Portable control device and method for stair ascending and descending lower limb load

Abstract

To provide an improved portable control device and an improved method for a stair ascending and descending lower limb load for sharing a load on lower limbs by a lumber part and reducing the load, evaluating a lower limb load feeling practically, and keeping the lower limb load feeling within a proper lower limb load feeling range.SOLUTION: In a portable control device for a stair ascending and descending lower limb load, the lumbar part is suspended on a handrail ascending and descending device installed on a stair handrail 10 through a rope 3 and a waist belt 1; a grip part 4 is arranged on the stair handrail 10 in front of the body and a brake part 5 is arranged behind the body when ascending the stairs; an electric magnet of the brake part 5 is stopped, an electric magnet of the grip part 4 is operated, and the lumbar part is pulled in a stair ascending upper direction where the grip part 4 is located by an electric winch 2 through the rope 3; the grip part 4 is arranged in front of the body, the brake part 5 is arranged behind the body, and the electric magnet is operated when descending the stairs; the lumber part is pulled in an upper direction opposite to the stair descending direction where the brake part 5 is located by the friction force by a friction part of the brake part 5 and the stair handrail 10; and the lower limb load is shared by the lumbar part and the load is reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable staircase lifting and lowering lower limb load control device and method that share and unload the load on the lower limbs at the waist, practically evaluate the lower limb load feeling, and keep the lower limb load feeling within an appropriate lower limb load feeling range.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 4, in order to search for locations with high radioactivity contamination, from the time-series radiation dose measured by a moving measuring instrument and the moving speed, a function fitting method, a method for determining the increasing trend of the count from the difference with a 2-sampling second delay, and the measurement of the natural radiation dose of the time series in advance are used to estimate the radiation dose when the measuring instrument is stationary.

[0003] In Non-Patent Document 1, it is shown that non-self-supporting elderly people during staircase lifting and lowering (hereinafter referred to as "lifting and lowering") have weaker muscle strength and a stronger fear of falling compared to self-supporting elderly people, so their living range is narrow and they cannot achieve an active life.

[0004] In Non-Patent Document 2, an external joint moment (hereinafter referred to as "load"), which is the product of an external force vector and the distance to the action point of the vector, acts on the joint. When a moving acceleration occurs, an inertial force acts in the opposite direction. In Non-Patent Document 3, it is shown that in the case of a squat exercise, within the limit where the joint is not damaged, an internal joint moment (hereinafter referred to as "endurance"), which is the product of the muscle tension vector with the same magnitude as the load and in the opposite direction and the distance to the action point of the vector, is generated by the muscles and ligaments.

[0005] In Non-Patent Document 4, using a floor reaction force meter and infrared reflection markers attached to the body, the load on the lower limbs is calculated by analysis software from the information of the floor reaction force vector and the distance from the vector to the target joint. In Non-Patent Document 5, the load forms a waveform, and the load on the lower limb joints during lifting and lowering reaches its maximum at about 50% of the moving time required for one tread during the period from when the foot touches the ground to when it leaves the ground (hereinafter referred to as the "lifting and lowering cycle"). In Non-Patent Document 6, there is an unconscious action series of external stimulus - sensation - perception - movement in the body (hereinafter referred to as "reflex action function"). In Non-Patent Document 7, the reflex action time for transmitting an external stimulus to movement is 50 milliseconds for the slow-response long-latency stretch reflex, which is shorter than the 100 to 150 milliseconds of voluntary movement involving human consciousness and thinking. In Non-Patent Document 8, the speed of the elderly going up and down stairs is 0.21 meters per second. The width of the tread in the Building Standards Law is 26 centimeters or more.

[0006] In Non-Patent Document 9, when considering a rigid link model in which body parts are connected by multiple joints, there is a movement chain function in which the movement of a body part affects adjacent parts. In Non-Patent Document 10, the balance required for going up and down is affected by problem factors such as movement speed, personal factors such as body functions, and environmental factors such as step differences (hereinafter referred to as "going up and down conditions"). In Non-Patent Document 11, in the action of grasping a vertical handrail and standing up from a chair, the load on the elbow and the load on the knee are in an inverse correlation. Also, in Non-Patent Document 12, a strain gauge is used for measuring foot gripping force.

Prior Art Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The method of suspending the body from a moving device installed on the staircase ceiling of Patent Document 1 has the effect of reducing the load due to body gravity (hereinafter referred to as "load relief"), but facility renovation work is required and the device is large, so it cannot be used on staircases occupied by many people sharing the same staircase. Also, the method of ascending the stairs by grasping the grip handle of the electric hoisting device incorporated in the staircase handrail of Patent Documents 2 and 3 has a load relief effect, but facility renovation work is required.

[0009] In the methods shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, when the function of the wrist holding the grip bar is weakened, the gripped state cannot be maintained, so the tensile force of the grip bar cannot be transmitted to the body and load relief cannot be achieved.

[0010] In the case of an experiment using a floor reaction force meter and infrared reflection markers attached to the body in Non-Patent Document 4, the load can be calculated, but in practical use, the floor reaction force meter and infrared reflection markers cannot be used, and the magnitude of the external force vector required for the evaluation of the load shown in Non-Patent Document 5 and the distance from the vector to the joint cannot be measured. Therefore, the load cannot be evaluated by this method. There is a need for a practical method to evaluate the sense of burden that varies from person to person and over time, which is caused by the relationship between the load that varies moment by moment during the ascending and descending cycle of Non-Patent Document 5 and the endurance that varies from person to person depending on the ascending and descending conditions of Non-Patent Document 10.

[0011] When multiple people use it simultaneously, in Patent Documents 2 and 3, since the tensile force of the grip bar is uniform, there may be people who feel unstable due to the tensile force being too strong and floating, or conversely, people who are not sufficiently load-relieved due to the tensile force being too weak, lack endurance, and suffer joint damage or cannot ascend and descend. Therefore, a control method corresponding to the sense of burden that varies from person to person and over time is required.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0012] A portable staircase lifting lower limb load control device is used, which includes a brake pedestal 6, a friction part 7 of the brake part, a brake part 5 (Fig. 2) of a scissors-shaped pressure converter 8 where two rods with an electromagnet B24 arranged cross and join at one point, and a grip part 4 (Fig. 3) of a scissors shape where two rods with an electromagnet A13, a tension spring 14, a friction part 15 of the grip part, and a contact sensing electrical signal terminal 17 arranged cross and join at one point. The device also includes a waist belt 1, an electric winch 2, a rope 3, a strain gauge with a built-in handle 16, an electric operation control device 9, a goniometer 25, and an accelerometer 26.

[0013] The waist is suspended via a rope 3 and a waist belt 1 on a handrail lifter 18 installed on a staircase handrail 10. When ascending the stairs, the grip part 4 is arranged on the staircase handrail 10 in front of the body and the brake part 5 is arranged behind the body. The electromagnet B24 of the brake part 5 is stopped and the electromagnet A13 of the grip part 4 is operated, and the electric winch 2 pulls the waist upward in the ascending direction where the grip part 4 is located via the rope 3. When descending the stairs, the grip part 4 is arranged in front of the body and the brake part 5 is arranged behind the body. The electromagnets A13 and B24 are operated, and the friction force between the friction part 7 of the brake part and the staircase handrail pulls the waist upward in the direction opposite to the descending direction where the brake part 5 is located, and a process of sharing the lower limb load with the waist to unload (hereinafter referred to as the "waist utilization type unloading process") is used.

[0014] In Non-Patent Document 6, the body has a reflex action function. In Non-Patent Document 9, there is a movement chain function. Also, regarding the burden, which is one of the ascending and descending conditions affecting the sense of burden in Non-Patent Document 11, since the burden on the elbow and the burden on the knee are inversely correlated, the empirical rules of "the sense of burden on the lower limbs increases and the force of the hand holding the staircase handrail becomes stronger when ascending and descending the stairs" and "when on the verge of falling and the load on the lower limbs suddenly changes, the grip strength of the hand holding the staircase handrail suddenly becomes stronger" can be inferred to be reflex action functions based on the movement chain function between the sense of burden on the lower limbs and the grip strength of the hand. Also, since the gripping force of the foot can be measured with a strain gauge in Non-Patent Document 12, Measure the time-series voltage values representing the hand grip strength with a strain gauge built into the handle, and measure the horizontal movement speed with an accelerometer. Using the method shown in Patent Document 4 as a reference, use the function fitting method, the method for determining the voltage increase trend from the difference with a 2-sampling second delay, and the time-series strain gauge voltage values and fluctuations corresponding to the burden feeling less than the range from the upper limit of the burden feeling where the lower limbs feel painful to the lower limit of the burden feeling where the body feels too light and unstable (hereinafter referred to as the "appropriate lower limb burden feeling range") to estimate the function model of the time-series burden feeling that changes into a waveform, and use the process of evaluating the lower limb burden feeling (hereinafter referred to as the "reflex action function utilization type lower limb burden feeling evaluation process").

[0015] Using the strain gauge 16 built into the handle, the electric operation control device 9, and the angle meter 25 of the portable staircase ascending / descending lower limb burden control device Grip the strain gauge 16 built into the handle placed in front of the body during ascending / descending with the hand In order to converge the hand grip strength measured by the strain gauge within the hand grip strength range corresponding to the appropriate lower limb burden feeling range Ascend / descend, perceive the burden feeling on the lower limbs from external stimuli, measure the hand grip strength generated with the strain gauge 16 built into the handle and measure the angle of the rope 3 with the angle meter 25, calculate the maximum load amount and the appearance time with the electric operation control device 9, calculate the charging voltage such that the hand grip strength is within the appropriate lower limb burden feeling range with the electric operation control device 9, feedback to the charging voltage of the electromagnet B24 of the electric winch 2 during ascending or the brake unit 5 during descending, adjust the movement time, and repeat the ascending / descending again (hereinafter referred to as the "lower limb burden feeling feedback type control process") (Fig. 6).

Effect of the Invention

[0016] The handrail elevator of the portable staircase ascending / descending lower limb burden control device has a shape and weight that can be carried by hand, and other electric winches and electric control devices can be worn on the waist belt. Therefore, when there is a staircase handrail, the device can be used without the need for facility renovation work And even when using the device, the user does not need an area larger than the foot area required for normal staircase ascending / descending. Therefore, the staircase is not occupied and the staircase can be shared with other users or non-users of the device

[0017] As shown in the kinematic chain shown in Non-Patent Document 9 and FIGS. 4 and 5 created with reference to Non-Patent Documents 2 and 3, by using the lumbar-utilizing load-reducing process, During ascending and descending, since the handrail pulling force moment, rope pulling force moment, floor reaction force moment, gravitational moment, and acceleration inertial force moment by hand are balanced, when a large rope pulling force is used with the acceleration inertial force moment being the same (FIGS. 4C and 5C), compared with the case where no rope pulling force is used (FIGS. 4A and 5A) and the case where a small rope pulling force is used (FIGS. 4B and 5B), the lower limb load is smaller. Since there is an inverse correlation between the rope pulling force and the lower limb load, the load on the lower limbs can be shared by the waist to reduce the load, and it is possible to ascend and descend even when the functions of the lower limbs and wrists are weakened.

[0018] When the ascending and descending speed is 0.21 meters per second, which is the ascending and descending speed of the elderly in Non-Patent Document 8, since the tread width in the Building Standards Law is 26 centimeters or more (26 centimeters is used in the calculation considering the safety side), In the load on the knee joint with the largest load during ascending (FIG. 7A) and the load on the ankle joint with the largest load during descending (FIG. 7B) in FIG. 7 created using FIGS. 4 and 5 of Non-Patent Document 5, the elapsed time from when the total load of the leading leg and the trailing leg starts to increase until it reaches the maximum (hereinafter referred to as the "maximum value reaching time") is 0.3 seconds for both ascending and descending. On the other hand, since the reflex action time is 50 milliseconds, Since 6 data of the sense of burden can be obtained within the maximum value reaching time, a function model of the time-series sense of burden that changes to a waveform can be estimated, and the maximum value and the appearance time of the sense of burden can be estimated. Therefore, the reflex action function-utilizing lower limb burden sense evaluation process is practical.

[0019] FIG. 8 shows the load and the sense of burden of the knee joints of the leading leg and the trailing leg for each elapsed time during the ascending cycle. The load fluctuates in a waveform shape in a time series and fluctuates in the same waveform even when the ascending and descending cycles are repeated (FIG. 8A). The sense of burden fluctuates in a waveform shape that increases with the elapsed time because the muscles and ligaments fatigue and the endurance decreases each time the ascending and descending cycles are repeated (FIG. 8B), When the tensile force of the electric winch or the braking force of the brake part is increased during the lifting and lowering cycle, the sense of burden can be reduced (Fig. 8C). Also, when the movement is temporarily paused during the lifting and lowering cycle, the movement time increases and the endurance is restored, so that the sense of burden can be reduced (Fig. 8D). By using the lower limb burden sense feedback control process and setting appropriate tensile force, braking force, and movement time intervals, the sense of burden can be converged within the appropriate lower limb burden range, enabling lifting and lowering without damage, expanding the range of activities, and leading to a healthy and long life. It is possible to prevent falls that occur when the burden is too heavy to be supported by endurance, or when the burden is too light to feel unstable and lose balance. Also, since the grip force of the hand holding the built-in strain gauge 16 of the handle can be intentionally changed to increase or decrease the tensile force or braking force, and the movement time interval can be changed to change the load on the lower limbs, any sense of burden within the applicable lower limb burden range can be selected for lifting and lowering.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a portable staircase ascending / descending lower limb burden control device. The brake part 5 is arranged at the rear of the body, and the gripping part 4 is arranged on the staircase handrail in front of the body. When pulling and moving the brake part 5 that grips the staircase handrail 10 during descending, if there is a part of the staircase handrail 10 that is interrupted in the middle or has a shape that cannot be gripped by the handrail fixing fitting from the wall, etc., there is a risk of falling because it must be separated from the staircase handrail 10 and moved at that location. Also, when the gripping part of the staircase handrail 10 is at a position lower than the waist belt 1 during ascending / descending, there is no load relief effect. Therefore, it is desirable to newly install a staircase handrail 10 with a shape that is higher than the waist belt 1, has no break, and is suitable for gripping.

[0022] The moving method of the handrail elevator 18 is to stop the electromagnet B24 of the brake part 5 and the electromagnet A13 of the gripping part of the handrail elevator during ascending / descending, and open the tension spring by gripping the contact sensing electrical signal terminal 17 of the gripping part 4 with the hand, and move the handrail elevator 18 to the next arrival target point by hand without separating it from the staircase handrail 10 at an arbitrary movement time interval of the user. After installation, it is optimal to operate the electromagnet A13 again to fix it to the staircase handrail. A mechanical moving method may be used if it is not necessary to modify the facility, does not occupy the staircase, has a shape and weight that allows for any movement time interval of the user, and can be adjusted accordingly.

[0023] Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the braking part. It is optimal to use the pressure converter 8 for adjusting the frictional force with high precision. However, if the precision is poor, the rope 3 may be directly connected to both lower parts of the brake pedestal 6, and the tension of the rope 3 generated by the descending acceleration may be converted into the pressure and frictional force between the frictional part 7 of the braking part and the staircase handrail 10.

[0024] In the case of a cylindrical staircase handrail, the shape of the brake pedestal 6 is optimally a cylindrical shape that can be opened and closed vertically so that the pressure is evenly applied to the staircase handrail 10. However, if the shape of the staircase handrail is different, it should be made into a shape that conforms to the said shape.

[0025] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the gripping part. The shape of the frictional part 15 of the gripping part is optimally made to match the shape of the handrail so that the frictional area can be increased.

[0026] Figure 4C shows the external force vector and load of the knee joint during ascending. Hold the built-in strain gauge 16 of the handle of the gripping part with your hand, charge the electromagnet A13 of the gripping part, and stop charging the electromagnet B24 of the braking part.

[0027] Figure 5C shows the external force vector and load of the ankle joint during descending. Hold the built-in strain gauge 16 of the handle of the gripping part with your hand, and charge the electromagnet A13 of the gripping part and the electromagnet B24 of the braking part.

[0028] To keep the sense of burden within the appropriate lower limb burden range, it is optimal and precise to use the lower limb burden feedback control process. Since the ascending and descending speed is high, if the value of the product of the number of data that can estimate the function model of the relationship between the body's reflex action time (the communication speed of the circuit, which is said to be half of the high speed, and the reaction time related to the torque of the electromagnet of the electric winch and the braking part, if these are significant for the calculation, the added time) and the sense of burden exceeds the maximum value arrival time, the lower limb burden feedback control method alone cannot perform the control. Although the accuracy may decrease, a feedforward control method using an individual or general burden function model for each created lifting condition may be used.

[0029] The industrial applicability of the present invention is to be used for staircase lifting in apartment houses, ordinary houses or public places where elevators or escalators are not installed, the provision of rehabilitation aids, and the control of human-machine systems utilizing the reflex actions of the body.

Explanation of Signs

[0030] 1 Waist belt 2 Electric winch 3 Rope 4 Gripping part 5 Brake part 6 Brake pedestal 7 Friction part of the brake part 8 Pressure converter 9 Electric operation control device 10 Stair handrail 11 Signal communication line 12 Power line 13 Electromagnet A 14 Tension spring 15 Friction part of the gripping part 16 Strain gauge with built-in handle 17 Contact sensing electrical signal terminal 18 Handrail elevator 19 Gravity 20 Acceleration inertial force 21 Rope tensile force 22 Reaction force of the tensile force of the stair handrail by hand 23 Floor reaction force 24 Electromagnet B 25 Angle meter 26 Accelerometer 27 Reaction force moment of the tensile force of the handrail by hand 28 Rope tensile force moment 29 Floor reaction force moment 30 Center of gravity moment 31 Acceleration inertial force moment 32 Upper body center of gravity 33 Center of gravity 34 hip joint 35 knee joint 36 ankle joint

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling the burden on the lower limbs during stair climbing and descending, characterized by comprising a handrail elevator 18 consisting of a brake portion 5 and a grip portion 4, a waist belt 1, an electric winch 2, a rope 3, a strain gauge 16 with a built-in handle, an electric operation control device 9, a goniometer 25, and an accelerometer 26, a portable stair climbing and descending lower limb burden control device.

2. A method for controlling the burden on the lower limbs during stair climbing and descending, comprising a waist utilization type load relief step of sharing and relieving the load on the lower limbs at the waist, a reflex action function utilization type lower limb burden feeling evaluation step of practically evaluating the burden feeling of the lower limbs, and a lower limb burden feeling feedback type control step of converging the burden feeling of the lower limbs within an appropriate lower limb burden feeling range, a portable stair climbing and descending lower limb burden control method.

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