EP3878419A2 - Motion simulator and motion simulation method using the motion simulator - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a movement simulator for riding therapy with a seat (11) that simulates a horse's back with a riding direction (X) and a swivel axis (13) arranged centrally in the riding direction (X), the seat (11) being made up of individual, transverse to the swivel axis ( 13) extending ribs (12) is formed, which are moved by means of rotationally driven camshafts arranged below the seat surface (11), the camshafts being arranged on both sides parallel to the pivot axis (13) as a left and a right camshaft (21, 22), for each rib (12) on the camshafts (21, 22) seated cams (24) are provided, which support each rib and can pivot individually about the pivot axis (13), and that the flexible seat surface (11) with the two camshafts (21, 22) forms a rocker which is designed to be pivotable to and fro in the riding direction (X) about a rocker axis (31) arranged horizontally and transversely to the pivot axis (13). The invention also relates to a method for the movement simulation of a riding therapy for a patient on a seat (1) with a seat surface (11) simulating a horse's back with a riding direction (X), in particular with a movement simulator according to the invention.

Description

The invention relates to a movement simulator for riding therapy with a seat surface that simulates a horse's back with a riding direction and a pivot axis arranged centrally in the riding direction, the seat surface being formed from individual ribs extending transversely to the pivot axis, which are moved by means of rotationally driven camshafts arranged below the seat surface . Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for the movement simulation of a riding therapy for a patient on a seat with a seat surface simulating a horse's back with a riding direction, wherein for the movement simulation the movement in a first movement component, which oscillates about a pivot axis in the riding direction, and a second movement component, which swings around a horizontal seesaw axis transversely to the riding direction, is dissolved, and the seat surface, which simulates a horse's back, twists elastically.

For people with neurological movement disorders (so-called cerebral palsy), physiotherapy on a therapy horse, so-called riding therapy, has proven itself. Riding therapy is a form of physiotherapeutic treatment based on a neurophysiological basis. The riding therapy aims to minimize neuromotor, sensorimotor and psychosomatic functional disorders and neurological movement disorders. The functional disorders also affect healthy areas of the body.

In riding therapy, the patient sits in a splayed seat on the horse while the horse is led at a step. The patient's whole body is exposed to the rhythmic movement of the horse. An improvement in the Body functions are possible due to the very similar movement patterns of walking people to the step of a running horse. However, since riding therapy is rarely financed by health insurances and the activity can only be offered on special horse farms, there is a great need for a more cost-effective alternative that is available at all times.

In the prior art, complex riding simulators are known, on which seat training and body techniques for riders, for example for dressage riding, show jumping or racing, are carried out. However, these riding simulators are technically very complex and provided with a large number of movement options and controls in order to depict the actual riding situation as realistically as possible. Such riding simulators are used for intensive training for professional riders.

Such a riding simulator is from the US 2009/0005186 A1 known, in which a fixed seat shaped as a saddle is arranged pivotably and movably. A first drive is provided for a periodic back and forth movement in the riding direction. Another drive is used to be able to tilt the rigid riding seat forward and backward about a horizontal but perpendicular axis to the riding direction. This drive also drives an eccentric, which causes a pivoting movement to the left and right about the axis of the riding direction. These three movements then superimpose the riding movement, whereby the rigid riding seat moves back and forth in the riding direction, swaying to the left and right about the riding direction and tilting back and forth about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the riding direction.

the GB 2 317 350 A shows a riding training device in which a camshaft driven by an electric motor can tilt the fixed riding saddle about an axis oriented horizontally and perpendicular to the riding direction.

One of the possible sequence of movements for US 2009/0005186 A1 similar device is from the US 2007/0238579 A1 known, but the mechanical structure is constructed differently by means of partly eccentrically mounted pivot levers.

From scripture KR 20-0455457 Y1 A riding training device is known in which a seat surface that is rigidly arranged on a frame is formed by moving the frame about two pivot axes via an eccentric driven by an electric motor, namely once a pivot axis horizontal and perpendicular to the riding direction and a pivot axis in the riding direction to simulate the riding movement .

the US 6,616,456 B1 In contrast, shows a device for carrying out horse therapy, in which the horse's movement is simulated in three dimensions, in turn, with pivoting, tilting and twisting of a fixed seat.

In contrast, in the equine therapy device according to US 2016/0296027 A1 A flexible horse's back with flexibly interconnected ribs is modeled, with two wider ribs with narrower ribs in between and possibly in front of and behind them forming the back structure. The ribs are connected in the middle with a rigid rod that simulates the spine. On both outer sides of the ribs, rib holders are provided which movably connect the ribs to one another. Below the two broad ribs, a rotationally driven shaft with two cams is provided horizontally and perpendicular to the riding direction, with which a twisting of the horse's back can be generated via the four differently oriented cams. However, more complex movements of the horse's back cannot be simulated with this device.

Based on the US 2016/0296027 A1 It is the object of the invention to simulate the riding movement, in particular to represent the movements of the horse's back in a much more complex spatial-temporal simulation. This object is achieved with a motion simulator according to claim 1 and a method for motion simulation according to claim 8.

The fact that the camshafts are arranged on both sides parallel to the pivot axis as a left and a right camshaft, with cams resting on the camshafts for each rib, which support each rib and can pivot individually about the pivot axis, and that the flexible seat with the Both camshafts form a rocker, which is designed to be swiveled back and forth in the riding direction about a rocker axis arranged horizontally and transversely to the swivel axis, a very complex, spatial / temporal movement of the horse's back can be simulated, so that the movement felt by the patient is very close to an actual one Horseback movement when riding comes. Accordingly, the neuro-sensory stimuli are practically identical to conventional, complex riding therapy. It is precisely the twisting, wave-like and / or arching movements on the seat, which simulates the horse's back, that give rise to the high physiotherapeutic effect of this therapy. The movement stimuli to be compensated are likely to be considerably more complex than those of the riding simulation devices known in the prior art.

If a third camshaft is provided parallel to the left and right camshafts, with at least two cam disks sitting on the third camshaft, which support the rocker on both sides of the horizontal rocker axis and pivot when it is rotationally driven, the pivoting back and forth in the riding direction around the rocker axis can be done by this third camshaft can be triggered and controlled. The rocker actuation of the seat surface generates an upward and downward movement in a technically simple design around the rocker axis, which corresponds to the real sequence of movements of a horse running at a step.

In order to be able to drive the two, left and right camshafts in a fixed phase relation to one another, a first servomotor is provided which drives the left and right camshafts synchronously with one another via a V-belt. In order to What is achieved is that with a "valley" of the cam at the left end of a rib at the opposite end there is always a "mountain" of the other cam in question, so that the rib in question is only pivoted about the pivot axis and always rests against the cam.

In this embodiment, it is preferred that the rocker is designed to be drivable by the first servomotor via the V-belt in synchronism with the left and right camshafts. This means that all three camshafts lying next to one another can be driven by one motor and thus operated synchronously with one another with a fixed phase relationship.

It may be advantageous if the rocker movement about the rocker axis takes place with a separate drive, that is, not together with the first servomotor. In this case, the two movement components can be operated in different phase positions to one another or completely asynchronously. A second servomotor is provided for this, which drives the rocker.

Because the seat has eight to twelve ribs, each rib being supported on a cam at both ends, the horse's back is provided in a realistic replica with reasonable effort.

If a heater is provided for the seat surface, the body heat of a real horse's back can be simulated in addition to a preferably realistic shape of the seat surface that simulates a horse's back, possibly also with a fur-like surface. The therapeutic success can be supported accordingly.

According to the method, the above-mentioned object is achieved in that at least three support points are used on both sides next to the pivot axis for the seat which simulates a horse's back and which periodically move up and down to generate the first movement component move. The flexible seat surface is thus twisted and / or arched in a wave-like manner during the movement simulation, so that considerably more complex movement sequences are simulated, which result in a large number of movement stimuli to be compensated for the person to be treated during the riding simulation. The support points can be formed by actuators on both sides of the pivot axis, so that the seat surface, which simulates a horse's back, can be twisted in very different movement patterns. The actuators can be actuated electrically, pneumatically and / or hydraulically. The advantage of individually controllable actuators is that each actuator can carry out individual movements that, for example, overall simulate the movement of a horse's back of a horse running at a step, recorded for example on a real horse at a large number of observation points and then this recorded movement in the form of activation the actuators is simulated in a spatially and temporally complex manner. Any movement, necessarily not periodic and also not at the same frequency, is possible.

In a preferred embodiment, the up and down movements of the first movement component take place at the same frequency. In this way, the support points can be triggered periodically and at the same frequency by corresponding actuators and / or rotating shafts with seated cams. This movement corresponds to a horse running evenly on smooth ground without surprising, i.e. unpredictable compensatory movements, such as those that occur, for example, with uneven ground in the terrain. However, this basic form of movement is particularly harmonious and therefore desirable for many forms of therapy.

In a further development of a constant frequency excitation, the first movement component is periodically generated by camshafts equipped with cams rotating under the seat surface, the flexible seat surface being twisted by a multitude of support points on the cams of the rotating camshafts. Furthermore, the second Movement component also generated periodically, the first and second movement components being driven synchronously with one another. A resolution of the motion simulation into two motion components that oscillate around two mutually perpendicular axes is from the US 2009/0005186 A1 as well as the US 2007/0238579 A1 known, but always with fixed saddles, i.e. without replicating the complex movements of a horse's back. In contrast, the US 2016/0296027 A1 A rib-like replica of a horse's back with simple twisting of the horse's back by means of camshafts, but by combining these two principles and multiplying the support points under the flexible seat on the cams of the rotating camshafts, a much more complex spatial and temporal simulation of the horse's back movement is possible. It is this very complex simulation of movement that creates the physiotherapeutic advances in treatment known from riding therapies with real horses.

For example, the movement of a horse's back of a horse running at a step is recorded at a large number of observation points and this recorded movement is reproduced in a complex spatial-temporal manner through the shape of the cams and their position on the camshafts. This makes it possible to simulate a real movement of a horse's back on a movement simulator in such a way that a complex, twisting and undulating seat surface is created and its movement sequence can be called up again and again.

If different movement patterns for riding therapies are simulated by regulating the speed, turning the cams on the camshaft and / or exchanging cams, variations in the simulation of movement can also be achieved by simple control means (for regulating the speed of the drive motors) and / or by turning the cams, that is, phase changes are provided for the respective periodic movement resulting therefrom. In addition or as an alternative, the cams themselves can also be used be exchanged in order to change the movement characteristics, e.g. the movement amplitudes and frequencies of harmonics.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1

einen Bewegungssimulator in einer räumlichen Vorderansicht,

Fig. 2

diesen Bewegungssimulator in räumlicher Seitenansicht und

Fig. 3

diesen Bewegungssimulator in räumlicher Rückansicht.

It shows:

Fig. 1

a motion simulator in a three-dimensional front view,

Fig. 2

this motion simulator in three-dimensional side view and

Fig. 3

this motion simulator in three-dimensional rear view.

Fig. 1 shows a movement simulator for riding therapy with a seat 1, the seat 1 having a seat surface 11 which, in the exemplary embodiment shown here, is formed from eight individual, flexible ribs 12, as shown in particular in FIG Fig. 2 can be seen. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the seat surface 11 is flat and rectangular, the ribs 12 being oriented perpendicular to the riding direction X and a pivot axis 13 being provided below the seat surface 11, centrally to the seat surface and parallel to the riding direction X. The ribs 12 are attached to this pivot axis 13 in such a way that the ribs 12 can be pivoted about the pivot axis 13 independently of one another.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the seat 1 has a base plate 3 which rests on a pad (not shown here), for example a chair frame, so that a person sitting on the seat 1 in the splay seat can freely hang their legs to the right and left of the seat 11. Above the base plate 3, a rocker axis 31 arranged horizontally but perpendicular to the riding direction X is provided. An intermediate plane 2 is pivotably arranged about the rocker axis 31. The rocking about the rocker axis 31 simulates an up and down movement that occurs during step riding. On this
Between plane 2, two camshafts, namely a right camshaft 21 and a left camshaft 22, are arranged parallel to the pivot axis 13, that is to say also parallel to the riding direction X. The two camshafts 21, 22 each have a belt pulley 44 at one end, around which a common V-belt 43 rotates. A drive means 4 in the form of an electric servomotor 41 is arranged centrally between the two belt pulleys 44 and has a belt drive pulley 45 by which the V-belt 43 is driven via the belt pulleys 44.

On the camshafts 21, 22 cam disks 24 are placed, which in the illustrated embodiment are each arranged under the end regions of the eight ribs 12. Due to the shape of the cams 24 lying on the camshaft 21, 22, a change in height is achieved by pivoting the respective rib 12 about the pivot axis 13. At the point at which the respective rib 12 touches the cam 24, a roller 14 is preferably attached in each case for low-friction support. These rollers 14 thus follow the surface of the respective rotating cam 24 and adjust the rib 12 located above it. The lateral inclination that occurs when riding at stride is simulated with the aid of these cams 24 on the seat surface 11.

Since the ribs 12 can only be adjusted about a fixed pivot axis 13, the two cams 24 assigned to a rib 12, which are located below the end regions of the rib 12 under consideration, once on the right and once on the left, are designed in such a way that, for example, when moving downwards On the left side, a corresponding upward movement is compensated for on the right side, so that the rib 12 pivots about the pivot axis 13 and nevertheless rests on the respective cam 24 at both end regions and remains in contact with the roller 14 arranged there. In this way, the entire seat surface 11 is completely supported despite the variable adjustability.

The upward and downward movement in the riding direction X around the rocker axis 31 simulates the second movement component of the riding step. In order to be able to move the intermediate level 2 with the seat 11 arranged on it up and down in the riding direction X, a third camshaft 23 is arranged parallel and below the pivot axis 13 on the intermediate level or rocker 2, with two cams 24 each spaced apart on this camshaft 23 sit on the rocker axis 31, which act together in a supporting manner with the base plate 3 or rollers 14 arranged there. The two cams 24 of the third camshaft 23 are arranged in such a way that a "mountain" of one cam 24 faces a "valley" on the other cam 24, so that the entire intermediate plane (rocker) 2 is around the rocker axis 31 with appropriate support both cams 23 can pivot on the base plate 3 via the rollers 14. The third camshaft 23 has a pulley 44 at one end. Through the joint drive of the third camshaft 23 with the V-belt 43, the fixed phase assignment for the lateral movement (first movement component) to this up and down movement (second movement component) is ensured.

The required movements, namely the first movement component - corresponding to the lateral inclination of the horse - and the second movement component - corresponding to the upward and downward movement in riding direction X - are driven by the drive means 4. The electric servomotor 41 drives the V-belt 43 via the drive pulley 45, so that the revolving V-belt 43 drives the pulleys 44 of the three camshafts 21, 22 and 23 synchronously with one another. This drive ensures the fixed phase relationship between the left and right camshafts 21, 22 and the third camshaft 23.

Alternatively, the upward and downward movement via the rocker shaft 31 can also be carried out by the first servomotor 41 via a mechanical function, for example via a corresponding one on the drive pulley 45 of the first servomotor 41 articulated connecting rod are executed. Furthermore, two servomotors are conceivable as drive means 4, with a second servomotor adjusting the intermediate level (rocker) 2 to the base plate 3 around the rocker axis 31 in order to simulate the up and down movement of the horse in the riding direction X. Since this movement is also to be carried out synchronously with the lateral inclination (first movement component), the two servomotors 41, 42 are thus electrically synchronized.

In a further (not shown) embodiment, the seat 11 is equipped with a flexible, padded surface that simulates the shape of a horse's back. Furthermore, a seat heating system can be inserted in this flexible upholstery to simulate the body heat of the horse. The heating can be done electrically, for example, similar to seat heating in a motor vehicle.

List of reference symbols

1

Seat

11

Seat

12th

rib

13th

Swivel axis

14th

role

2

Mezzanine level, seesaw

21

right camshaft

22nd

left camshaft

23

third camshaft

24

Cam

3rd

Base plate

31

Seesaw axis

4th

Drive means

41

Servo motor

43

V-belt

44

Pulley

45

Drive pulley

X

Riding direction

Claims (11)

Movement simulator for riding therapy with a seat (11) simulating a horse's back with a riding direction (X) and a swivel axis (13) arranged centrally in the riding direction (X), the seat (11) being made up of individual ribs extending transversely to the swivel axis (13) (12), which are moved by means of rotationally driven camshafts arranged below the seat surface (11), characterized in that the camshafts are arranged on both sides parallel to the pivot axis (13) as a left and a right camshaft (21, 22), wherein for each rib (12) on the camshafts (21, 22) seated cams (24) are provided, which support each rib and can pivot individually about the pivot axis (13), and that the flexible seat surface (11) with the two camshafts ( 21, 22) forms a rocker which is designed to be pivotable to and fro in the riding direction (X) about a rocker axis (31) arranged horizontally and transversely to the pivot axis (13). Motion simulator according to claim 1, characterized in that a third camshaft (23) is provided parallel to the left and right camshafts (21, 22), with at least two cam disks sitting on the third camshaft (23), which the rocker on both sides of the horizontal rocker axis Support (31) and swivel with rotary drive. Motion simulator according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a first servomotor (41) is provided which drives the left and right camshafts (21, 22) synchronously with one another via a V-belt (43). Motion simulator according to claim 3, characterized in that the rocker is driven by the first servomotor (41) via the V-belt (43) is designed to be drivable synchronously with the left and right camshafts (21, 22). Motion simulator according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that a second servomotor (42) is provided which drives the rocker. Movement simulator according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seat surface (11) has eight to twelve ribs (12), each rib being supported at both ends on a cam (24). Movement simulator according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a heater is provided for the seat surface (11). Method for the movement simulation of a riding therapy for a patient on a seat (1) with a seat surface (11) simulating a horse's back with a riding direction (X), in particular with a movement simulator according to one of the preceding claims, - The movement being resolved into a first movement component, which oscillates about a pivot axis (13) in the riding direction (X), and a second movement component, which oscillates about a horizontal rocker axis (31) transversely to the riding direction (X), and - wherein the seat (11) simulating a horse's back twists elastically, - characterized in that
on both sides next to the pivot axis (13) at least three support points for the one simulating a horse's back Seat (11) are used, which periodically move up and down to generate the first movement component. Method according to Claim 8, characterized in that the up and down movements of the first movement component take place at the same frequency. Method according to Claim 9, characterized in that the first movement component is periodically generated by camshafts (21, 22) rotating under the seat surface (11) and equipped with cams, the flexible seat surface (11) extending through a plurality of support points on the Cams of the rotating camshafts twisted, the second movement component is generated periodically and the first and second movement components are driven synchronously with one another. Method according to Claim 10, characterized in that different movement patterns for riding therapies are simulated by regulating the speed, rotating the cams on the camshaft and / or exchanging cams.

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