JP6737796B2 - Assistance robot - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an assistance robot.

Patent Document 1 discloses an assistance robot that assists the person being assisted to stand up. This assisting robot includes two drive shafts, a shaft portion that moves vertically in a vertical direction 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. Equipped with. This assistance robot swings (previously swivels) the table to move to the preparatory position with the elbow of the person being assisted in a sitting position on the table, and then raises the table. Bring up the caregiver.

JP 2012-217686A

However, the assistance robot first turns the table forward with the elbow of the person being assisted in a sitting posture resting on the table. Since the table is raised by the front turning of the table, the upper half of the body of the person being assisted is lifted with the start of the front turning 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 rearward from the grounding position of the person's foot. From this state, when the upper half of the person being assisted is lifted by the front turning of the table, a force is generated that causes the upper half of the person being assisted to move backward from the table of the assistance robot. Therefore, a force to prevent the person being assisted from leaving the table acts on the person being assisted, which gives the person being uncomfortable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an assistance robot that can prevent the person being assisted from feeling uncomfortable during a standing up assistance motion.

The assistance robot according to the present invention is capable of swinging about a base, an elevating part that moves vertically with respect to the base, and a predetermined swing axis parallel to the elevating part in the left-right direction as a central axis. And an arm that is raised by the ascending/descending portion of the raising/lowering part and a tip of the arm that holds the upper half of the body of the person being assisted and swings so as to rise and move forward by the forward swing of the arm, and at the same time A holding part that swivels forward so as to tilt the upper half of the caregiver forward , and vertical movement of the elevating part and swing of the arm are controlled, and the upper half of the body is seated from the sitting posture with respect to the person being assisted. A control device that assists standing up to a standing posture via a predetermined intermediate posture tilted forward of the posture .

Wherein the control device, during the standing aid, the at least some sections of the section from the time the care of the initial seated position until the predetermined intermediate position, the holding portion due to lowering of the lifting unit From the predetermined intermediate posture to the standing posture at the time of the stand-up assistance in the first operation of coordinating the downward movement of the arm and the forward rotation accompanied by the raising and the forward movement of the holding portion by the forward turning of the arm. In the section (2), the second operation of raising the elevating part is executed.

According to the present invention, the first operation cooperatively performs , when assisting the standing, the lowering of the holding part by the lowering of the elevating part and the raising of the holding part by the front turning of the arm and the front turning accompanied by the forward movement. It is an action. The front turn of the arm causes the upper half of the person being assisted to lean forward. Here, in the first operation, the holding part is raised with respect to the elevating part by the front turning of the arm, but the elevating part is lowered with respect to the base by lowering the elevating part. Therefore, in the first operation, at least a part of the ascending operation of the holding section with respect to the elevating section due to the front turning of the arm is offset by the descending operation of the elevating section.

Therefore, in the case of the first operation according to the present invention when the person being assisted moves from the initial sitting posture to the center of gravity of the person being assisted, in the case of the first motion according to the present invention, the case where only the front turning of the arm is simply performed as in the conventional case. In comparison, the amount of rise in the upper half 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 half of the body of the person being assisted is lifted is reduced, and the person being assisted is prevented from feeling uncomfortable.

It is a rear 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 a assistance robot, and shows a time when a person to be assisted is in an initial sitting posture. It is the figure seen from the right side which shows the structure of a assistance robot, and shows a time when a person to be assisted is in an initial sitting posture. It is the figure seen from the right side which shows the structure of a assistance robot, and shows a time when a person to be assisted is in an initial sitting posture. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a trajectory of a shoulder position P of the person being assisted and an angle θ of the body receiving portion at the shoulder positions P1, P2, P3 in the standing motion of the person being assisted using the assistance robot. FIG. 7 shows a time change of the angle θ of the body receiving portion from the start of assistance to the end of assistance in the standing motion of the person being assisted. As a comparative example, in a standing motion of a healthy person, a diagram showing a locus of the position Pa of the shoulder of the healthy person and an angle θa of the body at the shoulder positions Pa1, Pa2, Pa3. In the standing motion of a healthy person, the angle θa of the body from the motion start to the motion end is shown.

(1. Configuration of the assistance robot 1)
The assistance robot 1 assists the person being assisted M (shown in FIG. 2) in standing from a sitting posture to a standing posture and in sitting assistance from a standing posture to a sitting posture. In particular, the assistance robot 1 of the present embodiment is mainly intended for the person being assisted M who is difficult to stand up by himself, and, for example, supports the attachment and detachment of the bottoms (clothes to be worn on the lower half) of the person being assisted, and the person M being assisted. It is effectively used for assisting the excretion of. Since the assistance robot 1 supports the upper half of the person to be assisted M in the standing posture, one assistant can perform the above-mentioned treatment of the person to be assisted M. That is, the standing posture in the present embodiment means a state in which at least the lower half of the person to be assisted M stands, and does not mean a state in which the upper half and the lower half of the 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 M is standing, the assistance robot 1 is in the standing posture in which the lower half and the upper half of the person being assisted 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, a lifting unit 30, an arm 40, a holding unit 50, a grip 60, a lower leg rest 70, and a controller 80. In the following, front, rear, left, right, top and bottom are the front, rear, left, right, top and bottom as seen from the person being assisted M, as shown in FIG.
The base 10 includes a frame 11, columns 12, a footrest 13, and a fixed cover 14. The frame 11 is provided at a position slightly apart from the ground contact surface 2 (floor surface, ground surface) and is substantially horizontal to the ground contact surface 2.

The support column 12 is fixed to the frame 11, and is provided upright from the front upper surface of the frame 11 upward. The column 12 is arranged in the center of the front and rear of the frame 11 in the left-right direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the assistance robot 1 has one support column 12, but it may be provided with two or more support columns 12.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, the wheels 20 are arranged at the front, rear, left and right four corners of the frame 11. The wheel 20 has a lock function of restricting rotation. The wheel 20 is provided so as to be freely rotatable in the present embodiment, but may be provided so as to be driven by a drive 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/lowering body 31 is formed in an elongated shape in the vertical direction, and is provided on the front surface of the column 12 so as to be vertically movable. The elevating main 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 rocking|fluctuation support part 32 is provided in the raising/lowering main body 31 upper end side, and has the rocking|fluctuation axis center 32a parallel to a horizontal direction. In detail, the swing support part 32 is formed to project rearward from the upper end of the elevating body 31. That is, the swing axis 32a is located rearward of the support column 12 and rearward of the elevating body 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lifting cover 33 is fixed to the lifting unit 30 and surrounds the lifting unit 30. Further, the lift cover 33 surrounds the support column 12 and the fixed cover 14. The elevating cover 33 has an overlap with the fixed cover 14 even at the position where the elevating part 30 is raised.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the assistance robot 1 has one elevating unit 30 because it has one column 12, but if it has two or more columns 12, the number of columns 12 will be increased. There will be a corresponding number of lifts 30.

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

The holding unit 50 is provided at the tip of the arm 40 and holds the upper half of the person to be assisted M. In the present embodiment, the holding unit 50 includes a body receiving unit 51 that contacts the body of the person being assisted M, and a side receiving unit 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 body receiving portion 51 supports the body of the person being assisted M from below. The body receiving portion 51 is formed in a planar shape and is formed of a cushion material. The body receiving portion 51 is formed in an initial shape corresponding to a standard body of the person being assisted M, and is flexibly deformed according to the body of each person being assisted M. In the present embodiment, the body receiving portion 51 contacts the person being assisted M 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 openings face upward. The armpit receiving part 52 supports the person to be assisted M from the lower side, thereby supporting the upper half of the person to be assisted M. Furthermore, the armpit receiving part 52 regulates the back-and-forth movement of the person being assisted M by sandwiching both sides of the person being assisted M from the front-back direction. Therefore, the body receiving portion 51 and the side receiving portion 52 can regulate the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M held by the holding portion 50.

When 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 center line of the body receiving portion 51 is in the range of 20° to 90°, the body receiving portion 51 is directed upward and rearward. On the other hand, when the angle of the center line of the body receiving portion 51 is in the range of 90° to 110°, the body receiving portion 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 central portion of the grip 60 is located in front of the body receiving portion 51 and is gripped by the person being assisted M who is held by the holding portion 50.

The lower leg rest 70 determines the position and posture of the lower half of the person to be assisted M in the sitting posture by contacting the lower leg front part (shin or knee) of the person to be assisted M in the sitting posture. In particular, the position of the foot is determined to some extent. The lower leg rest 70 is fixed to the column 12 of the base 10. The lower leg rest 70 includes two support members 71 and a lower leg rest 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 column 12, and the other end of the L-shaped support member 71 is located rearward of the column 12. The lower leg pad main body 72 is fixed to the other end side of the support member 71, and is located behind the lift cover 33 and below the swing support portion 32. The lower leg support main body 72 is a portion that contacts the front portion of the lower leg 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 arranged beside the column 12. The control device 80 controls the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swinging of the arm 40 to assist the person being assisted M in standing and sitting.

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

Further, the control device 80 stores a stand-up assistance program for performing a stand-up assistance operation in advance. When the operator (the person M or the person being assisted) executes the stand-up assistance operation, the control device 80 executes the stand-up assistance program to control the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swing of the arm 40. Further, the control device 80 stores a seating assistance program for performing a seating assistance operation in advance. When the sitting assistance operation is performed by the operator (assistant M or the assistant), the control device 80 executes the sitting assistance program and controls the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swing of the arm 40. Further, the control device 80 corrects the standing up assistance program and the sitting assistance program according to the standing up height.

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

As shown in FIG. 2, in the initial state of the standing up assisting motion, the person being assisted M is in a state of sitting on the seat surface 3 (state of sitting posture). The assistance robot 1 is set to the initial state of the standing assistance motion by the operation of the person being assisted M or the assistance person. The initial state of the assistance robot 1 is a state in which the holding unit 50 is located at the rearmost position in the standing assistance program. That is, the initial state of the assistance robot 1 is a state in which the arm 40 extends rearward. The lower half of the person to be assisted M is arranged in the space below the holding unit 50. The foot of the person being assisted M is located on the ground mark 13a. The lower leg of the person to be assisted M contacts the rear surface of the lower leg support main body 72.

In this state, the assisted person M or the assisted person performs the vertical movement operation of only the elevating part 30 according to the height of the upper half body of the assisted person M who is sitting on the seat surface 3, whereby the control device 80 Moves the elevating part 30 up and down. In this way, the front surface of the body of the person being assisted M contacts the body holding surface of the body receiving portion 51. Furthermore, the person being assisted M places his/her arm on the armpit receiving portion 52, and the person being assisted M holds the grip 60. In this initial state, the upper half of the person to be assisted M takes a slightly forward leaning posture. However, the position in the front-rear direction of the center of gravity G1 of the person being assisted M in the initial state is located behind the range F in the front-rear direction of the foot of the person being assisted M.

Subsequently, when the person being assisted M or the assistant starts the stand-up assistance operation, the control device 80 causes the lowering of the elevating part 30 and the front turning of the arm 40 to cooperate with each other in accordance with the stand-up assistance program. Here, the movement of the person being assisted M from the initial sitting posture to the intermediate posture is referred to as a first movement. That is, the first operation is an operation in which the lowering of the elevating part 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 are coordinated in at least a part of the section from the initial sitting posture to the intermediate posture.

In the present embodiment, the coordinated operation of the lowering of the elevating part 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 some sections. At this time, the arm 40 makes only the front turn, does not make the rear turn, and the elevating part 30 makes only the descend, but does not rise.

By the first action, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M moves forward substantially horizontally. In the first operation, the holding part 50 is moved up with respect to the elevating part 30 by the front turning of the arm 40. However, by lowering the elevating part 30, the shoulder position P can be moved substantially horizontally. Here, the term “substantially horizontal” includes a state in which, when it is horizontal, it is slightly inclined vertically from the horizontal.

Furthermore, in the first operation, the body holding surface of the body receiving portion 51 tilts forward and moves forward due to the forward rotation of the arm 40. Therefore, by the first action of the cooperation, the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M advances and the rear end of the body receiving portion 51 rises. Therefore, the upper half of the person to be assisted M leans forward, and the vicinity of the abdomen of the person to be assisted M is lifted. By such a first motion, the back muscles of the person being assisted M are stretched and the pelvis is raised while maintaining the state in which the buttocks of the person being assisted M are in contact with the seat surface 3. Therefore, the holder 50 can stably support the person M to be assisted in such a posture.

Further, in the intermediate posture, as shown in FIG. 3, the position in the front-rear direction of the center of gravity G2 of the person being assisted enters the front-rear range F of the ground contact surface of the foot of the person being assisted M. Therefore, the person being assisted M cannot stand up by himself, but in the intermediate posture, the person being assisted M is in a posture in which he/she can easily and stably support himself/herself.

Here, whether the front-back direction position of the center of gravity G2 of the person being assisted is included in the front-back 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 vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the angle of the front turning of the arm 40.

In addition to this, the above determination can be performed by measuring the mass applied to the holding unit 50 and determining whether or not a predetermined ratio to the mass of the upper half of the person being assisted M is reached. In addition, the above determination can be made based on whether or not the rearward load that the holding unit 50 receives 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 half 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 causes the ascending/descending portion 30 and the arm 40 to turn forward in cooperation with each other in accordance with the standing assistance program. Here, the movement of the person being assisted M from the intermediate posture to the standing posture is referred to as a second movement. That is, the second operation is an operation in which the ascending/descending portion 30 is raised and the arm 40 is turned forward in at least a part of the section from the intermediate posture to the standing posture.

In the present embodiment, the coordinated operation of raising the elevating part 30 and turning the arm 40 forward is performed in all the sections from the intermediate posture to the standing posture. Of course, the cooperative operation may be executed only in some sections. At this time, the arm 40 only makes a front turn and does not make a rear turn, and the elevating part 30 makes only a rise and does not descend.

By the second operation, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M rises substantially upward while slightly moving forward from the intermediate posture. That is, the holding part 50 moves up slightly due to the forward rotation of the arm 40, and rises mainly due to the lifting of the elevating part 30.

By performing the second action, the buttocks of the person being assisted M rises away from the seat surface 3. In the second operation, the body holding surface of the body receiving portion 51 further tilts forward due to the forward rotation of the arm 40. The upper half of the person being assisted M rises and leans further forward. Therefore, the second motion maintains the state in which the back muscles of the person being assisted M are stretched when the upper half of the person being assisted is elevated. Therefore, during the second operation, the holding unit 50 can stably support the person being assisted.

Further, at the time of the second motion, the position in the front-rear direction (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 foot of the person being assisted M. Therefore, when the upper half of the person to be assisted moves up, the person to be assisted M can feel a sense of security.

(3. Position of 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 footrest 13 to the swing axis 32a is vertically moved in the range of 400 to 1000 mm by the vertical movement of the elevating part 30. In the stand-up assistance program, when the assisting robot 1 is in the intermediate state shown in FIG. 3, the swing axis 32a is located 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 swing shaft center 32a can be changed between the lowermost position and the uppermost position according to the extension of the person being assisted.

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

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

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

Further, the swing axis 32a is located in front of the head of the person being assisted M in the initial sitting posture, as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the swing axis 32a is located behind the head of the person being assisted M in the standing posture while being held by the holder 50.

(4. Shoulder positions of the person being assisted and the healthy person)
Next, the locus of the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M and the locus of the angle θ of the body receiving portion 51 in the standing up assist operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B. 5A and 5B, T1, T2, and T3 represent time, 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 shoulder and the locus of the inclination θa of the body of the healthy person when the normal person performs the standing motion will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. 6A and 6B, Ta1, Ta2, Ta3, and Ta4 represent time, Pa1 (Ta1) means the shoulder position Pa1 at time Ta1, and Pa2 (Ta2), Pa3 (Ta3), Pa4 (Ta4). Is also the same. The locus of the position P of the shoulder of the person M to be assisted and the locus of the angle θ of the body receiving portion 51, and the locus of the position Pa of the shoulder of the healthy person and the locus of the angle θa of the body are examples, and the extension and It is a different value depending on the sitting height, inseam length, etc.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M is P1 at the time T1 when the person being assisted M is in the initial sitting posture, and is located at P2 at the time T2 when the person is in an intermediate posture. At that time, it is located at P3 at T3. The position P of the shoulder advances from P1 to P2 almost horizontally. After that, the position P of the shoulder rises and reaches P3 while moving forward from P2. The position P of the shoulder rises while moving forward from P1 to P3. P1 is the lowest position and P3 is the highest position.

The angle θ of the body receiving portion 51 (corresponding to the angle of the body of the person being assisted M) is 35° at T1 when the person being assisted M is in the initial sitting posture, as shown in FIGS. The posture is 64° at T2 and 95° at T3 in the standing posture. As shown in FIG. 5B, the angle θ continues to increase.

On the other hand, the shoulder position Pa of the healthy person is located at Pa1 at Ta1 when the healthy person is in the initial sitting posture as shown in FIG. 6A, the upper body is tilted forward, and the buttocks rise away from the seat surface 3. At the time of posture, it is located at the lowest position Pa2 at Ta2. After that, the position Pa of the shoulder of the healthy person rises and is located at Pa4 at Ta4 in the standing posture.

The angle θa of the body of a healthy person is 5° when Ta1 is in the initial sitting posture, and gradually tilts forward to become 44° at Ta2 when the buttocks are separated from the seat surface 3. Immediately after that, at Ta3, the body angle θa becomes maximum, and thereafter the body angle θa rises while decreasing. Then, the body angle θa becomes 3° in Ta4 in the standing posture.

The position P of the shoulder of the person being assisted M is a locus approximated from the vicinity of Pa2 at the position Pa of the shoulder of the healthy person to the middle of Pa3 and Pa4. Therefore, the person being assisted M stands up after sliding the upper body forward like a normal person, and the person being assisted M can stand up comfortably by placing the center of gravity G on the sole of the foot. However, in the case of a healthy person, the angle θa of the body increases and then decreases, whereas in the case of the person M to be assisted, the angle θ of the body receiving portion 51 continues to increase. The reason for this difference is that the final standing posture is different.

(5. Effect)
The above-mentioned assistance robot 1 is provided with a base 10, an elevating part 30 that moves vertically in a vertical direction with respect to the base 10, and the elevating part 30 is swingable about a predetermined swing axis 32a as a central axis. The arm 40, the holding portion 50 provided at the tip of the arm 40 for holding the upper half of the person to be assisted M, and the vertical movement of the elevating part 30 and the swing of the arm 40 are controlled to assist the person to be assisted M. And a control device 80 for assisting standing up from a sitting posture to a standing posture.

Then, the control device 80 operates from the time when the person being assisted M shown in FIG. 2 is in the initial sitting posture (T1 in FIGS. 5A and 5B) to the intermediate posture shown in FIG. 3 (T2 in FIGS. 5A and 5B). At least in a part of the section, the first operation for coordinating the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the front turning of the arm 40 is executed. Further, the control device 80 controls the elevating 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 operation is performed to raise.

The first operation by the control device 80 is an operation in which the lowering of the elevating part 30 and the front turning of the arm 40 are performed in cooperation with each other. The front turn of the arm 40 causes the upper half of the person M to lean forward. Here, in the first operation, the holding unit 50 is raised with respect to the elevating unit 30 by the front turning of the arm 40, but the elevating unit 30 is lowered with respect to the base 10 by the lowering of the elevating unit 30. Therefore, in the first operation, at least a part of the raising operation of the holding unit 50 with respect to the elevating unit 30 due to the forward turning of the arm 40 is offset by the lowering operation of the elevating unit 30.

Therefore, when the person M to be assisted moves from the initial sitting posture to the center of gravity G of the person to be assisted, in the case of the above-described first operation, only the forward turning of the arm as in the conventional case is performed. Compared with the case, the amount of rise of the upper half 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 half of the person to be assisted M is lifted is reduced, and the person to be assisted M is prevented from feeling uncomfortable.

The holding unit 50 also includes a body receiving unit 51 that contacts the body of the person being assisted M. Then, the first operation is an operation of raising the rear end of the body receiving portion 51 in cooperation with the lowering of the elevating part 30 and the front turning of the arm 40. By such a first action, the back muscles of the person being assisted M are stretched and the pelvis is in a standing state. Therefore, the holder 50 can stably support the person M to be assisted in such a posture. Further, during the second motion, the assistance robot 1 can stably move the person being assisted M to the standing posture. That is, it is possible to give the person being assisted M a sense of security.

In addition, in the first operation, in at least a part of the section, the shoulder position P of the person being assisted M held by the holding unit 50 is substantially horizontal by the cooperation of the lowering of the elevating unit 30 and the front turning of the arm 40. It is an operation to move forward. By doing so, from the time T1 of the initial sitting posture to the time T2 of the intermediate posture, the person being assisted M is not burdened and ready to stand up.

Further, the first operation and the second operation by the control device 80 include an operation of turning the arm 40 forward, and do not include an operation of turning the arm 40 backward. That is, the angle of the body of the person being assisted M changes only in one direction. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, if the person is a healthy person, the trunk will reverse halfway. By performing the first motion and the second motion as described above, it is effective in the case of aiming to assist the standing posture in which only the lower half of the person to be assisted M is standing.

The second operation is an operation for coordinating the raising of the elevating part 30 and the forward turning of the arm 40 in at least a part of the section from the intermediate posture T2 to the standing posture T3. That is, the person M to be assisted further shifts to the forward leaning posture in the second motion. Therefore, it is particularly effective for the purpose of assisting the standing posture in which only the lower half of the person being assisted M is standing.

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. Further, the swing axis 32a of the arm 40 is located in front of the head of the person being assisted M in the initial sitting posture and behind the head of the person being assisted in the standing posture. By setting the swing axis 32a of the arm 40 at the position as described above, the assistance robot 1 can assist the standing up without giving the person being assisted M discomfort.

Further, a line that passes through the shoulder position P of the person being assisted M held by the holding section 50 and is parallel to the body holding surface of the person being assisted by the holding section 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 at the position as described above, the assistance robot 1 can assist the standing up without giving the person being assisted M discomfort.

Further, the time T2 of the person being assisted M in the intermediate posture may be any of the following. In the present embodiment, the intermediate posture T2 is set to correspond to all of the following, but may be at least one of the following.

The intermediate posture T2 of the first person to be assisted M is when the buttocks of the person to be assisted M start to rise from the seat surface 3. The second posture T2 of the person being assisted M is when the position of the center of gravity G of the person being assisted M in the front-rear direction is in the front-back direction range F of the ground contact surface of the foot of the person being assisted M. The third posture T2 of the person being assisted M is the time when the holding unit 50 reaches a state where the holding unit 50 supports a mass of a predetermined ratio or more with respect to the mass of the upper half of the body of the person being assisted. The intermediate posture T2 of the fourth person M to be assisted is when the rearward load received by the assistance robot 1 from the person M to be assisted has reached a predetermined value or less. The fifth posture T2 of the person being assisted M is when the inclination of the upper half of the person M to be assisted has reached a predetermined value or more.

1: Assistance robot, 3: Seat surface, 10: Base, 30: Lifting unit, 31: Lifting body, 32: Swing supporting unit, 32a: Swing shaft center, 40: Arm, 50: Holding unit, 51: Body support part, 52: Side support part, 80: Control device, F: Front-back range of the ground contact surface of the foot, M: Assisted person, G: Center of gravity of the assisted person, P: Shoulder position, T1: Initial In sitting position, T2: In intermediate position, T3: In standing position, θ: Angle of body receiving part

Claims (9)

A base,
An elevating section that moves vertically with respect to the base,
An arm that is swingably provided on the elevating part with a predetermined pivot axis parallel to the left-right direction as a central axis, and that ascends when the elevating part rises ;
A holding unit which is provided at the tip of the arm, holds the upper half of the body of the person being assisted , swings so as to rise and move forward by the forward rotation of the arm, and swings forward so as to tilt the upper body of the person being assisted forward. When,
By controlling the vertical movement of the elevating part and the swing of the arm, the user stands up from a sitting posture with respect to the person being assisted through a predetermined intermediate posture in which the upper half of the body is tilted forward from the sitting posture. A control device for assisting the standing upright posture,
Equipped with
The control device is
During the standing aid, the at least some sections of the section from the time the care of the initial seated position until the predetermined intermediate position, wherein the lowering of the holding portion due to lowering of the elevating unit arm A first operation of coordinating the forward turning accompanied by the raising and forward movement of the holding part by the forward turning of
In the section from the time of the predetermined intermediate posture to the time of the standing posture at the time of the standing assistance, a second operation of raising the elevating part,
An assistance robot that executes The holding section includes a body receiving section that comes into contact with the body of the person being assisted,
The assistance robot according to claim 1, wherein the first operation is an operation of raising the rear end of the body receiving portion by cooperation of lowering of the elevating portion and front turning of the arm. In the at least a part of the operation, the first operation makes the shoulder position of the person being assisted held substantially horizontal by the cooperation of the lowering of the elevating part and the forward turning of the arm. The assistance robot according to claim 1 or 2, which is an operation of moving the robot forward. The assistance robot according to claim 1, wherein the first motion and the second motion include an operation of rotating the arm forward, and do not include an operation of rotating the arm backward. The second operation is an operation of coordinating the ascending of the elevating unit and the front turning of the arm in at least a part of the section from the predetermined intermediate posture to the standing posture. The assistance robot described. The swing axis of the arm descends within the height range of the upper half of the person being assisted during the first operation,
The swing axis of the arm is located in front of the head of the person being assisted in the initial sitting posture and behind the head of the person being assisted in the standing posture. -5. The assistance robot according to any one of 5 above. The distance between the line passing through the position of the shoulder of the person being assisted in a state of being held by the holding section and parallel to the body holding surface of the person being assisted by the holding section, and the swing axis of the arm is , 230-290 mm, The assistance robot according to claim 1. The assistance robot according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, in the predetermined intermediate posture, the buttocks of the person being assisted start to rise from the seat surface. The predetermined intermediate posture is a time when the front-rear direction position of the center of gravity of the person being assisted enters the front-back direction range of the ground contact surface of the foot of the person being assisted. The assistance robot according to item.

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