Walking assistance device

Abstract

To provide a walking assistance device capable of suppressing a load applied to the joints of a lower half of the body of a user while applying walking assistance force to a leg part of the user.SOLUTION: A walking assistance device 10 is worn on a lower half of the body UL of a user U. A plurality of artificial muscles 14 of the walking assistance device 10 applies walking assistance force to a leg part ULL of the user U to assist the walking motion of the user U. A detection unit of the walking assistance device 10 detects the motion of the leg part ULL of the user U. A prediction unit of the walking assistance device 10 predicts, during walking of the user U, the next muscle to be used by the user U among the muscles of the leg part ULL of the user U, and a portion where the load on the joints becomes large in the lower half of the body UL of the user U on the basis of the detection result of the detection unit and the previously stored simulation result of the walking motion. An output control unit of the walking assistance device 10 controls each output of the plurality of artificial muscles 14 such that the load on the joints in the lower half of the body UL of the user U becomes small during walking of the user U on the basis of the prediction result of the prediction unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a walking assistance device. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a walking aid that is worn by a user to assist walking. Simply put, this prior art is equipped with a sole support part that supports the sole of the user's foot, a mounting part that is mounted on the user's leg, and an elastic member that connects the sole support part and the mounting part and applies elastic tension to the sole support part and the mounting part, and can support pulling up the toes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-76443 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the case of the walking aid described in Patent Document 1, tension is constantly applied to the sole support portion and the attachment portion, which may result in unnecessary load being placed on the user's joints.

[0005] In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a walking assist device that can reduce the load on the joints of the user's lower body while applying a walking assist force to the user's legs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The walking assistance device of the present invention described in claim 1 is a walking assistance device worn on the lower body of a user, and comprises: a plurality of artificial muscles that apply a walking assistance force to the user's legs so as to assist the user's walking movement; a detection unit that detects movement of the user's legs; a prediction unit that predicts which of the muscles in the user's legs the user will use next and which parts of the user's lower body will experience the greatest load on the joints based on the detection result of the detection unit and pre-stored simulation results of the walking movement when the user walks; and an output control unit that controls the output of each of the plurality of artificial muscles so as to reduce the load on the joints of the user's lower body when the user walks, based on the prediction result of the prediction unit.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the walking assist device is attached to the lower body of a user and includes a plurality of artificial muscles, a detection unit, a prediction unit, and an output control unit. The plurality of artificial muscles apply a walking assist force to the legs of the user so as to assist the user's walking motion. The detection unit detects the motion of the user's legs. When the user walks, the prediction unit predicts, based on the detection result of the detection unit and the pre-stored simulation result of the walking motion, which of the muscles in the user's legs the user will use next and which parts of the user's lower body will experience greater load on the joints. The output control unit controls the output of each of the plurality of artificial muscles so as to reduce the load on the joints of the user's lower body when the user walks, based on the prediction result of the prediction unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] As described above, the walking assist device of the present invention has the excellent effect of being able to reduce the load on the joints of the user's lower body while providing a walking assist force to the user's legs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a walking assistance device according to an embodiment is worn on a lower body of a user. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a walking assistance device. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A walking assistance device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a walking assistance device 10 according to this embodiment is worn on the lower body UL of a user U. The walking assistance device 10 can also be understood as an active supporter.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the walking assist device 10 includes a covering 12 that is attached to the lower body UL of a user U. The covering 12 is formed in a trouser-like shape to fit the lower body UL of the user U, covering the user U from the waist ULa to the ankles ULz. The covering 12 is provided with a plurality of artificial muscles 14 (shown in a schematic form with thick lines in the figure) that are capable of achieving muscle-like movements. The artificial muscles 14 are disposed in portions of both legs ULL of the user U (the left leg is omitted in the figure) that correspond to the thighs ULb, near the knees ULc, and near the ankles ULz.

[0012] The multiple artificial muscles 14 apply a walking assist force to the legs ULL of the user U so as to assist the walking movement of the user U. Note that since any known artificial muscle can be used for the artificial muscles 14, a detailed description of the artificial muscles 14 will be omitted. However, as an example, the artificial muscles 14 include a rubber tube, and when air pressure is applied to the rubber tube, the rubber tube contracts in the axial direction of the rubber tube.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the walking assist device 10 in a block diagram. As shown in FIG. 2, the walking assist device 10 has an air supply unit 16. The air supply unit 16 is an air pump capable of applying air pressure to each rubber tube of the multiple artificial muscles 14 (see FIG. 1). The walking assist device 10 also has a user interface (abbreviated as "user I / F" in FIG. 2) 17 and a detection unit 18. The user interface 17 is an interface when the user U uses the walking assist device 10, and includes switches and the like. The detection unit 18 is a sensor that detects the movement of the leg ULL of the user U, and is provided for the right leg and the left leg. The detection unit 18 includes, for example, a 6-axis sensor provided on the upper and lower parts of the covering 12 (see FIG. 1). The 6-axis sensor has a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis gyro sensor. The air supply unit 16, the user interface 17, and the detection unit 18 are connected to the control device 20.

[0014] The control device 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) 20A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 20B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20C, and an input / output interface (abbreviated as "input / output I / F" in FIG. 2) 20D. The CPU 20A, the ROM 20B, the RAM 20C, and the input / output interface 20D are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a bus 20Z.

[0015] The CPU 20A is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls each part. That is, the CPU 20A reads the programs from the ROM 20B and executes the programs using the RAM 20C as a working area. The CPU 20A controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic processing according to the programs stored in the ROM 20B.

[0016] ROM 20B stores various programs and various data. In this embodiment, ROM 20B stores programs for controlling artificial muscles and simulation results of walking motion. The simulation results of walking motion are simulation results using human body CAE. RAM 20C temporarily stores programs or data as a working area.

[0017] The input / output interface 20D is an interface for communication. The input / output interface 20D is connected to the air supply unit 16, the user interface 17, and the detection unit 18. The air supply unit 16, the user interface 17, and the detection unit 18 may be directly connected to the bus 20Z.

[0018] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 20 has, as its functional configuration, a prediction unit 201 and an output control unit 202. The prediction unit 201 and the output control unit 202 shown in Fig. 3 are realized by the CPU 20A shown in Fig. 2 reading and executing a program stored in the ROM 20B.

[0019] A prediction unit 201 shown in Fig. 3 predicts, when a user U (see Fig. 1) is walking, which of the muscles of the leg ULL of the user U shown in Fig. 1 will be used next by the user U, and which part of the lower body UL of the user U will be subjected to a large load on the joints, based on the detection result of the detection unit 18 (see Fig. 2) and the simulation result of the walking movement previously stored in the ROM 20B (see Fig. 2). The joints include, for example, lumbar joints, hip joints, knee joints, and ankle joints.

[0020] The output control unit 202 shown in Fig. 3 controls the output of each of the multiple artificial muscles 14 based on the prediction result of the prediction unit 201 so as to reduce the load on the joints of the lower body UL of the user U shown in Fig. 1 when the user U walks. Supplementally, the output control unit 202 shown in Fig. 3 controls the output of each of the multiple artificial muscles 14 by controlling the air pressure applied from the air supply unit 16 shown in Fig. 2 to each rubber tube of the multiple artificial muscles 14 shown in Fig. 1.

[0021] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0022] The multiple artificial muscles 14 shown in FIG. 1 apply a walking assist force to the legs ULL of the user U so as to assist the walking motion of the user U. The detection unit 18 (see FIG. 2) detects the motion of the legs ULL of the user U. The prediction unit 201 shown in FIG. 3 predicts the muscles of the legs ULL of the user U shown in FIG. 1 that the user U will use next and the parts of the lower body UL of the user U where the load on the joints will be large, based on the detection result of the detection unit 18 (see FIG. 2) and the simulation result of the walking motion stored in advance in the ROM 20B (see FIG. 2) when the user U (see FIG. 1) is walking. The output control unit 202 shown in FIG. 3 controls the output of each of the multiple artificial muscles 14 based on the prediction result of the prediction unit 201 so that the load on the joints of the lower body UL of the user U shown in FIG. 1 is reduced when the user U is walking.

[0023] As a result, the artificial muscle 14 can generate the necessary amount of walking assist force (support force) at any time in the area where the user U needs muscle force, and can prevent or suppress the generation of forces that would interfere with the movements of the user U. It can also prevent or suppress the user U from wasting energy in an attempt to counteract forces that would interfere with the movements of the user U.

[0024] As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the load on the joints of the lower body UL of the user U while providing a walking assist force to the legs ULL of the user U.

[0025] In the above embodiment, the artificial muscle 14 includes, as an example, a rubber tube, which contracts in the axial direction of the rubber tube when air pressure is applied to the rubber tube; however, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which an artificial muscle that contracts in response to, for example, an electrical signal is used as the artificial muscle, and the output of each of a plurality of artificial muscles is controlled by controlling the electrical signal.

[0026] In the above embodiment, each process executed by the CPU 20A by reading the software (program) may be executed by various processors other than the CPU. In this case, examples of the processor include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electric circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed exclusively for executing a specific process. Each process may be executed by one of these various processors, or may be executed by a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a plurality of FPGAs, a combination of a CPU and an FPGA, etc.). The hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0027] The programs disclosed in the above embodiments may be provided in a form recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, etc. The programs may be downloaded from an external device via a network.

[0028] The above-described embodiment and the multiple modified examples can be implemented in appropriate combinations.

[0029] While one example of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 10 Walking aids 14 Artificial Muscles 18 Detection section 201 Prediction Department 202 Output control section U user UL User's lower body ULL User's legs

Claims

[Claim 1] A walking assistance device that is worn on the lower body of a user, A plurality of artificial muscles that apply a walking assist force to the legs of a user to assist the walking motion of the user; A detection unit that detects the movement of a user's legs; a prediction unit that predicts, when the user is walking, which of the muscles in the user's legs the user will use next and which parts of the user's lower body will have a greater load on the joints, based on the detection result of the detection unit and a simulation result of the walking movement that has been stored in advance; an output control unit that controls the output of each of the plurality of artificial muscles based on the prediction result of the prediction unit so as to reduce a load on the joints of the lower body of the user when the user walks; A walking assistance device having the same.

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