Finger assist device and joint movement assist method

Abstract

To provide a finger assist device enabling independent control of each joint.SOLUTION: A finger assist device includes: N+1 wire-like joint movement assist members, each attached to a back side and a palm side of a finger, one or more on each side, along the finger having N phalanges, for a total of N+1 members, and controlling movement of the joint by tension; a tension control unit for adjusting the tension of each joint movement assist member; and an attachment member for attaching the joint movement assist member to the finger, where each phalanx includes at least one joint movement assist member attached thereto, and the phalanx closer to the fingertip has fewer joint assist members attached.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 557,839, filed February 26, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical Field]

[0002] The present invention relates to a finger assist device and a joint movement assist method for assisting rehabilitation movements of fingers and the like. [Background technology]

[0003] An assist device worn like a glove is known as a prosthetic device for assisting the rehabilitation of patients with functional disorders of the fingers. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that assists the flexion and extension of fingers by pulling a wire cable connected to fixtures attached to the distal and proximal phalanges of the fingers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-208511 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional devices were limited to controlling the flexion and extension of the entire finger, and were unable to control each joint independently, making it difficult to perform precise control that responded to the patient's symptoms and complex movements.

[0006] Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a finger assist device that allows independent control of each joint. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The finger assist device according to the present invention comprises N+1 wire-like joint movement assist members attached to a finger having N phalanges, one or more on each of the dorsal and palmar sides, for a total of N+1 members, which control joint movement by tension; a tension control unit which adjusts the tension of each of the joint movement assist members; and attachment members for attaching the joint movement assist members to the fingers, with at least one joint movement assist member attached to each phalange, and the closer a phalange is to the fingertip, the fewer joint movement assist members are attached.

[0008] The joint movement assist method according to the present invention attaches at least one wire-like joint movement assist member each on the dorsal side and palmar side of a finger having N phalanges, for a total of N+1 wire-like joint movement assist members that control joint movement by tension, and adjusts the tension of each joint movement assist member. At least one joint movement assist member is attached to each phalange, with fewer joint movement assist members attached to phalanges closer to the fingertip. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a finger assist device that allows independent control of each joint. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a finger assist device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit 30 that adjusts the tension of a wire 10 of a finger assist device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of wires in a finger assist device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the attachment member 20 of the finger assist device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is unfolded. [Figure 5] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating an example of a method for adjusting the wire 10 of the hand assist device 1 according to the embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a finger assist device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the finger assist device 1 attached to a finger F (the index finger in the example of FIG. 1). The upper side of FIG. 1 indicates the dorsum of the finger F, the lower side indicates the palmar side, and the left side indicates the direction of the fingertip. As shown in FIG. 1, the finger assist device 1 is a soft glove-type assist device that attaches wires 10 (joint movement assist members) to each phalanx of the finger F (three phalanxes: the distal phalanx, the middle phalanx, and the proximal phalanx in the case of the index finger in FIG. 1). The wires 10 are wound and unwound via pulleys 33, thereby utilizing the tension of the wires 10 to control the movement of the joints of the finger F. N+1 wires 10 are provided for the number N of phalanges of the finger to be attached. In the case of the index finger in FIG. 1, there are three phalanges: the distal phalanx, the middle phalanx, and the proximal phalanx, so four wires 10 are provided.

[0012] Each wire 10 is attached to a finger F via an attachment member 20. The attachment member 20 includes N phalange covering portions 21 that cover the N phalanges of the finger F, adjustment members 22 for adjusting the positions (spacing) of the phalange covering portions 21, and fixing members 23 for fixing the adjustment members 22 to the hand. One end of each wire 10 is fixed to one of the phalange covering portions 21.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit (tension control section) 30 that adjusts the tension (winding amount) of the wire 10 of the finger assist device 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 30 includes a motor control section 31, a motor 32, and a pulley 33. The number of pulleys 33 may be the same as the number of wires 10 (N+1). The number of motors 32 may be the same as the number of pulleys 33, and the winding and letting out of the wire 10 is achieved by controlling the rotation of each pulley 33.

[0014] The motor control unit 31 may be configured as a computer including a processor, memory, an input / output interface, a communication interface, and a storage device. The storage device of the motor control unit 31 stores control data for the motor 32, and the processor drives the motor 32 based on the control data.

[0015] The motor 32 may be any motor, such as a stepping motor, that can accurately control the amount of winding and has good torque and rotational speed characteristics.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of wires in the finger assist device 1. The upper side of FIG. 3 indicates the dorsal side of the finger F, the lower side indicates the palmar side, and the left side indicates the fingertip. In the example of FIG. 3, a total of four wires 11 to 14 are arranged, three on the dorsal side and one on the palmar side. Wire 11 is fixed to the dorsal side of phalangeal covering part 21a, which covers the proximal phalanx at the base side. Wire 12 is fixed to the dorsal side of phalangeal covering part 21b, which covers the phalange PIP one phalange closer to the fingertip than the MP, and is also attached to the dorsal side of phalangeal covering part 21a. Wire 13 is fixed to the dorsal side of phalangeal covering part 21c, which covers the phalange DIP closest to the fingertip, and is also attached to the dorsal sides of phalangeal covering parts 21a and 21b. Wire 14 is fixed to the palmar side of phalangeal covering part 21c, which covers the distal phalange, and is also attached to the palmar sides of phalangeal covering parts 21a and 21b. The wires 11 to 14 may be passed through a tubular fixture 24 provided on the phalangeal covering portions 21a to 21c.

[0017] The arrangement of the wires is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3. For example, wires 11-13 may be fixed to the palmar side of phalangeal covering portions 21a, 21b, and 21c, and wire 14 may be fixed to the dorsal side of phalangeal covering portion 21c. Alternatively, two wires may be fixed to the dorsal side and two wires to the palmar side. However, it is desirable that one wire be attached to the dorsal side and one wire be attached to the palmar side of the distal phalange, which is the most distal phalange, and that at least one wire be attached to the dorsal or palmar side of each phalange closer to the base. Furthermore, it is desirable that the number of wires attached to a phalange closer to the tip of the finger be fewer.

[0018] Each wire affects the movement of the phalanx to which one end is fixed, i.e., the phalanx closest to the tip (distal) through which the wire passes, and the phalanx further to the base than that phalanx. Therefore, the movement of the proximal phalanx is controlled by four wires 11 to 14, the movement of the middle phalanx is controlled by three wires 12 to 14, and the movement of the distal phalanx is controlled by two wires 13 to 14.

[0019] Furthermore, the wire that passes through the dorsal side transmits force mainly in the direction of extending the fingers, while the wire that passes through the palm side transmits force mainly in the direction of flexing the fingers. Therefore, as an example, if you want to mainly assist the flexion of the joint, you can attach N wires on the dorsal side and 1 wire on the palm side, and if you want to mainly assist the extension of the joint, you can attach N wires on the palm side and 1 wire on the dorsal side, thereby more efficiently assisting the joint movement.

[0020] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the state in which the wearing member 20 is unfolded. As shown in Fig. 4, the phalangeal covering portions 21a to 21c are attached to an adjustment member 22, which is configured so that the respective intervals d1 and d2 can be adjusted to match the distance between the phalanges of the fingers. Specifically, the adjustment member 22 is formed of a flexible material such as hook-and-loop fastener or synthetic rubber, and allows the intervals d1 and d2 to be freely adjusted when wearing the device. Similarly, the distance d3 between the innermost phalangeal covering portion 21a and the base of the finger can also be freely adjusted.

[0021] Furthermore, the phalange covering portions 21a-21c are formed so that they can be adjusted to fit the thickness of the phalanges they cover. Specifically, the phalange covering portions 21a-21c are formed of a flexible material such as hook-and-loop fastener or synthetic rubber, and the spacing d4 can be freely adjusted when worn. This allows the position of the fixing device 24 for fixing the wire 10 to be adjusted to a predetermined position when the phalange covering portions 21a-21c are wrapped around the fingers. The fixing device 24 may be, for example, a tubular component, and the wire 10 may be passed through the tube.

[0022] Next, an example of a method for adjusting the wire 10 of the finger assist device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5(A) to (C) show three types of kinematic models that respectively show the relationship between the joint angle θ and the length l of the wire 10. Model (A) is a model in which the wire length l is proportional to the joint angle θ, and when the joint radius is r, the wire length l can be expressed as in equation (1). Here, l0 indicates the initial wire length (the wire length when θ=0).

number

number

number

[0023] In this embodiment, model (A) is applied to the wire passing through the dorsal side of the PIP and DIP joints, model (B) is applied to the wire passing through the dorsal side of the MP joint, and model (C) is applied to the wire passing through the palmar side of the MP, PIP, and DIP joints. However, the models applied to each joint are not limited to those described above.

[0024] As described above, according to this embodiment, for a finger having N joints, N+1 wires 10 are arranged on the dorsal and palmar sides, and by adjusting the length of each wire 10, the tension of each wire 10 can be used to control the angle of each joint.

[0025] Furthermore, the attachment member 20 for attaching the wire 10 to a finger has a phalangeal covering portion 21 that covers the phalanges and a fixing member 23 that fixes the position of the phalangeal covering portion 21, which are made of a flexible material such as a hook-and-loop fastener. This allows the phalangeal covering portion 21 to be wrapped around the finger to fit its thickness, and the spacing between the phalangeal covering portions 21 can be freely adjusted to fit the spacing between the phalanges, so the tip of the wire 10 can be fixed in an accurate position to fit the wearer's finger.

[0026] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted as being limiting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1... finger assist device, 10 to 14... wire, 20... wearing member, 21... phalange covering portion, 22... adjustment member, 23... fixing member, 24... fixing tool, 30... control unit, 31... motor control portion, 32... motor, 33... pulley

Claims

1. N+1 wire-like joint movement assist members attached to a finger having N phalanges, one or more on each of the dorsal side and the palm side, for a total of N+1 wire-like joint movement assist members, for controlling joint movement by tension; a tension control unit that adjusts the tension of each of the articulation movement assist members; an attachment member for attaching the joint movement assist member to a finger, At least one articulation support member is attached to each phalanx, and the closer the phalanx is to the fingertip, the fewer the number of articulation support members attached. Finger assist device.

2. The articulation motion assist member includes:

2. The finger assist device according to claim 1, wherein one finger is attached to each of the dorsal and palmar sides of the most distal phalanx, and one or more finger is attached to at least the dorsal or palmar side of the phalanx closer to the base than the most distal phalanx.

3. 2. The finger assist device according to claim 1, wherein the number of joint support members attached to each phalanx decreases by one toward the fingertip.

4. the attachment member includes N phalange covering portions that cover N phalanges, The finger assist device according to claim 1 , wherein one end of each of the joint movement assist members is fixed to a phalanx covering portion that covers a phalanx distal to the joint that controls the movement of the corresponding member.

5. The tension control unit is 3. The finger assist device according to claim 1, wherein the tension is controlled by adjusting the length of each of the joint movement assist members wound up.

6. 3. The finger assist device according to claim 1, wherein when controlling the flexion movement of the joint, N joint movement assist members are attached on the back side and one joint movement assist member is attached on the palm side, and when controlling the extension movement of the joint, N joint movement assist members are attached on the palm side and one joint movement assist member is attached on the back side.

7. 5. The finger assist device according to claim 4, wherein the N phalange covering portions are formed so that the intervals between each of them can be adjusted to match the distance between the phalanges of the fingers on which they are worn.

8. The finger assist device according to claim 4, wherein the phalange covering portions are formed so as to be adjustable to fit the thickness of the phalanges they cover.

9. One or more wire-like joint movement assist members are attached to the back and palm sides of a finger having N phalanges, for a total of N+1 wire-like joint movement assist members that control joint movement by tension, Adjusting the tension of each articulation assistance member; At least one joint movement assist member is attached to each phalanx, and the closer to the fingertip the phalanx is, the fewer the number of joint movement assist members attached.

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