WO2017060964A1 - Assistance robot - Google Patents

Abstract

An assistance robot (1) is provided which can avoid making the person receiving assistance (M) feel uncomfortable during an assisted standing operation. During at least part of the interval in which the person receiving assistance (M) changes from an initial seated posture to an intermediate posture, a control device (80) of the assistance robot (1) performs a first operation involving coordinating lowering of a lifting unit (30) and forward rotation of an arm (40). During the interval in which the person changes from the intermediate posture to a standing posture, the control device (80) performs a second operation involving raising the lifting unit (30).

Description

Assistance robot

The present invention relates to an assistance robot.

Patent Document 1 discloses an assistance robot for assisting a person being standing up. The assisting robot includes two drive shafts, a shaft portion that linearly moves up and down as one of the drive members, and a table that is swingably provided at the upper end of the shaft portion as another drive member. Is provided. The assistance robot swings the table (turns forward) and moves it to the ascending preparation position with the elbow of the person who is in the sitting position resting on the table, and then lifts the table. Get your helper up.

JP 2012-217686 A

However, the assistance robot first turns the table forward with the elbow of the person being assisted in the sitting position placed on the table. Since the table is raised by the front turn of the table, the upper body of the person being assisted is lifted with the start of the front turn of the table.

Here, in the state of the sitting posture in which the person being assisted is seated on the seat surface, the center of gravity of the person being assisted is usually separated backward from the ground contact position of the person being assisted. From this state, when the upper body of the person being assisted is lifted by turning the table forward, a force is generated that causes the upper body of the person being assisted to move away from the table of the assistance robot. Therefore, a force for preventing the person being assisted from leaving the table acts on the person being assisted, and the person being assisted is uncomfortable.

This invention aims at providing the assistance robot which can suppress giving a discomfort to a care receiver in the case of standing-up assistance operation | movement.

An assistance robot according to the present invention includes a base, an elevating part that moves linearly in the vertical direction with respect to the base, and an arm that is provided on the elevating part so as to be swingable about a predetermined swing axis. A holding portion that is provided at the tip of the arm and holds the upper body of the person being assisted, and the vertical movement of the lifting and lowering part and swinging of the arm to control the person being assisted from a sitting posture. And a control device for assisting in standing up to the posture.

The control device, the at least part section from the time when the person being assisted in the initial sitting position to the time of a predetermined intermediate position, a first operation for coordinating the lowering of the lifting unit and the forward turning of the arm, In a section from the predetermined intermediate posture to the standing posture, a second operation for raising the elevating unit is executed.

According to the present invention, the first operation is an operation in which the lowering of the elevating unit and the forward turning of the arm are performed in cooperation. The upper body of the person being assisted is tilted forward by turning the arm forward. Here, in the first operation, the holding unit is raised with respect to the elevating unit by turning the arm forward, but the elevating unit is lowered with respect to the base by lowering the elevating unit. Therefore, in the first operation, at least a part of the ascending operation of the holding unit with respect to the elevating unit due to the forward turning of the arm is offset by the descending operation of the elevating unit.

Therefore, in the case of the first operation according to the present invention when the center of the person being assisted moves forward from the initial sitting position, the case where the arm is merely turned forward as in the prior art. In comparison, the amount of increase in the upper body of the person being assisted is suppressed. Therefore, in the initial stage from the sitting posture to the standing posture, the amount by which the upper body of the person being assisted is lifted is reduced, and discomfort to the person being assisted is suppressed.

It is a back perspective view of the appearance of the assistance robot of this embodiment. It is the figure seen from the right side which shows the structure of an assistance robot, and shows the time of a person being assisted in an initial sitting posture. It is the figure seen from the right side which shows the structure of an assistance robot, and shows the time of a person being assisted in an initial sitting posture. It is the figure seen from the right side which shows the structure of an assistance robot, and shows the time of a person being assisted in an initial sitting posture. It is a figure which shows angle | corner (theta) of the trunk | drum receiving part in the locus | trajectory of the position P of the person being assisted and shoulder positions P1, P2, and P3 in the standing-up operation of the person being assisted using the assistance robot. In the standing operation of the person being assisted, the time change of the angle θ of the trunk receiving portion from the start of assistance to the end of assistance is shown. As a comparative example, it is a figure which shows the locus | trajectory of the position Pa of a healthy person's shoulder, and the trunk angle | corner (theta) a in shoulder position Pa1, Pa2, Pa3 in standing motion of a healthy person. In the standing motion of a healthy person, the trunk angle θa from the start to the end of the motion is shown.

(1. Configuration of assistance robot 1)
The assistance robot 1 performs standing assistance from the sitting posture to the standing posture and sitting assistance from the standing posture to the sitting posture with respect to the person M (shown in FIG. 2). In particular, the assistance robot 1 according to the present embodiment is mainly intended for a person who is difficult to stand by himself / herself. For example, support / removal support for the bottoms (clothes worn on the lower body) of the person being assisted, and the person being assisted M It is used effectively for excretion assistance. Since the assistance robot 1 supports the upper body of the person being assisted in the standing posture, one person who is assisted can perform the above-described treatment of the person being assisted. That is, the standing posture in the present embodiment means a state where at least the lower body of the person being assisted is standing, and does not mean a state where the upper body and the lower body are standing.

Although the assistance robot 1 of the present embodiment is described for the purpose of assisting the standing posture in which only the lower half of the person being assisted stands, the assistance robot 1 is in a standing posture in which the lower and upper bodies of the assistance person M are standing. It can also be used for assistance.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the assistance robot 1 includes a base 10, wheels 20, an elevating unit 30, an arm 40, a holding unit 50, a grip 60, a crus pad unit 70, and a control device 80. In the following, the front, rear, left, right, up and down are the front, back, left, right, up and down as viewed from the person being assisted as shown in FIG.
The base 10 includes a frame 11, a support 12, a foot placing base 13, and a fixed cover 14. The frame 11 is provided at a position slightly separated from the ground contact surface 2 (floor surface, ground surface) and substantially horizontally with respect to the ground contact surface 2.

The support column 12 is fixed to the frame 11 and is erected upward from the front upper surface of the frame 11. The column 12 is disposed at the center in the left-right direction in front of the frame 11. In addition, in this embodiment, although the assistance robot 1 has the one support | pillar 12, you may make it provide the 2 or more support | pillar 12. FIG.

The foot mounting table 13 is fixed to the rear of the upper surface of the frame 11. On the upper surface of the foot placing table 13, a grounding mark 13 a for the foot of the person being assisted M is written. That is, the ground mark 13a has a role of guiding the position of the foot to the person being assisted. As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed cover 14 is fixed to the frame 11 or the support column 12 and surrounds the lower portion of the lifting body 31 of the lifting unit 30 described later.

The wheel 20 is arrange | positioned at four corners of the front and rear, right and left of the flame | frame 11, as shown in FIG. The wheel 20 has a lock function that restricts rotation. In the present embodiment, the wheel 20 is provided so as to be freely rotatable, but may be provided so as to be driven by a driving device.

The elevating part 30 includes an elevating body 31, a swing support part 32, and an elevating cover 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the elevating body 31 is formed in an elongated shape in the vertical direction, and is provided on the front surface of the support column 12 so as to be linearly movable in the vertical direction. The elevating body 31 is guided by a guide (not shown) on the front surface of the column 12 and is driven by a linear motion device (not shown). The elevating body 31 is surrounded by the fixed cover 14.

The swing support portion 32 is provided on the upper end side of the elevating body 31 and has a swing axis 32a parallel to the left-right direction. Specifically, the swing support portion 32 is formed to protrude rearward from the upper end of the elevating body 31. That is, the swing axis 32 a is located behind the support column 12 and located behind the lifting body 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, the elevating cover 33 is fixed to the elevating unit 30 and surrounds the elevating unit 30. Further, the elevating cover 33 surrounds the support column 12 and the fixed cover 14. The elevating cover 33 overlaps with the fixed cover 14 even at the position where the elevating unit 30 is raised.
In the present embodiment, the assisting robot 1 has one elevating unit 30 because it has one strut 12, but if it has two or more struts 12, the number of struts 12 There will be a corresponding number of lifts 30.

The arm 40 is provided so as to be swingable about the swing axis 32a of the swing support portion 32 of the elevating unit 30 as a central axis. The arm 40 is swung by an arm driving device (not shown). The arm 40 swings at a higher position than the swing support portion 32. That is, the swing range of the arm 40 is such that the tip end of the arm 40 extends rearward of the swing support portion 32 (shown in FIG. 2) and the tip end of the arm 40 is near the upper portion of the swing support portion 32 or the lifting body 31. And the state (shown in FIG. 4). When the assisting robot 1 assists in standing up, the arm 40 turns forward from the state of extending backward, and when the assisting robot 1 assists in sitting, the arm 40 extends in the rearward direction. Turn back.

The holding unit 50 is provided at the tip of the arm 40 and holds the upper body of the person M being assisted. In the present embodiment, the holding unit 50 includes a trunk receiving part 51 that contacts the trunk of the person being assisted M and a side receiving part 52 that holds both sides of the person being assisted M. The holding unit 50 may include only one of the body receiving unit 51 and the side receiving unit 52.

The trunk receiving part 51 supports the trunk of the person being assisted M from below. The trunk | drum receiving part 51 is formed in planar shape, and is formed with a cushioning material. The torso receiving part 51 is formed in an initial shape corresponding to the body of a standard person being assisted M, and is flexibly deformed according to the body of each person being assisted. In the present embodiment, the torso receiving portion 51 is in contact with the person being assisted from the chest to the abdomen.

The side receiving portions 52 are formed in an arc shape and are arranged on the left and right sides of the body receiving portion 51 so that the arc opening faces upward. The side support part 52 supports the upper half of the person being assisted M by supporting the side of the person being assisted from below. Furthermore, the side receiving part 52 regulates the back-and-forth movement of the person being assisted M by sandwiching both sides of the person being assisted from the front-rear direction. Therefore, the trunk receiving part 51 and the side receiving part 52 can regulate the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M held by the holding part 50.

As the arm 40 swings with respect to the elevating part 30, the center line in the left-right direction of the body receiving part 51 swings within a range of 20 ° to 110 ° with respect to the vertical line. When the angle of the central line of the trunk receiver 51 is in the range of 20 ° to 90 °, the trunk receiver 51 is directed upward and rearward. On the other hand, when the angle of the center line of the trunk receiver 51 is in the range of 90 ° to 110 °, the trunk receiver 51 is directed upward and forward.

The grip 60 is formed in a U shape, and both ends of the U shape of the grip 60 are fixed to the lower surface of the body receiving portion 51. The center part of the grip 60 is positioned in front of the body receiving part 51 and is gripped by the person being assisted M held by the holding part 50.

The lower leg pad 70 determines the position and posture of the lower body of the person being assisted in the sitting position by bringing the front part of the lower leg (shin or knee) of the person being assisted in the sitting position. In particular, the position of the foot is determined to some extent. The lower thigh pad portion 70 is fixed to the column 12 of the base 10. The crus pad part 70 includes two support members 71 and a crus pad main body 72.

The support member 71 is formed in an L shape. One end of the L-shaped support member 71 is fixed to the support column 12, and the other L-shaped end of the support member 71 is positioned behind the support column 12. The lower thigh pad main body 72 is fixed to the other end side of the support member 71, and is located behind the lifting cover 33 and below the swing support portion 32. The crus pad main body 72 is a part that contacts the front part of the crus of the person being assisted M, is formed in a planar shape, and is formed of a cushion material.

The control device 80 is fixed to the horizontal base 11 of the base 10 and is erected upward from the front upper surface of the horizontal base 11. The control device 80 is disposed beside the support column 12. The control device 80 controls the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the swing of the arm 40 to perform standing assistance and seating assistance for the person being assisted.

The control device 80 controls only the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and does not swing the arm 40 at this time when the operation of adjusting the standing start height is executed by the operator (the person being assisted M or the person being assisted). That is, the control device 80 adjusts the standing start height according to the extension of the person being assisted.

Furthermore, the control device 80 stores in advance a stand-up assist program for performing a stand-up assist operation. When the standing assistance operation is executed by the operator (the person being assisted M or the assistant), the control device 80 executes the standing assistance program and controls the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging of the arm 40. In addition, the control device 80 stores a seating assistance program for performing a seating assistance operation in advance. When a seating assistance operation is executed by an operator (a person being assisted M or a helper), the control device 80 executes a seating assistance program and controls the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the swinging of the arm 40. Further, the control device 80 corrects the standing assistance program and the seating assistance program according to the standing start height.

(2. Standing assistance operation by the assistive robot 1)
The standing assistance operation for the person to be assisted M by the assistance robot 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the thick solid line indicates the locus of the shoulder position P during the standing motion of the person being assisted, and the thick broken line indicates the center of gravity G of the person being assisted during the standing motion. Show the trajectory. The standing assistance operation is an operation from the initial state shown in FIG. 2 to the intermediate state shown in FIG. 3 and the final state shown in FIG. That is, the assistance person M shifts from the initial sitting posture shown in FIG. 2 to the intermediate posture shown in FIG. 3 and takes the standing posture shown in FIG. That is, the control device 80 performs the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 so that the shoulder position P moves along the locus shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the initial state of the standing assistance operation, the person being assisted is in a state of sitting on the seat surface 3 (a sitting posture state). The assistance robot 1 is set to the initial state of the standing assistance operation by the operation of the person being assisted M or the assistant. The initial state of the assisting robot 1 is a state in which the holding unit 50 is located most rearward in the standing assistance program. That is, the initial state of the assisting robot 1 is a state in which the arm 40 extends rearward. The lower half of the person being assisted M is disposed in a lower space of the holding unit 50. The foot of the person being assisted M is positioned on the ground mark 13a. The lower leg of the person being assisted M comes into contact with the rear surface of the lower leg pad main body 72.

In this state, the care recipient M or the caregiver performs a vertical movement operation of only the lifting unit 30 according to the height of the upper body of the caregiver M in the sitting posture on the seat surface 3. Moves the elevating unit 30 up and down. In this way, the front surface of the body of the person being assisted M comes into contact with the body holding surface of the body receiving portion 51. Furthermore, the person being assisted M places the side on the side support part 52, and the person assisted M grips the grip 60. In this initial state, the upper body of the person being assisted M is slightly tilted forward. However, the front-rear direction position of the center of gravity G1 of the person being assisted M in the initial state is located behind the front-rear direction range F of the leg of the person being assisted.

Subsequently, when the person being assisted M or the assistant starts the standing assistance operation, the control device 80 coordinates the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 according to the standing assistance program. Here, the operation from the initial sitting posture of the person being assisted to the intermediate posture is referred to as a first operation. That is, the first operation is an operation in which the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 are performed in at least a partial section from the initial sitting posture to the intermediate posture.

In the present embodiment, the cooperative operation of the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 is performed in all sections from the initial sitting posture to the intermediate posture. Of course, the cooperative operation may be executed only in a partial section. At this time, the arm 40 is only turned forward and does not turn backward, and the elevating unit 30 is only lowered and does not rise.

2) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shoulder position P of the person being assisted M moves forward substantially horizontally by the first operation. In the first operation, the holding unit 50 rises with respect to the lifting unit 30 by the forward turning of the arm 40. However, when the elevating unit 30 is lowered, the shoulder position P can be moved substantially horizontally. Here, the term “substantially horizontal” includes a state of being slightly inclined up and down from the horizontal when it is horizontal.

Furthermore, in the first operation, the trunk holding surface of the trunk receiver 51 is tilted forward and moved forward by the forward turning of the arm 40. Therefore, by the first operation to be coordinated, the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M moves forward, and the rear end of the body receiver 51 rises. Accordingly, the upper body of the person being assisted M tilts forward and the abdomen of the person being assisted is lifted. By such a first operation, while the state where the buttocks of the person being assisted M is in contact with the seating surface 3, the back muscle of the person being assisted M is extended and the pelvis is standing. Accordingly, the holding unit 50 can stably support the person being assisted M in such a posture.

In the intermediate posture, as shown in FIG. 3, the front-rear direction position of the center of gravity G <b> 2 of the person being assisted M enters the front-rear direction range F of the ground contact surface of the person being assisted. Accordingly, the person being assisted cannot stand up by himself, but the person being assisted is in a posture in which the person being assisted is stably supported by his / her feet during the intermediate posture.

Here, whether or not the front-rear direction position of the center of gravity G2 of the person being assisted is included in the front-rear direction range F of the ground contact surface of the foot can be predicted by the extension and weight of the person being assisted. Therefore, the above can be realized by predicting the center of gravity G of the person being assisted in advance and setting the angle of the vertical movement of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40.

In addition, the above-described determination can be made by measuring the mass applied to the holding unit 50 and determining whether or not a predetermined ratio with respect to the mass of the upper body of the person being assisted is reached. Further, the above determination can also be made based on whether or not the rear load received by the holding unit 50 from the person being assisted M has reached a predetermined value or less. Further, the above determination can be made based on whether or not the inclination of the upper body of the person being assisted M has reached a predetermined value or more.

Subsequently, the control device 80 switches the operation of the elevating unit 30 from descending to ascending. In the present embodiment, the control device 80 coordinates the raising of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 in accordance with the standing assistance program. Here, the operation from the middle posture of the person being assisted to the standing posture is referred to as a second motion. That is, the second operation is an operation in which the coordination of the raising of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 is performed in at least a partial section from the intermediate posture to the standing posture.

In the present embodiment, the cooperative operation of the raising of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 is performed in all the sections from the intermediate posture to the standing posture. Of course, the cooperative operation may be executed only in a partial section. At this time, the arm 40 is only turned forward and does not turn backward, and the elevating unit 30 is only raised and not lowered.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the shoulder position P of the person being assisted rises almost upward while slightly moving forward from the intermediate posture. In other words, the holding unit 50 is moved forward mainly by the lifting of the elevating unit 30 while moving forward slightly by the forward turning of the arm 40.

第二 By performing the second action, the buttocks of the person being assisted rise away from the seat surface 3. In the second operation, the trunk holding surface of the trunk receiver 51 is further tilted forward by the forward turning of the arm 40. The upper body of the person being assisted M is further tilted forward while rising. Therefore, when the upper body of the person being assisted rises by the second action, the state where the back muscle of the person being assisted is extended is maintained. Therefore, in the second operation, the holding unit 50 can stably support the person being assisted M.

Further, during the second operation, the front-rear direction position (G2 to G3) of the center of gravity G of the person being assisted M is located in the front-rear direction range F of the ground contact surface of the person being assisted. Therefore, when the upper body of the person being assisted rises, the person being assisted can obtain a sense of security.

(3. Position of the swing axis 32a)
Next, the position of the swing axis 32a will be described with reference to FIGS. The height from the upper surface of the foot platform 13 to the swing axis 32a moves up and down within a range of 400 to 1000 mm by the up and down movement of the elevating unit 30. In the standing assistance program, when the assisting robot 1 is in the intermediate state shown in FIG. 3, the swing axis 32a is positioned at the lowest position, and when the assisting robot 1 is in the final state shown in FIG. Located at the top. However, since the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 can be adjusted as appropriate, the lowermost position and the uppermost position of the swing axis 32a can be changed according to the extension of the person being assisted.

The center in the left-right direction of the body receiving portion 51 contacts the center in the left-right direction on the front surface of the body of the person being assisted. A distance L (shown in FIGS. 2 and 4) between a line passing through the shoulder position P and parallel to the body holding surface of the person being assisted by the body receiving portion 51 of the holding portion 50 and the swing axis 32a of the arm 40. ) Is 230 to 290 mm. In particular, the distance L is preferably 250 to 270 mm.

Also, the swing axis 32a is located in front of the front-rear direction range F of the ground contact surface of the person being assisted M. The swing axis 32a is positioned 250 to 450 mm ahead of the ground contact position of the heel of the person being assisted M. In particular, the distance between the swing axis 32a and the ground contact position is preferably 300 to 400 mm.

During the first movement, the swing axis 32a is within the height range of the upper body of the person being assisted, that is, within the range from the lower surface (seat surface 3) of the buttocks of the person being assisted to the upper end of the head. , Descend. In particular, in the present embodiment, the swing axis 32a is lowered within the height range of the trunk (chest and abdomen) of the person being assisted M during the first movement.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the swing axis 32a is positioned in front of the head of the person being assisted in the initial sitting posture. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the swing axis 32 a is located behind the head of the person being assisted in the standing posture of the person being assisted by the holding unit 50.

(4. Positions of shoulders of caregivers and healthy subjects)
Next, in the standing assistance operation, the locus of the shoulder position P of the person being assisted and the locus of the angle θ of the body receiving portion 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. 5A and 5B, T1, T2, and T3 represent times, P1 (T1) means the shoulder position P1 at time T1, and P2 (T2) and P3 (T3) are the same.

For comparison, the locus of the position Pa of the healthy person's shoulder and the locus of the inclination θa of the trunk will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B when the healthy person performs the standing motion. 6A and 6B, Ta1, Ta2, Ta3, and Ta4 represent time, and Pa1 (Ta1) means the shoulder position Pa1 at time Ta1, and Pa2 (Ta2), Pa3 (Ta3), and Pa4 (Ta4). Is the same. The trajectory of the shoulder position P of the person being assisted and the trajectory of the angle θ of the torso receiving portion 51, the trajectory of the shoulder position Pa of the healthy person, and the trajectory of the torso angle θa are examples, and Depending on the sitting height, the crotch length, etc., the numerical values are appropriately different.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M is located at P1 when the person M is in the initial sitting position, and is located at P2 when at the intermediate position T2. At time T3, it is located at P3. The shoulder position P advances substantially horizontally from P1 to P2. Thereafter, the shoulder position P rises and reaches P3 while moving forward from P2. The shoulder position P rises while moving forward from P1 to P3. P1 is the lowest position and P3 is the highest position.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the angle θ of the trunk receiving portion 51 (corresponding to the trunk angle of the assistant M) is 35 ° at T1 when the assistant M is in the initial sitting posture. It is 64 ° at the posture T2 and 95 ° at the time T3 in the standing posture. As shown in FIG. 5B, the angle θ continues to increase.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6A, the position Pa of the healthy person's shoulder is located at Pa1 when the healthy person is in the initial sitting posture, the upper body is tilted forward, and the buttocks rise away from the seating surface 3. At the time of posture Ta2, it is located at Pa2, the lowest position. Thereafter, the position Pa of the healthy person's shoulder rises and is located at Pa4 when Ta4 is in the standing posture.

The angle θa of the trunk of the healthy person is 5 ° when Ta1 is in the initial sitting posture, and gradually tilts forward so that when the buttocks separate from the seating surface 3, the angle θa becomes 44 °. Immediately thereafter, at Ta3, the trunk angle θa becomes maximum, and then the trunk angle θa increases while decreasing. The trunk angle θa is 3 ° when Ta4 is in the standing posture.

The shoulder position P of the person being assisted M is a locus approximated from the vicinity of Pa2 to the middle of Pa3 and Pa4 at the position Pa of the healthy person's shoulder. Therefore, since the person being assisted M stands up after sliding the upper body forward like a normal person, the person being assisted M can stand up comfortably with the center of gravity G on the soles of the feet. However, in the case of a healthy person, the angle θa of the trunk is decreased after increasing, whereas in the case of the person being assisted M, the angle θ of the trunk receiving portion 51 continues to increase. The reason for this difference is that the final standing posture is different.

(5. Effect)
The assistance robot 1 described above is provided so as to be swingable about a base 10, a lifting / lowering part 30 that moves linearly in the vertical direction with respect to the base 10, and a predetermined swinging axis 32 a as a central axis. The arm 40, the holding portion 50 provided at the tip of the arm 40 and holding the upper body of the person being assisted, the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swing of the arm 40 are controlled to the person being assisted And a control device 80 for assisting in standing up from the sitting posture to the standing posture.

Then, the control device 80 operates from the time when the person M shown in FIG. 2 is in the initial sitting position (T1 in FIGS. 5A and 5B) to the time in the intermediate position shown in FIG. 3 (T2 in FIGS. 5A and 5B). In at least a partial section, the first operation for coordinating the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 is executed. Further, the control device 80 moves the lifting unit 30 in the section from the intermediate posture shown in FIG. 3 (T2 in FIGS. 5A and 5B) to the standing posture shown in FIG. 4 (T3 in FIGS. 5A and 5B). The second action to raise the is executed.

The first operation by the control device 80 is an operation in which the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 are performed in cooperation. The upper body of the person being assisted M tilts forward by turning the arm 40 forward. Here, in the first operation, the holding unit 50 is raised with respect to the lifting unit 30 by the forward turning of the arm 40, but the lifting unit 30 is lowered with respect to the base 10 by the lowering of the lifting unit 30. Therefore, in the first operation, at least a part of the lifting operation of the holding unit 50 with respect to the lifting unit 30 due to the forward turning of the arm 40 is offset by the lowering operation of the lifting unit 30.

Accordingly, when the center of gravity G of the person being assisted moves from the initial sitting position to the front, the first operation described above, the arm is merely turned forward as in the prior art. Compared to the case, the amount of increase in the upper body of the person being assisted M is suppressed. Therefore, in the initial stage from the sitting posture to the standing posture, the amount by which the upper body of the person being assisted is lifted is reduced, and discomfort to the person being assisted is suppressed.

Further, the holding unit 50 includes a trunk receiving unit 51 that contacts the trunk of the person being assisted M. The first operation is an operation for raising the rear end of the trunk receiving part 51 by cooperation of the lowering of the elevating part 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40. By such a first action, the back muscle of the person being assisted is stretched and the pelvis is standing. Accordingly, the holding unit 50 can stably support the person being assisted M in such a posture. Furthermore, during the second operation, the assistance robot 1 can stably shift the person being assisted M to the standing posture. That is, a sense of security can be given to the person being assisted.

In the first operation, at least in a partial section, the position P of the shoulder of the person M who is being held by the holding unit 50 is substantially horizontal by the cooperation of the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40. It is an operation to move forward. By doing so, it is possible to prepare for standing up without any burden on the person being assisted from the time T1 in the initial sitting posture to the time T2 in the intermediate posture.

Further, the first operation and the second operation by the control device 80 include an operation for turning the arm 40 forward, and do not include an operation for turning the arm 40 backward. That is, the angle of the trunk of the person being assisted M changes only in one direction. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, if the subject is a healthy person, the trunk is reversed in the middle. By performing the first operation and the second operation as described above, it is effective when the purpose is to assist in a standing posture in which only the lower half of the person being assisted M stands.

Further, the second operation is an operation in which the raising of the elevating unit 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 are coordinated in at least a partial section from the intermediate posture T2 to the standing posture T3. That is, the person being assisted M further shifts to the forward tilt posture in the second operation. Therefore, it is particularly effective for the purpose of assisting the standing posture in which only the lower body of the person being assisted is stood.

Also, the swing axis 32a of the arm 40 descends within the height range of the upper half of the person being assisted M during the first movement. Furthermore, the swing axis 32a of the arm 40 is located in front of the head of the person being assisted in the initial sitting position and is located behind the head of the person being assisted in the standing position. By setting the swing axis 32a of the arm 40 to the position as described above, the assistance robot 1 can perform standing-up assistance without causing discomfort to the person being assisted.

The line passing through the shoulder position P of the person being assisted by the holding part 50 and parallel to the body holding surface of the person being assisted by the holding part 50, and the swing axis 32a of the arm 40, The distance L is 230 to 290 mm. By setting the swing axis 32a of the arm 40 to the position as described above, the assistance robot 1 can perform standing-up assistance without causing discomfort to the person being assisted.

Also, the intermediate posture T2 of the person being assisted M may be any of the following. In the present embodiment, the intermediate posture T2 corresponds to all of the following, but may correspond to at least one of the following.

The intermediate posture T2 of the first person being assisted M is when the buttocks of the person being assisted M starts to rise from the seat surface 3. The intermediate posture T2 of the second person being assisted M is when the position of the center of gravity G of the person being assisted is entering the front-rear direction range F of the ground contact surface of the person being assisted. The intermediate posture T2 of the third person being assisted M is a time when the holding unit 50 has reached a state in which a mass of a predetermined ratio or more with respect to the mass of the upper body of the person being assisted is supported. The intermediate posture T2 of the fourth person being assisted M is when the backward load received by the assisted robot 1 from the person being assisted M has reached a predetermined value or less. The middle posture T2 of the fifth person being assisted M is when the inclination of the upper body of the person being assisted M has reached a predetermined value or more.

1: assistance robot, 3: seating surface, 10: base, 30: lifting part, 31: lifting body, 32: swing support part, 32a: swing axis, 40: arm, 50: holding part, 51: Body receiving part, 52: armpit receiving part, 80: control device, F: range in the front-rear direction of the ground contact surface of the foot, M: person being assisted, G: center of gravity of the person being assisted, P: shoulder position, T1: initial Sitting posture, T2: Intermediate posture, T3: Standing posture, θ: Torso receiving part angle

Claims (12)

The base,
An elevating part that moves in a vertical direction with respect to the base;
An arm provided on the elevating part so as to be swingable about a predetermined swing axis as a central axis;
A holding part that is provided at the tip of the arm and holds the upper body of the person being assisted;
A control device that controls vertical movement of the elevating unit and swinging of the arm to assist the person being assisted in standing from a sitting posture to a standing posture;
With
The control device includes:
A first operation for coordinating the lowering of the elevating unit and the forward turning of the arm in at least a partial section from the time when the caregiver is in an initial sitting position to a predetermined intermediate position;
In a section from the predetermined intermediate posture to the standing posture, a second operation for raising the elevating unit;
Assistance robot to execute. The holding portion includes a trunk receiving portion that contacts the trunk of the person being assisted,
2. The assisting robot according to claim 1, wherein the first action is an action of raising a rear end of the body receiving part by cooperation of lowering of the elevating part and forward turning of the arm. In the first operation, in the at least part of the section, the position of the shoulder of the person being assisted by the holding unit is substantially horizontal by the cooperation of the lowering of the lifting unit and the forward turning of the arm. The assistance robot according to claim 1, wherein the assistance robot moves forward. The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first operation and the second operation include an operation of turning the arm forward, and do not include an operation of turning the arm backward. The said 2nd operation | movement is an operation | movement which cooperates the raising of the said raising / lowering part and the front turning of the said arm in at least one partial area from the time of the said predetermined intermediate posture to the time of the said standing posture. The described assistance robot. The swing axis of the arm is lowered within the height range of the upper body of the person being assisted during the first movement,
The swing axis of the arm is located in front of the head of the person being assisted in the initial sitting position, and is located behind the head of the person being assisted in the standing position. The assistance robot according to any one of -5. The distance between the line passing through the shoulder of the person being held by the holding part and parallel to the body holding surface of the person being assisted by the holding part and the pivot axis of the arm is The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the assistance robot has a diameter of 230 to 290 mm. The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the predetermined intermediate posture is a time when the buttocks of the person to be assisted starts to rise from the seating surface. The time of the predetermined intermediate posture is a time when the position of the center of gravity of the person being assisted is entering a range in the front-rear direction of the ground contact surface of the person being assisted. The assistance robot according to the item. The predetermined intermediate posture is a time when the holding unit has reached a state of supporting a mass of a predetermined ratio or more with respect to a mass of the upper body of the person being assisted, according to any one of claims 1-7. The described assistance robot. The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the predetermined intermediate posture is a time when a rear load received by the assistance robot from the person being assisted has reached a predetermined value or less. The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the predetermined intermediate posture is a time when an inclination of an upper body of the person to be assisted reaches a predetermined value or more.

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