JPH09173398A - Walking aid - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a sure standing leg phase and an idle leg phase at the time of walking, to provide stable walking conditions and to prevent the generation of inclination or fall by varying the length of supporting poles by stretching supporting pole length varying mechanisms provided at foot parts. SOLUTION: This walking aid 1 is provided with a pelvis and trunk supporting mechanism 2 for maintaining the posture of the upper part of the body of the physically handicapped and supporting the weight, and a pair of left and right supporting poles 3 for fixing the lower part of the body. Foot parts 13 are provided at the lower parts of supporting poles 3, the foot part 13 are respectively provided with freely stretchable supporting pole length varying mechanisms 16, and control equipment 4 is provided for controlling the operations of a power source (air source) 5 and the supporting pole length varying mechanisms 16. Concerning the foot part 13, the supporting pole length varying mechanism 16 is arranged between an upper member for mounting the foot wearing a shoe and a lower member to be grounded on the ground while facing the upper member. Concerning the supporting pole length varying mechanisms 16, tie rod arms to be operated while being paired before and after a link mechanism are respectively arranged on the left and right sides.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pair of left and right struts of an orthosis for providing a self-walking means to a walking-impaired person who cannot normally walk like a normal person due to motor nerve palsy and osteoarthritis, The present invention relates to a walking assistance device that allows the length of the left and right struts to be expanded and contracted as much as possible by the operation of a stanchion length varying mechanism provided in a foot portion, thereby enabling walking close to a healthy person without left and right shake.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, human beings, unlike animals, are supposed to walk on their own while maintaining good balance between their two legs. However, due to motor paralysis and osteoarthritis due to accidents, illness, etc. Although there is no abnormality in the skeleton and muscles below, it is not possible to walk like a healthy person, and therefore there are few disabled people who move using a wheelchair or the like. By the way, when the sitting posture of a wheelchair, etc. is prolonged, not only physical unpleasant phenomena such as muscular atrophy, osteoporosis and visceral abnormalities, but also the angle of the line of sight changes up and down in dialogue with a healthy person in a standing posture. Therefore, there was a problem that there were many psychological negative points.

As shown in FIG. 16, in order for the disabled person 9 to walk as close to a normal person as possible by using a long leg orthosis with a fixed column length, an arm or the like from the hip joint to the upper part is not present. It is usually necessary to use the muscular strength of the staff to assist with the canes 11 and 11 ', and this tendency is strong for a handicapped person who walks upright. Therefore, the walking of the handicapped person 9 is awkward. Yes, as shown in FIG.
In order to walk out while alternately swinging out both legs 10, 10 'using 1, 11', form a gap (h) between the walking surface such as a road and the bottom surface of the shoes worn on the feet 12, 12 '. It is necessary to prevent the bottom surface on the side of swinging out from sliding on the walking surface.

Here, such walking will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 15 (a), with the foot 12 'of the left leg 10' grounded on the walking surface, the foot 12 of the right leg 10 is raised from the walking surface to prepare for swinging out, as shown in FIG. 15 (b). The right leg 10 is swung out, and at this time, the foot 12 'of the left leg 10' is in contact with the walking surface to support the weight. Next, in FIG. 15C, the right leg 12 is swung forward while being lifted from the walking surface, and further, as shown in FIG. 15E, the right leg 10 is swung forward most, and then, As shown in FIG. 15 (f), the right foot 12 is brought into contact with the walking surface, and in FIG. 15 (g), the lifting of the left foot 12 'from the walking surface is shifted to the swinging out. Although the walking process is sequentially performed according to the figure, the following problems occur.

That is, as shown in FIG. 16, in order that the left foot 12 'is not slidably brought into contact with the walking surface and is smoothly drawn out in a predetermined arc, the right foot 12 supports the entire weight, and conversely, the left foot. When the right foot 12 is in a posture of smoothly swinging out with the 12 'supporting the total weight, the upper body part constrained by the upper prosthesis from the hip joint naturally moves from the right foot 12 to the left foot 12'. As a result, canes 11 and 11 '
Foot side 12, 1 grounded from the corresponding cane 11 via
The posture of multiplying the weight on 2'is naturally performed, and therefore,
The trunk from the hip joint to the upper part and the prosthesis are alternately inclined to the left and right, swaying, and for persons with disabilities whose hip joint and lower part are unstable, they may fall or fall during walking,
Furthermore, there is the inconvenience of becoming psychologically degenerative and losing the motivation for walking.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional walking assist device, the strut lengths cannot be alternately expanded and contracted, and the strut length cannot be changed by the expansion and contraction of the legs. The prosthesis and the prosthesis will incline to the left and right alternately, and the person with a disability will not be able to obtain a stable gait with a stable stance phase and a swing phase during walking and will not only be unstable, but will also fall. There was a problem such as being done.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and automatically and continuously alternates the expansion and contraction of the column length when a person with a disability walks to obtain a stable gait. In addition to being obtained, it also makes it possible to expand and contract smoothly even when there is a change in load during walking without causing tilting or falling, and it is lightweight and compact with a simple structure, dustproof, noise prevention The purpose of the invention is to provide a walking assist device that is capable of both convenience and design.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention can change the length of a pair of left and right struts of an orthosis that provides a walking means for a walking person with motor paralysis and osteoarthritis. In this mechanism, the strut has a foot portion, and the strut length varying mechanism provided on the foot portion allows the length of the strut to be variable, so that the strut can be reliably held during walking. A stance phase and a swing phase can be formed, a stable gait can be obtained, and inclination and falls do not occur.

According to the present invention, since the strut length varying mechanism is expanded and contracted by the operation of the air cylinder, the expansion and contraction can be smoothly performed without causing a special burden to the handicapped person.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned strut length varying mechanism has an upper frame and a lower frame coupled to each other through an air cylinder and a link mechanism, and the strut length varying mechanism provided at a foot portion is composed of an upper member and a lower member. The tie-rod arms that are mounted between the tie rods and that operate in a pair in the front and rear are provided on the left and right, respectively, so that a stable gait can be obtained under reliable operation, and the weight distribution during walking is biased. It has sufficient strength to support the load and has a smooth extension and contraction movement.

According to the present invention, in the above-described strut length varying mechanism, an upper frame and a lower frame are coupled to each other via an air cylinder and a link mechanism, and tie rod arms that operate in a front-rear pair are provided on the left and right sides of the link mechanism. ,
Since it is mounted in the space between the concave portion of the upper member and the concave portion of the lower member having the foot holding portion of the foot portion, a simple module structure can be achieved and the degree of freedom in design can be improved, It is possible to reduce weight and size. It can be made dust-proof and noise-proof, and can be adapted to the shape of the user's foot, so that it is excellent in convenience and design.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.
4 will be described. The parts common to those shown in FIG. 15 and thereafter are designated by the same reference numerals.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, FIG.
2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the walking assistance device of the present invention, FIG.
2A is a side view and FIG.
(B) is a front view, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the foot, and FIG. 4 is
3 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation together with FIG. 3, and FIG.
FIG.

1 to 5, reference numeral 1 is a walking assist device, 2
Is a pelvic trunk support mechanism, 3 is a column, and 13 is a foot. The walking assist device 1 is a pelvic trunk support mechanism 2 for maintaining the posture of the upper body of the disabled and supporting the weight, and left and right 1 for fixing the lower limbs.
A pair of columns 3, and a leg 13 and a leg 1 provided below the column 3.
3 includes an extendable and retractable strut length varying mechanism 16, a power source (air source) 5, and a control device 4 for controlling the operation of the strut length varying mechanism 16.

The foot portion 13 includes an upper member 14 on which a foot (not shown) wearing shoes is mounted, a lower member 15 facing the upper member 14 and grounded on a grounding surface, and both members 14, 15.
It is constituted by a strut length varying mechanism 16 and the like mounted between and.

Reference numeral 14a denotes a lower leg support provided on the upper part of the upper member 14, which forms a part of the support 3 and
Bolts are inserted into the slits 14b and fastened to the stanchions 3, and the heights are freely selected and fastened so as to fit the body shape of the disabled person. The strut length varying mechanism 16 includes a horizontally operating air cylinder 27, an A link 17 provided on the heel side, and a B link 19 provided on the toe side as a hinge of the upper member 14 (corresponding to the upper frame 25 in FIGS. 9 and 10). 1
8 and 20 and the lower frame 26 attached to the upper member 14 and the lower member 15 via the hinges 21 and 22 of the lower frame 26, and the front and rear pair of the A and B links 17 and 19 mechanism. Tie rod arms 23, 23 that operate are arranged on the left and right respectively.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a center hinge, in which the floating portions at the upper ends of the tie rod arms 23, 23 are inserted, and the hinge 2
The lower ends are connected to 1, 22. The upper end of the A-link 17 is connected to the upper member 14 via the intermediate member 36, and the upper member 14 is configured so that the heel portion can be raised with respect to the toe portion and the foot portion 13 can be tilted forward. .

The operation of the strut length varying mechanism 16 will be described. High-pressure air from the power source (air source) 5 is introduced into the air cylinder 27 via an air pressure circuit (not shown) based on a command signal from the control device 4, and the air cylinder 27 is operated at a required average speed. The alternating linear movement of the rod 28 is continuously performed by the on / off operation. When the rod 28 moves so as to have the maximum length, the A link 17 and the B link
The link 19 moves so as to present an upright direction, and accordingly, the distance between the upper member 14 and the lower member 15 is extended to the maximum, and the bottom surface of the lower member 15 is grounded on a grounding surface to exert a weight. It comes to show a phase. As mentioned above, the foot 13
Is in a forward leaning posture, which facilitates swinging out of the leg in the swing phase.

At this time, the tie rod arms 23, 23 are formed in a bracing shape between the center hinge 24 of the upper member 14 and the hinges 21, 22 of the lower frame 26 to generate a supporting force with sufficient strength. When the A and B links 17 and 19 mechanism causes buckling that becomes horizontal when an unbalanced weight load acts under the stance phase,
It is possible to prevent the extension return operation from being unsmoothed when the load is unloaded.

In FIG. 4, the rod 28 is operated by operating the air cylinder 27 based on a command signal from the controller 4.
When the A link 17 and the B link 19 are moved so as to have the minimum length, the A link 17 and the B link 19 each move so as to be directed inward, and accordingly, the distance between the upper member 14 and the lower member 15 is reduced to the minimum. The lower member 15 is brought close to the upper member 14,
The bottom surface of the lower member 15 is separated from the ground contact surface to have a swing phase. At this time, the floating portions at the upper ends of the tie rod arms 23 and 23 slide with respect to the center hinge 24 to reduce the working length between the fulcrums and prevent the distance between the upper member 14 and the lower member 15 from being reduced. Is avoided. In this way, the length of the strut 3 up to the bottom surface of the lower member 15 can be made variable by expanding and contracting the strut length varying mechanism 16 provided in the foot portion 13, so that a reliable stance phase and free swing phase can be formed during walking. You can
A stable gait can be obtained, and it is possible to avoid the occurrence of inclination, fall, etc. as in the conventional case.

6 to 14 show another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a side view of a foot portion showing another embodiment, and FIG.
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the foot portion, Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of the foot portion, Fig. 9 is a side view of the strut length varying mechanism, Fig. 10 is a side view for explaining its action together with Fig. 9, and Fig. 11 is the same. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the strut length varying mechanism, FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the operation of FIG. 9, and FIG.
8 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of FIG. 8, and FIG.
It is a side sectional view which explains the action with it.

In the previous embodiment, the strut length varying mechanism is mounted between the lower member and the lower member by using the foot upper member, but in this embodiment, instead of this, the strut length varying mechanism 32 is Part 5
The module structure is mounted in the space 54 formed between the downward concave portion 33a of the upper member 33 having the third foot holding portion 34 and the upward concave portion 35a of the lower member 35.

The foot portion 53 holds the foot wearing the shoe S by the foot holding portion 34 so as to surround the heel and mounts it on the upper member 33, and securely fastens it by using the belt 34a or the like. There is. In particular, the foot holding portion 34 is formed so as to match the foot size and shape of the handicapped person. In this way, it has an excellent appearance and a design function.

Numeral 33a 'is a lower leg support provided on the upper part of the upper member 33 and forms a part of the support 3, and a bolt is inserted into the slit 33b and is fastened to the support 3 for the handicapped person. The height is freely selected and fastened so as to fit the body shape.

In FIG. 8, the lower member 35 is shown by a solid line, but what is shown by a chain double-dashed line is that the lower member 35 is recessed in the upper member 33 by the contraction operation of the strut length varying mechanism 32 described later. It is shown in the state of being housed in close proximity to. As described above, since the foot portion 53 has the closed structure, it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering the space portion 54 during walking, thereby hindering the expansion and contraction of the strut length varying mechanism 32, and operating noise. Can be reduced.

In FIG. 9, the strut length varying mechanism 32 is shown to have a modular structure, and the strut length varying mechanism 16 in FIG.
It uses the bottom surface of the and is not a modular structure. In this way, by adopting the module structure, the space 54 formed between the concave portion 33a of the upper member 33 and the concave portion 35a of the lower member 35 can be interchangeably mounted, and the structure of the foot portion 53 can be formed. It becomes possible to simplify the process, and the types and quantities of parts are made common, so that the degree of freedom in design can be improved, and the weight and size can be reduced.

In FIG. 11, the air cylinder 27 of the strut length varying mechanism 32 is a dual rod cylinder system in which two piston rods 28 are integrated, 29 is an A hinge plate on the air cylinder side, and 30 is the piston rod 28. The B hinge plates on the end side are respectively shown, and the A link 17 is connected to the A hinge plate 29, and the B link 19 is connected to the B hinge plate.

By adopting the air cylinder 27 of the above system, the required height of the strut length varying mechanism 32 can be lowered, and the laterally long hinge plates 29, 30 disperse the concentrated load acting on each link 17, 19. Therefore, it can be designed to have a sufficient strength and a small size.

In FIG. 10, the air cylinder 2 of FIG.
This shows that the required height can be reduced even when the variable strut length mechanism 32 is contracted by operating 7.

Here, the operation of the strut length varying mechanism 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 (1) to 12 (5). FIG.
(1) shows the case where the strut length varying mechanism 32 is in the extended state, the rod 28 moves with the maximum length by the operation of the air cylinder 27, and the A link 17 and the B link 19 are in the upright state. Tie rod arm 2
3 is formed between the center hinge 24 of the upper frame 25 and the hinges 21 and 22 of the lower frame 26 in a bracing shape. FIG. 12 (2) shows a case where the strut length varying mechanism 32 is in the transition start state from the extended state to the contracted state. The operation of the air cylinder 27 reduces the length of the rod 28 to start the movement, and at the same time, the air cylinder 27
The position also moves to the toe side and displaces the A link 17 coupled to the hinge plate 29 from the upright state to the inclined state. At this time, the floating portion of the tie rod arm 23 slides around the center hinge 24, and the tie rod arm 2 moves.
The action length of 3 is reduced. FIG. 12 (3) shows a case where the transition of the strut length varying mechanism 32 to the contracted state is in a further advanced state. The position of the air cylinder 27 is maximally moved to the toe side, and the A link 17 is directed to the toe side so that the distance between the upper frame 25 and the lower frame 26 on the heel side approaches the minimum value. The reduction in length of rod 28 has not changed significantly during this process. In FIG. 12 (4), the transition of the strut length varying mechanism 32 to the contracted state is further advanced than in FIG. 12 (3), the length of the rod 28 is moved to the minimum length, and the B link 19 is inclined. It is displaced so that The position of the air cylinder 27 is also slightly moved to the heel side, and the tilted state of the A link 17 is displaced as shown in FIG. 12 (2). FIG. 12 (5) shows the case where the strut length varying mechanism 32 is in the contracted state, and the A link 17 and the B link 19 are respectively positioned on the lower frame 26 so as to be directed inward. At this time, the tie rod arm 23,
The tie rod arms 23 and 23 have a minimum working length, and the distance between the upper frame 25 and the lower frame 26 has been reduced to a minimum and is in a contracted state. . As described above, the strut length varying mechanism 32 can be expanded and contracted under the simple module structure, and is attached to the foot portion 53.

The operation of the foot portion 53 to which the strut length varying mechanism 32 is attached will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (1) to 13 (6).
In the example of FIG. 13, the grounding operation of the foot portion 53 under the strut length varying mechanism 32 in the contracted state will be described. FIG.
(1) indicates that the foot portion 53 is in the swing phase and the strut length varying mechanism 32 is in the contracted state. FIG. 13 (2) shows the foot 5
3 shows the case in which the support column length changing mechanism 32 is in the extension start state with the ground transition state. FIG. 13 (3) shows the foot part 5.
The strut length varying mechanism 32 in the state of landing from the heel of No. 3
Shows that the extension operation is continued, the landing prevents the A link from being placed in an upright state due to a load, and only the B link is in the upright state due to the extension operation. In FIG. 13 (4), the foot portion 53 is in the grounding state and the state shifts to the stance phase, and the A-link is horizontal on the lower frame.
The B-link shows the case where the upright state has been completed. In this state, the load due to the weight starts to shift from the heel to the toe. In FIG. 13 (5), the load on the foot portion 53 is in a state of transition from the heel portion to the toe portion,
The case where the A-link is changed from the horizontal state to the inclined state by the operation of the air cylinder of the strut length varying mechanism is shown.
3 shifts from the backward tilted posture to the forward tilted posture. FIG. 13 (6)
Is in a state where the load on the foot portion 53 has finished the above transition,
The case where the A link and the B link are in the upright state and the stance phase is formed is shown. in this way,
As shown in FIG. 13 (3), even if the A-link is buckled due to the load being prevented from standing upright, the tie rod arm 23 bears the load under the bracing support, and the load continues. After the unloading is performed, it is possible to easily restore the upright state again under the operation of the air cylinder.

The operation of the foot portion 53 to which the strut length varying mechanism 32 is attached will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 (1) to 14 (6).
In the example of FIG. 14, grounding of the foot portion 53 under the strut length varying mechanism 32 in the extended state will be described. Figure 14 (1)
Indicates that the leg portion 53 is in the contracted state when the foot portion 53 is in the swing leg phase. FIG. 14 (2) shows a case where the foot portion 53 is in the ground transition state and the strut length varying mechanism 32 is in the extension start state. FIG. 14 (3) shows a case in which the leg portion 53 is in the ground transition state, the strut length varying mechanism 32 is in the extended state, and is in an upright state together with the B link even if a load is applied to the A link due to landing. ing. FIG.
(4) shows the case where the foot portion 32 shifts to the stance phase due to grounding and the load due to the weight is in the shift start state from the heel portion to the toe portion due to landing, and the A and B links maintain the upright state. . 14 (5) is in a transitional state in which the load continues to transition from the heel portion to the toe portion, following FIG. 14 (4),
The A and B links are extended upright. Figure 14 (6)
Is in a state where the load on the foot portion 53 has finished the above transition,
The load acts as an unbalanced load on the toe. A, B
Since the link extends to the upright state, it shows the case where it is in a state of forming a stance phase without buckling due to the load and presenting an inclined state.

As described above, when the load is transferred from the heel part to the toe part when the foot portion 53 is grounded, the connecting positions of the A-link and the B-link, which are connected to the upper plate and the lower plate, fluctuate in the front-rear direction. However, even if the load acts as an unbalanced load, A, because the fluctuation is regulated under the bracing support of the tie rod arm 23,
It is possible to prevent the B-link from buckling and inclining to make the operation during walking unsmooth.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the length of the supporting column can be changed by the expansion and contraction of the foot portion, a safe walking assist for the handicapped person can be achieved under a stable and reliable gait. be able to. Moreover, the expansion and contraction movement of the link mechanism can be smoothed even when the load changes during walking.
Since the strut length varying mechanism has a modular structure, not only can the degree of freedom in design be improved, but also the weight and size can be reduced with a simple structure. Moreover, since it has a closed structure, it is possible to prevent dust and noise, and it is possible to make it excellent in convenience and design.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a walking assist device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of the same.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the foot portion.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation together with FIG.

5 is a front view of a half section of FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a foot showing another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the foot portion.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the foot portion.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the strut length varying mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a side view for explaining the operation together with FIG.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the strut length varying mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the operation of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation together with FIG.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of walking by a handicapped person using a prosthetic device.

FIG. 16 is a front view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Walking Aid Device 3 Support 9 Disabled Person 13, 53 Foot 14, 33 Upper Member 15, 35 Lower Member 16, 32 Support Length Change Mechanism 17 A Link 19 B Link 23 Tie Rod Arm 25 Upper Frame 26 Lower Frame 27 Air Cylinder 34 Foot holding part 54 Space part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A mechanism for varying the length of a pair of right and left columns of an orthosis that provides a walking means for persons with walking disabilities due to motor paralysis and osteoarthritis, wherein the columns have feet. A walking assist device characterized in that the length of the support column is made variable by expansion and contraction of a support column length changing mechanism provided on the foot portion. 2. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the strut length varying mechanism expands and contracts by the operation of an air cylinder. 3. The strut length varying mechanism has an upper frame and a lower frame facing each other via an air cylinder and a link mechanism, and at the same time, an upper member and a lower member of the strut length varying mechanism provided on a foot portion. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the walking assist device is mounted between the two. 4. The walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the link mechanism of the strut length varying mechanism is provided with tie rod arms that operate in a front-rear pair in left and right respectively. . 5. The above-described variable strut length mechanism is configured such that an upper frame and a lower frame are opposed to each other via an air cylinder and a link mechanism, and the link mechanism has a pair of front and rear tie rod arms respectively arranged on the left and right sides. At the same time, the walking assist device according to claim 1, wherein the walking assist device is mounted in a space portion facing the recess of the upper member and the recess of the lower member having the foot holding portion of the foot.