JPH09122181A - Control equipment for auxiliary motor-driven wheelchair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide optimum auxiliary motive force at all times by controlling the characteristics of auxiliary motive force corresponding to manual operating force to be characteristics most suitable for each user by making the output characteristics of auxiliary motive force corresponding to manual operating force variable. SOLUTION: When the user rotationally operates a hand rim, a torque sensor 10 detects bending in rotating direction generated at a linking member interposed between the hand rim and a wheel and detects manual operating force. An auxiliary control unit 20 for controlling driving of motors 6 has a left/light common characteristic table storage means 21 for storing the basic output characteristics of auxiliary motive force as outputting corresponding to the inputted manual operating force as a table. A characteristic changeover switch 25 is provided for selecting the output characteristics of the left/right common characteristic table storage means 21, a coefficient is decided by operating an assist quantity control volume 26, the auxiliary motive force is controlled by an output quantity control volume 22, control signals are outputted to left and right motor drivers 23, and left and right motors 6 are driven.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric power assisted wheelchair capable of traveling by receiving auxiliary power from an electric motor in addition to manual force.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example in which the power of such an electric motor is used to assist manual force has been proposed in the past. As one example thereof, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-304205 discloses that when a hand rim provided along a wheel of a wheelchair is manually operated to travel, an operation force applied to the hand rim is detected and based on the detection signal. The auxiliary power is uniquely determined to control the drive of the motor.

In the embodiment of the publication, a range in which the operating force is small is set as a dead band in which auxiliary power is not applied, and when the dead band is exceeded, a torque drive signal proportional to the operating force is output, and the motor operates in accordance with the torque drive signal. It is driven and given auxiliary power to assist the operating force.

[0004]

In the conventional auxiliary power control as in the example described in the above publication, the auxiliary power is uniquely determined with respect to the operating force, such as obtaining the auxiliary power proportional to the operating force. Control was taking place. However, the needs of users who use wheelchairs are diverse, and the degree and location of symptoms, and the original body shape and physical fitness vary from person to person. Furthermore, even in the same user, the usage situation changes depending on the progress of symptoms and aging.

However, in the case of a wheelchair that assists the operating force by unambiguously determining the assisting power based on the detected operating force as in the conventional example, some users may sometimes realize an appropriate assisting power. However, for most other users, the assist power is a wheelchair that is not suitable for their own ability and is difficult to handle. Even if an appropriate auxiliary power is initially achieved, the auxiliary power that is uniquely determined becomes inadequate due to changes in symptoms, aging, and getting used to using a wheelchair. I can't stand it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the object thereof is to adjust the characteristic of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force to the characteristic most suitable for each user, and always to obtain the optimum auxiliary power. The point is to provide an electric assist wheelchair that can realize power.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric motor equipped with a control means for driving and controlling the electric motor to obtain auxiliary power according to a manual operation force of a user. In the auxiliary wheelchair, the control means is a control device for an electric auxiliary wheelchair in which an output characteristic of auxiliary power with respect to a manual operation force is variable.

Since the control means for driving and controlling the electric motor to obtain the auxiliary power has variable output characteristics of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force, the auxiliary power suitable for each person can be provided according to the needs of the wheelchair user. You can always get

A characteristic storage unit for storing various output characteristics and a characteristic selection unit for selecting the output characteristic are provided, and the control unit stores the output characteristic from the characteristic storage unit based on the selection information of the characteristic selection unit. The control device for the electric assist wheelchair according to claim 1, which is selected and drives and controls the electric motor so as to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the output characteristic, and is suitable for the user by the characteristic selecting means. The output characteristic of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force can be selected, and the auxiliary power suitable for each person can be obtained according to the needs of the wheelchair user.

The control means processes the output characteristic selected from the characteristic storage means on the basis of the predetermined selection information of the characteristic selection means on the basis of another selection information of the characteristic selection means to obtain a final output characteristic, The control device for an electric assist wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the electric motor is driven and controlled to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the final output characteristic, so that various inclination angles of the road surface can be easily obtained. In addition, it is possible to quickly deal with the problem, the finer adjustment of the auxiliary power can be performed, and the auxiliary power more suitable for each user can be obtained.

External storage means for storing the optimum output characteristics of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force of the user is formed for each user, and the control means inputs the optimum output characteristics from the external storage means. The electric assist wheelchair control device according to claim 1, which controls the drive of the electric motor to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to the manual operation force based on the output characteristic, whereby each user has an optimum manual operation force. The auxiliary power output characteristic of the electric assist wheelchair is stored by inputting the output characteristic stored in the external storage means at the time of use to the control means of the electric assist wheelchair. The optimal state can be easily set without any troublesome operation.

And a characteristic selection means for selecting the output characteristic, wherein the control means processes the optimum output characteristic input from the external storage means based on the selection information of the characteristic selection means to obtain a final output characteristic, The control device for an electric assist wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the electric motor is drive-controlled to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the final output characteristic. The output characteristic suitable for the user is input to the control means of the electric assist wheelchair, and the output characteristic is processed based on the selection information of the characteristic selection means to be the final output characteristic, so that the finer adjustment of the auxiliary power can be made. Therefore, the auxiliary power more suitable for each user can be obtained.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an electric assist wheelchair 1 according to the present embodiment.
The skeleton of the vehicle body is mainly composed of a symmetrical pipe frame 2, and a seat 11, a backrest 12, a footrest 13 and the like are installed between a pair of left and right pipe frames 2 to form a chair shape. The large-diameter wheels 3 and 3 are integrally fixed to and supported by the axles 4 and 4, respectively, and the axles 4 and 4 themselves are
A drive unit 5, which is rotatably supported by the vehicle body and includes DC motors 6 and 6 and a gear mechanism inside each of the left and right sides.
It has 5 output shafts.

In front of the wheels 4 and 4, respectively, a free wheel 1
4 and 14 are provided, and the vehicle body is movably supported by the wheels 4 and 4 and the free wheels 14 and 14. And wheels 4, 4
A little smaller diameter hand rim 8, coaxially outside along
8 is integrally attached via connecting members 9 and 9 (see FIG. 2). Further, the upper portions of the left and right pipe frames 2 above the backrest portion are bent backward to form hand-pushed handles 15, 15. In addition, the electric assist wheelchair 1 is equipped with a battery (not shown) for driving the motor 6, an assist control unit 20 for drive control, and the like.

Therefore, in the electric assist wheelchair 1, the user sits on the seat 11 and manually operates the left and right hand rims 8 to rotate the integral wheels 3 and 3 through the connecting members 9 and 9 and drive them. By driving the motors 6 and 6 of the units 5 and 5, auxiliary power works from the axles 4 and 4 to the wheels 3 and 3,
It is possible to drive with the help of manual operation force. It can also be run by the operation of the hand-push handles 15, 15.

As shown in FIG. 2, torque sensors 10 and 10 made of strain gauges are attached to connecting members 9 and 9 for attaching the hand rims 8 and 8 operated by the user to the wheels 3 and 3, respectively. When the hand rims 8 and 8 are rotated, the connecting members 9 and 9 interposed between the wheels 3 and 3 are bent in the rotational direction, and the torque sensors 10 and 10 attached to the connecting members 9 and 9 move this. The manual operation force is detected.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a control system for driving and controlling the motors 6 and 6 to obtain auxiliary power based on the left and right manual operation forces detected by the left and right torque sensors 10, 10. Assist control unit 20 that performs this control
The left and right common characteristic table storage means 21 stores, as a table, the basic output characteristics of the auxiliary power that is the output with respect to the manual operation force that is the input.
have.

As the basic output characteristics, there are three types of output characteristics A, B and C as shown in FIG. In the output characteristic diagram shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents an input that is a manual operation force, the vertical axis represents an output (assist amount) that is an auxiliary power, the right side of the input is forward and the left side of the input is reverse. The upper side shows the auxiliary power in the forward direction, and the lower side shows the auxiliary power in the reverse direction.

The output characteristic A in FIG. 4 (1) has a dead zone in which auxiliary power is not applied while the manual operation force is small in both forward and reverse directions so that the wheelchair does not make unstable movements. , If there is a manual operation force that exceeds the dead zone,
Output characteristics that increase auxiliary power proportionally (linear characteristics)
It is. The output characteristic B of FIG. 4 (2) also has a dead zone, but when the manual operation force increases beyond the dead zone, the auxiliary power sharply increases and increases while the manual operation force is small. Output characteristics that gradually increase auxiliary power (curve characteristics that change rate decreases with increasing input)
It is. The output characteristic C of FIG. 4C also has a dead zone, and when the manual operation force increases beyond the dead zone, the auxiliary power gradually increases and increases while the manual operation force is small. Output characteristics that rapidly increase auxiliary power (curve characteristics that change rate increases with increasing input)
It is.

These three types of output characteristics A, B and C are commonly used for any of the left and right auxiliary power control. From the left and right common characteristic table storage means 21 for storing the output characteristics A, B and C. The electric assist wheelchair 1 has a characteristic changeover switch 25 operated by the user as a characteristic selecting means for selecting one of the output characteristics (see FIG. 3). Further, the assist control unit 20 includes an output amount adjusting amplifier 22, and adjusts the output amount by multiplying the output amount of the output characteristic selected from the left and right common characteristic table storage means 21 by a coefficient of 0 to 1.0.

For example, assuming that the output characteristic B is selected as shown in FIG. 5, when the output amount adjusting amplifier 22 multiplies the output amount by the coefficient, the basic shape of the characteristic curve is the same and the output amount decreases. Changes and the auxiliary power can be adjusted. Therefore, the electric assist wheelchair 1 is provided with the assist amount adjusting volume which is a kind of characteristic selecting means operated by the user.
26, the coefficient is determined by operating the assist amount adjusting volume 26, and the auxiliary power is adjusted by the output amount adjusting amplifier 22.

The output characteristic thus adjusted is the final output characteristic, and a control signal is output to the left and right motor drivers 23, 23 according to the final output characteristic, and the left and right motors 6, 23 are respectively output by the motor drivers 23, 23. 6 is driven. The electric assisted wheelchair 1 has an assist on / off switch 27, and if the assist on / off switch 27 is turned off, it can be in a state where it receives no assist power at all. For example, in the case where an assistant pushes the wheelchair. Turn off.

The electric assist wheelchair 1 controls the auxiliary power as described above. Therefore, the user operates the characteristic changeover switch 25 to select the basic output characteristic of the auxiliary power from the above-mentioned three types of output characteristics A, B, C according to his / her current symptom, physical condition, etc. Operate 26 to process the selected output characteristics and adjust the output amount to set the output characteristics most suitable for you. Rather than unambiguously determining the auxiliary power for the manual operation force, set the output characteristics that match the current symptoms and physical condition of the user as described above to obtain the most suitable auxiliary power. be able to.

Also, for various inclination angles of the road surface,
By operating the characteristic changeover switch 25 or the assist amount adjusting volume 26, it is possible to deal with it easily and quickly, and it is possible to make finer adjustments to the auxiliary power, which makes it even more suitable for the user considering the road surface condition. Obtainable. Furthermore, it can be easily dealt with by changing output characteristics even for changes in symptoms, changes in physical strength, etc., long-term use by the user is possible, and the supplier side can reduce the product variety, etc.
Both are cost effective.

[0025] In addition, when the helper pushes the hand,
When the assist power is not required, the assist on / off switch 27 is turned off to bring the assist stop state in which the assist power is not applied as shown in FIG.

Next, another embodiment will be described. The basic structure of the electric assist wheelchair is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, but the configuration of the control system is different, and a schematic block diagram of the control system is shown in FIG. 7. The assist control unit 30 in this electric assist wheelchair has a torque sensor 40 on the left and right,
A detection signal (manual operation force) of 40 is input, and a characteristic input unit 31 is provided instead of the left and right common characteristic table storage unit 21 in the assist control unit 20, and other output amount adjustment amplifier 32, motor drivers 33, 33. Have as well. Therefore, the assist amount adjusting volume 36 and the assist on / off switch 37 are similarly provided.

Then, the user inserts his or her own IC card 35, which has been prepared in advance, into the card insertion device provided in the electric assist wheelchair during use. IC card 35
The external storage means is a magnetic card in which an output characteristic capable of obtaining auxiliary power suitable for a user's needs and the like is determined in advance by a test or the like and the output characteristic is stored. Therefore, at the time of use, the IC card 35 is inserted into the card insertion device of the electric assist wheelchair, and the output characteristic is read by the input means 31 of the assist control unit 30.

The read output characteristic is adjusted to the optimum value for the output amount as well, and it is not necessary to adjust it on a normal road surface, but if it is necessary due to the inclination of the road surface, the situation, or the physical condition at that time, the assist amount The output adjustment amplifier 32 adjusts the output amount by processing the adjustment volume 36 to process the final output characteristic, and the control signal is output to the left and right motor drivers 33, 33 according to the final output characteristic. Thus, the left and right motors 34, 34 are drive-controlled respectively.

As described above, the present electric assist wheelchair is simple and convenient because it is not necessary to select the output characteristic, and the operation of setting the output characteristic can be omitted. And depending on the road conditions,
If necessary, the assist amount adjusting volume 36 can be adjusted to adjust the output amount to easily deal with the situation during use.

If the needs change, the IC card 35 may be rewritten to have new output characteristics, and the electric assist wheelchair itself can be used for a long time, which is economically advantageous.

Further, even when another person uses the same electric assisted wheelchair, if he / she has an IC card, the output characteristic can be set only by inserting the IC card into the card insertion device, and it is easy to use. It is convenient and convenient. That is, if the power-assisted wheelchair is widely used, the user can easily use the power-assisted wheelchair prepared in a necessary place if he / she always carries his / her IC card. .

[0032]

According to the present invention, the control means for driving and controlling the electric motor to obtain the auxiliary power makes the output characteristic of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force variable, so that each person can meet the needs of wheelchair users. Auxiliary power suitable for can always be obtained. Further, it is possible to easily deal with changes in symptoms and the like, and it is possible to use it for a long period of time, which is economically advantageous, and the supplier is also advantageous in terms of cost by reducing the types of products.

Characteristic storing means for storing various output characteristics,
The control means selects the output characteristic from the characteristic storage means based on the selection information of the characteristic selection means, and obtains the auxiliary power according to the manual operation force based on the output characteristic. Therefore, by controlling the drive of the electric motor, it is possible to select the output characteristic of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force suitable for the user by the characteristic selection means, and the assistance suitable for each person according to the needs of the wheelchair user. Power can be obtained.

The control means processes the output characteristic selected from the characteristic storing means on the basis of the predetermined selection information of the characteristic selecting means on the basis of another selection information of the characteristic selecting means to obtain the final output characteristic, and the final output characteristic. By controlling the drive of the electric motor in order to obtain auxiliary power according to the manual operation force, it is possible to easily and quickly deal with various inclination angles of the road surface, etc., and it is possible to make finer adjustments to the auxiliary power. Therefore, the auxiliary power more and more suitable for the user can be obtained.

Each user has external storage means for storing the output characteristics of the auxiliary power for the optimum manual operation force,
By inputting the output characteristics stored in the external storage means to the control means of the power-assisted wheelchair during use, the output characteristics of the auxiliary power of the power-assisted wheelchair can be easily set to the optimum state without troublesome operations. it can.

At the time of use, the output characteristic suitable for the user stored in the external storage means is input to the control means of the electrically assisted wheelchair, and the output characteristic is processed based on the selection information of the characteristic selection means to obtain the final output characteristic. As a result, it is possible to make finer adjustments to the auxiliary power that suits the situation during use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an electric assist wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel portion of the same electric assist wheelchair.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a control system in the same electric assist wheelchair.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing basic output characteristics.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing changes in output characteristics due to adjustment of output amount.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing output characteristics when an assist on / off switch is turned off.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a control system in an electric assist wheelchair according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Electric assist wheelchair, 2 ... Pipe frame, 3 ... Wheels,
4 ... Axle, 5 ... Drive unit, 6 ... Motor, 8 ... Hand rim, 9 ... Coupling member, 10 ... Torque sensor, 11 ... Seat, 12 ... Backrest, 13 ... Foot rest, 14 ... Free wheel, 15
... hand push handle, 20 ... assist control unit, 21 ... left / right common characteristic table storage means, 22 ... output adjusting amplifier, 23 ... motor driver, 25 ... characteristic changing switch, 26 ... assist amount adjusting volume, 27 ... assist on / off switch, 30 … Assist control unit,
31 ... Characteristic input means, 32 ... Output amount adjusting amplifier, 33 ... Motor driver, 34 ... Motor, 35 ... IC card, 36 ... Assist amount adjusting volume, 37 ... Assist on / off switch,
40 ... Torque sensor.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An electric assist wheelchair equipped with an electric motor, comprising: a control means for driving and controlling the electric motor according to a manual operation force of a user to obtain auxiliary power. A control device for an electric assist wheelchair, which has variable output characteristics. 2. A characteristic storage unit for storing various output characteristics, and a characteristic selection unit for selecting the output characteristic, wherein the control unit outputs from the characteristic storage unit based on selection information of the characteristic selection unit. 2. The control device for the electric assist wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein a characteristic is selected, and the electric motor is drive-controlled to obtain an auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the output characteristic. 3. The control unit processes the output characteristic selected from the characteristic storage unit based on the predetermined selection information of the characteristic selection unit based on another selection information of the characteristic selection unit to obtain a final output characteristic. The control device for the electric assist wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the electric motor is drive-controlled to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the final output characteristic. 4. An external storage means for storing the optimum output characteristic of the auxiliary power with respect to the manual operation force of the user is formed for each user, and the control means inputs the optimum output characteristic from the external storage means. The control device for the electric assist wheelchair according to claim 1, wherein the electric motor is drive-controlled so as to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the output characteristic. 5. A characteristic selection unit for selecting the output characteristic is provided, and the control unit processes the optimum output characteristic input from the external storage unit based on selection information of the characteristic selection unit to obtain a final output characteristic. 3. The control device for an electrically assisted wheelchair according to claim 2, wherein the electric motor is drive-controlled to obtain auxiliary power corresponding to a manual operation force based on the final output characteristic.