Upper body support device

Abstract

The present invention provides an upper body support device that can reduce the burden on the user's upper body while suppressing the impact on the user's upper body movements. [Solution] The mounting body 37 is equipped with mounting parts 38 and / or mounting parts 70, 70 that are attached to the body to be mounted, and a base 2 and / or bases 4, 4 that can be brought into contact with the upper body of the user U from below, and the bases 2 and / or bases 4, 4 are movable in the horizontal direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an upper body support device for reducing the burden applied to the upper body of a user. [Background Art]

[0002] In the human body, the weight of the head is supported by the spine including the cervical vertebrae and the muscles of the neck, shoulders and back. The load applied from the head to the neck and shoulders increases as the neck tilts forward. For example, it is said that an approximately two-fold load is applied only when the neck tilts 15 degrees forward from a straight posture. In addition, in the human body, the left and right upper limbs each have approximately the same weight as the head and are supported by the muscles of the shoulders and back, so maintaining a state where the upper limbs are lifted places a large load on the muscles of the shoulders and back.

[0003] Surgeries performed by physicians require continuing fine work over a long period of time, so it has been known that not only mental burden but also physical burden, particularly burden on the upper body, is large. In recent years, in robot-assisted surgery using surgical assistance robots whose introduction has been promoted, the operation time tends to be longer compared to conventional surgery, and these burdens have become even greater.

[0004] Furthermore, in robot-assisted surgery, the user remotely controls instruments such as forceps attached to the end of the robot arm by looking at a stereoscopic monitor and moving the master controller (input device) with both hands. This forces the user to work for long periods of time with their neck tilted forward and both upper limbs extended forward. While manufacturers of surgical robots recommend that users rest their forehead on a headrest located above the stereoscopic monitor and their forearms and elbows on armrests located in front of the master controller to reduce user strain, the physicians, prioritizing clear vision, constantly change the tilt and position of their heads. Moreover, prioritizing precise movement of the master controller often results in lifting their forearms and elbows off the armrests, meaning that the physical strain is not adequately reduced. Although the armrests of surgical robots are designed to be height-adjustable, it is not practical to constantly adjust the height of the armrests to match the large three-dimensional movement of the master controller as the surgery progresses. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-201025 (page 9, Figure 1) [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a surgical arm support device that reduces the burden on the user's upper body by fixing and supporting the user's upper limbs during surgery using a platform that can rotate around lifting rods provided on both sides of a chair. However, in the surgical arm support device of Patent Document 1, the direction of movement of the platform is limited to rotation around the lifting rods, and depending on the work, it may not be able to follow the desired movement of the upper limbs, potentially resulting in the upper limbs being left suspended, as described above, and thus the burden reduction may be insufficient. Furthermore, if the platform is released due to loosening of fasteners or the like, there is a risk that the user's upper limbs may be moved in an unintended direction due to the rotation of the platform.

[0007] This invention addresses these problems and aims to provide an upper body support device that can reduce the burden on the user's upper body while suppressing the impact on the user's upper body movements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the upper body support device of the present invention is It comprises a mounting part that is attached to the object to be mounted, and a base that can be brought into contact with the user's upper body from below. The aforementioned platform is characterized by being movable in the horizontal direction. This feature allows the platform to be attached to the mounting surface via the mounting part, and with the platform in contact with the user's upper body from below, it can be dynamically moved horizontally to follow the user's upper body movements. This reduces the burden on the user's upper body while minimizing the impact on the user's upper body movements.

[0009] The object to be attached is a chair, The aforementioned platform is characterized by being able to contact the upper body of a user seated on the seat of the chair from below. This feature allows the platform to be placed in contact with the upper body of a user seated on the chair from below, and to dynamically follow the user's upper body movements by moving the platform horizontally. This reduces the impact on the user's upper body movements while also reducing the burden on the user's upper body.

[0010] The aforementioned platform is characterized by being movable in the vertical direction and having a platform return mechanism that applies a force to return the platform to its upper reference position in response to a load acting on the platform from above. According to this feature, when the platform is in contact with the user's upper body from below, the platform return mechanism returns an appropriate reaction force to the load acting on the platform from above, balancing the load and reaction force to keep the platform stationary. This allows the platform to dynamically follow the three-dimensional movement of the user's upper body, further suppressing the impact on the user's upper body movement and reducing the burden on the user's upper body.

[0011] The aforementioned stand is characterized by having a two-axis sliding mechanism and being movable in the horizontal direction. This feature allows for the suppression of tilting and rotation of the platform, thus preventing the user's upper body from moving in unintended directions.

[0012] The aforementioned stand is characterized by comprising a chin rest that can be made to contact the user's chin from below, and a pair of upper limb rests that can be made to contact the user's left and right upper limbs from below. This feature allows the chin rest to support the user's head from below, and the pair of upper limb rests to support the user's left and right upper limbs from below. This enables each rest to follow the movements of the head and left and right upper limbs, further suppressing the impact on the user's upper body movements and effectively reducing the burden on the user's upper body.

[0013] The return mechanism of the chin rest is fixed to a vertical beam extending in the vertical direction. The vertical beam is connected to a mounting beam that intersects with the vertical beam and extends downward to one of the upper limb supports. The mounting beam is characterized by being rotatable horizontally relative to the mounting portion. This feature allows the vertical beam to be brought closer to the user's upper body by rotating the mounting beam horizontally relative to the mounting part, thus preventing the base return mechanism located below the chin rest and the vertical beam from interfering with the surroundings.

[0014] The upper limb support's return mechanism is characterized by having a linkage mechanism that extends to the rear. This feature prevents the return mechanism from interfering with the lower part of the upper limb rest due to the rearward-extending linkage mechanism, allowing the upper limb rest to be used without interfering with components in front of the master controller of the surgical support robot.

[0015] The mounting portion is characterized by being fixed to the object to be mounted. This feature means that because the mounting part is fixed to the object to be mounted, the position of the base is less likely to shift due to loosening of the mounting part, etc., so that the base can always stably support the user's upper body. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing how the upper body support device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is attached to a chair. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing the configuration in which the upper body support device in Example 1 is attached to a chair. [Figure 3] This is a top view showing the configuration in which the upper body support device in Example 1 is attached to a chair. [Figure 4] Figures (a) to (c) show the horizontal movement of the jaw rest in Example 1. Note that (a) shows the horizontal reference position of the jaw rest. [Figure 5] Figures (a) and (b) show the vertical movement of the chin rest in Example 1. Note that (a) shows the reference position of the chin rest in the vertical direction. [Figure 6]Figs. (a) to (c) are diagrams showing horizontal movement of the upper arm support in Example 1. Here, (a) shows the reference position of the upper arm support in the horizontal direction. [Figure 7] Figs. (a) and (b) are diagrams showing vertical movement of the upper arm support in Example 1. Here, (a) shows the reference position of the upper arm support in the vertical direction. [Figure 8] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of use of the upper body support device in Example 1. [Figure 9] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the upper body support device according to Example 2 of the present invention is attached to a care bed. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] Modes for carrying out the upper body support device according to the present invention will be described below based on examples. EXAMPLES

[0018] The upper body support device according to Example 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. In the present example, a description will be given by taking as an example an aspect in which the upper body support device of the present invention is attached to a chair on which a doctor who operates a surgical support robot (hereinafter referred to as "user") sits.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the upper body support device 1 of the present example includes a support that can abut from below against the upper body of a user U (see Fig. 8) sitting on a seat portion 10 of a caster-equipped stool as a chair, more specifically, a chin rest 2 that can abut from below against the chin of the user U, and a pair of left and right upper arm supports 4, 4 that can respectively abut from below against the left and right upper limbs (elbows and a part of forearms) of the user U.

[0020] Figure 8 also shows an example of the positional relationship between the user U, seated on the seat 10 of the chair to which the upper body support device 1 is attached, and the stereoscopic monitor 100, master controller 101, and armrest 102 that constitute the surgical support robot operated by the user U. Note that in Figure 8, the armrest 102 is shown adjusted to its lowest height position.

[0021] First, the jaw rest 2 will be explained using Figures 1 to 5. In this embodiment, the jaw rest 2 has a biaxial sliding mechanism 20 and is configured to slide horizontally (see Figure 4 in particular). In this embodiment, the biaxial direction refers to a combination of the front-to-back direction (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "Y-axis direction") and the left-to-right direction (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "X-axis direction") which are perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the sliding mechanism 20 mainly consists of a Y-axis movable table 21 that can slide in the front-to-back direction, an X-axis movable table 22 located below the Y-axis movable table 21 and that can slide in the left-to-right direction, a base 23 located further below the X-axis movable table 22, Y-axis slide rails 24, 24, and X-axis slide rails 25, 25.

[0023] The Y-axis movable table 21 is formed in a circular shape when viewed from above (see Figures 3 and 4) with a diameter of approximately 100 mm, and a cushion 21a is detachably attached to its upper surface by hook-and-loop fasteners or the like (not shown).

[0024] Furthermore, a pair of left and right hanging pieces 21b, 21b extending parallel to each other in the front-to-back direction are formed on the lower surface of the Y-axis movable table 21. Inner rails 24a, 24a, which constitute the Y-axis slide rails 24, 24, are fixed to the inner surfaces of the hanging pieces 21b, 21b, respectively, over substantially the entire length in the front-to-back direction (see Figure 5 in particular).

[0025] The X-axis movable table 22 is formed in a top view rectangle (see Figure 4) with a front-to-back dimension of approximately 60 mm and a left-to-right dimension of approximately 70 mm. A pair of left and right upright pieces 22b, 22b are formed on its top surface, extending parallel to each other in the front-to-back direction. The upright pieces 22b, 22b are formed to have approximately the same front-to-back dimension as the hanging pieces 21b, 21b of the Y-axis movable table 21, and have a smaller spacing dimension in the left-to-right direction (see Figure 5 in particular). Outer rails 24b, 24b, which constitute the Y-axis slide rails 24, 24, are fixed to the outer surfaces of the upright pieces 22b, 22b, extending approximately the entire length in the front-to-back direction. Inner rails 24a, 24a, which are fixed to the hanging pieces 21b, 21b of the Y-axis movable table 21, are inserted into the outer rails 24b, 24b.

[0026] As a result, the Y-axis movable table 21 can move relative to the X-axis movable table 22 with virtually no resistance within the range of movement in the front-to-back direction defined by the Y-axis slide rails 24, 24 (see the range shown by the dashed line in Figure 4).

[0027] Furthermore, the X-axis movable table 22 has both front and rear ends bent downward, forming a pair of front and rear hanging pieces 22c, 22c that extend parallel to each other in the left-right direction. Inner rails 25a, 25a that constitute the X-axis slide rails 25, 25 are fixed to the inner surfaces of the hanging pieces 22c, 22c, respectively, over approximately the entire length in the left-right direction (see Figure 4(b) in particular).

[0028] The base 23 is formed in a top view rectangle (see Figure 4) with a front-to-back dimension of approximately 30 mm and a left-to-right dimension of approximately 70 mm. The front and rear ends are bent upward, forming a pair of front and rear upright pieces 23a, 23a that extend parallel to each other in the left-to-right direction. The upright pieces 23a, 23a are formed to have approximately the same left-to-right dimensions as the hanging pieces 22c, 22c of the X-axis movable table 22, and the distance between them in the front-to-back direction is small. Outer rails 25b, 25b that constitute the X-axis slide rails 25, 25 are fixed to the outer surfaces of the upright pieces 23a, 23a, extending approximately the entire length in the left-to-right direction. Inner rails 25a, 25a that are fixed to the hanging pieces 22c, 22c of the X-axis movable table 22 are inserted into the outer rails 25b, 25b.

[0029] As a result, the X-axis movable table 22 can move relative to the base 23 with virtually no resistance within the range of movement in the left-right direction defined by the X-axis slide rails 25, 25 (see the range shown by the dashed line in Figure 4).

[0030] Based on these considerations, in this embodiment, the Y-axis movable table 21, which functions as a chin rest 2 that actually contacts the chin of the user U, can slide horizontally with virtually no resistance to any position within the range of movement in the XY plane defined by the Y-axis slide rails 24,24 and the X-axis slide rails 25,25 (see the range shown by the dashed line in Figure 4). Figure 4(a) shows the state in which the entire length of the inner rails is contained within the outer rails of the Y-axis slide rails 24,24 and the X-axis slide rails 25,25 that constitute the slide mechanism 20, i.e., the horizontal reference position of the chin rest 2.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the same components are used for the Y-axis slide rails 24, 24 and the X-axis slide rails 25, 25, and the horizontal movement range of the jaw rest 2 is approximately 130 mm in both the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. However, it is not limited to this, and the horizontal movement range of the jaw rest 2 may be appropriately changed based on the range of motion of the head, which changes according to the work performed by the user U. In addition, the horizontal movement range of the jaw rest 2 is preferably set to a range wider than the range of motion of the user U's head, so that the dead point of the slide rail does not obstruct the movement of the user U's head.

[0032] In this embodiment, the chin rest 2 has a chin rest return mechanism 30, which is positioned below the sliding mechanism 20, and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (see Figure 5).

[0033] In particular, as shown in Figure 5, the chin rest return mechanism 30 mainly consists of a pair of left and right flanged rods 31, 31 fixed in place of the base 23 that constitutes the slide mechanism 20 described above, a fixed base 32 through which the rod portions 31a, 31a of the flanged rods 31, 31 are respectively inserted, and compression coil springs 33, 33.

[0034] More specifically, the fixed base 32 has flanged cylindrical linear bushings 34, 34 inserted and fixed from above at both its left and right ends. The rod portions 31a, 31a of the flanged rods 31, 31 are inserted through the cylindrical portions 34a, 34a of the linear bushings 34, 34, respectively, allowing the flanged rods 31, 31 to move linearly in the vertical direction with low friction and high precision.

[0035] Furthermore, compression coil springs 33, 33 are sandwiched vertically between the fixed flanges 31b, 31b, which are fixed to the upper side of the rod portions 31a, 31a of the flanged rods 31, 31, and the flange portions 34b, 34b of the linear bushes 34, 34.

[0036] From these considerations, the jaw rest 2 is movable in the vertical direction, and the jaw rest return mechanism 30 can apply a force to return the jaw rest 2 to its upper reference position in response to a load acting on the jaw rest 2 from above (see black arrow in Figure 5(b)) by utilizing the elastic force of the compression coil springs 33, 33 (see Figure 5(b)). The upper reference position of the jaw rest 2 is the height position when no load is acting on the jaw rest 2 from above (see Figure 5(a)), at which point the compression coil springs 33, 33 are approximately at their natural length.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, with the chin rest 2 in contact with the chin of the user U seated on the chair seat 10 from below, the chin rest return mechanism 30 returns an appropriate reaction force to the load acting on the chin rest 2 from above within the vertical movement range defined by the compression allowance of the compression coil springs 33, 33, thereby balancing the load and reaction force and keeping the chin rest 2 stationary. It goes without saying that even when the chin rest 2 is stationary due to the function of the chin rest return mechanism 30, the chin rest 2 can be moved horizontally with virtually no resistance due to the function of the sliding mechanism 20, which is provided as a separate mechanism.

[0038] In this embodiment, the vertical movement range of the chin rest 2 is approximately 20 mm, which is the compression allowance of the compression coil springs 33, 33. However, the vertical movement range of the chin rest 2 is not limited to this, and may be appropriately changed based on the range of motion of the head, which changes according to the work performed by the user U. Furthermore, the vertical movement range of the chin rest 2 is preferably set to be wider than the range of motion of the user U's head, so as not to hinder the user U's head movements.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the chin rest return mechanism 30, located below the chin rest 2, has its lower surface fixed to the upper end of the vertical beam 35 at the bottom of the fixed base 32, and the lower end of the vertical beam 35 is connected to a mounting beam 36 that intersects with the vertical beam 35 and extends below the left upper limb rest 4. It goes without saying that the mounting beam 36 may also extend below the right upper limb rest 4.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vertical beam 35 is formed in an L-shape from a horizontal portion 35a that extends horizontally and is fixed to the lower surface of the fixed base 32, a vertical portion 35b that is bent at a right angle from the horizontal portion 35a and extends vertically, and an extension portion 35c that is fixed to the vertical portion 35b by bolts and nuts (not shown) and extends vertically. However, the vertical beam is not limited to this, and the overall shape can be freely configured as long as it has at least a portion that extends vertically. The vertical beam 35 allows for adjustment of the height position of the fixed base 32 fixed on the horizontal portion 35a by changing the vertical fixing position of the extension portion 35c relative to the vertical portion 35b.

[0041] In this embodiment, the mounting beam 36 is detachably attached from below to the chair support frame 37, which is the object to be mounted, by an L-shaped mounting member 38 (see Figure 2) that extends from below the seat 10 of the chair to the left and right and surrounds the rear side of the seat 10, and is rotatable horizontally relative to the mounting member 38. In this embodiment, the mounting beam 36 has a joint 36a that can rotate horizontally, and by bending the mounting beam 36, the vertical beam 35 can be brought closer to the torso of the user U seated on the seat 10.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fixed base 32 is attached to the support frame 37 via the vertical beam 35 and the mounting beam 36, thereby being held at a predetermined height position. This allows the chin rest return mechanism 30 to return an appropriate reaction force to any load acting on the chin rest 2 from above.

[0043] Next, the upper limb supports 4,4 will be explained using Figures 1-3, 6, and 7. Since the left and right upper limb supports 4,4 have substantially the same configuration, the configuration of the upper limb support 4 on the right side of the page in Figure 2, i.e., the upper limb support 4 that supports the left upper limb of user U, will be explained, and a detailed explanation of the configuration of the other upper limb support 4 will be omitted.

[0044] In this embodiment, the upper limb support 4 has a biaxial sliding mechanism 40 and is configured to slide horizontally.

[0045] The sliding mechanism 40 mainly consists of an XY-axis movable table 41 that can slide in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, a base 42 positioned below the XY-axis movable table 41, X-axis slide rails 43, 43, and Y-axis slide rails 44, 44.

[0046] The XY axis movable table 41 is formed in a top view rectangle with a front-to-back dimension of approximately 270 mm and a left-to-right dimension of approximately 100 mm, and a cushion 41a is detachably attached to its top surface by hook-and-loop fasteners or the like (not shown).

[0047] Furthermore, a pair of front and rear X-axis slide rails 43, 43, specifically outer rails 43b, 43b that constitute the X-axis slide rails 43, 43, are fixed to the underside of the XY-axis movable table 41, extending parallel to each other in the left-right direction.

[0048] The base 42 is formed in a roughly I-shape when viewed from above, with a front-to-back dimension of approximately 190 mm and a left-to-right dimension of approximately 90 mm. A pair of left and right Y-axis slide rails 44, 44, specifically inner rails 44a, 44a that make up the Y-axis slide rails 44, 44, are fixed to its upper surface, extending parallel to each other in the front-to-back direction.

[0049] Furthermore, the X-axis slide rails 43, 43 are arranged in a grid pattern so as to be perpendicular to the front and rear ends of the Y-axis slide rails 44, 44, and the inner rails 43a, 43a that make up the X-axis slide rails 43, 43 which are positioned above are fixed onto the outer rails 44b, 44b that make up the Y-axis slide rails 44, 44 which are positioned below.

[0050] As a result, the XY-axis movable table 41, which is the upper limb support 4, can slide horizontally with virtually no resistance to any position within the range of movement in the XY plane defined by the X-axis slide rails 43,43 and the Y-axis slide rails 44,44 (see the range shown by the dashed lines in Figure 6) relative to the base 42. Figure 6(a) shows the state in which the entire length of the inner rails is contained within the outer rails of the X-axis slide rails 43,43 and the Y-axis slide rails 44,44 that constitute the slide mechanism 40, i.e., the horizontal reference position of the upper limb support 4.

[0051] In this embodiment, the horizontal movement range of the upper limb support 4 is approximately 330 mm in the front-to-back direction and approximately 160 mm in the left-to-right direction, provided by the X-axis slide rails 43, 43 and the Y-axis slide rails 44, 44. However, the horizontal movement range of the upper limb support 4 is not limited to this and may be appropriately changed based on the range of motion of the upper limbs, which varies depending on the work performed by the user U. Furthermore, the horizontal movement range of the upper limb support 4 is preferably set to be wider than the range of motion of the user U's upper limbs, so that the dead points of the slide rails do not obstruct the movement of the user U's upper limbs.

[0052] On the lower surface of the base 42, a roughly triangular hanging piece 42a is formed in the front-to-back direction, extending from the left-to-right center. The hanging piece 42a is formed such that the front hypotenuse is longer than the rear hypotenuse, and its height decreases towards the front.

[0053] Furthermore, a pair of parallel hanging pieces 42b, 42b are formed on the lower surface of the base 42, separated by a predetermined distance to the left and right of the hanging piece 42a (see Figures 2 and 7 in particular). The hanging pieces 42b, 42b are formed in a roughly triangular shape when viewed from the side, and overlap the rear portion of the hanging piece 42a in the left-right direction, having the same shape. The front-to-back dimension of the upper edges of the hanging pieces 42b, 42b is formed to be about 1 / 4 of that of the hanging piece 42a. The front portion of the link 52, which constitutes the link mechanism 51 described later, is inserted from the rear into the gap formed between the hanging piece 42a and the hanging pieces 42b, 42b and fixed with screws 61, 62 (see Figures 2 and 7).

[0054] In this embodiment, the upper limb supports 4,4 each have upper limb support return mechanisms 50,50 positioned below the sliding mechanisms 40,40, and are configured to be movable in the vertical direction (see Figure 7).

[0055] In particular, as shown in Figure 7, the upper limb rest return mechanism 50 is mainly composed of a link mechanism 51 that is connected to the base 42 which constitutes the slide mechanism 40 described above and extends to the rear.

[0056] As shown in Figure 7, the link mechanism 51 is a parallel link comprising links 52, 53, 54, and 55, and four joints 56, 57, 58, and 59. More specifically, the link 52, which consists of a pair of left and right plate members, is fixed at two points by screws 61 and 62, with the front portions of the pair of left and right plate members constituting the link 52 inserted from the rear into a pair of left and right gaps formed between the hanging piece 42a and hanging pieces 42b, 42b, which are provided on the lower surface of the base 42 that constitutes the slide mechanism 40, as described above. In other words, the link 52 is fixed to the base 42 in a way that prevents it from rotating.

[0057] Furthermore, the front ends of a pair of upper and lower links 53 and 54, made of long rectangular timbers, are rotatably connected between the left and right plate members that constitute the link 52 by joints 56 and 57. The lower link 54 has a pair of locking parts 54a, 54a that protrude in the left and right directions from approximately the center of its longitudinal direction, and the front ends of a pair of tension coil springs 60, 60 are locked to the locking parts 54a, 54a, respectively.

[0058] Furthermore, the rear ends of links 53 and 54 are rotatably connected by joints 58 and 59, respectively, by being inserted from the front between a pair of opposing pieces 55a, 55a of link 55, which is formed in a U-shape when viewed from the front by bending a single plate material. In other words, links 53, 54, 55, and 56 constitute a parallel link.

[0059] Furthermore, the opposing pieces 55a, 55a of the link 55 are provided with through holes 55b, 55b located in the front and upper positions, and the rear ends of a pair of tension coil springs 60, 60 are respectively locked into the through holes 55b, 55b.

[0060] According to this, the upper limb rest 4 is movable in the vertical direction, and the upper limb rest return mechanism 50, which has a link mechanism 51, can use the elastic force of the tension coil springs 60, 60 to apply a force to return the upper limb rest 4 to its upper reference position in response to a load acting on the upper limb rest 4 from above (see black arrow in Figure 7(b)). The upper reference position of the upper limb rest 4 is the height position when no load is acting on the upper limb rest 4 from above (see Figure 7(a)). More specifically, it is the height position where the upward movement of the upper limb rest 4 is restricted when the upper link 53 of the links 53 and 54, which are pulled up by the rotation of the joints 58, 59 that constitute the link mechanism 51 around the pivot axis due to the elastic force of the tension coil springs 60, 60, comes into contact from below with a regulating pin 63 (see Figure 3) which is inserted and fixed across the through holes 55b, 55b of the link 55.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the upper limb rest 4 is in the upper reference position, the links 53 and 54 are held at an angle of approximately 20 degrees forward and diagonally upward relative to the upper surface of the seat 10. At this time, the tension coil springs 60 and 60 are slightly extended, and even when no load is acting on the upper limb rest 4 from above, the elastic force of the tension coil springs 60 and 60 holds the upper limb rest 4 in the upper reference position, making it less susceptible to vibrations and the like.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that when a load is applied to the upper limb rest 4 from above, either of the links 53 or 54, which are pushed down by rotating relative to the link 55 with joints 58 and 59 as pivot axes, comes into contact with a stopper (not shown) from above, thereby restricting the downward movement of the upper limb rest 4.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, with the user U seated on the seat 10 and the upper limbs (elbows and part of the forearms) of the user U respectively in contact with the upper limb supports 4, 4 from below, the upper limb support return mechanisms 50, 50 return appropriate reaction forces to the load acting on the upper limb supports 4, 4 from above within the vertical movement range defined by the configuration of the link mechanism 51 described above, thereby balancing the load and reaction force and allowing the upper limb supports 4, 4 to remain stationary. It goes without saying that even when the upper limb supports 4, 4 are stationary due to the function of the upper limb support return mechanisms 50, 50, the upper limb supports 4, 4 can move horizontally with virtually no resistance due to the function of the sliding mechanisms 40, 40, which are provided as separate mechanisms.

[0064] In this embodiment, the vertical movement range of the upper limb support 4 is approximately 140 mm, but it is not limited to this, and the vertical movement range of the upper limb support 4 may be appropriately changed based on the range of motion of the upper limbs, which changes according to the work performed by the user U. Furthermore, the vertical movement range of the upper limb support 4 is preferably set to a range wider than the range of motion of the user U's upper limbs, and by arranging the tension coil springs 60, 60 so that there is no yield point, the movement of the user U's upper limbs is not hindered by the dead point of the link mechanism 51.

[0065] As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 7, the upper limb rest return mechanism 50, located below the upper limb rest 4, is fixed to a mounting member 70, which serves as a mounting part to which links 55 constituting a link mechanism 51 that is connected to the base 42 and extends rearward are detachably attached to the support frame 37 described above. As a result, the links 55 constituting the link mechanism 51 are held at a predetermined height position, so that the upper limb rest return mechanism 50 can return an appropriate reaction force to loads acting on the upper limb rest 4 from above.

[0066] As described above, the upper body support device 1 of this embodiment is attached to the support frame 37 of a chair, which is the object to be attached, by a mounting member 38, which is the mounting part, and comprises a platform that can be contacted from below by the upper body of a user U seated on the seat 10, more specifically, a chin rest 2 that can be contacted from below by the chin of the user U, and a pair of upper limb rests 4, 4 that can be contacted from below by the left and right upper limbs of the user U, and the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4, 4 are movable in the horizontal direction, so that when the chin rest 2 is in contact from below by the chin of the user U seated on the seat 10 and the upper limb rests 4, 4 are in contact from below by the left and right upper limbs, the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4, 4 can be moved horizontally to dynamically and individually follow the movement of the user U's upper body, thereby reducing the burden on the user U's upper body while suppressing the influence on the movement of the user U's upper body.

[0067] Furthermore, the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 are movable in the vertical direction and have a chin rest return mechanism 30 and an upper limb rest return mechanism 50,50 that apply a force to return the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 to their upper reference position in response to a load acting on them from above. By having the chin rest return mechanism 30 and the upper limb rest return mechanism 50,50 each return an appropriate reaction force in response to a load acting on the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4, the load and reaction force are balanced to keep the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 stationary. This allows the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 to dynamically and individually follow the three-dimensional movement of the user U's upper body, thereby further suppressing the impact on the user U's upper body movement and reducing the burden on the user U's upper body.

[0068] Furthermore, since the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 have biaxial sliding mechanisms 20, 40, 40, the tilting and rotation of the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 can be suppressed, thereby preventing the user U's upper body from moving in unintended directions.

[0069] Furthermore, the chin rest 2 is configured such that there are no dead points in the movement range of the sliding mechanism 20 and the chin rest return mechanism 30 within the normal range of motion of the user U's head while seated on the seat 10. Therefore, the movement of the chin rest 2 does not interfere with the movement of the user U's head.

[0070] Furthermore, the upper limb supports 4,4 are configured such that there are no dead points in the movement range of the sliding mechanisms 40,40 and the upper limb support return mechanisms 50,50 within the normal range of motion of the upper limbs of the user U seated on the seat 10. Therefore, the movement of the upper limb supports 4,4 does not interfere with the movement of the user U's upper limbs.

[0071] Furthermore, the chin rest return mechanism 30 balances the load and reaction force acting on the chin rest 2 from above with a simple configuration by returning the chin rest 2 to its upper reference position using the elastic force of the compression coil springs 33, 33. In addition, the compression coil springs 33, 33 can stably receive the load acting on the chin rest 2 from above and mitigate shocks and vibrations in the compression direction, thereby stably supporting the head of the user U.

[0072] Furthermore, the upper limb support return mechanism 50,50 balances the load and reaction force acting on the upper limb supports 4,4 from above with a simple configuration by returning the upper limb supports 4,4 to their upper reference position using the elastic force of the tension coil springs 60,60.

[0073] Furthermore, because the upper limb support return mechanism 50, 50 has a link mechanism 51 which is a balance link, the upper limb supports 4, 4 can always be in contact with the user U's upper limbs as a horizontal plane, thus providing stable support for the upper limbs.

[0074] Furthermore, since removable cushions 21a and 41a are provided on the upper surfaces of the chin rest 2 and upper limb rest 4, the pressure applied when supporting the user U's chin and upper limbs can be distributed, and the cushions can be easily replaced with new ones, allowing the user U to place their chin and upper limbs against the chin rest 2 and upper limb rest 4, 4 without psychological resistance. Note that the cushions are not necessarily required, and the upper surfaces of the chin rest 2 and upper limb rest 4 may be formed by the upper surfaces of the Y-axis movable table 21 or the XY-axis movable table 41.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper body support device 1 takes into consideration that the user U's torso is positioned above the seat 10 of the chair, and the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 are integrally provided with the seat 10 via a support frame 37, thereby improving the ability to follow the movements of the user U's upper body while effectively reducing the burden on the user U's upper body.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the chin rest 2 is supported from below by a vertical beam 35 and a mounting beam 36, and the mounting beam 36 is rotatable horizontally relative to the mounting member 38. This allows the vertical beam 35 and the mounting beam 36 to be brought closer to the torso of the user U seated on the seat 10, thus reducing interference with the armrest 102 of the surgical support robot positioned below the upper limbs of the user U.

[0077] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the upper limb rest return mechanism 50, located below the upper limb rest 4, is composed of a link mechanism 51 that is connected to the base 42 which constitutes the slide mechanism 40 and extends rearward, thus making it less likely to interfere with the armrest 102 of the surgical support robot. In addition, the trapezoidal hanging piece 42a formed on the lower surface of the base 42 is formed such that the front hypotenuse is longer than the rear hypotenuse, and the height dimension decreases towards the front, thus making it less likely to interfere with the armrest 102 of the surgical support robot (see Figure 8).

[0078] In this embodiment, the upper body support device 1 has been described as comprising a chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4, 4, but it is not limited to this configuration; the chair may consist only of a chin rest, or only of upper limb rests.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper body support device 1 was described as being attached to a chair on which a physician operating a surgical assistance robot sits. However, it goes without saying that the upper body support device of the present invention may be attached to a chair on which a user sits who is required to perform fine manual work for long periods of time in a forward-leaning or downward-facing posture, such as in the assembly or processing of goods. [Examples]

[0080] The upper body support device according to Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figure 9. In this embodiment, the upper body support device of the present invention will be attached to a nursing care bed and used for assisting elderly people (hereinafter referred to as "users") with meals, etc., as an example. Furthermore, the description of components that are the same as those in Embodiment 1 and therefore redundant will be omitted.

[0081] As shown in Figure 9, the upper body support device 201 includes mounting members 238 and 270 that are detachable mounting parts attached to the handrail 237 of the nursing bed, which is the object to be attached, a platform that can be made to contact the upper body of the user U from below, more specifically, a chin rest 2 that can be made to contact the chin of the user U from below, and a pair of upper limb rests 4, 4 that can be made to contact the left and right upper limbs (elbows and part of the forearms) of the user U from below, respectively. In Figure 9, an example of the positional relationship between the upper body support device 201 and the side table 210 on which tableware is placed when the user U receives meal assistance, etc., is shown.

[0082] In this embodiment, the chin rest 2 is detachably attached to the handrail 237 of the nursing bed by a mounting member 238, and the upper limb rest 4 is detachably attached to the handrail 237 of the nursing bed by a mounting member 270.

[0083] As described above, the upper body support device 201 of this embodiment includes a platform that can be contacted from below against the upper body of a user U who is sitting upright in a nursing bed, more specifically, a chin rest 2 that can be contacted from below against the chin of the user U, and a pair of upper limb rests 4, 4 that can be contacted from below against the left and right upper limbs of the user U. Since the chin rest 2 and the upper limb rests 4, 4 are movable in the horizontal direction, when the chin rest 2 is in contact from below against the chin of the user U who is seated on the seat 10, and the upper limb rests 4, 4 are in contact from below against the left and right upper limbs, the chin rest 2 and the upper limb rests 4, 4 can be moved horizontally to dynamically and individually follow the movement of the user U's upper body, thereby reducing the burden on the user U's upper body while suppressing the impact on the movement of the user U's upper body.

[0084] Furthermore, the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 are movable in the vertical direction and have a chin rest return mechanism 30 and an upper limb rest return mechanism 50,50 that apply a force to return the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 to their upper reference position in response to a load acting on them from above. By having the chin rest return mechanism 30 and the upper limb rest return mechanism 50,50 each return an appropriate reaction force in response to a load acting on the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4, the load and reaction force are balanced to keep the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 stationary. This allows the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 to dynamically and individually follow the three-dimensional movement of the user U's upper body, thereby further suppressing the impact on the user U's upper body movement and reducing the burden on the user U's upper body.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the vertical range of movement of the upper limb rest 4 is set to a range that allows the user U to move their upper limbs freely without tilting their head further forward, while their chin is supported from below by the chin rest 2. This makes it easier to maintain the chin of the user U, which is supported by the chin rest 2, in a tucked position, thereby preventing aspiration.

[0086] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and any changes or additions that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are also included.

[0087] For example, in the above embodiment, the chin rest 2 and the upper limb rest 4 were described as moving in two axes (horizontal direction), which is a combination of the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. However, these rests are not limited to moving in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions on a strictly horizontal plane, but may be configured to move in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions on a plane that is slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

[0088] Furthermore, although the sliding mechanism 20 of the chin rest 2 and the sliding mechanism 40 of the upper limb rest 4 were described as having different configurations in the above embodiment, the invention is not limited to this, and the sliding mechanisms of the chin rest and the upper limb rest may have substantially the same configuration.

[0089] Furthermore, although the slide mechanism in the above embodiment was described as having a two-axis configuration using an X-axis slide rail and a Y-axis slide rail, it is not limited to this configuration, and the slide mechanism may also be configured to allow the base to slide smoothly in the horizontal direction using bearings or the like.

[0090] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described the chin rest 2 as being supported by a vertical beam 35 and a mounting beam 36 positioned close to the user U's torso, the chin rest is not limited to this configuration. It may also be fixed to a beam extending from behind over the user's shoulder, for example, as long as it can support the user's chin from below.

[0091] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a manner was described in which the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4 are kept stationary by balancing the load and reaction force through the chin rest return mechanism 30 and upper limb rest return mechanisms 50,50, respectively, in response to a load acting from above on the chin rest 2 and upper limb rests 4,4. However, the force that each rest return mechanism exerts to support the weight of the head and upper limbs only needs to be large enough to balance their weight (i.e., compensate 100% of their own weight), and may be less than that.

[0092] Furthermore, the object to which the upper body support device of the present invention is attached is not limited to chairs or nursing beds, but can be freely selected to include surgical robots, desks, and the like.

[0093] Furthermore, although the above embodiment described an embodiment in which the mounting portion of the upper body support device is detachably attached to a support frame fixed to a chair or to the handrail of a nursing bed, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the mounting portion of the upper body support device may be fixed to the object to which it is attached. For example, if the mounting portion of the upper body support device is fixed in an integral part of the object to which it is attached, in other words, if it is attached in a non-detachable state, the position of the platform will not easily shift due to loosening of the mounting portion, and the platform will always stably support the user's upper body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1 Upper body support device 2. Chin rest (stand) 4 Upper limb table (table) 10 Seat 20. Slide mechanism 21 Y-axis movable table 22 X-axis movable table 23 Base 24 Y-axis slide rails 25 X-axis slide rail 30. Chin rest return mechanism (rest return mechanism) 31 Flanged Rod 32 Fixed base 33 Compression coil spring 35 Vertical beam 36 Mounting beam 37 Support frame (mounted object) 38 Mounting components (mounting parts) 40. Slide mechanism 41 XY axis movable table 42 base 43 X-axis slide rail 44 Y-axis slide rail 50 Upper Limb Platform Return Mechanism (Platform Return Mechanism) 51 Link mechanism 52-55 Links 56-59 Joint 60 Tension coil springs 63 Regulator pins 70 Mounting component (mounting part) 100 Stereoscopic Monitors 101 Master Controller 102 Armrest 201 Upper body support device 210 Side Table 237 Handrail (mounted object) 238,270 Mounting components (mounting parts)

Claims

1. It comprises a mounting part that is attached to the object to be mounted, and a base that can be brought into contact with the user's upper body from below. The aforementioned platform is an upper body support device characterized by being movable in the horizontal direction.

2. The object to be attached is a chair, The upper body support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the platform can be brought into contact with the upper body of a user seated on the seat of the chair from below.

3. The upper body support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the base is movable in the vertical direction and has a base return mechanism that applies a force to return the base to an upper reference position in response to a load acting on the base from above.

4. The upper body support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the base has a biaxial sliding mechanism and is movable in the horizontal direction.

5. The upper body support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the base comprises a chin rest that can contact the user's chin from below and a pair of upper limb rests that can contact the user's left and right upper limbs from below.

6. The return mechanism of the chin rest is fixed to a vertical beam extending in the vertical direction. The vertical beam is connected to a mounting beam that intersects with the vertical beam and extends downward to one of the upper limb supports. The upper body support device according to claim 5, characterized in that the mounting beam is rotatable horizontally with respect to the mounting portion.

7. The upper body support device according to claim 5, characterized in that the upper limb rest's return mechanism has a link mechanism extending to the rear.

8. The upper body support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting portion is fixed to the object to be mounted.

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