Walking support robot equipment

Abstract

To provide a novel piece of walking support robot equipment which guides to normal walking by thinning and weight-saving an internal mechanism of a piece of conventional walking support robot equipment.SOLUTION: A piece of walking support robot equipment 1 of the present invention is provided with a mechanism that makes a heel stand 4 of a sole rotatable. It includes: a 6in1 inertial sensor 5 on a toe side of the sole inner part; a stepping motor 6 that operates in accordance with data detected by the 6in1 inertial sensor 5, on a rear side from the 6in1 inertial sensor 5; and the heel stand 4 that interlocks with the stepping motor 6. The 6in1 inertial sensor 5 detects grounding of the heel part and, simultaneously, detects the inclination of the entire sole to operate the stepping motor 6 in a manner that the heel surface 14 of the heel stand 4 is horizontally held.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a walking assistance robotic device, and more particularly to a device that is attached to the foot for the purpose of improving gait. [Background technology]

[0002] It is estimated that there are currently over 30 million patients in Japan suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee (hereafter referred to as knee OA). Knee OA is a degenerative disease in which the bones and cartilage of the knee joint wear down, causing the knee joint to become deformed. Symptoms include decreased knee joint function, causing pain when bending or extending the knee joint.

[0003] Knee OA symptoms progress due to repeated abnormal walking caused by aging-related muscle weakness, obesity, genetic factors, and ligament laxity. When knee OA occurs, exercise that was previously appropriate places a great deal of strain on the knee joint, causing knee pain and changes in knee joint position, which in turn affect gait and reduce the range of movement, leading to less walking. This leads to a vicious cycle of muscle weakness and increased pain, which in turn reduces ADL (Activities of Daily Living) and QOL (Quality of Life).

[0004] As a therapy for knee OA patients, it is effective to induce normal walking and reduce pain. In normal walking, when the heel strikes the ground, the heel acts as the center of rotation and the sole of the foot gradually touches the floor, absorbing the impact on the knee. In other words, if the heel strikes the ground with an inclination, it leads to abnormal walking.

[0005] Therefore, a walking support robot orthosis has been developed that always guides the heel to a neutral position during the heel contact phase (Non-Patent Document 1). This sole-type orthosis uses a sensor to detect the inclination of the heel while walking, and guides the heel to be horizontal to the ground surface, leading to normal walking. Specifically, the rotational motion of a stepping motor is changed by 90 degrees using a torsion gear, and the left and right height of the heel is changed by the up and down motion caused by the rotation of four bolts linked to the torsion gear, making it possible to control the bottom shape of the heel in the inward or outward direction (Non-Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] Kazuki Date, Yuta Ishii, Taku Itami, Jun Yoneyama, “Development of a shoe-type walking support robot mechanism capable of controlling the ankle inversion and eversion angle during heel strike”, LIFE2022 (21st Japan Society for Assisted Living Engineering Conference, Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Welfare Engineering Symposium 2022, 37th Life Support Society Conference), pp.734-735, 2022 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The walking assist robot orthosis in the above example has a problem in that the heel tilt is controlled by the up and down movement caused by the rotation of a bolt, which increases the thickness of the mechanism itself, which increases the weight of the device and makes it difficult to insert into the shoe.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a new walking assist robotic prosthesis that is thin and lightweight by improving the internal mechanism of conventional walking assist robotic prosthesis, thereby leading to normal walking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] That is, the present invention is intended to achieve the above-mentioned object, and the means of claim 1 provide a walking support robot orthosis having a mechanism for varying the bottom shape of the heel part of the sole in an inward / outward direction, the walking support robot orthosis comprising: a 6-axis inertial sensor on the toe side inside the sole for detecting acceleration in the front-back direction from the toes to the heel, the left-right direction from the first toe to the fifth toe or vice versa, and the up-down direction from the instep to the sole, as well as angular velocity around an axis of each direction; a stepping motor on the rear side of the 6-axis inertial sensor that operates according to the data detected by the 6-axis inertial sensor; a coupling connected to the power shaft of the stepping motor; a bolt connected to the side of the coupling facing the power shaft of the stepping motor; and a horizontal movement joint connected on the rear side of the bolt; The shoe is equipped with a rear rotation mechanism connected to the rear side of the horizontal movement joint, and a heel platform connected to the rear side of the horizontal movement joint, and the six-axis inertial sensor detects the contact of the heel with the ground and at the same time detects the inclination of the entire sole, and operates the stepping motor to keep the heel surface of the heel platform horizontal. Effect of the Invention

[0010] With the configuration of claim 1, the walking support robot orthosis of the present invention can support normal walking of the user. Specifically, it can reduce the lateral deviation of the knee joint (hereinafter referred to as lateral thrust) that is characteristically observed in the middle of the stance phase when walking. The larger the amount of lateral thrust, the higher the severity of abnormal gait, which places a strain on the knee joint and leads to the onset or worsening of knee OA. However, the assistance of the walking support robot orthosis prevents the load from being constantly applied to the outside or inside of the heel when the heel strikes the ground during walking. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a state in which a walking assist robot orthosis according to the present invention is attached to footwear. [Diagram 2] 1 is an overall perspective view of a walking assist robotic prosthesis according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the walking assist robotic prosthesis of the present invention with the top surface removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the amount of lateral thrust during stepping by a healthy subject. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLES

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a state in which a walking support robot orthosis 1 is attached to footwear 2. Fig. 2 is an overall perspective view of the walking support robot orthosis 1 of the present invention. The walking support robot orthosis 1 is attached as the sole of the footwear 2, and an upper surface 3 of the walking support robot orthosis 1 supports the sole of the user's foot. A heel platform 4 that supports the user's heel rotates independently of the upper surface 3.

[0014] 3 is an overall perspective view of the walking assist robotic orthosis 1 with the top surface 3 removed. The walking assist robotic orthosis 1 is equipped with a six-axis inertial sensor 5 on the toe side inside the sole. The six-axis inertial sensor 5 detects acceleration in the front-back direction x from the toe to the heel, the left-right direction y from the first toe to the fifth toe or vice versa, and the up-down direction z from the instep to the sole, as well as angular velocity about an axis in each direction.

[0015] The walking assist robotic orthosis 1 is provided with a stepping motor 6, located rearward of the six-axis inertial sensor 5, which operates according to data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor 5. A coupling 7 is connected to the power shaft of the stepping motor 6, and a bolt 8 is connected to the side of the coupling 7 facing the power shaft of the stepping motor 6. The bolt 8 is fastened to a front partition plate 10 with a nut 9, and rotates in conjunction with the power shaft of the stepping motor 6 about the axis of the forward / backward direction x, the left / right direction y, and the up / down direction z.

[0016] The bolt 8 is connected to a horizontally moving joint 11 at the rear side, and the horizontally moving joint 11 moves horizontally along the front-rear direction x in response to the rotation of the bolt 8. The horizontally moving joint 11 is also connected to a rear pivot mechanism 12 at the rear side, and the rear pivot mechanism 12 pivots about an axis in the front-rear direction x in response to the movement of the horizontally moving joint 11. The rear pivot mechanism 12 is supported by a rear partition plate 13 in the up-down direction z and the left-right direction y, and is connected to the heel stand 4. The heel stand 4 pivots about an axis in the front-rear direction x in response to the rotation of the rear pivot mechanism 12. By the rotation of the heel stand 4, the heel surface 14 of the heel stand 4 is inclined so that the right side rises when the left side falls, or so that the right side falls when the left side rises.

[0017] The 6-axis inertial sensor 5 detects the heel touching the ground and at the same time detects the inclination of the entire sole, operates the stepping motor 6 to keep the heel surface 14 horizontal, and transmits power to the coupling 7, bolt 8, horizontal movement joint 11, rearward rotation mechanism 12, and heel base 4. The above mechanism allows only the bottom shape of the heel of the entire sole to move in the inward and outward directions. By driving via the horizontal movement joint 11, it is possible to minimize the load on the stepping motor 6 by this mechanism even when a load such as body weight is applied to the heel base 4, and a reduction in thickness can also be achieved.

[0018] Regarding the supply of power, a charging method using a secondary battery is preferable, but is not particularly limited. As an example, if the method is to supply power to the battery via a wire, charging can be performed by connecting an electric wire to a battery (not shown) from the groove 15. The method of supplying power is not limited to a wired secondary battery, and a primary battery may be used, or if it is a secondary battery, a wireless charging method may be adopted.

[0019] By keeping the heel platform 4 horizontal when the heel touches the ground, it is possible to support the user's normal walking. Specifically, it is possible to reduce the lateral movement of the knee joint (hereinafter referred to as lateral thrust) that is characteristically observed in the middle of the stance phase when walking. The greater the amount of lateral thrust, the greater the severity of the abnormal gait. Figure 4 shows the amount of lateral thrust during a stepping movement by a healthy subject with and without the assistance of the walking assist robot orthosis 1, together with the assist angle (rotation angle of the heel surface 14) when assistance is provided. Although there is variation in the amount of lateral thrust and the assist angle for each movement, the amount of lateral thrust is reduced by the assistance of the walking assist robot orthosis 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 1: Walking support robotic device 2: Footwear 3:Top surface 4: Heel stand 5: 6-axis inertial sensor 6: Stepping motor 7: Coupling 8: Bolt 9: Nut 10: Front partition 11: Horizontal movement joint 12: Rear rotation mechanism 13: Rear partition 14: Heel surface 15: Groove

Claims

1. A walking assist robot orthosis having a mechanism for changing the bottom shape of the heel part of the sole in the inward and eversion directions, the walking assist robot orthosis includes an upper surface that supports the sole of the user's foot and a heel rest that supports the user's heel; A walking assist robot orthosis characterized in that the heel platform rotates independently of the upper surface.

2. The toe side of the sole is provided with a six-axis inertial sensor that detects acceleration in the front-to-back direction from the toe to the heel, the left-to-right direction from the first toe to the fifth toe or vice versa, and the up-and-down direction from the instep to the sole, as well as angular velocity around an axis in each direction; The walking assist robot orthosis according to claim 1, characterized in that the six-axis inertial sensor detects the inclination of the entire sole at the same time as detecting the contact of the heel with the ground, and rotates the heel platform so as to keep the heel surface of the heel platform horizontal according to the data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor.

3. A stepping motor that operates in accordance with data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor, The walking assist robot orthosis according to claim 2, characterized in that the six-axis inertial sensor detects the inclination of the entire sole at the same time as detecting the heel's contact with the ground, and rotates the power shaft of the stepping motor so as to keep the heel surface of the heel rest horizontal according to the data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor.

4. A coupling connected to a power shaft of the stepping motor; a bolt connected to the coupling on a side facing the power shaft of the stepping motor; a horizontal movement joint connected to the rear side of the bolt, The walking assist robot orthosis according to claim 3, characterized in that the six-axis inertial sensor detects the inclination of the entire sole at the same time as detecting the heel's contact with the ground, and moves the horizontally movable joint so as to keep the heel surface of the heel rest horizontal according to the data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor.

5. A rearward rotation mechanism is provided which is connected to the horizontal movement joint on the rear side of the horizontal movement joint and is connected to the heel rest; The walking assist robot orthosis according to claim 4, characterized in that the six-axis inertial sensor detects the inclination of the entire sole at the same time as detecting the contact of the heel with the ground, and rotates the rearward rotation mechanism so as to keep the heel surface of the heel rest horizontal according to the data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor.

6. A rearward rotation mechanism is provided which is linked to the power shaft of the stepping motor and connected to the heel rest, The walking assist robot orthosis according to claim 3, characterized in that the six-axis inertial sensor detects the inclination of the entire sole at the same time as detecting the contact of the heel with the ground, and rotates the rearward rotation mechanism so as to keep the heel surface of the heel rest horizontal according to the data detected by the six-axis inertial sensor.

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