Waist belt adjustment mechanism and motion assistance device

Abstract

To provide a waist belt adjustment mechanism and a motion assistance device capable of fitting a waist belt to a user's waist.SOLUTION: A waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 comprises: a pair of base plates 16 to which an assistance force generation device 20 is rotatably attached; a band-shaped waist belt 18 whose length is adjustable and which is mounted to the pair of base plates 16; and waist belt support mechanisms 16e, 16H, 18c which support the waist belt 18 with respect to the base plates 16. The waist belt support mechanisms 16e, 16H, 18c can support the waist belt 18 in either a movable state in which the waist belt 18 is movable along its longitudinal direction relative to the base plates 16, or an immovable state in which the waist belt 18 is immovable along its longitudinal direction relative to the base plates 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a waist belt adjustment mechanism and a movement assist device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a human body support device that uses the contraction of artificial muscles to support the user's movement of raising their upper body. In the human body support device of Patent Document 1, a waist belt, an upper body attachment belt, and thigh arms are attached to the user's waist, upper body, and thighs, respectively, so that the human body support device is worn by the user. The waist belt has an upper waist belt that is positioned above the upper part of the user's gluteus maximus, and a lower waist belt that is positioned adjacent to the lower part of the user's gluteus maximus. The human body support device is worn by the user so that the upper waist belt and the lower waist belt sandwich the gluteus maximus from above and below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6760602 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The upper waist belt of the human body support device in Patent Document 1 is fixed in length and cannot be adjusted in length. Therefore, depending on the user's body type, the upper waist belt may not fit the user's waist, making it difficult for the assist force to be transmitted to the user effectively.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a belt adjustment mechanism and a movement assist device that can fit a waist belt to the waist of a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the waist belt adjustment mechanism of the present disclosure comprises a pair of base plates to which an auxiliary force generating device is rotatably attached, a belt-like waist belt whose length is adjustable and which is attached to the pair of base plates, and a waist belt support mechanism that supports the waist belt relative to the base plates, and the waist belt support mechanism is capable of supporting the waist belt in either a movable state in which the waist belt can move along its longitudinal direction relative to the base plates, or an immovable state in which the waist belt cannot move along its longitudinal direction relative to the base plates.

[0007] With this waist belt adjustment mechanism, if there is a gap between the user's waist and the waist belt, the user can use the waist belt support mechanism to make the waist belt movable relative to the base plate, move the waist belt relative to the base plate, adjust the length of the waist belt, and then use the waist belt support mechanism to make the waist belt immovable relative to the base plate, thereby adjusting the waist belt and allowing it to fit the user's waist.

[0008] In the above-mentioned waist belt adjustment mechanism, the base plate has a first surface and a second surface located opposite the first surface, and a pair of insertion holes penetrating from the first surface to the second surface are formed in the base plate, and the waist belt passes through the pair of insertion holes and is attached to the base plate so as to be located on the first surface side and the second surface side, and the pair of insertion holes in the base plate correspond to the waist belt support mechanism, and when tension is applied to the waist belt along the longitudinal direction, the waist belt is immovable relative to the base plate, and when tension is not applied to the waist belt along the longitudinal direction, the waist belt is movable relative to the base plate.

[0009] With this waist belt adjustment mechanism, when there is a gap between the user's waist and the waist belt, the user uses the waist belt support mechanism to release tension on the waist belt along its longitudinal direction, making the waist belt movable relative to the base plate. After moving the waist belt relative to the base plate, the user adjusts the length of the waist belt to apply tension on the waist belt along its longitudinal direction, making the waist belt immovable relative to the base plate. This adjusts the waist belt so that it fits the user's waist.

[0010] In the above-mentioned waist belt adjustment mechanism, a protrusion is provided on the base plate, and multiple positioning holes are formed in the waist belt along the longitudinal direction, the protrusion and multiple positioning holes correspond to the waist belt support mechanism, and when the protrusion is inserted into any one of the multiple positioning holes, the waist belt is immovable relative to the base plate, and when the protrusion is not inserted into any of the multiple positioning holes, the waist belt is movable relative to the base plate.

[0011] With this waist belt adjustment mechanism, when there is a gap between the user's waist and the waist belt, the user uses the waist belt support mechanism to insert the protrusions into none of the positioning holes, thereby making the waist belt movable relative to the base plate.The user then moves the waist belt relative to the base plate, inserting the protrusions into positioning holes different from the positioning holes into which the protrusions were originally inserted, and adjusting the length of the waist belt to make the waist belt immovable relative to the base plate.This adjusts the waist belt so that it fits the user's waist.

[0012] The movement-assist device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes the above-described waist belt adjustment mechanism. With this movement-assist device, the waist belt can be adjusted to fit the user's waist as described above. As a result, the assist force generated by the assist force generation unit can be appropriately transmitted to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a motion assist device including a waist belt adjustment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of a pair of base plates and a waist belt of the waist belt adjustment mechanism of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an inner perspective view of the base plate of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an outer perspective view of the base plate of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is an outer perspective view of the lumbar pad of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the waist belt of FIG. 2 attached to a base plate. [Figure 7] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the drive unit, base plate, and lumbar pad of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 3 is an explanatory diagram of a method for adjusting a waist belt in the waist belt adjustment mechanism of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 3 is an explanatory diagram of a method for adjusting a waist belt in the waist belt adjustment mechanism of FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A waist belt adjustment mechanism and a motion assist device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The waist belt adjustment mechanism is used in the motion assist device. The motion assist device assists the user in raising their upper body (stretching their waist). The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a motion-assist device equipped with a waist belt adjustment mechanism. The motion-assist device 1 includes an upper part 10 worn by a user, a pair of drive units 20, and a pair of lower limb units 30. In the following description, the shoulder belt 12 side relative to the back support unit 11 is referred to as the front side, the back support unit 11 side relative to the shoulder belt 12 is referred to as the rear side, the upper part 10 side relative to the drive units 20 is referred to as the upper side, and the lower limb units 30 side relative to the drive units 20 is referred to as the lower side. Fig. 1 shows the postures of the upper part 10 and lower limb units 30 relative to the drive units 20 when a user wearing the motion-assist device 1 is standing upright.

[0016] The upper portion 10 has a back support portion 11, a pair of shoulder belts 12, a pair of upper frames 13, a waist belt adjustment mechanism 14, and a hip belt 15. The back support portion 11 is flat and comes into contact with the user's back when worn. The surface of the back support portion 11 that comes into contact with the user's back, i.e., the surface on the front side of the action-assist device 1, is made of a soft, elastic material. The shape of the back support portion 11 is not limited to the form shown in the drawings.

[0017] The pair of shoulder belts 12 are members that are worn on the shoulders of the user. The shoulder belts 12 are belt-shaped members made of a soft material so that they can deform to follow the user's movements. The pair of shoulder belts 12 are each connected to the backrest 11. The upper end of the right shoulder belt 12 is connected to the upper end of the right side of the backrest 11. The lower end of the right shoulder belt 12 is connected to the lower end of the right side of the backrest 11. The upper end of the left shoulder belt 12 is connected to the upper end of the left side of the backrest 11. The lower end of the left shoulder belt 12 is connected to the lower end of the left side of the backrest 11. The length of the shoulder belts 12 is adjustable.

[0018] The pair of upper frames 13 are members that connect the pair of drive units 20 and the backrest unit 11 to each other. Each upper frame 13 is formed by bending a rod material such as a hollow round bar. Each upper frame 13 is a rigid body and fixes the relative positional relationship between the pair of drive units 20 and the backrest unit 11. The upper end of each upper frame 13 is connected to the backrest unit 11. Each upper frame 13 extends downward and outward from its upper end. The lower end of each upper frame 13 is connected to the upper end of the drive unit 20.

[0019] Next, the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pair of base plates 16 and a waist belt 18 of the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 of FIG. 1. FIGS. 3 and 4 are an inner perspective view and an outer perspective view of the base plate 16 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 includes a pair of base plates 16, a pair of waist pads 17, and a waist belt 18. The base plate 16 is plate-shaped and has an inner surface 16A and an outer surface 16B. The base plate 16 includes an upper portion 16C and a lower portion 16D that is narrower than the upper portion 16C. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper portion 16C has a pair of insertion holes 16e and a pair of slits 16f formed at both ends in the front-rear direction, penetrating from the inner surface 16A to the outer surface 16B. Each insertion hole 16e is located inside the end face of the upper portion 16C and extends in the vertical direction. Each slit 16f is located outside the corresponding insertion hole 16e and opens to the outside of the corresponding insertion hole 16e and the upper side portion 16C. The width of each slit 16f is greater than the thickness of the waist belt 18.

[0020] A through hole 16g is formed in the lower portion 16D. A rotating shaft 22, which will be described later, is inserted into the through hole 16g. The inserted rotating shaft 22 is rotatably supported relative to the base plate 16. Five fixing hooks 16H are provided on the base plate 16. The fixing hooks 16H protrude inward from the inner surface 16A. Two fixing hooks 16H are provided above the pair of insertion holes 16e, one fixing hook 16H is provided in the center of the pair of insertion holes 16e, and two fixing hooks 16H are provided on the lower portion 16D.

[0021] FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the lumbar pad 17 of FIG. 2. The lumbar pad 17 is plate-shaped with a tapered bottom and has five fixed hooks 17A. The lumbar pad 17 is configured, for example, by attaching the fixed hooks 17A to a plastic plate, which is then covered with a soft material such as urethane so that the fixed hooks 17A protrude outward. The five fixed hooks 17A are provided corresponding to the five fixing hooks 16H. The fixing hooks 17A are recessed. The lumbar pad 17 is attached to the base plate 16 by fitting the fixed hooks 17A into the fixing hooks 16H. When worn, the lumbar pad 17 is positioned on both sides of the user's waist.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the waist belt 18 is a single belt-like member and is attached to a pair of base plates 16. Buckles 18A, for example, are provided on both ends of the front side of the waist belt 18. The waist belt 18 is held in a cylindrical shape by the buckles 18A. The waist belt 18 has a length adjustment section 18B. By adjusting the length of the waist belt 18 with the length adjustment section 18B, the waist belt 18 can be properly fitted to the waist of the user. The waist belt 18 is made of a soft material and can deform in accordance with the user's movements, allowing the user to move easily. Three positioning holes 18c are formed in the waist belt 18 on each side facing the user's waist.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the waist belt 18 of FIG. 2 attached to the base plate 16. The waist belt 18 passes through a pair of insertion holes 16e and is attached to the base plate 16 so as to be positioned on the inner surface 16A side and the outer surface 16B side. The portion of the waist belt 18 outside the pair of insertion holes 16e is positioned on the outer surface 16B side, and the portion inside the pair of insertion holes 16e is positioned on the inner surface 16A side. The waist belt 18 is inserted into the insertion holes 16e through the slits 16f. When the user adjusts the length of the waist belt 18 to fit around their waist, the waist belt 18 is pulled in the vertical direction in FIG. 6. At this time, shear force is generated in the waist belt 18 at portions 18D that protrude from the insertion holes 16e to the inner surface 16A and the outer surface 16B. Friction caused by this shear force secures the waist belt 18 to the base plate 16. In this way, when tension is applied to the waist belt 18 along its longitudinal direction, the waist belt 18 is in an immovable state, where it cannot move along the longitudinal direction relative to the base plate 16. When tension is not applied to the waist belt 18 along the longitudinal direction, the waist belt 18 is in a movable state, where it can move along the longitudinal direction relative to the base plate 16. The pair of insertion holes 16e of the base plate 16 corresponds to, for example, a waist belt support mechanism.

[0024] The fixing hook 16H provided at the center of the pair of insertion holes 16e is inserted into one of the three positioning holes 18c. The rear length of the waist belt 18 changes by changing the positioning hole 18c into which the fixing hook 16H is inserted. The fixed hook 17A is fitted into the fixing hook 16H protruding from the positioning hole 18c. When the fixing hook 16H is inserted into one of the three positioning holes 18c, the waist belt 18 is immobilized and unable to move along the longitudinal direction relative to the base plate 16. When the fixing hook 16H is not inserted into any of the three positioning holes 18c, the waist belt 18 is mobile and able to move along the longitudinal direction relative to the base plate 16. The fixing hook 16H corresponds to, for example, a protrusion. The fixing hook 16H and the three positioning holes 18c correspond to, for example, a waist belt support mechanism.

[0025] The hip belt 15 is a single belt-shaped member and is fixed to a pair of base plates 16. The length of the hip belt 15 is adjustable. By adjusting the length of the hip belt 15, the hip belt 15 will come into proper contact with the underside of the user's buttocks. The hip belt 17 is a soft member that can deform in accordance with the user's movements, allowing the user to move easily.

[0026] Next, the pair of lower leg units 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1. The pair of lower leg units 30 have a symmetrical configuration. The lower leg units 30 as a whole are shaped to generally fit the shape of the user's thighs. Each lower leg unit 30 has a lower leg plate 31 (see FIG. 7), a lower leg frame 32, and a thigh pad 33. The lower leg plate 31 is fixed to a rotation shaft 22 (see FIG. 7), which will be described later. The lower leg frame 32 is connected to the lower leg plate 31 and is shaped to extend to the front of the user's thighs when in use. The thigh pad 33 is a curved member that covers the front of the user's thighs. The thigh pad 33 is provided at the tip of the lower leg frame 32. When the user abuts the thigh pad 33 against the front of the user's thigh, the movement of the thigh is transmitted to the drive unit 20 via the lower leg frame 32 and the lower leg plate 31. As a result, the rotary shaft 22 rotates, and the elastic body 23 described below is wound, generating an assisting force.

[0027] Next, the pair of drive units 20 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 7. For example, the drive unit 20 corresponds to, for example, an assist force generating device. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the drive unit 20, base plate 16, and lumbar pad 17 of Fig. 1. The drive unit 20 mainly includes a case 21, a rotating shaft 22, and an elastic body 23.

[0028] The case 21 is attached to the base plate 16 via the rotating shaft 22. As a result, the drive unit 20 is held near the user's waist when the base plate 16 is worn on the user's waist. The lower end of the upper frame 13 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the case 21. The rotating shaft 22 passes through the case 21 and is rotatably attached to the case 21. The inner end of the rotating shaft 22 is rotatably attached to the base plate 16. A lower leg plate 31 is fixed to the outer end of the rotating shaft 22. The elastic body 23 is provided inside the case 21 and is, for example, a spiral power spring made of a plate-shaped member. The outer end of the elastic body 23 is fixed to the case 21, and the inner end of the elastic body 23 is fixed to the rotating shaft 22.

[0029] When a user starts from an upright position, slightly bending their knees and leaning their upper body forward, the upper part 10 and drive unit 20 rotate around the rotary shaft 22 relative to the lower leg part 30. By winding the elastic body 23 so that the outer end rotates while keeping the position of the inner end of the elastic body 23 fixed, a force (assistance force) that rotates in the opposite direction is generated in the elastic body 23. This assistance force becomes a torque (assistance torque) that assists the movement of the waist when the user returns the waist posture from bending forward to an upright position. The greater the angle at which the user leans their upper body, the greater the assistance torque.

[0030] Next, a method for adjusting the waist belt 18 will be described. FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams of a method for adjusting the waist belt 18 in the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 8, when there is a gap G between the back of the user U and the waist belt 18, the user removes the waist pad 17 from the base plate 16. The user places the waist belt 18 in a state where no tension is applied to the waist belt 18 along the longitudinal direction and where the fastening hooks 16H are not inserted into any of the positioning holes 18c, making the waist belt 18 movable relative to the base plate 16. The user moves the waist belt 18 relative to the base plate 16, and as shown in FIG. 9, the positioning holes 18c that fit the fastening hooks 16H are shifted and fitted into the positioning holes 18c on the back side. This adjusts the length of the waist belt 18 on the back side, eliminating the gap between the back of the user U and the waist belt 18.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 9, when the fastening hook 16H is inserted into the positioning hole 18c on the back side and the length of the waist belt 18 is adjusted by the length adjustment unit 18B, tension is applied to the waist belt 18 in the longitudinal direction, and the waist belt 18 is immobilized relative to the base plate 16. In this way, the waist belt 18 is adjusted by the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14, and the waist belt 18 can be fitted to the waist of the user. As a result, the assist force generated by the drive unit 20 can be appropriately transmitted to the user.

[0032] The present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments. The aspects defined by the claims are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and are intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 includes a pair of insertion holes 16e, a fastening hook 16H, and three positioning holes 18c as a waist belt support mechanism. However, the waist belt adjustment mechanism 14 may include only a pair of insertion holes 16e, or only a fastening hook 16H and three positioning holes 18c as a belt support mechanism. Three positioning holes 18c are formed in the waist belt 18. Two or more positioning holes 18c may be formed in the belt 18 as needed.

Claims

1. A waist belt adjustment mechanism (14), a pair of base plates (16) to which the auxiliary force generating device is rotatably attached; a belt-like waist belt (18) whose length is adjustable and which is attached to the pair of base plates (16); a waist belt support mechanism (16e, 16H, 18c) that supports the waist belt (18) on the base plate (16); The waist belt support mechanism (16e, 16H, 18c) is a waist belt adjustment mechanism (14) that can support the waist belt (18) in either a movable state in which the waist belt (18) can move along the longitudinal direction of the waist belt (18) relative to the base plate (16), or an immovable state in which the waist belt (18) cannot move along the longitudinal direction relative to the base plate (16).

2. The base plate (16) has a first surface (16A) and a second surface (16B) located on the opposite side of the first surface (16A), The base plate (16) is formed with a pair of insertion holes (16e) penetrating from the first surface (16A) to the second surface (16B), The waist belt (18) passes through the pair of insertion holes (16e) and is attached to the base plate (16) so as to be positioned on the first surface side and the second surface side, The pair of insertion holes (16e) of the base plate (16) correspond to the waist belt support mechanism (16e), and when tension is applied to the waist belt (18) along the longitudinal direction, the waist belt (18) is immovable relative to the base plate (16), and when tension is not applied to the waist belt (18) along the longitudinal direction, the waist belt (18) is movable relative to the base plate (16). This waist belt adjustment mechanism (14) is described in claim 1.

3. The base plate (16) is provided with a protrusion (16H), The waist belt (18) has a plurality of positioning holes (18c) formed along the longitudinal direction, The protrusion (16H) and the plurality of positioning holes (18c) correspond to the waist belt support mechanism (16H, 18c), and when the protrusion (16H) is inserted into any one of the plurality of positioning holes (18c), the waist belt (16) is immovable relative to the base plate (16), and when the protrusion (16H) is not inserted into any of the plurality of positioning holes (18c), the waist belt (16) is movable relative to the base plate (16). This is a belt adjustment mechanism (14) described in claim 1 or claim 2.

4. A movement assist device (1) comprising the waist belt adjustment mechanism (14) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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