WO2018179431A1

WO2018179431A1 - Assistance device

Info

Publication number: WO2018179431A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/013831
Authority: WO
Inventors: 英明野村; 丈二五十棲; 聡志清水
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｆｕｊｉ
Priority date: 2017-03-31
Filing date: 2017-03-31
Publication date: 2018-10-04
Also published as: JPWO2018179431A1; JP6767566B2

Abstract

The present invention provides an assistance device that provides assistance to a person to be assisted in performing a transfer motion from a sitting posture, the assistance device including: a base; a support part that can move relative to the base while supporting a part of the body of the person to be assisted; a driving unit that drives the support part; and a temporary-stop control unit that temporarily stops the support part at a stop position where the support part is stopped after starting to move, the stop position corresponding to the situation in which the buttocks of the person to be assisted move away from a seat surface.

Description

Assistance device

This specification relates to assistance devices.

As the aging society progresses, the need for assistance devices is increasing. The introduction of the assistance device reduces the physical burden on the caregiver and the person being assisted, and also reduces the shortage of caregivers. As an example of the assistance device, there is a device that assists the transfer operation from the sitting posture of the person being assisted. This type of assistance device generally assists the transfer operation of the person being assisted by performing control to move a support part that supports a part of the body of the person being assisted. One technical example related to the control of the assistance device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Patent Document 1 discloses a motion setting method for a standing and sitting motion support robot. In this motion setting method, a custom trajectory is acquired by correcting the base trajectory of the standing and sitting motion according to the position of the body part of the person being assisted. Then, in the custom trajectory during the standing-up operation, the support unit is moved so that the chest angle of the person being assisted is tilted before the buttock of the person being assisted leaves the seat surface. Thereby, the person being assisted is said to be able to comfortably stand and sit.

JP 2013-162896 A

Incidentally, in the technical example of Patent Document 1, the movement of the support portion is controlled without delay along the acquired custom trajectory. For this reason, even if the position and posture of the person being assisted do not match the support part, the support part moves and the physical burden on the person being assisted increases. In particular, the person being assisted shifts from an easy posture to a heavy posture when the buttocks leave the seat. Accordingly, it is important to properly adjust the posture of the person being assisted and the supported position at this time in order to reduce the burden.

In this specification, the support unit after the movement has been stopped is temporarily stopped to provide time for appropriately adjusting the posture and supported position of the person being assisted, so as to reduce the physical burden on the person being assisted It is an object to be solved to provide an assistance device.

The present specification is an assistance device for assisting a transfer operation from the sitting position of the person being assisted, and a relative movement with respect to the base while supporting a base and a part of the body of the person being assisted And a stop position where the support portion stops after the movement starts, and corresponds to the supporter's buttocks separating from the seating surface. Disclosed is an assistance device comprising a stop control unit that temporarily stops the support unit at a stop position.

According to the assistance device disclosed in the present specification, the stop control unit temporarily stops the support unit after the movement is started at a stop position corresponding to the separation of the supporter's buttocks from the seating surface. For this reason, while the support portion is temporarily stopped, the person being assisted can appropriately adjust the posture of the body and the position to be supported while receiving the assistance by himself. As a result, when the buttocks of the person being assisted move away from the seating surface and shift from a comfortable posture to a posture with a large burden, the posture of the assisted person and the supported position are well suited to the support portion. Therefore, the physical burden on the person being assisted is reduced.

It is the perspective view which looked at the assistance apparatus of 1st Embodiment from diagonally backward. It is a figure which shows the initial state in case an assistance apparatus assists a person being transferred, and is a side cross-sectional view of the assistance apparatus taken along the center line. It is a figure which shows an intermediate | middle state in case an assistance apparatus assists a person to be transferred, and is side surface sectional drawing which cut the assistance apparatus with the centerline. It is a figure which shows the final state in case an assistance apparatus assists a transfer operation of a caregiver, and is side surface sectional drawing which cut the assistance apparatus with the centerline. It is a block diagram which shows typically the structure of the control part of an assistance apparatus. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of a once stop control part in the case of assisting the transfer operation | movement of a person being assisted. It is a figure explaining a load detection part, Comprising: It is side surface sectional drawing which cut the trunk | drum support part with the centerline. It is the figure which showed the operation | movement flow of the temporary stop control part of 2nd Embodiment.

1. Configuration of Assisting Device 1 of First Embodiment The assisting device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assistance device 1 according to the first embodiment as viewed obliquely from the rear. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a figure which shows the initial state in case the assistance apparatus 1 assists the transfer operation | movement of the care receiver M, and is side surface sectional drawing which cut the assistance apparatus 1 with the centerline. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an intermediate state when the assistance device 1 assists the transfer operation of the person being assisted M, and is a side cross-sectional view of the assistance device 1 taken along the center line. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a final state when the assistance device 1 assists the transfer operation of the person being assisted M, and is a side cross-sectional view of the assistance device 1 taken along the center line. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control unit 90 of the assistance device 1.

The assistance device 1 assists transfer between two different places such as transfer between the bed of the person being assisted M and the wheelchair and transfer between the wheelchair and the toilet seat. The assistance device 1 supports the body of the person being assisted M and assists the transfer operation from the sitting posture to the posture at the time of transfer and the sitting operation from the posture at the time of transfer to the sitting posture. Here, the transfer posture is a posture in which the buttocks floats from the seating surface, and includes a standing posture and a middle waist posture. That is, the posture at the time of transfer includes a state where the upper body stands up and a state of leaning forward. Moreover, the assistance apparatus 1 can transfer the care recipient M in the posture at the time of transfer when the two places to be transferred are separated.

The assistance device 1 includes a base 10, a drive unit 2, a support unit 50, a control unit 90, and the like. The drive unit 2 includes an arm 20, an actuator 30, a link mechanism 40, and the like. The drive unit 2 moves the support unit 50 relative to the base 10.

The base 10 is formed of a frame 11, a foot placing table 12, a front wheel 13, a rear wheel 14, a crus pad 15 and the like. The frame 11 is formed of a rear member 11a that is disposed horizontally in the vicinity of the floor surface F, and a front member 11b that extends obliquely upward and forward from the front end of the rear member 11a. An actuator support portion 11c is projected from the front side of the upper surface of the rear member 11a. The footrest 12 is fixed substantially horizontally on the upper surface of the rear member 11a. On the upper surface of the foot placing table 12, a mark 12a for guiding the position where the person being assisted puts his / her foot is written.

The two front wheels 13 are provided on the front member 11b, and the two rear wheels 14 are provided on the rear member 11a. Due to the steering function of the front wheels 13 and the rear wheels 14, the assistance device 1 can perform not only a straight movement and a turning movement, but also a lateral movement and a super turn. Further, the front wheel 13 has a lock function for restricting movement. The lower thigh pad 15 is formed of a pair of support members 16 and a cushion material 17. The pair of support members 16 are erected from the front member 11b obliquely rearward and upward. The cushion material 17 is provided at the upper end of the support member 16. The cushion material 17 is located above the footrest 12 and can be contacted with the vicinity of the lower leg of the person being assisted M.

The arm 20 constituting the drive unit 2 is formed of two bar-like members that are spaced apart and parallel to each other. The two rod-shaped members are coupled to each other on the lower side using the swing shaft 21 and on the upper side using the support shaft 22. The arm 20 has a curved shape in which two rod-like members protrude forward or a bent shape. A link support portion 27 is provided near the middle of the arm 20 in the length direction. Further, a regulating member 28 having a shape substantially along the arm 20 is provided near the link support portion 27 of the arm 20. The arm 20 swings in the front-rear direction with the swing shaft 21 supported by the front member 11b as the swing axis.

A stopper mechanism 23 is provided to regulate the swing angle of the arm 20. The stopper mechanism 23 includes a contact member 24 fixed to the lower side of the arm 20, and a first stopper 25 and a second stopper 26 fixed to the front member 11b. The arm 20 extends from a rear position (shown in FIG. 2) where the contact member 24 contacts the first stopper 25 to a front position (shown in FIG. 3) where the contact member 24 contacts the second stopper 26. Swing between. The swing angle range of the arm 20 can be exemplified as 35 °, but is not limited thereto.

The support part 50 is formed including a body support part 52 and a pair of side support parts 53. The trunk support 52 is supported by the support shaft 22 of the arm 20 so as to be swingable. Thereby, the support part 50 rocks | fluctuates in the front-back direction by making the support shaft 22 into a rocking | fluctuation axis center. The swing angle range of the support portion 50 can be exemplified as 30 °, but is not limited thereto. The body support portion 52 includes a handle 52a and a locking portion 52b. The handle 52a is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape. The handle 52 a is a part that is held by the person being assisted M, and is also a part that is held by the assistant in order to move the assistance device 1. The locking portion 52b is located near the center of the rectangular frame of the handle 52a. The torso support part 52 supports the abdomen from the chest of the to-be-supported person's M torso.

The pair of side support parts 53 are attached to the chest sides on the left and right sides of the body support part 52. The side support portion 53 is formed in an L shape that bends at an obtuse angle. A short straight line portion from the base end on the attachment side of the side support portion 53 to the bent position becomes a shoulder receiving portion 53a, and a long straight portion from the bent position to the distal end becomes a side entry portion 53b. The shoulder receiving portion 53 a is located in substantially the same plane as the body support portion 52 and supports the front surface of the shoulder of the person being assisted M. The side entry portion 53b gradually moves away from the plane, enters the sides of the body of the person being assisted M, and can extend in the back direction of the person being assisted. The surface of the side support portion 53 is covered with a cushion material that can be easily deformed and compressed.

The pair of side support portions 53 enter the sides of the body of the person being assisted M and support both sides. The side support part 53 is swingable about the base end as an axis, and the angle formed with the body support part 52 is adjustable. Therefore, when the person being assisted leans against the side support portion 53, the side support portion 53 swings, and the operation of leaning is facilitated. Furthermore, the support part 50 respond | corresponds also to the physique difference of the to-be-assisted person M by the rocking | fluctuation of the side support part 53. FIG.

The actuator 30 constituting the drive unit 2 is formed of a main body unit 31, a movable unit 32, a motor 33, and the like. The movable part 32 moves linearly relative to the main body part 31 and protrudes from the return position via the intermediate position. A motor 33 serving as a drive source is provided in the main body 31. The motor 33 is controlled by the control unit 90 and drives the movable unit 32 via a power transmission mechanism such as a transmission gear (not shown). The drive source is not limited to the motor 33, and may be a pressure drive source that directly moves the movable portion 32 corresponding to the piston using hydraulic pressure or air pressure. The base end 31a of the main body 31 is supported by the actuator support 11c of the frame 11 so as to be tiltable. As a result, the actuator 30 tilts in the front-rear direction with the actuator support 11c as a fulcrum. The distal end 32 a of the movable part 32 engages with the link mechanism 40.

The link mechanism 40 constituting the drive unit 2 is formed of a first link member 41, a second link member 42, and the like. The first link member 41 is a long member formed of metal, hard resin, or the like. The first link member 41 has a supported portion 41a at the center, a driven portion 41b and a roller 41c at one end, and a connecting portion 41d at the other end. The supported part 41a is supported by the link support part 27 of the arm 20 so as to be swingable. The driven portion 41 b is engaged with the tip 32 a of the movable portion 32 of the actuator 30. When the movable portion 32 further protrudes from the intermediate position, the roller 41c can come into contact with the regulating member 28 of the arm 20 and roll.

The second link member 42 connects the connecting portion 41d of the first link member 41 and the locking portion 52b of the body support portion 52. The second link member 42 is formed using a flexible material such as rubber, elastomer, soft resin, or film-like hard resin. When the connecting portion 41d and the locking portion 52b move in directions away from each other, the second link member 42 is in an interlocking state in which the connecting portion 41d and the locking portion 52b are interlocked. On the other hand, when the connecting portion 41d and the locking portion 52b move in a direction approaching each other, the second link member 42 allows an unlinked state in which the connecting portion 41d and the locking portion 52b are not linked.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the control unit 90 includes a control main body 91, an operating device 92, a battery power source 96, and the like. The control main body 91 and the battery power source 96 are fixed on the front side near the lower end of the arm 20. The battery power source 96 is shared by the control main body 91 and the motor 33 of the actuator 30. The operating device 92 is connected to the control main body 91 using a connection cord 93. However, the operation device 92 may be connected to the control main body 91 by wireless communication. The operating device 92 is provided with an up button 94 and a down button 95.

The control body 91 is configured using a computer device having a CPU and operating with software. The control main body 91 performs switching control of normal connection, reverse connection, and interruption of the voltage supplied from the battery power source 96 to the motor 33. In response to this, the motor 33 rotates forward, reversely, and stops, and the movable portion 32 protrudes, returns, and stops. The control main body 91 controls the actuator 30 according to the operation state of the operation device 92.

More specifically, while the ascending button 94 is pressed with a finger, the control main body 91 controls the ascending mode in which the movable portion 32 of the actuator 30 protrudes from the main body 31. The ascending mode corresponds to assistance of a transfer operation that raises the buttocks of the person being assisted. In addition, while the lowering button 95 is being pressed with a finger, the control main body 91 controls the lowering mode in which the movable portion 32 of the actuator 30 is returned to the main body 31. The descending mode corresponds to assistance of a seating operation for lowering the buttocks of the person being assisted. When the finger is released from the ascending button 94 or the descending button 95 and the pressed state is canceled, the control main body 91 immediately stops the control. Thereby, the actuator 30 and the support part 50 stop immediately, and high safety | security is ensured.

Further, the control main body 91 includes the function of the stop control unit 97 once. The temporary stop control unit 97 functions in the control of the ascending mode. The temporary stop control unit 97 temporarily stops the support unit 50 after starting the movement at the stop position. The stop position of the support part 50 respond | corresponds to the to-be-supported person's M buttocks leaving | separating from a seat surface. In the first embodiment, the stop position of the support portion 50 is set to the position shown in the intermediate state of FIG. That is, the position of the support portion 50 at the time when the forward swing of the support portion 50 ends and the forward swing of the arm 20 starts becomes the stop position.

Moreover, the stop position of the support part 50 is prescribed | regulated by the predetermined drive amount of the drive part 2 defined beforehand. In other words, the stop position of the support portion 50 is defined by a state in which the motor 33 of the actuator 30 rotates by a predetermined rotation amount from the initial state and the movable portion 32 protrudes to the intermediate position. The stop position of the support unit 50 is obtained in advance by experiments, simulations, or the like, and is temporarily stored in the stop control unit 97.

The temporary stop of the support part 50 aims to secure time for properly adjusting the posture of the care recipient M and the supported position. The temporary stop of the support part 50 is performed when the buttocks of the person being assisted M leaves the seat surface, and the effect of reducing the burden on the person being assisted M is enhanced. More specifically, as the buttocks of the person being assisted M move away from the seating surface, the load supported by the buttocks moves to the trunk and both legs on the support 50. At this time, the posture of the person being assisted and the position where the person is to be supported are arranged, and the support unit 50 is suitably adapted. As a result, the burden on the person being assisted M is not concentrated on a part of the body, but is distributed to increase the mitigation effect. In addition, the person being assisted M is not cramped or uncomfortable, and does not feel stuffy or painful. The temporary stop control unit 97 performs control using a restart flag indicating that the temporary stop of the support unit 50 may be ended and the operation may be restarted. Details of the function of the stop control unit 97 will be described in the following description of the operation.

2. Operation, Action, and Effect of the Assistance Device 1 of the First Embodiment Next, the operation, action, and effect of the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, control and operation in the ascending mode for assisting the transfer operation of the person being assisted M will be described. In the ascending mode, the assistance device 1 operates from the initial state shown in FIG. 2 through the intermediate state shown in FIG. 3 to the final state shown in FIG. In addition, when assisting the sitting operation of the person being assisted M, once the function of the stop control unit 97 is removed, the assistance device 1 operates in the reverse direction in the generally reverse order of the assistance of the transfer operation.

First, the assistant presses down button 95 of operating device 92 to return movable portion 32 of actuator 30 to the return position shown in FIG. Subsequently, the assistant holds the handle 52a and moves the assistant device 1 to approach the person M who is in the sitting posture. The person being assisted M causes the lower body to enter the region between the base 10 and the support part 50. Further, the person being assisted M places both feet on the mark 12 a of the foot placing table 12. The care receiver M can obtain a stable posture by bringing a part of the lower leg into contact with the cushion material 17 of the lower leg pad 15.

Subsequently, the person being assisted M tilts the trunk forward to bring it into surface contact with the trunk support 52 and leans against the side support 53 on both sides. At this time, the trunk support portion 52 swings in the standing direction, so that the forward tilt angle of the trunk is small. Further, since the side entry portion 53 b of the side support portion 53 is substantially horizontal or slightly rearwardly lowered, the person being assisted M can easily lean on the side support portion 53. The posture of the person being assisted at this time is the initial posture. The series of operations of the person being assisted M described above may be assisted by an assistant. In the initial posture, the buttocks of the person being assisted M are seated on the seating surface. Therefore, the person being assisted M has a comfortable posture with the load caused by the weight supported by the buttocks.

Subsequently, the assistant presses the ascending button 94 of the operation device 92. Thereby, the control main body 91 starts the control in the ascending mode, and at the same time, the stop control unit 97 once starts to function. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of the temporary stop control unit 97 when assisting the transfer operation of the person being assisted M. In step S <b> 1 of FIG. 6, the temporary stop control unit 97 first resets the restart flag to prohibit the operation of the support unit 50 from restarting from the stop position. In the next step S <b> 2, the temporary stop control unit 97 checks whether the ascending button 94 is pressed. When the pressed state is canceled, the stop control unit 97 executes step S2 repeatedly.

If the pressed state continues, the stop control unit 97 advances the execution of the operation flow to step S3, and determines whether or not the current position of the support unit 50 matches the stop position. This determination is performed by comparing the current rotation amount of the motor 33 with a predetermined rotation amount. In the first step S3, the current position of the support portion 50 has not reached the stop position. Therefore, the temporary stop control unit 97 advances the execution of the operation flow to step S4 and causes the motor 33 to rotate forward. Thereby, the movable part 32 protrudes slightly from the main body part 31. Thereafter, the stop control unit 97 returns the execution of the operation flow from step S4 to step S2.

While the pressing state of the ascending button 94 is maintained, the temporary stop control unit 97 repeatedly executes a loop composed of step S2, step S3, and step S4. Thereby, the protrusion amount of the movable part 32 increases little by little. Before the movable portion 32 protrudes to the intermediate position, the roller 41c of the first link member 41 is not in contact with the regulating member 28. For this reason, the first link member 41 is driven by the movable portion 32 and swings counterclockwise in FIG. At the same time, the actuator 30 tilts forward. Further, the arm 20 maintains the rear position of the initial state. As the first link member 41 swings, the support portion 50 swings forward in conjunction with the second link member 42. This operation is continued until the current position of the support portion 50 matches the stop position. At this time, since the side entry part 53b of the side support part 53 is forwardly lowered, the person being assisted M is restricted from moving backward and does not fall off the support part 50.

¡By swinging the support part 50, the forward tilt state of the upper body of the person M is gradually progressing. When the support portion 50 swings to the stop position, the intermediate state shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. In the intermediate state, the movable portion 32 protrudes to the intermediate position, and the roller 41 c contacts the regulating member 28. The swing of the first link member 41 is finished, and the swing of the support portion 50 is also finished. Then, the buttocks of the person being assisted M are in a state of being away from the seating surface.

At this time, since the current position of the support unit 50 coincides with the stop position, the stop control unit 97 advances the execution of the operation flow from step S3 to step S5. In step S5, the stop control unit 97 checks the restart flag. In the first step S5, the restart flag is in a reset state. Therefore, the temporary stop control unit 97 advances the execution of the operation flow to step S6, and temporarily stops the motor 33. Thereby, the stop position of the support part 50 is maintained.

By repeating the loop consisting of step S2, step S3, and step S4, the support unit 50 tilts during the movement to the stop position and guides the body of the person M to be assisted. For this reason, even if the initial posture of the person being assisted M shown in FIG. 2 is well suited to the support portion 50, there is a concern that the conformity may be lowered due to the subsequent tilting of the trunk. There is also a concern that the initial posture of the person being assisted M is not suitable for the support part 50 from the beginning.

In response to these concerns, at the time of step S6, the person being assisted M can properly adjust the posture of the body and the position to be supported by himself or while receiving assistance. For example, the person being assisted M can finely adjust the position of the upper body in the front-rear direction to improve the adhesion to the support portion 50, correct the left-right balance of the upper body, and relax the opening and closing of both arms. As a result, the person being assisted M can satisfactorily adapt the posture of the body and the supported position to the support portion 50 when the buttocks move away from the seating surface and shift from a comfortable posture to a posture with a large burden. . Therefore, the physical burden on the person being assisted M is reduced.

In order to further advance the support unit 50 from the stop position, the assistant releases the rising button 94 once to release the pressed state. In step S7 following step S6, the temporary stop control unit 97 waits for the cancellation of the pressed state of the ascending button 94. In step S8 when the pressed state is canceled, the stop control unit 97 temporarily sets the restart flag. Thereafter, the stop control unit 97 returns the execution of the operation flow to step S2.

After the caregiver M properly adjusts the posture of the body and the supported position, the caregiver presses the ascending button 94 again. Thereby, the execution of the operation flow proceeds from step S2 to step S5 via step S3. In the second step S5, the restart flag is set. Therefore, the temporary stop control unit 97 shifts the execution of the operation flow to step S4 and causes the motor 33 to rotate forward. Thereby, the support part 50 is restarted from the stop position. Thereafter, in step S3, the current position of the support portion 50 does not coincide with the stop position. Accordingly, the temporary stop control unit 97 repeatedly executes a loop composed of step S2, step S3, and step S4.

Thereby, the arm 20 is driven by the movable portion 32 and swings clockwise in FIG. At the same time, the actuator 30 tilts further forward. Further, the connecting portion 41 d and the locking portion 52 b are in an interlocking state, and the support portion 50 maintains a constant posture with respect to the arm 20. This operation is continued until the end state of FIG. 4 when the arm 20 reaches the front side position. Accordingly, the person being assisted M further tilts forward while the upper body moves obliquely upward and forward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the person being assisted M takes the posture at the time of transfer in which the buttocks are greatly raised from the seating surface and the legs are extended.

According to the assistance device 1 of the first embodiment, the stop control unit 97 temporarily stops the support unit 50 after the movement is started at a stop position corresponding to the separation of the supporter M's buttocks from the seating surface. Let Therefore, the person being assisted M can properly adjust the posture of the body and the position to be supported, and when the buttocks moves away from the seating surface and shifts from an easy posture to a heavy posture, the physical burden is reduced. It is reduced.

3. Next, the assistance device of the second embodiment will be described mainly with respect to differences from the first embodiment. The assistance device of the second embodiment further includes a load detection unit 6. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the load detection unit 6, in which the body support unit 52 is cut along the center line. The right side of FIG. 7 corresponds to the chest side of the person being assisted M, and the left side of FIG. The body support unit 52 includes a support plate 55 and a body contact member 56. The support plate 55 is a substantially rectangular plate-like member in plan view. The support plate 55 is supported on the support shaft 22 of the arm 20 so as to be swingable. The above-described handle 52a is fixed to the support plate 55.

The body contact member 56 has a two-layer structure including a surface layer 56a and a base layer 56b. The surface layer 56a is disposed on the side close to the trunk of the person being assisted. The surface layer 56a is formed in a curved shape that fits the front surface of the body of the person being assisted M using a material that has flexibility and can be easily deformed. The base layer 56b is disposed on the side close to the support plate 55. The base layer 56b is harder than the surface layer 56a and is not easily deformed. The body contact member 56 equalizes the distribution of loads acting on the support plate 55 from the person being assisted M.

Four load detectors 6 are provided at the boundary between the support plate 55 and the body contact member 56. The four load detectors 6 are spaced apart from each other on the chest side and the abdomen side of the support plate 55, in other words, at the vertex positions of the rectangle. A pressure sensor or the like can be used as the load detection unit 6. The detection value of the load detection unit 6 is transmitted to the control main body unit 91.

While the buttocks of the person being assisted M are seated on the seat, most of the load resulting from the weight of the person being assisted is supported by the buttocks, so the detection value of the load detecting unit 6 is small. When the buttocks of the person being assisted M are separated from the seating surface, the load due to the weight of the person being assisted M acts on the support part 50, so that the detection value of the load detecting part 6 increases. By using the four load detection parts 6, the influence of the dispersion | distribution of the load distribution by the left-right direction of the to-be-supported person's M or the unbalance of the front-back direction is suppressed. The number and arrangement of the load detection units 6 are not limited to the above.

The temporary stop control unit 97 of the control main body unit 91 adds or averages the detection values of the four load detection units 6 and performs a predetermined conversion process to obtain a detected load value (detected load value). The temporary stop control unit 97 estimates a stop position at which the support unit 50 is temporarily stopped based on the detected load value. Specifically, the stop control unit 97 once sets the position of the support unit 50 when the detected load value is equal to or greater than a predetermined load value for the first time as the stop position. The predetermined load value is set based on the increment of the detected value when the buttocks of the person being assisted M leaves the seat surface. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of the temporary stop control unit 97 according to the second embodiment.

As can be seen by comparing FIG. 8 with FIG. 6, step S3A is executed in the second embodiment instead of step S3 of the first embodiment. Further, steps S1, S2, and S4 to S8 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. In step S3A of FIG. 8, the stop control unit 97 determines whether or not the detected load value is equal to or greater than a predetermined load value. While the buttocks of the person being assisted M is seated on the seating surface, the detected load value is small, and the stop control unit 97 repeatedly executes a loop composed of step S2, step S3A, and step S4.

Then, when the buttocks of the person being assisted M begins to move away from the seating surface, the detected load value starts and becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined load value. At this time, the stop control unit 97 advances the execution of the operation flow from step S3A to step S5, and checks the restart flag. In step S3A, a duration condition in which the detected load value is equal to or greater than a predetermined load value may be added. According to this, even if a transiently large load detection value is generated at the moment when the body of the person being assisted M tilts forward and comes into surface contact with the body support portion 52, the operation flow is erroneously executed in step S5. There is no progress to.

In the first step S5, the restart flag is in a reset state. Therefore, the temporary stop control unit 97 advances the execution of the operation flow to step S6 and temporarily stops the motor 33. Thereby, the stop position of the support part 50 is maintained. Therefore, at the time of step S6, the person being assisted M can properly adjust the posture of the body and the position to be supported by himself or while receiving assistance.

When the assistant releases the ascending button 94 and presses it again, in step S8, the stop control unit 97 temporarily sets the restart flag and returns the execution of the operation flow to step S2. The execution of the operation flow proceeds to step S5 via step S2 and step S3A. In the second step S5, the restart flag is set. Therefore, the temporary stop control unit 97 shifts the execution of the operation flow to step S4 and causes the motor 33 to rotate forward. Thereby, the support part 50 advances from a stop position, and the buttocks of the care receiver M leaves | separates from a seat surface. Thereafter, the detected load value changes at a value larger than the predetermined load value. The temporary stop control unit 97 repeatedly executes a loop composed of step S2, step S3A, step S5, and step S4.

When the support unit 50 further advances from the stop position, the assistance device of the second embodiment finally reaches the final state of FIG. As a result, the person being assisted M is in a transfer posture in which the buttocks are greatly raised from the seating surface and the legs are extended. In the second embodiment, the stop position at which the support unit 50 is temporarily stopped is not fixed. That is, the stop position of the support portion 50 is not limited to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 3, and may change to a position between FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a position between FIG. 3 and FIG.

Also in the second embodiment, the physical burden on the person being assisted M is reduced as in the first embodiment. In addition, in the second embodiment, the stop position of the support unit 50 is estimated based on the detected load value of the load detection unit 6. Therefore, even if the stop position fluctuates due to a difference in the physique of the person being assisted, the stop control unit 97 estimates the appropriate stop position for each person being assisted and temporarily stops the support unit 50. it can. That is, in 2nd Embodiment, the precision which determines the stop position of the support part 50 becomes high compared with 1st Embodiment.

4). Modification and Application of the Embodiment In the first embodiment, the predetermined stop position of the support portion 50 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. That is, the stop position of the support portion 50 may be a swing position between FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, or may be determined by a specific swing angle position of the arm 20 between FIG. 3 and FIG. . In addition, instead of actually providing the load detection unit 6 such as the pressure sensor described in the second embodiment, an arithmetic load detection unit that calculates a detection load value from a current value flowing through the motor 33 may be employed. According to this aspect, there is a predetermined correlation between the detected load value and the current value flowing through the motor 33, the current value can be converted into the detected load value, and the same effect as in the second embodiment. Occurs. In addition, according to the calculation type load detection unit, the cost of the load detection unit 6 can be omitted.

The drive unit 2 uses the single actuator 30 to first swing the support unit 50 and then swing the arm 20, but is not limited thereto. For example, the drive unit may include a plurality of actuators, or may slide the support unit and the arm. Furthermore, the support part 50 may be formed by only one of the body support part 52 and the side support part 53. Further, the body contact member 56 does not need to have the two-layer structure described in the second embodiment, and may be formed of a single material. The first and second embodiments can be variously modified and applied.

1: Assistance device 2: Drive unit 10: Base 20: Arm 30: Actuator 31: Main body unit 32: Movable unit 33: Motor 40: Link mechanism 50: Support unit 52: Body support unit 53: Side support unit 55: Support Plate 56: Body contact member 6: Load detection unit 90: Control unit 91: Control main unit 92: Controller 96: Battery power supply 97: Temporary stop control unit M: Caregiver

Claims

An assistance device for assisting a transfer operation from the sitting posture of the person being assisted,
The base,
A support part capable of moving relative to the base while supporting a part of the body of the person being assisted;
A drive unit for driving the support unit;
A temporary stop control unit for temporarily stopping the support unit at a stop position at which the support unit stops after starting the movement, the stop unit corresponding to the supporter's buttocks separating from the seating surface;
An assistance device comprising:
The assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the stop position is defined by a predetermined driving amount of the driving unit that is determined in advance.
The assistance device further includes a load detection unit that detects a load value acting on the support unit from the person being assisted,
The assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the once-stop control unit estimates the stop position based on the detected load value.
The support part is
Supporting at least one of the body of the person being assisted and the left and right sides of the body; and
The assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the assistance device tilts during the movement to the stop position and guides the trunk of the person being assisted.