) of the movable handle 20R, Processing proceeds to step S960. Note that if the movement width (DL) of the (left) movable handle 20L and the movement width (DR) of the (right) movable handle 20R are acquired in step S100, this step S950 may be omitted. .

In step S960, the drive control means 40 determines whether the movement width (DL) of the (left) movable handle 20L is greater than [(right) movement width (DR) of the movable handle 20R + dead zone width (Dα)]. If it is larger (Yes), the process proceeds to step S970A, and if it is not larger (No), the process proceeds to step S965. It should be noted that the dead band width (Dα) is set to an appropriate value for turning determination and stored in the storage means 44 .

When the process proceeds to step S965, the drive control means 40 determines that the movement width (DR) of the (right) movable handle 20R is set to [movement width (DL) of the (left) movable handle 20L + dead zone width (Dα) ], and if larger (Yes), the process proceeds to step S970B, and if not larger (No), the process proceeds to step S970C.

When the process proceeds to step S970A, the drive control means 40 obtains and stores (left) target forward speed (VfdL)=(left) target forward speed (VdL1)+turning correction amount (ΔVr), and (right) Target advance speed (VfdR)=(right) target advance speed (VdR1)−turning correction amount (ΔVr) is obtained and stored, and the process returns to the overall process. By the processing of this step S970A, the walking support device 10 turns to the right. Note that the turning correction amount (ΔVr) is set to an appropriate value for turning operation and stored in the storage means 44 .

When the process proceeds to step S970B, the drive control means 40 obtains and stores (left) target forward speed (VfdL)=(left) target forward speed (VdL1)−turning correction amount (ΔVr), and (right) Target advance speed (VfdR)=(right) target advance speed (VdR1)+turning correction amount (.DELTA.Vr) is obtained and stored, and the process returns to the overall process. By the process of step S970B, the walking support device 10 turns to the left.

When the process proceeds to step S970C, the drive control means 40 obtains and stores (left) target forward speed (VfdL)=(left) target forward speed (VdL1), and (right) target forward speed (VfdR)= (Right) A target traveling speed (VdR1) is obtained and stored, and the overall processing is returned to.

In steps S960, S965, S970A, S970B, and S970C, the drive control means 40 determines that the movement width (DL) of the (left) movable handle 20L is greater than the movement width (DR) of the (right) movable handle 20R (+ If it is larger than the dead zone width (Dα)), the drive means is controlled to turn the walking support device 10 to the right. Further, when the movement width (DR) of the (right) movable handle 20R is larger than the movement width (DL) of the (left) movable handle 20L (+ dead zone width (Dα)), the drive control means 40 , controls the drive means to turn the walking support device 10 to the left.

● [Example of a walking support device 10A in which the movable handle is changed from a slide type to a swing type (Fig. 22)]
In the walking support device 10 described above, as shown in FIG. 1, an example is described in which the movable handles 20R and 20L slide back and forth along the rails 30R and 30L. On the other hand, FIG. 22 shows an example of a walking support device 10A having a structure in which movable handles 20R and 20L swing back and forth by arms 130R and 130L (corresponding to handle guide means). Differences from the walking support device 10 shown in FIG. 1 will be mainly described below.

In a walking support device 10A shown in FIG. 22, a movable handle 20R is connected to a motor 132R (equivalent to an electric motor) via an arm 130R, and a movable handle 20L is connected to a motor 132L (electric motor) via an arm 130L. (equivalent to a motor). The motors 132R, 132L are fixed to the frame 50. As shown in FIG. Further, the motor 132R is provided with a right hand position detection means 134R which is a phase detection means capable of detecting the phase of the drive shaft, and the motor 132L is provided with a phase detection means capable of detecting the phase of the drive shaft. A left handle position detecting means 134L is provided.

The drive shafts of the motors 132R and 132L are rotated according to the movement of the respective movable handles 20R and 20L in the front-rear direction of the frame. The right hand position detection means 134R is, for example, an encoder, and the drive control means 40 can detect the swing angle of the arm 130R connected to the motor 132R based on the detection signal from the right hand position detection means 134R. is. Similarly, the left hand position detection means 134L is, for example, an encoder, and the drive control means 40 controls the swing angle of the arm 130L connected to the motor 132L based on the detection signal from the left hand position detection means 134L. can be detected. Based on the swing angles of the arms 130R and 130L, the drive control means 40 can obtain the frame relative front-rear position, the handle front-rear center position, the front-rear direction difference, the correction amount, and the like. Further, by setting the movable range of the swing angles of the arms 130R and 130L, it is possible to set the movable range of the movable handles 20R and 20L in the longitudinal direction of the frame. Furthermore, since the frame front-rear reference position, the virtual front-rear reference position, the central position of the movable range, and the like can be set, the processing described with reference to FIG. 19 can be performed. Further, by operating the motors 132R and 132L, an assist mode for assisting the user's arm swing, a training mode for applying a load to the user's arm swing, and the like can be performed.

In the processing procedure described in the second embodiment, every time the entire process (see FIG. 18) executed at intervals of several [ms] is executed, the center position of the handle in the front-rear direction is updated, and based on the difference in the front-rear direction, Since the correction can be performed, the traveling speed of the walking support device can be adjusted in real time.

The walking support device of the present invention is not limited to the configuration, structure, shape, processing procedure, etc. described in the present embodiment, and various changes, additions, and deletions are possible without changing the gist of the present invention. .

In the present embodiment, an example in which the walking support device is a four-wheeled vehicle and has two drive wheels has been described, but the walking support device is a three-wheeled vehicle with two left and right wheels as drive wheels and the remaining one wheel as a caster wheel. may be The present invention can also be applied to walkers that assist independent walking, silver cars that assist elderly people in walking and can carry luggage, and pushcarts.

In the description of the present embodiment, the evaluation speed is calculated using integration, but it may be obtained by other methods.

10 walking support device 20R, 20L movable handle 20FR, 20FL fixed handle 21a handle shaft portion 21b shaft portion insertion hole 22 slider 22A handle holding portion 22B anchor portion 24 biasing means 25R, 25L grip detection means 25FR, 25FL grip Detection means 26a Grip part 26Fa Grip part 26b Switch grip part 26Fb Switch grip part 27a, 27b Heart rate body temperature sensor 28 Grip biasing means 30R, 30L Rail (handle guide means)
32R, 32L motor (assist means or load means)
33R Right handle inclination detection means 33L Left handle inclination detection means 34R Right handle position detection means 34L Left handle position detection means 35R, 35L Handle movement restriction means 36 Signal cable 38 Rail slit portion 40 Drive control means 44 Storage means 50 Frame 52 3-axis acceleration/angular velocity sensor 54 Outside temperature sensor 56R Traveling speed acquisition means 56L Traveling speed acquisition means 58 Operation history information 60FR, 60FL Front wheels 60RR, 60RL Rear wheels 62 Belts 64R, 64L Driving means 65 Regenerative power recovery means 70 Control Panel 72 Main switch 74 Load amount/assistance amount changing means 74a Assist amount adjustment volume 74b Load amount adjustment volume 74c Learning means 76 Operation mode switching means 76a Mode manual switching means 76b Mode automatic switching means switch 76AT Mode automatic switching means 78 Monitor 80 State Detection means 81 Grip state detection means 81a Movable handle action force detection means 81b Movable handle movement amount detection means 81c Fixed handle action force detection means 82 Body state detection means 82a Physical information history 83 Vehicle state detection means 84 Atmosphere state detection Means 130L, 130R Arm (handle guide means)
132L, 132R motor (electric motor)
134L Left hand position detection means 134R Right hand position detection means B Battery BKL Brake lever JK Handle support shaft PF, PB Pulley W Wire WA Wire connection part WH Wire hole JDM Judgment mode AM1 Assist mode 1
TR4 training mode 4
AM2 assist mode 2
TR1 training mode 1
TR2 training mode 2
TR3 training mode 3
C1 condition C2 condition C3 condition C4 condition C5 condition C6 condition CR1 condition CR2 condition CR3 condition CR4 condition CR5 condition CR6 condition FXHM Fixed hand grip mode FRHM Movable hand grip mode NHM1 Non-swinging walking mode NHM2 Non-swinging walking mode YHM Arm Walking mode with swing Po Frame front-back reference position Pc Movable range center position Ps Virtual front-back reference position PmL (Left) Frame relative front-back position PmR (Right) Frame relative front-back position Pmc Handle front-back center position ΔL Difference in front-back direction

Claims (13)

a frame;
a plurality of wheels including at least one driving wheel provided at the lower end of the frame;
a driving means for driving the driving wheels to move the walking support device forward or backward;
a battery that serves as a power source for the driving means;
drive control means for controlling the drive means;
A walking support device having
a pair of left and right movable handles that are held by the user and move back and forth with respect to the frame according to the swing of the user's arms as the user walks;
a handle guide means provided on the frame for guiding the movable handle to a movable range that matches the swing of the arm as the user walks;
and gripping portion state detection means for detecting the state of the movable handle,
The drive control means is
controlling the driving means based on the state of the movable handle detected by the grip state detecting means to control the traveling speed of the walking support device ;
Based on the state of the movable handle detected by the grip state detecting means, a frame relative front-rear position, which is the position of the movable handle with respect to the frame, is obtained in the front-rear direction of the frame, which is the front-rear direction of the frame;
controlling the driving means based on the relative front-rear position of the frame according to the swing of the user's arm;
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 1 ,
A virtual front-rear reference position is set in the frame at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction of the frame,
The drive control means is
Obtaining a handle front-rear central position that is the center in the frame front-rear direction of the frame relative front-rear position of the right movable handle and the frame relative front-rear position of the left movable handle,
when the handle front-rear center position is on the front side of the virtual front-rear reference position, increasing the control amount of the drive means so as to increase the traveling speed of the walking support device,
when the front-rear central position of the handle is on the rear side of the virtual front-rear reference position, the control amount of the driving means is corrected to reduce the traveling speed of the walking support device;
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 2 ,
The virtual front-rear reference position is set forward of a central position of the movable range in the front-rear direction of the frame.
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 2 or 3 ,
The drive control means is
The correction amounts of the increasing correction and the decreasing correction are increased as the front-rear direction difference, which is the difference in the frame front-rear direction between the handle front-rear center position and the virtual front-rear reference position, increases.
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 4 ,
When the front-rear direction difference is within a predetermined range, the correction amount for the increase correction and the decrease correction is set to a proportional correction amount proportional to the front-rear direction difference.
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 5 ,
When the difference in the front-rear direction is out of the predetermined range, the correction amount of the increasing correction and the decreasing correction is set to a correction amount larger than the proportional correction amount.
Walking support device. The walking support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The drive control means is
When the range of movement of the right movable handle in the longitudinal direction of the frame is larger than the range of movement of the left movable handle in the longitudinal direction of the frame, the driving is performed so as to turn the walking support device to the left. control means,
When the movement width of the left movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame is larger than the movement width of the right movable handle in the frame front-rear direction, the driving is performed so as to turn the walking support device to the right. control means,
Walking support device. The walking support device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
An electric motor is connected to each of the pair of left and right movable handles,
the drive shafts of the respective electric motors are rotated according to the movement of the respective movable handles in the front-rear direction of the frame;
Each of the electric motors is provided with a phase detection means capable of detecting a phase of the drive shaft of each electric motor and being one of the gripping portion state detection means,
The drive control means is
determining the relative front-rear position of each of the frames based on the phase of the drive shaft of each of the electric motors determined based on the detection signal from each of the phase detection means;
Walking support device. a frame;
a plurality of wheels including at least one driving wheel provided at the lower end of the frame;
a driving means for driving the driving wheels to move the walking support device forward or backward;
a battery that serves as a power source for the driving means;
drive control means for controlling the drive means;
A walking support device having
a pair of left and right movable handles that are held by the user and move back and forth with respect to the frame according to the swing of the user's arms as the user walks;
a handle guide means provided on the frame for guiding the movable handle to a movable range that matches the swing of the arm as the user walks;
and gripping portion state detection means for detecting the state of the movable handle,
The drive control means is
controlling the driving means based on the state of the movable handle detected by the grip state detecting means to control the traveling speed of the walking support device;
A forward evaluation speed, which is a forward moving speed of the movable handle with respect to the frame, and the movable handle with respect to the frame, which are obtained based on the state of the movable handle detected by the grip state detection means. controlling the driving means based on a backward evaluation speed, which is the speed of movement of the hand in the backward direction;
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 9 ,
The drive control means is
When at least one of the movable handles is grasped,
controlling the driving means such that the forward evaluation speed and the rear evaluation speed are equal;
Walking support device. The walking support device according to claim 9 or 10 ,
The drive control means is
When the range of movement of the left movable handle in the longitudinal direction of the frame, which is the longitudinal direction of the frame, is larger than the range of movement of the right movable handle in the longitudinal direction of the frame, the walking support device is turned to the right. controlling the driving means so as to
When the movement width of the right movable handle in the front-rear direction of the frame is larger than the movement width of the left movable handle in the frame front-rear direction, the driving means rotates the walking support device to the left. to control the
Walking support device. The walking support device according to any one of claims 9 to 11 ,
The drive control means is
controlling the driving means to decrease the traveling speed of the walking support device when the rear evaluation speed is greater than the front evaluation speed;
controlling the driving means to increase the advancing speed of the walking support device when the forward evaluation speed is greater than the rear evaluation speed;
Walking support device. The walking support device according to any one of claims 9 to 12 ,
The drive control means is
When it is determined that the movable handle has moved to the vicinity of the front end of the movable range in the handle guide means based on the information from the grip state detection means when the user swings the arm as the user walks, When it is determined that the movable handle has moved to the vicinity of the rear end of the movable range of the handle guide means, the walking assist device is controlled. controlling the drive means to reduce the speed of travel of the device;
Walking support device.

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