Assistive robot

Abstract

To divide a part of a transmission path of vibration.SOLUTION: An assistive robot 1 includes a base plate 11 extending in the front-rear direction, an endless belt 12 whose upper surface extending in the front-rear direction on the base plate 11 operates in the front-rear direction, and a control unit 13 disposed in front of the endless belt 12 and on the base plate, and the control unit 13 includes a frame 21, a motor 22 disposed inside a box shape formed by the frame 21, a bracket 23 connected to the motor 22 and fixing the motor 22 to the base plate 11, a first cushioning material 24 disposed between the bracket 23 and the base plate 11, a second cushioning material 25 disposed between the frame 21 and the base plate 11, a top plate 26 provided on the frame 21, a first cover 27 connected to the top plate 26, and a second cover 28 connected to at least one of the top plate 26 or the first cover 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to assistive robots. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, treadmills have been used as assistive robots for the rehabilitation of people with walking difficulties.

[0003] Typically, treadmills have a conveyor-like endless belt that is driven by a motor, allowing the speed to be adjusted. Therefore, by walking on this belt, the user can continue walking without changing their position within the treadmill, making it possible to conduct walking training for long periods of time.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a treadmill in which the area from the contact surface to the belt is thin. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-085586 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The assistive robots used in walking rehabilitation require low-floor treadmills that can be accessed by wheelchairs. However, a small motor is required to make the treadmill low-floor, and increasing the speed widens the vibration frequency band, causing resonance with various parts and resulting in noise problems during operation.

[0007] Another related technology is to reduce noise by separating the treadmill section, including the motor fixing section, from the patient suspension support section in the product structure, but this structure increases the number of parts and increases costs.

[0008] Here, structural integration is effective in reducing costs, but the problem is that it is difficult to eliminate resonating parts because the product structure is complex.

[0009] The present disclosure provides an assistive robot having an integrated structure that reduces noise transmission paths. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The assist robot according to the present disclosure comprises a base plate extending in the front-to-rear direction, an endless belt whose upper surface extending in the front-to-rear direction on the base plate moves in the front-to-rear direction, and a control unit arranged in front of the endless belt and on the base plate, wherein the control unit comprises a frame forming a box-shaped framework, a motor arranged inside the box formed by the frame and powering a roller that moves the endless belt, a bracket connected to the motor and fixing the motor to the base plate, a first cushioning material arranged between the bracket and the base plate, a second cushioning material arranged between the frame and the base plate, a top plate provided on the top of the box-shaped frame, a first cover connected to the top plate and covering at least a portion of the interior of the box-shaped frame, and a second cover connected to at least one of the top plate or the first cover and covering at least a portion of the interior of the box-shaped frame. This makes it possible to cut off a part of the vibration transmission path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a support robot having an integrated structure that reduces the transmission paths of noise. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a support robot according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the inside of the support robot according to the first embodiment and a state in which a cover is provided. FIG. [Figure 3] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a connection point between a bracket and a base plate according to the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Embodiment 1 The support robot according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the support robot 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the support robot 1 includes a base plate 11, an endless belt 12, and a control unit 13.

[0014] The base plate 11 is a plate that extends in the front-rear direction and has a bottom surface that is in contact with the ground.

[0015] The endless belt 12 is disposed on the base plate 11 so that its upper surface extends in the front-to-rear direction. Typically, rollers that rotate about a left-to-right axis are disposed at the front end and the rear end of the endless belt 12, and at least one of these rollers is operated by power from a motor (described later), causing the upper surface to move in the front-to-rear direction.

[0016] This allows the user to continue walking on the endless belt 12 in a substantially fixed position.

[0017] Typically, the assistive robot 1 may have a gripping portion extending in the front-rear direction, slightly outward in the left-right direction from the endless belt 12, so that it can be grasped by a user walking on the endless belt 12. This gripping portion can be supported by a plurality of support portions erected from the base plate 11 outward in the left-right direction from the endless belt 12.

[0018] The control unit 13 is a box-shaped unit located in front of the endless belt 12, and stores various components inside. Specifically, the control unit 13 has a frame 21, a motor 22, a bracket 23, a first buffer material 24, a second buffer material 25, a top plate 26, a first cover 27, and a second cover 28.

[0019] 2(a) is a perspective view showing the state in which the cover of the control unit 13 has been removed to allow the interior to be viewed from the front. The control unit 13 has a box-shaped outer shape and is provided with a top plate 26 on top.

[0020] 2(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the lower part of the interior on the front side of the control unit 13. It is assumed that a part of the base plate 11 is used as the bottom surface of the control unit 13.

[0021] The frame 21 is connected to the base plate 11 via a second buffer material 25. The frame 21 forms the framework of the box-shaped control unit 13. Here, the outer shape of the control unit 13 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and the frame 21 is disposed at locations corresponding to the sides of the rectangular parallelepiped and along each side.

[0022] Typically, various components are attached to the frame 21. The configuration of the frame 21 is not limited to this, but it is assumed that the configuration allows at least a top plate 26 connected to the frame 21 to be provided on the top of the box-shaped control unit 13.

[0023] The motor 22 is disposed inside the box-shaped structure formed by the frame 21, and is disposed at a low position within the control unit 13 so as to be close to the base plate 11. The motor 22 provides power to the roller that operates the endless belt 12. Therefore, the motor 22 serves as a vibration source.

[0024] The bracket 23 is connected to the motor 22 and is also connected to the base plate 11 via a first buffer material 24. In this way, the bracket 23 fixes the motor 22 and the base plate 11 together.

[0025] The second buffer material 25 is disposed between the base plate 11 and the frame 21. This prevents the base plate 11 and the frame 21 from coming into direct contact with each other.

[0026] 2(c) shows an example of a state in which the inside of the control unit 13 is covered with a first cover 27 and a second cover 28. The first cover 27 is connected to and fixed to a top plate 26 disposed on the upper part of the frame 21. Note that the first cover 27 is not directly connected to the base plate 11.

[0027] The second cover 28 is connected to at least one of the top plate 26 and the first cover 27. There may be a plurality of second covers 28, and the second covers 28 can be connected to each other. The second covers 28 are not directly connected to the base plate 11.

[0028] Here, the first cover 27 and one or more second covers 28 connected together can be treated as a single integrated cover part. In this case, one cover part is connected to the top plate 26, which is less susceptible to vibration transmission, and is not directly connected to the base plate 11.

[0029] The first cover 27 and the second cover 28 are mainly shaped to have a wide flat surface on the front or rear side, and are covers that cover the front or rear side of the control unit 13, but the areas they cover are not limited to these, and they can also cover the left and right sides of the control unit 13, etc.

[0030] Here, the mechanism by which the first buffer material 24 and the second buffer material 25 reduce vibrations generated by the motor 22 will be described.

[0031] In the support robot 1, various parts are attached to the frame 21, and these parts are likely to vibrate and generate noise.

[0032] Here, the vibrations generated by the driving of the motor 22 are transmitted from the motor 22 through the bracket 23, the first buffer material 24, the base plate 11, and the second buffer material 25 before being transmitted from the motor 22 to the frame 21.

[0033] That is, the assistive robot 1 has a structure in which vibrations are doubly hard to transmit, passing through the first buffer material 24 and the second buffer material 25 before being transmitted from the motor 22 to the frame 21. In other words, the assistive robot 1 can be said to be in a floating state in which the motor 22, base plate 11, and frame 21 are not in direct contact with each other, due to the first buffer material 24 and the second buffer material 25.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section of a connection portion between the bracket 23 and the base plate 11, which are connected via the first buffer material 24. As shown in FIG.

[0035] 3, in one example of fastening in the support robot 1, the bolt 31 is inserted from the bracket 23 disposed on the upper side toward the base plate 11 disposed on the lower side. At this time, the head 31a of the bolt 31 is on the upper side.

[0036] 3, collar 32 covers the upper periphery of threaded portion 31b near head 31a of bolt 31, and has a flange-shaped upper end portion disposed above the upper surface of bracket 23. Meanwhile, nut 33 is provided on base plate 11 so as to engage with tip portion 31c of bolt 31.

[0037] By arranging the collar 32 in this manner, the support robot 1 can fix the bracket 23 and the base plate 11 at the connection point between the bracket 23, which is connected via the first cushioning material 24, and the base plate 11 without completely crushing the first cushioning material 24.

[0038] With reference to Figure 3, we have explained a configuration in which a collar 32 is used to fix the bracket 23 sandwiching the first cushioning material 24 to the base plate 11, but a similar configuration can also be used in which a bolt 31 and a collar 32 are used to fix the frame 21 using the second cushioning material 25 to the base plate 11.

[0039] As described above, in the assistive robot 1, the motor 22, base plate 11, and frame 21 are in a floating state without direct contact with each other using the first buffer material 24 and the second buffer material 25, thereby cutting off part of the vibration transmission path and making it difficult for vibration to be transmitted to the frame 21 in particular. This allows the assistive robot 1 to reduce noise caused by the vibration of various parts connected to the frame 21.

[0040] Furthermore, in the support robot 1, when connecting the bracket 23 connected to the motor 22 to the base plate 11 by bolting with the bolts 31, the collar 32 is used, so that the first buffer material 24 can be arranged without being completely crushed. Therefore, in the support robot 1, vibrations are less likely to be transmitted compared to when the first buffer material 24 is arranged in a crushed state. The same applies to the second buffer material 25.

[0041] Furthermore, the first cover 27 and the second cover 28 are separated from the base plate 11, which transmits vibrations from the motor 22 more easily than the frame 21, and are not connected to the base plate 11. The first cover 27 and the second cover 28 can be fixed to each other to cut off the vibration path. Furthermore, the integrated cover portion in this manner is fixed to the top plate 26 of the frame 21, to which vibrations from the motor 22 are less likely to be transmitted, via the two buffer materials 24, 25. Therefore, in the assistive robot 1, it is possible to reduce the generation of vibrations in the cover portion, and thereby reduce noise.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In other words, the above description has been omitted or simplified as appropriate for the sake of clarity, and a person skilled in the art can easily modify, add, or convert each element of the embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

[0043] For example, the support robot 1 may be provided with an input unit that can be operated by the user, and an output unit that confirms the contents of input by the input unit and displays various other information.

[0044] Furthermore, control unit 13 may have a structure for changing the operation of motor 22 to change the operating state of endless belt 12 in response to input from the user. Control unit 13 may also have a structure for giving instructions to the user via an output unit. Typically, control unit 13 may have a computer configuration including a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, an arithmetic unit, and the like.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2(b), part of the box-shaped control unit 13 may house a part of the endless belt 12, a roller that operates the endless belt 12, and a mechanism for operating this roller from the motor 22. The configuration of the control unit 13 is not limited to these and can be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1. Assistive robots 11 Base Plate 12 endless belt 13 Control Unit 21 frames 22 Motor 23 Bracket 24 First Cushioning Material 25 Secondary buffer material 26 Top plate 27 First Cover 28 Second Cover 31 volts 31a head 31b Threaded part 31c Tip 32 colors 33 Nut

Claims

[Claim 1] a base plate extending in the front-rear direction; an endless belt whose upper surface extends in the front-rear direction on the base plate and moves in the front-rear direction; a control unit disposed in front of the endless belt and on the base plate, The control unit A frame that forms a box-shaped framework, a motor disposed inside the box formed by the frame and powering a roller that moves the endless belt; a bracket connected to the motor and fixing the motor to the base plate; a first buffer material disposed between the bracket and the base plate; a second buffer material disposed between the frame and the base plate; a top plate provided on the top of the box-shaped frame; a first cover connected to the top panel and covering at least a portion of the interior of the box-shaped frame; a second cover connected to at least one of the top plate and the first cover and covering at least a part of the inside of the box-shaped frame; Assistive robot.

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