WO2018116474A1

WO2018116474A1 - Caring device

Info

Publication number: WO2018116474A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/088557
Authority: WO
Inventors: 立高橋; 丈二五十棲; 邦靖中根
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｆｕｊｉ
Priority date: 2016-12-22
Filing date: 2016-12-22
Publication date: 2018-06-28
Also published as: JP6709297B2; JPWO2018116474A1

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a caring device capable of further reducing the burden on a care recipient when a sitting motion is assisted. Movement processing for the sitting motion by a caring device (1) includes: a lowering step for lowering a lifting/lowering portion (30), and changing the posture of a care recipient (M) supported by a support member (50) from an initial standing posture to an intermediate posture obtained by the upper body being lowered; and a retracting step for, after the lowering step, turning a pivoting portion (40) rearward such that the support member (50) is retracted, lifting the lifting/lowering portion (30) so as to cancel a downward movement amount of the support member (50) with respect to a center shaft (A), the downward movement amount being associated with rearward turning of the pivoting portion (40), and changing the posture of the care recipient (M) from the intermediate posture to a sitting posture.

Description

Assistance device

The present invention relates to an assistance device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an assistance device that assists the standing person's standing operation and seating operation by appropriately moving a support member that supports the upper body of the person being assisted by a driving device including three driving shafts. . Patent Document 2 discloses an assistance device including two drive units. The assisting device of Patent Document 2 is to turn the table forward with the elbow of the person being seated in the sitting position placed on the table, and then lift the table by the lifting unit in the assisting operation of the standing motion The assisting operation is assisted so that the person being assisted stands in a standing posture.

International Publication No. 2014/122752 JP 2012-217686 A

Such an assisting device is designed to simplify the configuration of the driving device as in Patent Document 2 to reduce the weight of the assisting device and reduce production costs. On the other hand, the assistance device is required to further reduce the burden on the person being assisted in assisting the seating operation within the limited operation range of the driving device.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an assistance device that can further reduce the burden on the person being assisted in assisting the sitting operation.

The present specification includes a base, a support member that supports the upper body of the person being assisted, an elevating unit that moves linearly in the vertical direction with respect to the base, and a swivel around a central axis provided in the elevating unit. And moving the support member by coordinating the up-and-down movement of the elevating unit and the swinging movement of the rocking unit in the swing unit that swings the support member and the operation process that assists the sitting operation of the person being assisted A control device that controls the movement of the support member is defined as movement of the support member, the movement of the support member being defined as movement of the support member. The support member is lowered so that the support member supported by the support member is moved to an intermediate posture in which the upper body is lowered from an initial standing posture, and the support member is retracted after the lowering step. In addition, the swinging portion is rotated backward and the front A retreating step of raising the elevating part so as to eliminate the downward movement amount of the support member with respect to the central axis associated with the pivoting of the swinging part to change the person being assisted from the intermediate position to the sitting position. An assisting device is disclosed.

According to such a configuration, in the retreating process in which the person being assisted is in the sitting position in which the upper body is raised from the intermediate position, the person's upper body is raised while the height is maintained to some extent, and the buttocks gradually It is supported by the support member so as to descend. Therefore, in the period from the transition from the intermediate posture to the sitting posture, the upper body of the person being assisted does not sink more than necessary, and the support can be performed by the operation according to the raising of the upper body. Thereby, the burden on the person being assisted in assisting the sitting operation can be further reduced.

It is the perspective view which looked at the assistance apparatus of embodiment from diagonally backward. It is a side view which shows the assistance apparatus which supports the care receiver in the standing posture. It is a side view which shows the assistance apparatus which supports the care receiver in an intermediate position. It is a side view which shows the assistance apparatus which supports the care receiver in the sitting posture. It is a figure which shows the angle of the support member with respect to the movement locus | trajectory of a reference position, the movement locus | trajectory of a center axis | shaft, and the position of a reference position. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of each site | part before and behind execution of a reverse process on the basis of an raising / lowering part. It is a side view which shows the movement of the upper half of the person being assisted before and after execution of the retreat process. It is a figure corresponding to Drawing 5 in the modification of an embodiment.

(1. Embodiment)
The assistance device 1 assists a person M (see FIG. 2 and the like) in a standing motion from a sitting posture to a standing posture, and assists in a sitting motion from the standing posture to the sitting posture. Since the assistance device 1 supports the upper body of the person M who is in the standing posture, one assistance person can pull the assistance device 1 and move it to a movement target in an assistance facility, for example.

It should be noted that the “standing posture” means a posture in which the lower body of the caregiver M stands, and the posture of the upper body is not questioned. That is, the standing operation assistance is assistance for raising the heel portion Mt of the person being assisted. Further, the assisting of the sitting operation is an assisting operation for lowering the position of the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted.

(1-1. Configuration of the assistance device 1)
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the assistance device 1 includes a base 10, a driving device 20, a support member 50, and a control unit 70. The base 10 includes a frame 11, a support column 12 (shown in FIG. 2), a fixed cover 13, a foot placing base 14, a crus rest 15, and six wheels 16-18. The frame 11 is provided substantially horizontally near the floor surface F.

The support column 12 is fixed to the frame 11 in a state of extending upward from the center in the left-right direction near the front of the frame 11. The support | pillar 12 may be provided so that it may become perpendicular | vertical with respect to the floor surface F, and may be provided so that it may become a predetermined angle in the front-back direction. An elevating drive unit 21 (to be described later) is housed inside the column 12. The fixed cover 13 covers and protects the periphery of the lower portion of the support column 12 and a lifting body 31 described later.

The foot mounting table 14 is fixed to the rear of the upper surface of the frame 11 and is provided almost horizontally. On the upper surface of the foot placing table 14, a foot-shaped ground mark 141 for guiding a position where the person being assisted puts his / her foot is written. The lower thigh pad 15 is fixed to the column 12 by a pair of left and right support arms 151 having an L shape. The crus pad 15 is provided slightly above and in front of the ground mark 141. The main body of the lower thigh pad portion 15 is a cushion material that is disposed over the upright portions of the left and right support arms 151 and extends in the left-right direction. The lower leg pad 15 is a part where the lower leg of the person being assisted M contacts. The arrangement height of the lower leg pad 15 can be adjusted.

The lower side of the frame 11 is provided with three wheels 16 to 18 on the left and right. Each of the wheels 16 to 18 has a steering function for changing the moving direction. The foremost wheel 16 has a lock function for restricting movement. The assisting device 1 can move not only in the front-rear direction and the direction change, but also in the lateral movement (moving to the side) and the super-revolution (in-situ turning) by the steering function of the six wheels 16 to 18. It has become.

The driving device 20 supports the support member 50 that supports the upper body of the person M to be movably supported in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction of the base 10. In the present embodiment, the drive device 20 includes a lift drive unit 21, a swing drive unit 22, a lift unit 30, and a swing unit 40. The drive device 20 is controlled by the control device 71 of the control unit 70 to operate the elevation drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22. The drive device 20 is configured to move the support member 50 along a predetermined movement locus by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the turning movement of the swinging unit 40.

The elevating part 30 moves linearly in the vertical direction with respect to the base 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating part 30 includes an elevating body 31, a swing support part 32, and an elevating cover 33 (see FIG. 1). The elevating body 31 is formed in a long shape that is long in the vertical direction. The elevating body 31 is guided by a guide (not shown) on the rear surface of the column 12. The elevating body 31 moves up and down along the guides of the column 12 by driving the elevating drive unit 21 that is a linear motion device. A swing drive unit 22 that turns the swing unit 40 is housed inside the elevating body 31.

The swing support portion 32 supports the swing portion 40 so as to be rotatable around the central axis A. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevating cover 33 covers and protects the elevating body 31 and the support 12 around and above. The elevating cover 33 is coupled to the elevating body 31 and moves up and down together with the elevating body 31. The lower part of the elevating cover 33 that moves up and down always overlaps the outer peripheral side of the fixed cover 13. In the present embodiment, the assistance device 1 has one lifting unit 30 corresponding to one support column 12. On the other hand, the assistance apparatus 1 is good also as a structure provided with two or more support | pillars 12 and provided with two or more raising / lowering parts 30 corresponding to the number of support | pillars 12.

The swinging unit 40 swings around the central axis A provided in the lifting unit 30 and swings the support member 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the swing unit 40 includes a swing body 41, an arm 42, and a first handle 43. The swing body 41 is an attachment portion to which the support member 50 is attached and detached. The arm 42 is integrally fixed to the swing body 41. One end of the arm 42 is rotatably supported around the central axis A of the swing support part 32 of the elevating part 30. The arm 42 is rotated by the drive of the swing drive unit 22. When the assisting device 1 assists the standing operation, the arm 42 mainly turns forward from the state of extending rearward. On the other hand, when the assistance device 1 assists the seating operation, the arm 42 mainly pivots backward so as to extend rearward.

The first handle 43 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape. The first handle 43 is formed so as to extend forward and upward from the swinging main body 41. The side portion of the first handle 43 is gripped by both hands of the person being assisted. Furthermore, the side part and the front part of the first handle 43 are gripped in order to move the assistance device 1 by the assistant. With the above-described configuration, the swinging portion 40 pivots around a horizontal axis (center axis A) parallel to the left-right direction of the base 10 and is attached to the swinging body 41 on the distal end side of the arm 42. The member 50 is swung.

The support member 50 is a member that supports the upper body of the person being assisted. The support member 50 includes a body support portion 51, a pair of side support portions 52, a second handle 53, and the like. The trunk | drum support part 51 is formed in the surface shape close | similar to the trunk | drum shape of the care receiver M, and flexible deformation | transformation is possible. The support surface of the torso support portion 51 supports the torso by making surface contact with the front surface of the torso of the upper half of the person being assisted. In more detail, the support surface of the trunk | drum support part 51 supports the range from the chest to the abdomen in the care receiver M from below. Further, the body support portion 51 is attached to the swinging main body 41.

Furthermore, the body support portion 51 is supported so as to be freely tiltable in the front-rear direction with respect to the swinging main body 41. Specifically, the body support portion 51 is configured to be tiltable within a predetermined angle range from the state shown in FIG. 4 in the clockwise direction of FIG. The above-mentioned “free tilt” means not tilt driven by an actuator or the like but tilt capable of being moved manually.

The pair of side support parts 52 are supported by the body support part 51 and support the side of the person being assisted M. Specifically, the pair of side support parts 52 are provided on the left and right sides of the body support part 51. The side support portion 52 is supported by the body support portion 51 so as to be swingable. The side support portion 52 is formed in an L shape by a rod-shaped member. The surface of the side support portion 52 is covered with a material that can be flexibly deformed. The second handle 53 is integrally provided on the front surface of the body support portion 51. The second handle 53 is formed in a horizontally long U shape. The second handle 53 includes a base shaft portion that is fixed to the lower portion of the body support portion 51 and extends in the left-right direction, and a grip portion that extends from both ends of the base shaft portion toward the first handle 43 side.

The control unit 70 is provided on the upper right side of the frame 11. The control unit 70 includes a control device 71 that controls the elevation drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22. The control device 71 drives the elevating drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22 based on a command from the person being assisted M or the assistant in an operation process for assisting the standing person or the sitting operation of the person being assisted. The movement of the support member 50 is controlled by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the turning movement of the swinging unit 40.

The control device 71 can be a computer device that operates with software. The computer apparatus may include a remote controller (not shown) that receives a command from the person being assisted M or a person being assisted. As software, an auxiliary program for executing an operation process for assisting the standing-up operation and an operation process for assisting the sitting operation is stored. Further, a battery power source having a symbol that can be repeatedly charged and discharged is attached to the lower side of the control device 71. A battery power source is also attached to the upper left side of the frame 11. The battery power source is also shared by the lift drive unit 21 and the swing drive unit 22.

(1-2. Operation processing of the sitting operation by the assistance device 1)
The operation process for assisting the sitting operation by the assistance device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The operation process of the seating operation includes a descending process for lowering the support member 50 and a retreating process for retracting the support member 50. Note that the lowering process may include an operation of moving the support member 50 backward, and similarly, the moving backward process may include an operation of moving the support member 50 up and down. Further, the descending process and the retreating process are actually executed in series, and when the support member 50 follows a smooth movement locus, it is not always possible to experience the switching of processes.

In the present embodiment, a state where the person being assisted is in a standing posture in advance by, for example, an operation process for assisting a standing motion is set as the initial state of the assistance device 1 (see FIG. 2). The person M who is in the standing posture is in a state in which both legs are extended and the mass of the upper body is almost entrusted to the support member 50. It should be noted that the height of the support member 50 at the end of the operation process for assisting the standing operation is not necessarily constant. For example, when the command to the assistance device 1 is not input, the control device 71 ends the operation process of the standing motion. Therefore, depending on the height of the support member 50 at the end, the person being assisted in the standing posture is maintained in a state where, for example, the knee of the lower leg is in contact with the lower leg pad 15 in addition to the posture shown in FIG. Sometimes.

In the operation process of the sitting operation, the process of lowering the support member 50 so as to lower the upper body of the person M is referred to as a lowering process. At this time, the person being assisted M is shifted from the standing posture which is the initial state shown in FIG. 2 to the intermediate posture where the upper body is lowered as shown in FIG. Further, in the operation process of the sitting operation, the step of tilting the support member 50 rearward and retreating the support member 50 so that the upper body of the person being assisted M is substantially raised is referred to as a retreat step. At this time, the person being assisted M is shifted from the intermediate posture shown in FIG. 3 to the sitting posture which is the end state shown in FIG. The person M who is in the sitting posture is in a state where the upper body is raised and the buttocks Mt is in contact with the seat surface 91 of the chair 90.

Here, when the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the rocking part 40 are coordinated, the rocking support member 50 may have a part that moves forward and a part that moves backward with respect to the base 10. Similarly, there may be a part that rises and a part that descends with respect to the base 10. Therefore, in the following, the movement of the reference position Ps set to the position where the support member 50 moves integrally is defined as the movement of the support member 50.

In the present embodiment, the reference position Ps is set at the upper end of the portion of the body support portion 51 that contacts the body as shown in FIG. A thick solid line in FIGS. 2 to 5 indicates a movement locus Td of the reference position Ps during the sitting operation of the person being assisted. In other words, the control device 71 coordinates the support member 50 by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the rocking part 40 so that the reference position Ps moves along the movement trajectory Td shown in FIGS. Control the movement of.

When the person being assisted M or the person being assisted starts the assisting operation of the sitting operation, the control device 71 performs a descending step of changing the person being assisted M from the standing posture (see FIG. 2) to the intermediate posture (see FIG. 3). Execute. At this time, the reference position Ps moves along the movement trajectory Td from the position Ps1 to the position Ps3 as shown in FIG. In the lowering step, in a part of the section moving from the position Ps1 to the position Ps3 (the first section S1 in FIG. 5), the lifting unit is higher than the rearward movement amount of the reference position Ps accompanying the backward turning of the swinging unit 40. The operations of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging unit 40 are coordinated so that the downward movement amount of the central axis A due to the lowering of 30 is increased, and the support member 50 is lowered from the start position (Ps1) of the seating operation.

Here, corresponding to the movement of the reference position Ps in the descending process and the retreating process (moving from the position Ps1 to the position Ps4 via the positions Ps2 and Ps3), the central axis A is centered as shown in FIG. It moves along the movement locus Tc from the axis position Pc1 to the center axis position Pc4 via the center axis positions Pc2 and Pc3. FIG. 5 shows the center axis positions Pc3 and PC4 on the movement trajectory Tc of the linear center axis A shifted in the front-rear direction in order to avoid duplication of paths.

In the lowering step, in the first section S1, when the reference position Ps reaches the position Ps2, which is a transit position, the elevating unit 30 is more than the rearward movement amount Nb of the reference position Ps accompanying the backward swing of the swing unit 40. The operations of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging unit 40 are coordinated so that the amount of downward movement Nd1 of the central axis A due to the lowering of Nd increases (Nb <Nd1). That is, in the first section S1 of the descending step, the support member 50 is lowered to the predetermined height H1 while supporting the upper body, rather than raising the upper body of the person being assisted in the initial stage of the operation process of the sitting operation. This is a priority section.

More specifically, in the lowering step, the support member 50 falls within a range of ¼ or less from the initial angle (θmax) of the support member 50 to the angle (θmin) of the support member 50 at the seating operation end position (Ps4). The operation of lowering the support member 50 from the start position Ps1 of the seating operation to the predetermined height H1 in a state where the angle θ is maintained. Here, the lower part of FIG. 5 shows the angle θ of the support member 50 according to the front-rear position of the support member 50. The angle θ of the support member 50 is an angle formed by the support surface of the body support portion 51 with respect to the vertical axis, as shown in FIGS.

The angle θ of the support member 50 is the maximum (θmax) in the initial state of the assisting device 1 (see FIG. 2), and decreases monotonously with the execution of the seating operation process, and the end state of the assisting device 1 (see FIG. 4)) is the minimum (θmin). The predetermined height H1 of the support member 50 is supported when it is lowered by 2/3 from the initial height Hs of the support member 50 to the height He of the support member 50 at the seating operation end position (Ps4). This is the height of the member 50. That is, the predetermined height H1 is about 67% of the difference between the initial height Hs and the final height He, and is a height below the initial height Hs.

According to the configuration described above, in the initial stage of the lowering process, the support member 50 has a total lowering amount of 25% of the total turning amount before turning back (that is, before retreating by the first section S1). It is moved so as to descend by 80% or more. Further, in the present embodiment, the lowering step includes an operation of lowering the support member 50 from the seating operation start position Ps1 to the second predetermined height H2. The second predetermined height H2 is a height below the initial height Hs by the difference between the initial height Hs and the final height He, that is, the final position of the support member 50 at the end position (Ps4) of the seating operation. The height He is set (H2 = He). In the lowering step, the swinging portion 40 is swung back to about 30% of the total turning amount while the lifting portion 30 is lowered to the lowest height Hw that is further lowered from the final height He of the support member 50. Let

When the descent process is completed and the reference position Ps reaches the position Ps3, the person being assisted M is shifted to the intermediate posture in which the upper body is lowered as shown in FIG. At this time, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M comes into contact with the seat surface 91 of the chair 90. However, depending on the physique of the person being assisted, the height of the seat surface 91, and the level of the weight of the upper body of the person being assisted by the support member 50, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted on the seat surface 91 in the intermediate position It does not always come into contact. In the intermediate posture, the position of the center of gravity of the person being assisted in the front-rear direction is within the range in the front-rear direction in which the foot of the person being assisted comes into contact with the footrest 14. Therefore, the person M who is in the intermediate posture is in a posture in which he / she can stably support himself / herself with his / her feet. Note that part or all of the lowering process does not include the turning movement of the swinging unit 40, and only the operation of lowering the elevating unit 30 to a predetermined height H1 may be the lowering process.

Subsequently, after the operation process of the sitting operation is continued and the descending step, the control device 71 moves the person to be assisted M from the intermediate position (see FIG. 3) to the sitting position in which the upper half of the person to be assisted M is raised (see FIG. 3). The reverse process is performed as shown in FIG. At this time, in the retreating process, the swinging portion 40 is rotated backward so that the support member 50 is retracted, and the downward movement amount Nd2 of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A accompanying the backward swinging of the swinging portion 40 (FIG. 6). The lifting / lowering unit 30 is raised so as to turn off. Thus, in the retreating process, the person to be assisted M supported by the support member 50 is changed from the intermediate posture to the sitting posture in which the upper body is raised.

Here, FIG. 6 shows each part of the assisting device 1 before and after executing the retreating process, with the lifting unit 30 as a reference. The reference position Ps is provided so that the swinging part 40 can turn around the central axis A provided on the upper part of the lifting part 30, so that the reference position Ps moves backward while the swinging part 40 rotates backward. Move downward by an amount Nd2. On the other hand, in the reverse step, the elevating unit 30 is raised so as to erase part or all of the downward movement amount Nd2 of the reference position Ps. In the present embodiment, the elevating unit 30 is raised so that the raising amount Nu is larger than the downward movement amount Nd2 of the reference position Ps (Nd2 <Nu). As a result, the reference position Ps rises as a whole by the difference (Nu−Nd2) because the downward movement amount Nd2 is offset.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the retreating process is a sitting posture in which the upper body is raised from the intermediate posture (indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 7) to the person M supported by the support member 50 (in the solid line in FIG. 7). ). At this time, the reference position Ps moves from the position Ps3 to the position Ps4 along the movement trajectory Td as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows, as a reference example, a movement trajectory Tr of the support member 50 when the swinging unit 40 is rotated backward while the elevating unit 30 is lowered by a one-dot chain line.

Incidentally, it is possible to set various values for the amount of vertical movement of the reference position Ps in the reverse process. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in the retreating process, the support member 50 is moved so that the shoulder Ms and the chest Mb of the person being assisted M supported by the support member 50 rise while retreating. That is, the increase amount (Nu−Nd2) of the reference position Ps in the retreating process is set to an amount such that the chest Mb at a position lower than the shoulder Ms of the person being assisted M is also increased. In addition, as for the upper body of the person being assisted M, the amount of increase in the retreat process becomes smaller as it goes downward from the chest Mb.

In the retreating process of swinging the support member 50 as described above, the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 positioned below the reference position Ps moves monotonously downward. Specifically, in response to the movement of the reference position Ps in the reverse process (movement from the position Ps3 to the position Ps4), the lower end 511 of the trunk support 51 is moved from the lower end position Pw3 to the lower end position as shown in FIG. It descends to Pw4. Thereby, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M comes into contact with the seating surface 91 with certainty, and the weight of the person being assisted M gets on the seating surface 91.

At this time, the lower end 511 of the body support portion 51 has a small movement amount (distance between the lower end position Pw3 and the lower end position Pw4) as compared with the movement amount (distance between the positions Ps3 and Ps4) of the reference position Ps and slightly. Move down while moving forward. As a result, the weight of the upper body of the person being assisted by the support member 50 is gradually lost, so that the person who is being assisted can shift to a sitting posture that can support the upper body. At the end of such a sitting operation, the operation of finally raising the upper body while the buttocks Mt are in contact with the seating surface 91 is close to the operation when a healthy person performs the sitting operation and is a natural operation. Further, the position at which the reference position Ps arrives at the end of the reverse process can vary as appropriate on the movement trajectory Td. For example, the control device 71 ends the operation process of the sitting operation when the command to the assistance device 1 is not input.

In the present embodiment, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, the lowering process and the retreating process include an operation of turning the swinging portion 40 backward and an operation of turning the swinging portion 40 forward. Absent. Specifically, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 5, the movement trajectory Td of the reference position Ps retreats monotonously from the front side to the rear side. Further, the lowering process includes an operation for lowering the elevating unit 30 and does not include an operation for elevating the elevating unit 30. On the other hand, the retreat process includes an operation of raising the elevating unit 30 and does not include an operation of lowering the elevating unit 30.

As described above, when the descending process and the retreating process are sequentially performed in the operation process of the sitting operation, the support member 50 passes through the first section S1 and the second section S2 on the rear side as shown in FIG. Retreat as you do. In the first section S1, the control device 71 controls the movement of the support member 50 so that the vertical movement amount of the support member 50 is always larger than the front-back movement amount. In the second section S2, the control device 71 controls the movement of the support member 50 so that the movement amount of the support member 50 in the vertical direction is always smaller than the movement amount in the front-rear direction.

(2. Effects of the configuration of the embodiment)
The base 10, the support member 50 that supports the upper half of the person being assisted M, the elevating part 30 that moves linearly in the vertical direction with respect to the base 10, and the center axis A provided in the elevating part 30 is swung around the center axis A. In the operation process for assisting the seated movement of the person being assisted M and the swinging part 40 that swings the support member 50, the vertical movement of the lifting and lowering part 30 and the turning movement of the swinging part 40 are coordinated. And a control device 71 that controls movement. The movement of the reference position Ps set to the position where the support member 50 moves integrally is defined as the movement of the support member 50. In the operation process of the seating operation, the elevating unit 30 is lowered, and after the lowering process, the person M supported by the support member 50 is changed to the intermediate position in which the upper body is lowered from the initial standing position. The swinging portion 40 is rotated backward so that the support member 50 moves backward, and the elevating portion 30 is raised so as to eliminate the downward movement amount of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A accompanying the backward swinging of the swinging portion 40. The step of moving the person to be assisted M from the intermediate posture to the sitting posture is included.

According to such a configuration, the reverse step in the operation process of the sitting operation moves the support member 50 by coordinating the backward turning of the swinging unit 40 and the lifting of the lifting unit 30. The upper body of the person being assisted M is caused by the tilting of the support member 50 accompanying the backward turning of the swinging unit 40. Here, when the swinging portion 40 turns backward, the support member 50 moves downward with respect to the central axis A along with the backward turning. On the other hand, in the retreat process, the elevating unit 30 is raised so as to eliminate the downward movement amount of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A. Thereby, the downward movement of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A accompanying the backward turning of the swinging portion 40 is at least partially offset by the lifting operation of the lifting and lowering portion 30. As a result, the lowering amount of the support member 50 with respect to the base 10 is reduced.

Therefore, in the retreat process in which the person being assisted M is in the sitting position in which the upper body is raised from the intermediate position, the upper body of the person assisted by M is maintained at a certain height as compared with the case where the swinging unit 40 is simply turned backward. The support member 50 is supported so that the raised portion Mt is gradually lowered. Therefore, during the period from the intermediate posture to the sitting posture, the upper body of the person being assisted M does not sink more than necessary, and the support can be performed by the operation according to the raising of the upper body. Thereby, the burden of the care receiver M at the time of assisting the sitting operation can be further reduced.

Further, the support member 50 is formed in a planar shape, and has a body support portion 51 that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper part of the person being assisted M. The reference position Ps is set at the upper end of a portion of the body support portion 51 that contacts the body.

Assisted person M is supported by body support part 51 with the upper body in surface contact. In the backward movement process, the downward movement amount associated with the backward movement of the reference position Ps set at the upper end of the body contact portion 51 in contact with the body is small as compared with the case where only the swinging movement of the rocking portion 40 is performed. The vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the rocking part 40 are coordinated. As a result, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M gradually descend while retreating with the movement of the support member 50 in the retreat process. Therefore, the upper body of the person being assisted forward tilted is supported by a natural motion, and the burden on the person being assisted can be further reduced.

Further, the rising amount Nu of the elevating unit 30 in the retreating process is set to be equal to or greater than the downward moving amount Nd2 of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A accompanying the backward turning of the swinging unit 40 (Nu ≧ Nd2).
According to such a configuration, the downward movement of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A due to the backward swing of the swinging part 40 in the backward movement process is all canceled by the upward movement of the lifting / lowering part 30, and only the difference (Nu−Nd2). It rises as a whole. Thus, during the period from the transition to the sitting posture, the upper body of the person being assisted is lifted by the difference (Nu−Nd2), and the support according to the operation of extending the waist Mm is possible. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the burden on the person being assisted M in assisting the sitting operation.

Further, in the retreating process, the support member 50 is moved so that the shoulder Ms and the chest Mb of the person M who is supported by the support member 50 rise while retreating.
According to such a configuration, in the retreating process, the support member 50 is raised not only in the part that holds the shoulder Ms of the person being assisted but also in the part that holds the chest Mb of the person being assisted. Moved. Thereby, for example, as compared with the movement of the support member 50 such that the shoulder Ms rises while retreating while the chest Mb moves substantially horizontally or descends while retreating, the chest Mb is allowed to rise, and the upper body is more naturally Can wake up. Therefore, the burden on the person being assisted M can be further reduced.

Further, the lowering process and the retreating process include an operation of turning the swinging part 40 backward, and an operation of turning the swinging part 40 forward is not included.
According to such a configuration, in the operation process of the sitting operation, the angle of the trunk of the person being assisted M changes only in the direction in which it is raised. If it is a healthy person, the tilting direction of the trunk in the sitting operation is reversed in the middle. On the other hand, by setting the descending step and the retreating step as described above, an operation process for the purpose of assisting a sitting operation in which only the lower body of the person being assisted is bent and the sitting posture is changed from the standing posture. The application of the present invention is particularly useful.

(3. Modification of Embodiment)
(3-1. Movement of support member 50)
In the embodiment, the descending step in the operation process of the seating operation is performed by the backward swing of the swinging unit 40 in a part of the section moving from the position Ps1 to the position Ps3 (first section S1 in FIGS. 5 and 8). The operations of the elevating part 30 and the swinging part 40 are coordinated so that the downward movement amount Nd1 of the central axis A due to the lowering of the elevating part 30 is larger than the rearward movement amount Nb of the reference position Ps associated therewith. The support member 50 is lowered from the start position (Ps1).

At this time, the control device 71 controls the movement of the support member 50 based on the backward movement amount Nb of the reference position Ps and the downward movement amount Nd1 of the central axis A in the first section S1, in addition to the reference position Ps and the central axis. The movement of the support member 50 may be controlled based on the movement speed of A. In other words, in the operation process of the seating operation, the moving speed of the central axis A in the downward direction due to the lowering of the elevating part 30 is larger than the moving speed of the reference position Ps to the rear accompanying the backward turning of the swinging part 40. A descent process is included in which the operations of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging unit 40 are coordinated to lower the support member 50 from the start position of the seating operation.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the descent process is performed at the time when the reference position Ps reaches the position Ps2 that is the via position in the first section S1, and the reference position associated with the backward swing of the swinging unit 40. The vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the rocking part 40 are coordinated so that the moving speed Vw below the central axis A is greater than the moving speed Vr of Ps backward (Vr <Vw). That is, in the first section S1 of the lowering process, the support member 50 is lowered to the predetermined height H1 while supporting the upper body, rather than retracting the upper body of the person being assisted in the initial stage of the operation process of the sitting operation. This is a section in which priority is given.

Further, in the embodiment, the reference position Ps is set to the upper end of the portion of the body support portion 51 that contacts the body of the person being assisted M. On the other hand, the reference position Ps only needs to be set to a position that moves integrally with the support member 50. For example, the reference position Ps may be configured to be set to a position beside the person being assisted M in the structure in which the support member 50 includes the side support portions 52 as illustrated in the embodiment.

Here, when the person being assisted M is supported by the side support portion 52, the side position with respect to the support member 50 is determined. Therefore, even if the physique of the person being assisted is different, the position of the person being assisted by the person being assisted is generally constant. Therefore, in the backward movement process, the downward movement amount associated with the backward movement of the reference position Ps set to the side position according to the position of the side support part 52 is reduced as compared with the case where only the swinging movement of the swinging part 40 is performed. Furthermore, the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the turning movement of the swinging part 40 are coordinated. As a result, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M gradually descend while retreating with the movement of the support member 50 in the retreat process. Therefore, the upper body of the person being assisted M is supported by natural movement, and the burden on the person being assisted can be further reduced.

Further, the reference position Ps is an intersection of a virtual plane including three or more contact points between the body of the person being supported M and the body support part 51 supported by the body support part 51 and a perpendicular extending from the central axis A to the virtual plane. It is good also as a structure set to. Here, the support member 50 is formed in a planar shape, and includes a body support portion 51 that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper half of the person M to be assisted. Therefore, even if the physique of the person being assisted is different, the angle of the trunk support part 51 can be regarded as the angle of the upper body of the assisted person M.

Therefore, in the retreating step, the reference position Ps is set at the intersection of a virtual plane including three or more contact points between the trunk and the trunk support 51 and a perpendicular extending from the central axis A to the virtual plane. In the retreating process, the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging of the swinging unit 40 are performed so that the downward movement amount associated with the retraction of the reference position Ps is smaller than that of the swinging unit 40 alone. To coordinate movements. As a result, the buttocks Mt of the person being assisted M gradually descend while retreating with the movement of the support member 50 in the retreat process. Therefore, the upper body of the person being evacuated backward is supported by natural movement, and the burden on the person being assisted can be further reduced.

In addition, the reference position Ps is a part of the body of the care recipient M, and may be set to, for example, the shoulder Ms or the chest Mb. Further, the reference position Ps may be on an extension line of the arm 42 extending from the central axis A, and may be an intersection of the extension line and the support surface of the body support portion 51. Even in such a configuration, the same effects as in the embodiment can be obtained.

(3-2. About cooperative operation)
In the embodiment, the control device 71 supports the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the turning movement of the rocking unit 40 in a coordinated manner so that the reference position Ps moves along the movement trajectory Td shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. The movement of the member 50 is controlled. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, in the reverse step, the elevating unit 30 is lifted so that the rising amount Nu is larger than the downward moving amount Nd2 of the reference position Ps (Nd2 <Nu). As a result, the movement trajectory Td is formed as a downward convex curve having a transit position (Ps3) lower than the end position (Ps4), as shown in FIGS.

On the other hand, the control device 71 lifts and lowers the swinging portion 40 so as to reverse the amount of downward movement Nd2 of the support member 50 with respect to the central axis A accompanying the backward swinging of the swinging portion 40 in the backward movement process. If it is the structure which raises the part 30, various cooperation operation | movement can be performed. In other words, if the control device 71 is configured to include an operation in which the elevating unit 30 is lifted in the retreat process, the control device 71 moves the reference position Ps along various movement trajectories through the cooperation of the operations of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging unit 40. Can be made.

For example, the control device 71 may move the reference position Ps along the second movement locus Td2 indicated by the broken line in FIG. This second movement trajectory Td2 is a trajectory in which the reference position Ps monotonously decreases from the start position (Ps1) to the end position (Ps4), and is a transit position lower than the end position (Ps4). It is formed into a curve that does not have. Even in such a configuration, there is an operation similar to that of the embodiment, including an operation in which the elevating unit 30 moves up in the retreating process. In addition, it is also possible to employ | adopt the movement locus | trajectory that the support member 50 moves substantially horizontally between the completion | finish stages of a reversing process.

In the embodiment, in the operation process for assisting the seating operation, each of the descending step and the retreating step includes an operation of turning the swinging portion 40 backward, and does not include an operation of turning the swinging portion 40 forward. It was. On the other hand, for example, when it is necessary to raise the upper body of the person to be assisted M to some extent in the standing posture due to a difference in the assistance level, the ascending / descending operation is performed so that at least one of the steps includes the forward turning of the swinging unit 40. The movement of the support member 50 may be controlled by coordinating the vertical movement of the part 30 and the turning movement of the swinging part 40.

In addition, the operation process of the sitting operation is configured by two steps of a descending step and a reverse step that are executed in series. On the other hand, another process may be appropriately included in the operation process of the sitting operation. For example, the operation process may include a preparation process for changing the assisting device 1 from the current state to the initial state, a recovery process in a case where each process that has been executed once is stopped, and then restarted. The control device 71 moves the support member 50 by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the turning motion of the rocking unit 40 by combining various processes based on the state of the assistance device 1 and the input command. It is good also as a structure which controls.

Further, the lowering step included in the operation processing of the seating operation is a step of tilting and lowering the support member 50 as described above. Specifically, the starting point of the descent process is the initial state of the assistance device 1. Further, as illustrated in the embodiment, the end point of the descending process and the starting point of the retreating process can be set to the state when the elevating unit 30 is most lowered when the operation process is executed in series. Then, the end point of the reverse step is a state when the support member 50 reaches a predetermined position so that the person being assisted M is in the sitting position.

In the embodiment, the descending process and the retreating process are defined as described above. In addition, the height of the elevating unit 30, the angle of the swinging unit 40, the position and angle of the support member 50 in the movement locus Td, and the posture of the person being assisted M You may divide a process by etc. In any of the sections, the burden on the person being assisted M can be reduced by cooperating to raise the elevating unit 30 while retracting the support member 50 in the retreating process of shifting from the intermediate posture to the sitting posture. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Assistance device 10: Base 11: Frame, 12: Support, 13: Fixed cover 14: Foot resting table, 141: Grounding mark 15: Lower leg support part, 151: Support arm 16: Front wheel, 17, 18: Wheel 20: Drive device, 21: Elevating drive unit, 22: Oscillating drive unit, 30: Elevating unit, 31: Elevating body, 32: Oscillating support unit, 33: Elevating cover, 40: Oscillating unit, 41: Oscillating body, and 42: Arm: 43: First handle 50: Support member 51: Body support part, 511: Lower end 52: Side support part, 53: Second handle 70: Control unit, 71: Control device, 90: Chair, 91: Seat surface A: Central axis, F: Floor surface M: Caregiver Ms: Shoulder, Mb: Chest, Mm: Lumbar, Mt: Buttocks Ps: Reference position Td, Tr: (Reference position) movement locus, Tc: (Center axis) Movement locus Nd1 Downward movement amount (of the central axis in the lowering process) Nd2: Downward movement amount (of the reference position in the backward movement process) Nu: Increase amount, Nb: Backward movement amount H1: Predetermined height, Hs: Initial height, He: Final Height of

Claims

The base,
A support member that supports the upper body of the person being assisted;
An elevating part that moves in a vertical direction with respect to the base;
A swing part that swings around a central axis provided in the elevating part and swings the support member;
A control device for controlling the movement of the support member by coordinating the vertical movement of the elevating part and the turning movement of the swinging part in an operation process for assisting the sitting operation of the person being assisted,
The movement of the reference position that is set to a position that moves integrally with the support member is defined as the movement of the support member,
In the operation process of the sitting operation,
A lowering step of lowering the elevating unit to bring the person supported by the support member into an intermediate posture in which the upper body is lowered from an initial standing posture;
After the descending step, the swinging part is rotated backward so that the support member is retracted, and the downward movement amount of the support member with respect to the central axis accompanying the backward swinging of the swinging part is erased. An assisting device including a retreating step of raising the elevating unit to change the person being assisted from the intermediate posture to the sitting posture.
The support member is formed in a planar shape, and has a body support part that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper body of the person being assisted,
The assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is set at an upper end of a portion of the body support portion that contacts the body.
The support member is
A body support portion that is formed in a planar shape and that is in surface contact with the front surface of the body among the upper body of the person being assisted, and supports the body;
A side support part that is supported by the body support part and supports the side of the person being assisted,
The assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is set to a position beside the person being assisted.
The support member is formed in a planar shape, and has a body support part that supports the body by making surface contact with the front surface of the body of the upper body of the person being assisted,
The reference position is set at an intersection of a virtual plane including three or more contact points between the trunk supported by the trunk support section and the trunk support section and a perpendicular extending from the central axis to the virtual plane. Item 4. The assistance device according to item 1.
5. The rising amount of the elevating part in the retreating step is set to be equal to or more than a downward movement amount of the support member with respect to the central axis associated with a backward turning of the swinging part. Assistance device.
The assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the retreating step, the support member is moved so that the shoulder and chest of the person being supported supported by the support member rise while retreating. .
The descending step and the retreating step include an operation of turning the swinging portion backward, and an operation of turning the swinging portion forward is not included. Assistance device.