CN116133630A - Auxiliary device - Google Patents

Abstract

The auxiliary device is provided with: a base station; a support member provided so as to be movable in the up-down direction with respect to the base and supporting the upper body of the person to be assisted; a knee support portion that supports a knee in a lower leg portion of the assisted subject supported by the support member from the front and restricts movement of the knee in a left-right direction; and a lower leg support portion that supports a lower leg of the lower leg from the front, and a width of the lower leg support portion in a left-right direction is smaller than a width of the knee support portion in the left-right direction.

Description

assisting equipments

technical field

The invention relates to an auxiliary device.

Background technique

Patent Document 1 discloses an assisting device that assists a person being assisted to stand up. The assisting device is positioned relative to, for example, an assisted person sitting on a bed or a wheelchair, and moves the assisted person from a sitting position to a standing position by raising a support member that supports the upper body of the assisted person.

prior art literature

Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2018/116472

Contents of the invention

The problem to be solved by the invention

There is a demand for an auxiliary device to improve usability by adopting a structure that does not easily interfere with a seat device having a seat surface such as a wheelchair. In addition, there is a demand for an auxiliary device to improve stability such as preventing overturning.

An object of the present specification is to provide an assisting device capable of improving stability by suppressing interference with seat equipment and suppressing movement of the center of gravity of a person being assisted on board.

Technical solutions for solving problems

This specification discloses an assisting device comprising: a base; a support member configured to move in an up and down direction relative to the base, and supports the upper body of the person being assisted; a knee support portion that supports the support member from the front the knee in the lower leg of the person being assisted, and restricts the movement of the knee in the left and right direction; and the lower leg support part, which supports the lower leg in the lower leg from the front, and the lower leg support The width is smaller than the width in the left-right direction of the above-mentioned knee support portion.

Invention effect

According to such a structure, the movement of the knee of the person being supported in the left-right direction is restricted, and the center-of-gravity movement of the person being supported can be suppressed. In particular, by specifying the position in the left-right direction of the knees of the person being assisted in the standing posture, the balance can be improved and the stability can be improved. In addition, the width in the left-right direction of the calf support portion is set to be smaller than the width in the left-right direction of the knee support portion. Thereby, the calf support part arrange|positioned below the knee support part becomes compact, and it can suppress, for example, interference with a seat apparatus. As a result, the seat equipment can be closer, so the degree of freedom of positioning with respect to the person being assisted can be improved, and the usability as an assisting device can be improved.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an auxiliary device according to a first embodiment viewed obliquely from behind.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing the assisting device in a state of supporting a person being assisted in a sitting posture.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the assisting device in a state of supporting a person being assisted in a standing posture.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the calf support pad viewed obliquely from the front.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a first form of the calf support pad.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a state in which the assisting device is brought close to the wheelchair as viewed obliquely from behind, and part of the wheelchair is omitted.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a second form of the calf support pad.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a third form of the calf support pad.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a fourth form of the calf support pad.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a fifth aspect of the calf support pad.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the left pad portion and the right pad portion are shifted in the front-rear direction.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the auxiliary device according to the second embodiment viewed obliquely from behind.

Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in Fig. 12 , omitting components other than the cover member and the calf support pad.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing a control device and a controller of an auxiliary device.

Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the controller.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing standby processing after power-on.

Detailed ways

1. First Embodiment

1-1. Structure of auxiliary device 1

The configuration of the assisting device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 . The assisting device 1 assists a person M (refer to FIG. 2 , etc.) who is seated on a seating device (for example, a wheelchair 90 ) having a seat surface to stand up from a sitting position to a standing position and to move from a standing position to a standing position. Assistance for sitting movements in a sitting position. In addition, in addition to the wheelchair 90, the above-mentioned seat device may include a general-purpose chair without wheels, a toilet, and a bed for auxiliary use.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , the assisting device 1 assists, for example, a transfer operation between the wheelchair 90 and a bed (not shown) by supporting the upper body of the person M who is being assisted in a standing posture. In addition, the assisting device 1 is used to assist the movement of the supported person M on board to a moving target (for example, a wheelchair 90 , a bed, a toilet) by pulling the assisting device 1 or the like by one assister.

In addition, the "standing posture" refers to a posture in which the lower body of the person M to be assisted is standing. Therefore, in this specification, as shown in FIG. 3 , the standing posture includes the posture of the assisted person M in which the buttocks are raised from the sitting posture, the lower body stands up, and the upper body leans forward. That is, the assistance of the standing motion refers to the assistance of the motion of raising the buttocks of the person being assisted M and leaning the upper body forward to take the posture of transferring the mass of the upper body to the assisting device 1 . In addition, the assistance of the sitting motion refers to the assistance of the motion of lowering the position of the buttocks of the person M to be assisted.

1-1-1. Abutment 10

As shown in FIG. 1 , the auxiliary device 1 includes a base 10 . More specifically, the base 10 has a main body frame 11 constituting a main body. The main body frame 11 is mainly composed of a metal pipe member formed in a U-shape in plan view, and a plurality of auxiliary pipes connecting portions extending in the front-rear direction on both left and right sides of the pipe member. The base 10 has a support bracket 12 fixed to the main body frame 11 . The support bracket 12 supports each of the casters 15 to 17 and the driving device 20 which will be described later.

The base 10 has a footrest 13 . The foot board 13 is provided on the main body frame 11 so that the upper surface becomes horizontal. The footrest 13 places both feet of the person M being assisted. The base 10 has a pair of front casters 15 , middle casters 16 , and rear casters 17 , which are respectively provided in three positions in the front and rear directions of the main body frame 11 in the left and right directions.

A pair of front casters 15 , a pair of middle casters 16 , and a pair of rear casters 17 are respectively fixed to the main body frame 11 via support brackets 12 . In this embodiment, each of the casters 15 to 17 has a steering function for switching the moving direction. Accordingly, the assisting device 1 is configured to be capable of not only moving in the front-rear direction and changing direction, but also moving laterally (movement toward the front side) and turning in place (turning in place).

1-1-2. Driving device 20 and cover member 25

As shown in FIG. 2 , the auxiliary device 1 includes a drive device 20 that drives the support member 30 . The driving device 20 has an arm 21 that connects the base 10 and the supporting member 30 . The driving device 20 drives the arm 21 using the actuator 22 to move the supporting member 30 in the up-down direction and the front-back direction while tilting. The drive device 20 drives the actuator 22 based on an instruction from a control device 71 described later.

The auxiliary device 1 is provided with a cover member covering at least the rear portion of the arm 21 of the driving device 20 (in the present embodiment, the cover member 25 covers a part of the rear portion, the side portion, and the front portion of the arm 21. The cover member 25 is made of resin Forming etc. to manufacture.

1-1-3. Support member 30 and handle 35

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the assisting device 1 includes a support member 30 . The supporting member 30 supports the upper body of the person M being assisted. The supporting member 30 is supported so as to be rotatable about a horizontal rotation axis with respect to the arm 21 of the driving device 20 . The supporting member 30 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the base 10 by the above-mentioned configuration, and is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction in the present embodiment.

The support member 30 includes a trunk support portion 31 and a pair of underarm support portions 32 . The trunk support portion 31 is formed in a planar shape close to the trunk shape of the person M to be assisted. The trunk support portion 31 is formed of a softly deformable material. The support surface of the trunk support part 31 is in surface contact with the front surface of the trunk of the upper body of the person M to support the trunk from the front. More specifically, the support surface of the body support part 31 supports the range from the chest Mb to the abdomen of the person M to be assisted.

The pair of underarm support parts 32 are supported by the trunk support part 31, and support the underarms of the person M to be assisted. Specifically, a pair of underarm support parts 32 are provided on the left and right of the body support part 31 . The underarm support part 32 is supported by the body support part 31 in a swingable manner. The underarm support portion 32 is formed in an L-shape by a rod-shaped member. The surface of the underarm support portion 32 is covered with a softly deformable material.

The auxiliary device 1 includes a handle 35 . The handle 35 is formed in a substantially quadrangular frame shape. The handle 35 is formed to extend forward and upward from the rear end portion of the arm of the driving device 20 . The side portion of the handle 35 is held by the person M being assisted with both hands. In addition, in order to move the assisting device 1 , the assister holds the side portion and the front portion of the handle 35 .

1-1-4. Calf support device 40

As shown in FIG. 1 , the assisting device 1 includes a calf support device 40 . The lower leg support device 40 is provided on the base 10, and is a member on which the knee Mk or the lower leg Mh of the person M who is assisted in standing up comes into contact. The lower leg support device 40 is provided for stabilizing the standing motion or sitting motion of the person being assisted M by specifying the position of the knee Mk or the lower leg Mh of the person M being assisted. As shown in FIG. 4 , the calf support device 40 has a support rod 41 , a position adjustment part 42 and a calf support pad 43 .

The support rod 41 is composed of a metal pipe member 411 formed in an L-shape when viewed from the side, and a plate 412 fixed to the tip of a portion extending upward. A calf support pad 43 is provided on the board 412 . A plurality of pin holes 421 are formed at equal intervals in the front-back direction and penetrate in the up-down direction at a portion extending forward in the pipe member 411 .

The position adjustment unit 42 can adjust the position of the calf support pad 43 in the front-rear direction with respect to the base 10 . In this embodiment, the position adjustment part 42 is comprised from the some pin hole 421 formed in the pipe member 411, the support pipe 422 provided in the base 10, and the fixing pin 423. The inner diameter of the support pipe 422 is formed slightly larger than the outer diameter of the pipe member 411 . The support pipe 422 supports the pipe member 411 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. In addition, a pin hole 422A penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the support pipe 422 .

The fixing pin 423 is inserted through the pin hole 422A of the support pipe 422 and the pin hole 421 of the support rod 41 to restrict the relative movement of the support rod 41 in the front-rear direction with respect to the support pipe 422 . With such a configuration, the position adjustment unit 42 can adjust the position in the front-rear direction of the calf support pad 43 provided on the support bar 41 in several stages by being in a state where the fixing pin 423 is pulled out. In addition, the position adjustment part 42 positions the calf support pad 43 in the front-rear direction by providing the fixing pin 423 .

The calf support pad 43 is a shock absorber extending in the left-right direction. The calf support pad 43 is covered with a protective cover made of cloth or leather, for example. The calf support pad 43 supports at least one of the knee Mk and the calf Mh of the calf Mg of the person M supported by the support member 30 . In the present embodiment, the calf support pad 43 is attached to the base 10 so as to be replaceable. Specifically, one calf support pad selected from various types of calf support pads 43 having different shapes according to at least one of the physique of the person M to be assisted and the required assistance level is attached to the base 10 . Details about replacement of the calf support pad 43 will be described later.

Here, as an example, the calf support pad 43 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 supports both the knee Mk and the calf Mh in the calf portion Mg. The calf support pad 43 is composed of a knee support portion 50 and a calf support portion 60 . The knee support unit 50 supports the knee Mk of the lower leg Mg of the person M supported by the support member 30 from the front. Here, since the assisting device 1 used for assisting the stand-up movement has a high overall center of gravity when the person to be assisted M is in a standing posture, it is particularly required to improve stability.

Therefore, the assisting device 1 according to the present embodiment employs the knee support unit 50 that restricts lateral movement of the knee Mk in the lower leg Mg of the person M supported by the support member 30 as in a standing posture. According to such a configuration, the left-right movement of the knees Mk of the person M to be assisted M riding on the assisting device 1 is restricted, so that the center of gravity of the person being assisted M can be suppressed from shifting. In particular, by specifying the position in the left-right direction of the knee Mk of the person M who is being assisted M in the standing posture, the entire center of gravity can be maintained near the center in the left-right direction of the assisting device 1 . As a result, the overall balance becomes better, and stability can be improved.

Specifically, the knee support 50 has a main body member 51 and a restriction member 52 . The main body member 51 is formed in a planar shape, and is fixed to the plate 412 of the support rod 41 . Both ends of the restricting member 52 in the left-right direction of the main body member 51 are formed as ridges that protrude in the normal direction from the support surface of the main body member 51 that contacts the knee Mk of the person M to be assisted and extend in the vertical direction. The restriction member 52 contacts the support surface of the main body member 51 when the knee Mk of the person M being assisted M moves outward in the left-right direction, and restricts the movement of the knee Mk.

The lower leg support part 60 supports the lower leg Mh of the lower leg parts Mg of the person M supported by the support member 30 from the front. As shown in FIG. 5 , the calf support portion 60 is formed integrally with the body member 51 of the knee support portion 50 in this embodiment, and has a support surface extending downward from the support surface of the body member 51 . As a result, when the person M being assisted stands up, sits down, and maintains a standing posture, the knee Mk or the lower leg Mh is supported by the lower leg support pad 43 in addition to the support member 30, so that the load can be distributed and the pain in each part can be reduced. load. In addition, by guiding the posture of the portion below the knee Mk by the calf support portion 60 , it is possible to guide a stable posture during the standing up operation.

On the other hand, since the calf support part 60 is located below the knee support part 50, there is concern about interference with seat equipment such as the wheelchair 90, for example. That is, if the support surface of the calf support portion 60 that contacts the calf Mh of the person M to be assisted is enlarged in the left-right direction, the degree of freedom of the position where the calf Mh comes into contact becomes higher. Easy to interfere with other parts such as seat equipment. Then, there is a possibility that the assist device 1 cannot be sufficiently approached to the seat equipment or the access becomes difficult.

For this reason, the calf support part 60 of the assisting device 1 in this embodiment is formed to be smaller in width in the left-right direction than the knee support part 50 . Specifically, the lateral width Wh of the calf support portion 60 is smaller than the lateral width Wk of the knee support portion 50 (Wh<Wk). In addition, in this embodiment, the outer edge in the left-right direction of the calf support part 60 is located in the center side rather than the restriction member 52 of the knee support part 50. As shown in FIG. That is, the calf support portion 60 adopts the above-mentioned configuration for supporting the calf Mh on the inside of the restricting member 52 on the premise that the knee Mk is restricted from moving laterally outward by the restricting member 52 .

The knee support portion 50 and the calf support portion 60 constituting the calf support pad 43 are respectively formed so that they are not in contact with the seat when the assisting device 1 is positioned relative to the person M who is being assisted sitting on the seat apparatus during the standing-up assisting motion. equipment within the range of interference. Here, the wheelchair 90 as one type of seat equipment has a pair of footrests 92 on which both feet of the person M to be assisted can be placed. The pair of foot boards 92 are each rotatable about a shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and are in a folded state that pops up when not in use (see FIG. 6 ).

Furthermore, when the seat device is the wheelchair 90, the knee support 50 is located above the upper ends of the pair of footrests 92 in the folded state. In addition, the width Wh in the left-right direction of the calf support portion 60 is smaller than the width in the left-right direction of the pair of foot boards 92 in the folded state. Accordingly, the assisting device 1 can prevent interference between the calf support portion 60 and the footboard 92 . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2 , the assisting device 1 can be sufficiently close to the assisted person M who is seated in the wheelchair 90 to easily get on and off the assisting device 1 , and the stability of motion assistance can be improved.

However, in the assisting device 1 that assists standing up by supporting the upper body with the support member 30 , it is preferable that the assisted person M maintains the posture with his own leg strength to some extent from the viewpoint of increasing leg strength through rehabilitation. In addition, when the calf portion Mg is supported on the calf support pad 43 in a standing posture, since the posture of the portion below the knee Mk is adjusted, the proper positional relationship of the sole of the foot with respect to the knee Mk contributes to the stability of posture maintenance. Influence. Also, depending on the physical limitations of the person being assisted M, the movable range of the ankle may be narrower than usual, and it is desirable to support the lower leg Mg in consideration of reducing the burden on the person being assisted M.

Therefore, in the calf support pad 43, the angle θg of the portion supporting at least one of the knee Mk and the calf Mh of the calf portion Mg from the front over a predetermined vertical range with respect to the horizontal plane is set at 65 degrees to 75 degrees. range of degrees. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the angle θg at which the calf support pad 43 supports both the knee Mk and the calf Mh is set to about 70 degrees. For example, if the calf support pad 43 is larger than 75 degrees, there is a concern that the distance in the front-rear direction from the sole of the foot that supports its own mass to the center of gravity (near the waist) of the body becomes longer. In addition, if the calf support pad 43 is less than 65 degrees, the load applied to the support member 30 by the upper body becomes large, and there is a possibility that the ankle needs to be greatly bent.

On the other hand, by setting the calf support pad 43 within the range of 65 degrees to 75 degrees, it is possible to stabilize the posture when changing from the sitting position to the standing position. In addition, in such posture conversion, the range in which the ankle is bent can be made within the movable range, and thus the burden on the person M to be assisted can be reduced. As a result, increased leg strength can be achieved through rehabilitation.

1-1-5. Control device 71 and controller 80

As shown in FIG. 14 , the assisting device 1 includes a control device 71 . The control device 71 controls the operation of the drive device 20 . When the power is turned on by operating the power switch 72 , the control device 71 executes a standby process for enabling the drive device 20 to operate. When the standby process is executed, the auxiliary device 1 is in a state where operations on the controller 80 can be accepted.

The above-mentioned controller 80 accepts the operation of the assisted person M or the helper. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the controller 80 includes, for example, a stand up button 81 , a sit down button 82 , and a battery remaining level gauge 83 . The stand-up button 81 is a button for receiving a request for upward movement of the support member 30 , that is, assistance for a stand-up operation. The seat button 82 is a button for receiving a request for downward movement of the support member 30 , that is, assistance for a seating operation. The control device 71 controls the operation of the drive device 20 according to the operation of the controller 80 .

The remaining battery level gauge 83 is a display device that displays the remaining level of the battery that is a power source for supplying power to the actuator 22 of the driving device 20 . The control device 71 periodically detects the remaining charge of the battery while the power is turned on. The remaining battery level meter 83 displays the detected remaining battery level in multiple steps, for example. As an example, as shown in FIG. 15 , the remaining battery level meter 83 indicates the remaining battery level in four stages. In addition, the remaining battery level meter 83 may show the state of the battery by the displayed color and lighting pattern, or may show it by a specific numerical value (for example, "80%").

1-2. Motion assistance by assisting device 1

The assistance of the standing up motion and the sitting down motion by the assisting device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . First, the assisting device 1 approaches the assisted person M who is seated in the wheelchair 90 by moving backward in a state where the angle is determined so that the body support portion 31 of the support member 30 faces the chest Mb of the assisted person M. . At this time, the footrest 92 of the wheelchair 90 is in the state of springing up in advance. At this time, the knee support portion 50 is located above the upper ends of the pair of footrests 92 in the folded state, so as to avoid interference with the pair of footrests 92 (see FIG. 6 ).

Here, the width in the left-right direction of the footrest 13 is set to be shorter than the separation distance in the left-right direction of the pair of front wheels 91 of the wheelchair 90 . Accordingly, the rear end portion of the footboard 13 is configured to be movable rearward by passing inside the pair of front wheels 91 of the wheelchair 90 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the base 10 is set so that the rear end portion of the base 10 is located on the rear side of the front wheel 91 of the wheelchair 90 . Next, the person M to be assisted places both feet on the footboard 13 , and brings the calf portion Mg into contact with the calf support pad 43 .

More specifically, it is assumed that the knee Mk is in contact with the supporting surface of the main body member 51 of the knee support portion 50 and is located inside the pair of restricting members 52 . In addition, it is assumed that the lower leg Mh is in contact with the supporting surface of the lower leg support portion 60 . In addition, the person M to be assisted leans his upper body forward so as to press the chest Mb against the body support portion 31 . In addition, the person M to be assisted extends both hands toward the handle 35 and supports both armpits on the pair of armpit support parts 32 . As a result, the person M to be assisted is in a state where the assisting device 1 can ride in the sitting posture.

Next, the driving device 20 is driven, and the support member 30 moves upward and forward while tilting. As a result, the person M to be assisted transitions from the sitting posture shown in FIG. 2 to the standing posture with the legs stretched as shown in FIG. 3 . The assisting device 1 moves and rotates while supporting the person M who is being assisted in a standing posture, and assists the sitting motion at a position and an angle corresponding to the purpose. Since the assistance of the sitting motion is the reverse order of the assistance of the above-mentioned standing motion, detailed description is omitted.

During such a series of movements, the calf support pad 43 has the restricting member 52 , so that the knee Mk of the person M to be assisted can be prevented from moving outward in the left-right direction of the calf support pad 43 . This can suppress fluctuations in the position of the center of gravity in each posture and transition between postures, thereby improving operational stability.

In addition, since the calf support pad 43 has the calf support portion 60, the posture of the part of the person being assisted M below the knee Mk can be guided by the calf support portion 60, so that it can be guided to a stable posture during standing up and sitting down. . In addition, the width Wh in the left-right direction of the calf support portion 60 is smaller than the width in the left-right direction of the pair of foot boards 92 in the folded state. Thereby, the assisting device 1 can be brought sufficiently close to the wheelchair 90, the assisting device 1 can be easily put on and off, and the stability of the motion assistance can be improved.

In addition, by setting the angle of the support surface of the calf support pad 43 to about 70 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, it is possible to stabilize the standing motion and the sitting motion. In addition, in changing the posture of the person being assisted M during such an operation, the range in which the ankle is bent can be kept within the movable range, and thus the burden on the person being assisted M can be reduced. As a result, increased leg strength can be achieved through rehabilitation.

1-3. Replacement structure of the calf support pad 43

As described above, the calf support pad 43 of the calf support device 40 may have different angles and shapes of the optimal support surface depending on the physical limitations of the person being assisted M or the like. In particular, in an assisting facility with various physiques and required assisting levels, it is desirable to apply an appropriate calf support pad 43 when a plurality of assisted persons M use the assisting device 1 .

For this reason, in the present embodiment, the assisting device 1 uses one calf support pad 43 selected from various types of calf support pads 43 having different shapes corresponding to at least one of the physique of the person M to be assisted and the required assistance level. The supporting pad is installed on the abutment 10 . In addition, the required assistance level of the assisted person M is determined using the leg strength of the assisted person M, the range of motion of joints such as ankles and knees Mk, and the like as indicators.

In the present embodiment, the calf support device 40 adopts an exchangeable structure utilizing the structure of the position adjustment part 42 , using the support bar 41 and the calf support pad 43 as a unit. That is, in the replacement structure, the support rod 41 can be detached from the support pipe 422 in a state where the fixing pin 423 of the position adjustment part 42 is pulled out. Hereinafter, an aspect attachable to the calf support pad 43 of the assisting device 1 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the calf support pad 43A of the first embodiment has a knee support portion 50A and a calf support portion 60A. The knee support portion 50A is composed of a main body member 51A and a pair of restricting members 52A. The calf support portion 60A is integrally formed with the main body member 51A, and has the same support surface as that of the main body member 51 . The details of the calf support pad 43A are omitted since they have already been described.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the calf support pad 43B of the second embodiment has the knee support portion 50B and does not have the calf support portion 60 . The calf support pad 43B of the second embodiment is suitable, for example, for the assisted person M who has a certain level of leg strength and can maintain a standing posture without supporting the calf Mh. In addition, a space can be secured below the knee support portion 50B.

Here, depending on the required assistance level of the person M to be assisted, there are differences in the leg strength of the left and right legs and the range of motion of the joints. Therefore, in order to cope with the above situation, the calf support pad 43 is required to have a left-right asymmetrical shape. Therefore, the calf support pad 43C of the third embodiment and the calf support pad 43D of the fourth embodiment are arranged as a pair in the left-right direction of the base 10 , and have a left side that can independently adjust the position in the front-rear direction relative to the base 10 . The side pad 45 and the right pad 46 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , the left side pad portion 45C of the calf support pad 43C according to the third embodiment is composed of one main body member 51C and one restricting member 52C divided in the center in the left-right direction. The right side pad portion 46C is composed of another main body member 51C and another restricting member 52C divided in the center in the left-right direction. The left pad portion 45C and the right pad portion 46C are adjusted to different positions in the front-back direction by supporting the support rod 41 by the support tube 422 and positioning by the fixing pin 423 (see FIG. 11 ).

As shown in FIG. 9 , the left pad portion 45D and the right pad portion 46D of the calf support pad 43D according to the fourth embodiment each have a knee support portion 50D and do not have a calf support portion 60 . Like the second embodiment, the calf support pad 43D of the fourth embodiment is suitable for the assisted person M who has a certain level of leg strength and can maintain a standing posture without supporting the calf Mh. In addition, a space can be secured under the knee support portion 50D.

In addition, the left side pad part 45 and the right side pad part 46 illustrated in the 3rd aspect and the 4th aspect are the structures which are completely separated and each facing surface contacts. On the other hand, the left pad part 45 and the right pad part 46 may be configured such that sliders are provided on respective opposing surfaces to restrict relative movement in the vertical direction and allow relative movement in the front-back direction.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the calf support pad 43E of the fifth embodiment has a knee support portion 50E extending in the vertical direction and having two grooves parallel to each other formed therein. Specifically, the above-mentioned two grooves are formed by forming the groove bottom 521 and the pair of groove side portions 522 with two restricting members 52E, respectively. The person M being assisted maintains the posture of the lower leg Mg by restricting the lateral movement of the knee Mk by bringing the knee Mk into contact with the groove bottom 521 .

As described above, the calf support device 40 can replace the support bar 41 and the calf support pad 43 as a unit. In addition, the calf support device 40 may be configured such that, for example, the support bar 41 and the position adjustment unit 42 are common components, and the calf support pad 43 is detached from the plate 412 of the support bar 41 so as to be replaceable.

2. Second Embodiment

2-1. Configuration of the Second Embodiment of the Auxiliary Device 101

The configuration of the assisting device 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 . Here, the main difference between the assisting device 101 of the second embodiment and the assisting device 1 of the first embodiment is that the structures of the arm 21 and the actuator 22 of the drive device 120 are different in order to achieve multifunctionality. In addition, accompanying this, as shown in FIG. 12 , the shape of the cover member 125 of the auxiliary device 101 is different.

Compared with the cover member 25 of the first embodiment, the cover member 125 is enlarged at the rear. Therefore, in order to prevent interference with the cover member 125, the calf support device 140 may restrict the movable range that can be adjusted in the front-rear direction. On the other hand, the auxiliary device 101 of the present embodiment has a structure capable of preventing interference with the cover member 125 and ensuring a sufficient range of movement in which the calf support pad 143 can be adjusted in the front-rear direction. In addition, the other configurations of the assisting device 101 are substantially the same as those of the assisting device 1 of the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The calf support pad 143 (the calf support pad 43F of the fifth embodiment) has at least a knee support portion 150 . The knee support 150 has a pair of restricting members 152 and a connecting member 153 . As shown in FIG. 13 , each of the pair of restricting members 152 is formed in a groove shape that opens rearward in plan view, and the lateral movement of the knee Mk is restricted by the groove side portion 522 . The connection member 153 is arranged on the rear side of the cover member 125 . The connecting member 153 connects the pair of restricting members 152 in a state where the groove bottoms 521 of the pair of restricting members 152 are respectively disposed on the front side of the rear end 251 of the cover member 125 .

According to such a structure, the positional relationship in which the cover member 125 and the calf support pad 143 overlap in the front-back direction can be set. Thereby, since the position in the front-rear direction can be adjusted so that the calf support pad 143 can move further forward, a sufficient adjustable movable range can be ensured. In addition, the lateral movement of the knee Mk of the person being assisted M is restricted by the calf support pad 143 , so that the center of gravity of the person being assisted M can be suppressed from shifting. Thereby, the position in the left-right direction of the knee Mk of the person being assisted M can be determined, and overall stability can be improved.

2-2. About the calf support device 140

In this embodiment, a configuration in which the calf support device 140 has only the knee support portion 150 is described as an example. On the other hand, the calf support device 140 may be configured to further include the calf support portion 60 for supporting the calf Mh of the calf portion Mg from the front, as in the first embodiment.

In this structure, the width Wk in the left-right direction of the calf support part 60 is preferably set to be smaller than the width Wk in the left-right direction of the knee support part 50 . In addition, the outer edge in the left-right direction of the calf support part 60 is preferably positioned closer to the center side in the left-right direction of the base 10 than the inner surfaces of the two groove side parts 522 located outside the knee support part 150 in the left-right direction. . According to such a configuration, while reducing the size of the calf support device 140 , it is possible to prevent interference with other equipment such as seat equipment.

3. Third Embodiment

3-1. Outline of auxiliary device 1

The auxiliary device 1 has a function of notifying the user that the power is turned on when the power is turned on by operating the power switch 72 . Specifically, notification is made by turning on a lamp built in the power switch 72 . In addition, the auxiliary device 1 notifies the user that the power is turned on by displaying, for example, the remaining battery level on the battery remaining level meter 83 of the controller 80 .

In addition, the auxiliary device 1 executes a standby process for enabling the drive device 20 to operate when the power is turned on by operating the power switch 72 . In this standby process, for example, the detection of the remaining battery level, the operating state of the actuator 22 , and the reading of the operating program may be performed, and a predetermined time may be required after the power is turned on. From the viewpoint of securing safety, the assisting device 1 controls the controller 80 so that no corresponding operation is performed even if the controller 80 is operated before the standby process ends.

On the other hand, when the user operates the power switch 72 to turn on the power, if the light of the power switch 72 is turned on, the remaining battery level is displayed on the battery remaining level gauge 83 during the execution of the standby process. Then, it is assumed that the controller 80 is operated upon recognition as usable. However, in actual execution of the standby process, actions corresponding to the above-mentioned operations are not executed.

Then, although the user presses the button of the controller 80, the supporting member 30 does not operate, and therefore there is a possibility of mistakenly thinking that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the auxiliary device 1 . Desirably, in the auxiliary device 1, after the power is turned on, it is desirable to display to the user that the standby process has been completed and the state has changed to a state in which operations on the controller 80 can be accepted, and the user recognizes that it is ready before the display. middle. For this reason, the assisting device 1 of the present embodiment is configured to display the transition to the standby state as follows.

3-2. Structure of auxiliary device 1

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 14 , the auxiliary device 1 includes a base 10 , a driving device 20 , a support member 30 , and a display device. In the display device described above, after the drive device 20 is powered on, the display drive device 20 transitions to a standby state in which the supporting member 30 can be driven. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15 , the display device is a battery remaining gauge 83 of the controller 80 . The remaining battery gauge 83 as a display device can display the standby state in various ways.

In the present embodiment, the remaining battery level gauge 83 displays the remaining battery level after the standby process is completed and the controller 80 can be operated (that is, the drive device 20 is in the standby state). At this time, the remaining battery level meter 83 may indicate that it is not in the standby state by turning off or blinking, or by displaying a color different from the normal display during execution of the standby process.

3-3. Standby processing after power-on

The standby process after the auxiliary device 1 is powered on will be described with reference to FIG. 16 . The standby process is executed by the control device 71 when the power is turned on by operating the power switch 72 . First, the power switch 72 turns on a built-in lamp, and this operation notifies the user that the power is turned on (S11).

Next, the control device 71 executes initialization processing (S12). Specifically, as the initialization process, the control device 71 appropriately performs detection of the remaining battery level, the operating state of the actuator 22 , reading of the operating program, initialization of the memory, and the like. At this time, even if the control device 71 detects the remaining battery level, it does not display on the battery remaining level meter 83 of the controller 80 . The remaining battery gauge 83 remains in the state of being turned off.

The control device 71 judges whether the initialization process is completed and the drive device 20 is shifted to the standby state (S13). When the control device 71 has not shifted to the standby state (S13: No), the above-mentioned determination is repeated continuously. In addition, in this standby state, even if the stand-up button 81 or the like of the controller 80 is pressed, the control device 71 does not accept an assist request for a stand-up operation.

The control device 71 causes the remaining battery level meter 83 of the controller 80 to display the detected remaining battery level when the driving device 20 has shifted to the standby state (S13: YES) (S14). As a result, the remaining battery level meter 83 notifies the user that it is in a state where operations by the controller 80 can be accepted while performing display corresponding to the remaining level. The control device 71 ends the standby processing.

According to the configuration as above, the user can recognize that the power is turned on because the user first turns on the power switch 72 and the built-in lamp lights up. In addition, since the remaining battery gauge 83 is in a state of being turned off until the standby process ends, the user can recognize that the driving device 20 does not operate even though the controller 80 is operated. In addition, since the remaining battery gauge 83 lights up after the standby process is completed, the user can recognize that the transition to the standby state in which the drive device 20 operates is performed by operating the controller 80 .

3-4. Various types of display devices

In the present embodiment, the display device is configured as a remaining battery level meter 83 . On the other hand, for example, the auxiliary device 1 may be configured to include a dedicated display device for displaying whether or not it is in the standby state. In addition, the display device may be provided not only in the controller 80 but also in a place on the main body side of the auxiliary device 1 that can be visually recognized by the user. In addition, the display device may be, for example, a lamp built into the power switch 72, for example, blinks when the power is turned on and is not in the standby state, lights up when the power is turned on and changes to the standby state, and turns on when the power is turned on. Lights up when disconnected.

Explanation of reference signs

1, 101, auxiliary device; 10, abutment; 20, 120, driving device; 21, arm; 22, actuator; 25, 125, cover part; 251, (cover part) rear end; 30, support part ; 40, 140, calf support device; 42, position adjustment part; 43, 43A-43F, 143, calf support pad; 45, 45C, 45D, left pad; 46, 46C, 46D, right pad; 50 , 50A-50E, 150, knee support part; 51, 51A-51E, main body part; 52, 52A-52E, 152, restricting part; 521, groove bottom; , 60C, calf support portion; 61, outer edge; 71, control device; 72, power switch; 80, controller; 83, battery remaining meter (display device); 90, wheelchair (seat equipment); 91, ( A pair of) front wheels; 92, pedals; M, the person being assisted; Mb, chest; Mg, calf; Mk, knee; Mh, calf; Wk, width (of knee support); The width of the support part; θg, the angle (of the support part).

Claims (14)

1. An auxiliary device is provided with:

a base station;

a support member provided to be movable in an up-down direction with respect to the base and supporting an upper body of the assisted person;

a knee support portion that supports a knee in a lower leg portion of the assisted subject supported by the support member from the front and restricts movement of the knee in a left-right direction; and

A lower leg support portion that supports a lower leg of the lower leg portion from the front, and a width of the lower leg support portion in a left-right direction is smaller than a width of the knee support portion in the left-right direction.

2. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, wherein,

the knee support portion is formed in a groove shape that is opened rearward in a plan view, and has a pair of regulating members that regulate movement of the knee in the lateral direction at groove side portions.

3. The auxiliary device according to claim 2, wherein,

the auxiliary device further comprises:

an arm connecting the base and the support member; and

A cover member covering at least a rear portion of the arm,

the knee support portion includes a coupling member disposed on a rear side of the cover member, and couples the pair of restriction members disposed so that groove bottoms of the pair of restriction members are disposed on a front side of rear ends of the cover member.

4. An auxiliary device is provided with:

a base station;

a support member provided to be movable in an up-down direction with respect to the base and supporting an upper body of the assisted person;

an arm connecting the base and the support member;

a cover member covering at least a rear portion of the arm; and

A knee support portion that supports a knee in a lower leg portion of the assisted subject supported by the support member from the front and restricts movement of the knee in a left-right direction,

the knee support portion has:

a pair of regulating members formed in a groove shape that is opened rearward in a plan view, and regulating movement of the knee in the left-right direction at a groove side portion; and

And a coupling member disposed on a rear side of the cover member, and coupling the pair of restriction members so that groove bottoms of the pair of restriction members are disposed on a front side of rear ends of the cover member.

5. The auxiliary device according to claim 4, wherein,

the assist device further includes a lower leg support portion that supports a lower leg of the lower leg portion from the front, and a width of the lower leg support portion in a left-right direction is smaller than a width of the knee support portion in the left-right direction.

6. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 2 to 3, 5, wherein,

the outer edge of the lower leg support portion in the lateral direction is located closer to the center side of the base than the inner surface of the groove side portion of the knee support portion in the lateral direction.

7. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5, 6, wherein,

the assisting device is used for assisting the standing action of the assisted person sitting on the seating apparatus having the seating surface,

the knee support portion and the lower leg support portion are each formed so as to be within a range that does not interfere with the seat apparatus when the assist device is positioned with respect to an assisted person seated in the seat apparatus when assisting the raising operation.

8. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 to 7,

the assisting device is used for assisting the standing action of the assisted person sitting on the wheelchair,

the wheelchair has a pair of foot pedals on which feet of the assisted person can be placed,

the pair of pedals are respectively rotatable about axes extending in the front-rear direction, and are configured to be in a sprung folded state when not in use,

the knee support portion is located above the upper ends of the pair of foot pedals in the folded state,

the width of the shank support portion in the left-right direction is smaller than the width of the pair of footboards in the folded state in the left-right direction.

9. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5 to 8, wherein,

the knee support part and the shank support part form a shank support pad,

the calf support pad is interchangeably mounted to the base,

one selected from a plurality of types of the calf support pads having different shapes according to at least one of the physical constitution of the assisted person and a required assistance level is attached to the base.

10. An auxiliary device is provided with:

a base station;

a support member provided to be movable in an up-down direction with respect to the base and supporting an upper body of the assisted person; and

A lower leg support pad for supporting at least one of a knee and a lower leg of the assisted subject supported by the support member,

one selected from a plurality of types of the calf support pads having different shapes according to at least one of the physical constitution of the assisted person and a required assistance level is attached to the base.

11. Auxiliary device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein,

the auxiliary device further includes a position adjustment unit that can adjust the position of the calf support pad in the front-rear direction relative to the base.

12. The auxiliary device according to claim 11, wherein,

the lower leg support pad has a left pad portion and a right pad portion, which are arranged in a pair in the left-right direction of the base, and the positions of the left pad portion and the right pad portion in the front-rear direction relative to the base can be independently adjusted.

13. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 9-12, wherein,

the angle of the portion of the shank support pad that supports the shank in the shank from the front in a predetermined upper and lower range with respect to the horizontal plane is set to a range of 65 degrees to 75 degrees.

14. An auxiliary device is provided with:

a base station;

a support member provided to be movable in an up-down direction with respect to the base and supporting an upper body of the assisted person; and

The angle of the shank support pad, which supports the shank of the assisted subject supported by the support member in a predetermined vertical range from the front, with respect to the horizontal plane is set to a range of 65 degrees to 75 degrees.

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