Get-up assistance device, get-up assistance method, and estimation program

Abstract

To reduce load on the body when getting up.SOLUTION: A get-up assistance device (100) controls a position of a user by driving a driving mechanism (20) so that a load level on a circulatory system based on a height difference between a center of gravity of a whole body of a user (40) and a heart of the user becomes not less than a predetermined value with a load level on the circulatory system in a standing position as a reference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wake-up support device, a wake-up support method, and an estimation program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to encourage a user to wake up, a bed device that performs a back-raising operation based on the posture of the user detected by a posture detector is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the load on the body during waking up is not considered, and there is a possibility that waking up cannot be performed smoothly.

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure aims to reduce the load on the body during waking up.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a getting-up assistance device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a seat portion that supports a user's thigh portion, an upper body support portion that is connected to one end of the seat portion and supports the user's upper body, and a lower leg support portion that is connected to the other end of the seat portion and supports the user's lower leg portion. The device further includes a main body portion constituted by the above components, a drive mechanism provided in the main body portion and capable of deforming the user's posture, and a controller that controls the drive mechanism. The controller drives the drive mechanism to control the user's posture so that the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the user's whole body and the heart is equal to or higher than a predetermined value when the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position is used as a reference.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a getting-up assistance method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a getting-up assistance method used in a getting-up assistance device including a seat portion that supports a user's thigh portion, an upper body support portion that is connected to one end of the seat portion and supports the user's upper body, and a lower leg support portion that is connected to the other end of the seat portion and supports the user's lower leg portion. The device further includes a main body portion constituted by the above components, a drive mechanism provided in the main body portion and capable of deforming the user's posture, and a controller that controls the drive mechanism. The method drives the drive mechanism to control the user's posture so that the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the user's whole body and the heart is equal to or higher than a predetermined value when the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position is used as a reference.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, an estimation program according to an aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to execute a process of calculating the center of gravity for each segment of the user's body, a process of calculating the center of gravity of the user's whole body based on the center of gravity of each segment, a process of calculating the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart in the direction of gravity, and a process of estimating the load level of the circulatory system as a relative value based on the height difference with reference to the height difference in the standing position.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the load on the body when getting up.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, the getting-up support device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to these embodiments. The drawings used in the following description are schematic and do not necessarily reflect the actual objects. For the convenience of illustration and easy understanding, the scale, the aspect ratio of the vertical and horizontal dimensions, etc. may be changed from the actual object and exaggeratedly shown. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0012] (Overview of the getting-up support device 100) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the getting-up support device 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the getting-up support device 100 includes a main body portion 10, a drive mechanism 20, and a controller 30.

[0013] The main body part 10 is a part that supports the user 40 in a seated position or a supine position, and is composed of a seat part 11, an upper body support part 12, and a lower leg support part 13.

[0014] The seat part 11 is configured to be able to support the thigh part of the user 40 from below, and is slightly inclined so that the rear part is positioned lower than the front part of the seat part 11 in a side view. Here, the "thigh part" refers to the part from the hip joint to the knee joint.

[0015] The upper body support part 12 is rotatably connected to the rear end part of the seat part 11. The upper body support part 12 supports the upper body of the user 40 from below, and is inclined so that the rear end part is positioned higher than the front end part connected to the seat part 11. Here, the "upper body" refers to the upper half part from the waist up. Note that the rear end part of the seat part 11 corresponds to the "one end part".

[0016] Also, the lower leg support part 13 is rotatably connected to the front end part of the seat part 11. The lower leg support part 13 supports the lower leg part of the user 40 from below, and is inclined so that the front end part is positioned lower than the rear end part connected to the seat part 11. Here, the "lower leg part" refers to the part from the knee joint to the ankle. Note that the front end part of the seat part 11 corresponds to the "other end part".

[0017] Such a main body part 10 may be used as a "bed", may be used as a "sofa", may be used as a "reclining chair", or may be used as a "seat for a moving body". Examples of the moving body include vehicles, airplanes, ships, railway vehicles, spacecraft, and the like.

[0018] The main body part 10 is configured to be mutually deformable between a bed shape and a chair shape by a drive mechanism 20.

[0019] The drive mechanism 20 is described as the motor 21, but it is not limited to the motor 21. The drive mechanism 20 may be a link mechanism, a cylinder mechanism, an airbag, or any other mechanism as long as it can rotate the main body 10.

[0020] The controller 30 drives the drive mechanism 20 according to the operation of the user 40 or based on a preset time schedule to control the posture of the user 40. Such a controller 30 may be a well-known remote control or a control device fixed to the main body 10. Also, as long as it has the function of driving the drive mechanism 20, the controller 30 may be a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a smartwatch, etc.

[0021] As an example of the usage scenario of the waking-up assistance device 100, there is a scene where, for the user 40 lying on the main body 10 and taking a catnap, the upper body of the user 40 is lifted to induce awakening so as to reduce the load on the body at the time of waking up. Of course, the usage scenario is not limited to catnaps and may be used during normal sleep.

[0022] Normally, when a person wakes up from a catnap (including normal sleep) and gets up, the posture changes from the supine position to the standing position. When changing the posture from the supine position to the standing position, the body activates the sympathetic nerve to prevent fainting due to a decrease in cerebral blood flow. By this activation, the blood vessels in the feet are constricted and the heart rate is increased to increase the blood flow. At this time, generally, the heart rate rises by about 15 beats per minute. Here, in the case of orthostatic hypotension, there may be a delay in the response of the circulatory system. This can cause orthostatic anemia and fainting. Therefore, in the case of orthostatic hypotension, when inducing awakening, it is required to increase the heart rate while suppressing the load on the circulatory system when shifting from the supine position to the standing position and wake up the user. Considering the transition to the standing position, it is desirable to smoothly increase the heart rate up to the equivalent of the chair sitting position in the head-up tilt test.

[0023] (Regarding the head-up tilt test) The head-up tilt test is a well-known test used in autonomic function tests. In the head-up tilt test, in the case of a healthy person, the subject is tilted from the supine position to a tilt angle equivalent to the standing position, 60 - 80°, over 30 seconds. At this time, when the tilt angle is 70°, it is known that the heart rate increases by about 15 beats per minute. If the presence of orthostatic hypotension is known in advance, the heart rate is measured at a tilt angle equivalent to the sitting position, 20 - 30°. At this time, when the tilt angle is 30°, it is known that the heart rate increases by about 5 - 8 beats per minute. In the above, it was stated that "it is desirable to smoothly increase the heart rate up to the equivalent of the sitting position in the head-up tilt test", which means that it is desirable to increase the heart rate by about 5 - 8 beats per minute. For details of the head-up tilt test, if necessary, refer to "Hiroaki Yamamoto et al.: Variations in the circulatory and autonomic nervous systems during postural changes using a tilt table, Gakugaikyouronshu 25: pp49 - 59, 2016."

[0024] Here, the load on the circulatory system will be explained. Generally, the load on the circulatory system is determined by the height difference between the heart and the extremities. Assuming the height difference between the heart and the extremities in the standing position is 100%, the sitting position is approximately 50%. However, in the evaluation using the height difference between the heart and the extremities, unlike the head-up tilt test performed upright, the alignment of each segment of the body, that is, the so-called posture, is not considered. The inventors have found that in the evaluation using the height difference between the heart and the extremities, the load on the circulatory system may be underestimated. Therefore, the inventors focused on the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart as an index for evaluating the load on the circulatory system, devised a method for estimating the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart, and decided to use the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart as an evaluation index.

[0025] (Regarding the method for estimating the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart) A method for estimating a load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart will be described with reference to FIG.

[0026] The load on the circulatory system is assumed to follow Bernoulli's principle, with the density of each body segment being constant. The center of gravity 42 of the whole body, which represents the total potential energy, is calculated from the length, mass, and center of gravity of each segment, divided into the head (including neck), trunk, upper arms, forearms and hands, thighs, lower legs and feet. The load level on the circulatory system is estimated by calculating the difference between the height of the center of gravity 42 of the whole body and the height of the heart 41, and using the height difference in a standing position as the standard (100%), as shown in Figure 2. The model shown in Figure 2 is a model equivalent to the 50th percentile of Japanese people, but is not limited to this. For information on the "body dimensions equivalent to the 50th percentile of Japanese people," please refer to "Makiko Kawachi et al.: Japanese Body Dimension Database 1997-98, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Science and Technology Agency, Living and JIS Center, 2000," if necessary. For information on the "mass and center of gravity of each segment of the body," please refer to "Shuji Matsui: Research on the center of gravity of various postures, Physical Education Research 2(2): pp65-76, 1956." For information on the "height of the heart," please refer to "Toshio Ohashi: Relationship between pressure and velocity, Standard Physiology 6th Edition, pp562-563, Igaku-Shoin (2005)."

[0027] (Changes in circulatory system load during awakening induction) Next, an example of the transition of the circulatory system load level during awakening induction will be described with reference to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Fig. 3 shows an example of a change in posture during awakening induction. Fig. 4 shows the load level of the circulatory system during the change in posture shown in Fig. 3.

[0028] 3, awakening induction is started at the time of 0 seconds, and the motor 21 is controlled so that the posture of the user 40 changes at 20 second intervals. Such control is realized by setting a time schedule in the controller 30.

[0029] At the 0 - second mark, the posture of user 40 changes from posture 50 to posture 51. Posture 50 is a sleeping posture and is in the semi - Fowler position. The "semi - Fowler position" is defined as a posture in which the upper body is raised about 15 - 30° from the supine sleeping position. Here, as shown in posture 50 of Figure 2, it is described as a posture in which the upper body is raised 30°. Hereinafter, "posture 50" may be referred to as "semi - Fowler position 50". In the semi - Fowler position 50, the flexion angle of the thigh is 20°, and the flexion angle of the knee joint is 148°.

[0030] Next, posture 51 will be described. Posture 51 is a posture in which the upper body is further raised 10° from the semi - Fowler position 50. In posture 51, the flexion angle of the thigh is 15°, and the flexion angle of the knee joint remains unchanged from the semi - Fowler position 50 at 148°.

[0031] When 20 seconds have elapsed from the state of posture 51, the posture of user 40 changes to posture 52. Posture 52 is a posture in which the upper body is further raised 10° from posture 51. In posture 52, the flexion angle of the thigh is 10°, and the flexion angle of the knee joint is 133°.

[0032] When 20 seconds have elapsed from the state of posture 52, the posture of user 40 changes to posture 53. Posture 53 is a posture in which the upper body is further raised 10° from posture 52. In posture 53, the flexion angle of the thigh remains unchanged from posture 52 at 10°, and the flexion angle of the knee joint is 118°. Posture 53 corresponds to the sitting - on - a - chair position. The "sitting - on - a - chair position" is the posture when sitting on a chair. Here, as an example, it is described as a posture in which the upper body is raised 60° from the supine sleeping position. Hereinafter, "posture 53" may be referred to as "sitting - on - a - chair position 53".

[0033] The angles of the body in the semi-Fowler position 50, the postures 51, 52, and the chair seat 53 shown in FIG. 3 are set such that the load level of the circulatory system increases stepwise by 8 - 15% each time. This will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 4. The inventors estimated the load level of the circulatory system in the semi-Fowler position 50. As shown in FIG. 4, the estimation result was 24.7%. When the inventors changed the posture from the semi-Fowler position 50, they adjusted the angle of the body in the posture 51 such that the load level of the circulatory system increased by 8 - 15%. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when changing the posture from the semi-Fowler position 50 to the posture 51, the load level of the circulatory system increased by 12.3%. In other words, it can also be said that the angle of the body in the posture 51 is adjusted such that the load level of the circulatory system in the posture 51 becomes 37.0%.

[0034] Similarly, when the inventors changed the posture from the posture 51, they adjusted the angle of the body in the posture 52 such that the load level of the circulatory system increased by 8 - 15%. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when changing the posture from the posture 51 to the posture 52, the load level of the circulatory system increased by 13.2%. In other words, it can also be said that the angle of the body in the posture 52 is adjusted such that the load level of the circulatory system in the posture 52 becomes 50.2%.

[0035] Similarly, when the inventors changed the posture from the posture 52, they adjusted the angle of the body in the chair seat 53 such that the load level of the circulatory system increased by 8 - 15%. In the example shown in FIG. 4, when changing the posture from the posture 52 to the chair seat 53, the load level of the circulatory system increased by 8.5%. In other words, it can also be said that the angle of the body in the chair seat 53 is adjusted such that the load level of the circulatory system in the chair seat 53 becomes 58.7%.

[0036] The total load of the circulatory system that is gradually increased from the semi-Fowler position 50 via the postures 51 and 52 to the chair seat 53 is 34%. This is a value lower than the load level (50%) at a tilt angle of 30° in the head-up tilt test. Details will be described later.

[0037] (Example) The inventors conducted an experiment on the effect of postural changes on heart rate during arousal induction. In the experiment, the subjects remained stationary in the semi-Fowler position 50 for 10 minutes after remaining stationary in the sitting position 53 for 5 minutes, and then the change in heart rate due to 5 minutes of arousal induction was observed. The experimental sample size was n = 10. Arousal induction was performed in four patterns: a comparative example, Example 1, Example 2, and Example 3, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0038] In the comparative example, the posture was not changed while remaining in the semi-Fowler position 50. In Example 1, the posture was changed from the semi-Fowler position 50 to the sitting position 53 in one motion. In Example 2, the posture was changed from the semi-Fowler position 50 to the sitting position 53 in three motions via postures 51 and 52 at 20-second intervals. The postural change in Example 2 is the same as the postural change described in FIG. 3. In Example 3, the posture was changed from the semi-Fowler position 50 to the sitting position 53 in three motions via postures 51 and 52 at 30-second intervals.

[0039] The inventors set the stimulation start timing corresponding to arousal induction as the 0-second point and performed statistical processing on the heart rate every 30 seconds between 0 seconds and 3 minutes. The results of the statistical processing are shown in FIG. 6. The horizontal axis in FIG. 6 indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the change amount of heart rate per minute (HR: Heart Rate). As shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the heart rate has increased in all of Examples 1 to 3 compared to the comparative example. In Example 2, it can be seen that when the posture was changed from the semi-Fowler position 50 to the sitting position 53, the heart rate increased smoothly by about 5 beats.

[0040] (Comparison with the head-up tilt test) The inventors estimated the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity 42 of the whole body and the heart 41 in the head-up tilt test. The estimation results are shown in FIG. 7. As a result of the estimation, as shown in FIG. 7, the load level of the circulatory system at the tilt angle 70° corresponding to the standing position was estimated to be 94.0%. Also, the load level of the circulatory system at the tilt angle 30° corresponding to the sitting position was estimated to be 50.0%.

[0041] In the above description, in the head-up tilt test, it was explained that when the tilt angle corresponding to the chair seat is 30°, the heart rate increases by about 5 to 8 beats per minute. In Example 2, as shown in FIG. 6, the heart rate increases by about 5 beats per minute, and a heart rate increase equivalent to a tilt angle of 30° is achieved. Furthermore, in Example 2, when the posture was changed from the semi-Fowler position 50 to the chair seat position 53, the total load on the circulatory system increased by 34.0%. However, this value is lower than the load level (50%) of the circulatory system at a tilt angle of 30°. That is, according to Example 2, a heart rate increase equivalent to a tilt angle of 30° is achieved with a load smaller than the load on the circulatory system at a tilt angle of 30°. Therefore, according to Example 2, it is possible to reduce the load on the body at the time of getting up and smoothly get up.

[0042] Furthermore, in Example 2, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the load level of the circulatory system in the chair seat position 53 is adjusted to 58.7%. This value is higher than the load level (50%) of the circulatory system at a tilt angle of 30°. By adjusting the load level of the circulatory system in the chair seat position 53 to 50% or more in this way, it becomes possible to reduce the load on the circulatory system that increases when transitioning to the standing position, and smooth getting up can be realized.

[0043] Note that it is not necessarily essential to increase the heart rate by about 5 to 8 beats per minute. Even if the increase value of the heart rate per minute is less than 5 to 8 beats as in Example 1 or Example 3, although the effect is lower compared to Example 2, it is possible to reduce the load on the body at the time of getting up.

[0044] (Function and Effect) As described above, according to the getting-up support device 100 according to the present embodiment, the following function and effect can be obtained.

[0045] The getting-up support device 100 includes a main body 10 composed of a seat part 11 that supports the thigh part of the user 40, an upper body support part 12 that is connected to one end of the seat part 11 and supports the upper body of the user 40, and a lower leg support part 13 that is connected to the other end of the seat part 11 and supports the lower leg part of the user 40, a drive mechanism 20 provided in the main body 10 and capable of deforming the posture of the user 40, and a controller 30 that controls the drive mechanism 20. The controller 30 drives the drive mechanism 20 to control the posture of the user 40 so that the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity 42 of the whole body of the user 40 and the heart 41 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value when based on the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position.

[0046] According to the above configuration, by controlling the posture of the user 40 in consideration of the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity 42 of the whole body and the heart 41, it is possible to increase the heart rate while reducing the load on the body. Thereby, for example, even in the case of orthostatic hypotension, it is possible to smoothly induce getting up until standing up.

[0047] Further, the controller 30 may drive the drive mechanism 20 to control the posture of the user 40 so that the load level of the circulatory system is 50% or more when based on the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position.

[0048] According to the above configuration, by controlling the posture of the user 40 so that the load level of the circulatory system is 50% or more when based on the standing position, it is possible to increase the heart rate while reducing the load on the body, and it is possible to smoothly induce getting up until standing up.

[0049] Further, the controller 30 may drive the drive mechanism 20 to control the posture of the user 40 so that the load level of the circulatory system increases step by step by 8 - 15% at predetermined time intervals. Also, the predetermined time interval may be 20 seconds as shown in Example 2, may be 30 seconds as shown in Example 3, or may be 10 seconds. That is, the predetermined time interval may be any time interval as long as it is between 10 and 30 seconds.

[0050] According to the above configuration, by gradually raising the upper body of the user 40 at time intervals of 10 to 30 seconds, it is possible to increase the heart rate while reducing the load on the body, and it becomes possible to smoothly guide the user to wake up.

[0051] The controller 30 may change the load level of the circulatory system at unequal intervals, or may change the posture of the user 40 at predetermined time intervals.

[0052] According to the above configuration, by gradually raising the upper body of the user 40, it is possible to increase the heart rate while reducing the load on the body, and it becomes possible to smoothly guide the user to wake up.

[0053] (Other embodiments) The waking assistance device 100 may further include a sensor that detects the heart rate of the user 40. In this case, the controller 30 may control the magnitude of the load level of the circulatory system that changes step by step and the time interval when changing the posture according to the change in the heart rate detected by the sensor. For example, when the change in the heart rate is large, the controller 30 may reduce the magnitude of the load level of the circulatory system that changes step by step and increase the time interval when changing the posture as compared with the case where the change is small. Alternatively, when the change in the heart rate is small, the controller 30 may increase the magnitude of the load level of the circulatory system that changes step by step and shorten the time interval when changing the posture as compared with the case where the change is large.

[0054] According to the above configuration, by controlling the magnitude of the load level of the circulatory system that changes step by step and the time interval when changing the posture in consideration of the change in the heart rate of the user 40, a posture change and waking assistance suitable for the user 40 are realized.

[0055] Also, before raising the upper body of the user 40, the controller 30 may drive the upper body support portion 12 in a direction opposite to the direction of raising the upper body of the user 40.

[0056] According to the above configuration, after driving the upper body support part 12 in the opposite direction, by raising the upper body of the user 40, a larger driving angle can be obtained.

[0057] Further, when the controller 30 drives the upper body support part 12 in the direction opposite to the direction in which the upper body of the user 40 is raised, the upper body support part 12 may be driven in the opposite direction at a speed slower than the speed when the upper body of the user 40 is raised.

[0058] According to the above configuration, by driving the upper body support part 12 in the opposite direction at a speed slower than the speed when the upper body of the user 40 is raised, while obtaining a larger driving angle, the discomfort felt by the user 40 can be reduced.

[0059] Further, the estimation program used when estimating the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity 42 of the whole body and the heart 41 may cause the computer to execute the following processing. (1) Processing for calculating the center of gravity for each segment of the body of the user 40, (2) Processing for calculating the center of gravity 42 of the whole body of the user 40 based on the center of gravity for each segment, (3) Processing for calculating the height difference between the center of gravity 42 of the whole body and the heart 41 in the direction of gravity, and (4) Processing for estimating the load level of the circulatory system with a relative value based on the height difference at the time of standing as a reference based on the height difference.

[0060] According to the above configuration, it becomes possible to estimate the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity 42 of the whole body and the heart 41.

[0061] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0062] 100 Getting-up Support Device 10 Main Body Part 11 Seat Part 12 Upper body support part 13 Lower leg support part 20 Driving mechanism 30 Controller 41 Heart 42 Center of gravity of the whole body

Claims

1. A main body portion constituted by a seat portion that supports the user's thigh, an upper body support portion that is connected to one end of the seat portion and supports the user's upper body, and a lower leg support portion that is connected to the other end of the seat portion and supports the user's lower leg; a drive mechanism provided in the main body portion and capable of deforming the user's posture; a controller that controls the drive mechanism; and the controller drives the drive mechanism to control the user's posture such that a load level of the circulatory system based on a height difference between the center of gravity of the user's whole body and the heart is equal to or higher than a predetermined value when based on the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position. A getting-up assistance device.

2. The controller drives the drive mechanism to control the user's posture such that the load level of the circulatory system is 50% or more when based on the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position. The getting-up assistance device according to claim 1.

3. The controller drives the drive mechanism to control the user's posture such that the load level of the circulatory system increases stepwise by 8 to 15% at predetermined time intervals. The getting-up assistance device according to claim 2.

4. The predetermined time interval is 10 to 30 seconds. The getting-up assistance device according to claim 3.

5. Further comprising a sensor that detects the user's heart rate, and the controller controls the magnitude of the load level of the circulatory system that changes stepwise and the time interval according to a change in the heart rate detected by the sensor. The getting-up assistance device according to claim 3.

6. The controller changes the load level of the circulatory system at unequal intervals, or changes the user's posture at predetermined time intervals. The getting-up assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. Before raising the user's upper body, the controller drives the upper body support portion in a direction opposite to the direction in which the user's upper body is raised. The getting-up assistance device according to claim 1.

8. When driving the upper body support portion in a direction opposite to the direction in which the user's upper body is raised, the controller drives the upper body support portion in the opposite direction at a speed slower than the speed when the user's upper body is raised. The getting-up assistance device according to claim 7.

9. A main body portion composed of a seat portion that supports the user's thigh, an upper body support portion connected to one end of the seat portion to support the user's upper body, and a lower leg support portion connected to the other end of the seat portion to support the user's lower leg; A drive mechanism provided in the main body portion and capable of deforming the user's posture; A controller that controls the drive mechanism, which is a getting-up support method used in a getting-up support device comprising: Driving the drive mechanism to control the user's posture so that the load level of the circulatory system based on the height difference between the center of gravity of the user's whole body and the heart is equal to or higher than a predetermined value when based on the load level of the circulatory system in the standing position; Getting-up support method.

10. A process of calculating the center of gravity for each segment of the user's body; A process of calculating the center of gravity of the user's whole body based on the center of gravity for each segment; A process of calculating the height difference between the center of gravity of the whole body and the heart in the direction of gravity; A process of estimating the load level of the circulatory system with a relative value based on the height difference and with reference to the height difference in the standing position; An estimation program that causes a computer to execute.

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