WO2014045433A1

WO2014045433A1 - Joint movement device

Info

Publication number: WO2014045433A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/074360
Authority: WO
Inventors: 圭治郎山本
Original assignee: Yamamoto Keijirou
Priority date: 2012-09-24
Filing date: 2012-09-24
Publication date: 2014-03-27

Abstract

When air is forced out from bellows (211-213) of a finger joint movement part (110_j)(j=1, …, 5) by an adjustment part (180), the air pressure in the bellows falls. When the air pressure falls in this manner, the bellows contract while the angle of intersection expands between the direction faced by one end of the bellows and the direction faced by the other end. As a result, the first to third joints are in a state of joint extension. When air is forcefully supplied to the bellows (211-213) by the adjustment part (180), the air pressure inside the bellows rises. When the air pressure rises in this manner, annular grooves of the bellows, which are equivalent to the bent sides of the joint, are restrained by a restraining member in the bellows, and the bellows therefore expand into a substantially arcuate shape while the angle of intersection narrows between the direction faced by one end of the bellows and the direction faced by the other end. As a result, the first to third joints are in a state of joint bending. Therefore, joint movement can be performed appropriately.

Description

Articulation device

The present invention relates to a joint exercise device, and more particularly, to a joint exercise device that has a joint portion, and that the joint portion performs joint movement by forcibly discharging and forcibly supplying a working fluid.

Conventionally, various devices have been proposed that are used to support the independence of persons with disabilities and to reduce the burden on caregivers. Among these devices, there are prosthetic devices such as prosthetic hands and prosthetic feet that replace the functions of parts such as hands and feet that are cut due to an accident or the like.

As one of such prosthetic devices, there is a prosthetic hand using an actuator driven by a motor and a wire for joint motion (see Patent Document 1: hereinafter referred to as “conventional example”). In this conventional technique, the same number of motors as the number of joints are prepared, and a drive pulley is attached to the output shaft of each motor. A wire is wound and fixed to each drive pulley, and one end of the wire is fixed to one pin after being wound around the pulley on the shaft of the joint to be driven, and the other end of the wire is After being wound around a pulley on the joint shaft, it is fixed to another pin. Then, by rotating the motor, one end and the other end of the wire are driven in opposite directions, and the joint to be driven is driven to rotate about the axis of the joint.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-8178

In the conventional technique described above, when the finger joint such as the first joint or the second joint is moved, the direction of the wire is changed by the guide roller mounted on the frame, and the wire tension is changed along the finger direction. Thus, it is transmitted to the first joint or the second joint. In such a mechanism, a force acts on the guide roller in the same manner as when a wire is placed on a pulley and the wire is pulled obliquely. And since the said force acts also as a rotational force around the 3rd joint of the base of a finger, even if it tries to bend only the joint of a fingertip, a 3rd joint will also bend. Therefore, in the conventional technique, the movements of the first to third joints of the fingers cannot be controlled independently.

Further, in the above-described conventional technology, a motor and a driving pulley are required for each joint. For this reason, the weight of the prosthetic limb device increases as the number of joints to be driven increases. Such a situation may be a burden on the wearer of the prosthetic limb device and is not preferable. Further, in the conventional technique, when the speed reducer is used to obtain a certain torque or more, the weight of the prosthetic device further increases. When a gear type reduction gear is employed, a sound may be generated due to the meshing of the gear when the gear rotates. The occurrence of such a situation is undesirable for a wearer who does not want other people to notice that he is wearing a prosthetic device.

Therefore, there is a technology that can control each joint portion independently, and can secure sufficient torque required for the device when performing joint motion while reducing the burden on the wearer of the device. Long-awaited. Meeting this requirement is one of the problems to be solved by the present invention.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a new joint exercise device capable of appropriately performing joint exercise.

The present invention relates to an articulation device that has a joint and performs joint motion, and includes an expandable / contractible bellows that forms the joint; a pipe that communicates with the bellows; and one end of the bellows One side connection member that forms one side portion connected to the joint portion; and the other side connection member that connects to the other end portion of the bellows and forms the other side portion connected to the joint portion; The one side connecting member includes an L-shaped portion directly connected to the one side end of the bellows, and the other side connecting member directly to the other side end of the bellows. When the working fluid is forcibly discharged from the bellows including the L-shaped portion to be connected, an intersection angle between the direction in which the one side end portion faces and the direction in which the other side end portion faces The bellows contracts while spreading When a joint motion that changes from a joint flexion state to a joint extension state is performed and the working fluid is forcibly supplied to the bellows, the one side end portion faces and the other side end portion faces. An articulation apparatus that performs articulation that changes from the articulated extension state to the articulated flexion state when the bellows expands while narrowing a crossing angle with a direction.

In this joint exercise device, one side connection member forming “one side portion” is connected to one side end portion of the bellows forming “joint portion”, and “other side member” is connected to the other side end portion of the bellows. The other side connection member forming “is connected. When the working fluid is forcibly discharged from the bellows and the internal pressure of the bellows becomes negative, the one side member faces and the other side member faces due to the contraction of the bellows. The angle of intersection with the direction widens. As a result, joint movement is performed in which the joint portion changes from the joint bending state to the joint extension state. In addition, when the working fluid is forcibly supplied to the bellows and the internal pressure of the bellows becomes a positive pressure, the one side member faces and the other side member faces due to the expansion of the bellows. The angle of intersection with the direction narrows. As a result, the joint portion performs joint motion that changes from the joint extension state to the joint bending state.

Therefore, according to the joint motion device of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately perform joint motion.

In addition, if a lightweight resin bellows is used as a constituent element, it is possible to appropriately perform joint motion without burdening the wearer of the device while reducing the weight of the device.

The articulation device of the present invention may further include an adjustment unit that adjusts the working fluid pressure in the bellows through the pipe. In this case, since the adjusting unit adjusts the working fluid pressure in the bellows, the bellows can perform the joint motion by the rotational force generated according to the adjusted working fluid pressure.

Here, the adjusting unit can discharge the working fluid from the bellows and supply the working fluid to the bellows. In this case, the bellows can generate a force for performing joint motion in different rotational directions by positive and negative torques when the working fluid is discharged from the bellows and when the working fluid is supplied to the bellows. .

In the joint motion device of the present invention, the joint motion device further includes a restraining member that is in a direction perpendicular to an arrangement direction of the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows and restrains the bellows on a bending side of the joint portion. The vicinity of the bellows side in the one side connection member and the vicinity of the bellows side in the other side connection member can be coupled. In this case, when the internal pressure of the bellows is an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, the device is in a joint bending state. For this reason, the shape of the joint motion apparatus can be made suitable for the bending motion and extension motion of the joint.

In the articulation device of the present invention, the interval between the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows corresponding to the extension side of the joint portion is wider than the interval between the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows corresponding to the bending side of the joint portion. And so on. In this case, even if it is the structure which is not provided with a restraining member, when the internal pressure of a bellows is an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, the apparatus is in a joint bending state. For this reason, the shape of the joint motion apparatus can be made suitable for the bending motion and extension motion of the joint, as in the case where the joint motion device further includes a restraining member.

The joint motion device of the present invention can be a prosthetic hand that moves a finger joint. In this case, a person who cuts a finger can wear a prosthetic hand that can appropriately perform joint motion.

Also, the joint exercise device of the present invention can be a prosthetic hand that exercises at least one joint of the wrist and elbow. In this case, a person who cuts his / her hand or a person who cuts the upper arm of the forearm or upper arm can wear a prosthetic hand that can appropriately perform joint motion.

Furthermore, the joint exercise device of the present invention can be a prosthetic leg that exercises at least one joint of the ankle, knee, and crotch. In this case, a prosthetic leg that can be appropriately articulated by a person whose leg has been cut or a person who has cut the lower leg of the lower leg or thigh can be worn.

Also, the joint motion device of the present invention can be a robot hand that performs the motion of the joints of the fingers. In this case, a robot hand that appropriately performs joint motion can be provided. The articulation device of the present invention can be a robot arm that exercises at least one of the wrist and elbow joints. In this case, it is possible to provide a robot arm that performs articulation appropriately.

Furthermore, the joint exercise device of the present invention can be a robot leg that exercises at least one joint of the ankle, knee, and crotch. In this case, it is possible to provide a robot leg that appropriately performs articulation.

As described above, according to the joint motion device of the present invention, there is an effect that the joint motion can be appropriately performed.

1 is an external view of a joint exercise device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the finger joint exercise | movement part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the wrist joint exercise | movement part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the adjustment part of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of the finger joint exercise | movement part when supply of the air to a bellows is performed and discharge | emission of the air from a bellows is performed. To describe the relationship between the direction in which the one end of the bellows faces, the direction in which the other end of the bellows faces, and the crossing angle between the direction in which the one side end faces and the direction in which the other side end faces. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the state of the wrist joint exercise | movement part when supply of the air to a bellows is performed and discharge | emission of the air from a bellows is performed.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the joints of the hand prosthesis (hereinafter also referred to as “hand prosthesis”) and the joint of the wrist prosthesis (hereinafter also referred to as “wrist prosthesis”) that substitute for the function of the right hand of the human body. An articulation device that performs exercise will be described as an example. In the following description and drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is an external view of a joint exercise device 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is an external view of a joint exercise device 100, which is a prosthetic hand, as viewed from the back of the hand (back of hand) when the joint of a finger prosthesis and the joint of a wrist prosthesis are in an extended state.

As shown in FIG. 1, the articulation apparatus 100 includes five finger joint motion units (pneumatic actuators for fingers) 110 ₁ , 110 ₂ , 110 ₃ , 110 ₄ , 110 ₅ and a wrist joint motion unit (for wrists). Pneumatic actuator) 120. The joint exercise device 100 includes fixing

members

150 and 160 and an adjustment unit 180.

In the present embodiment, the finger joint exercise unit 110 _j (j = 1,... 5), the wrist joint exercise unit 120, and the fixing

members

150 and 160 are formed by a silicone resin glove GRV in the shape of the right hand of the human body. Covered.

<Configuration of finger joint exercise unit 110 _j >
Each of the above-described finger joint motion units 110 ₁ to 110 ₅ performs joint motion of the finger prosthesis. Here, the finger joint exercise unit 110 ₁ substitutes the function of the thumb of the human body. The finger joint exercise unit 110 ₂ substitutes the function of the index finger of the human body, and the finger joint exercise unit 110 ₃ substitutes the function of the middle finger of the human body. Further, the finger joint exercise unit 110 ₄ substitutes the function of the ring finger of the human body, and the finger joint exercise unit 110 ₅ substitutes the function of the little finger of the human body. Each of the finger joint exercise units 110 ₁ to 110 ₅ is connected to the adjustment unit 180 via a pipe.

Each of these finger joint movement sections 110 _j (j = 1,..., 5) has

bellows

211, 212, 213, piping 222, 223, 224 and connecting

members

231, 232, 233, 234. In addition, the finger joint motion unit 110 _j includes restraining

members

241, 242, and 243.

Here, the coordinate system (X, Y, Z) in FIGS. 2A and 2B is the + Y direction for the fingertip direction of the finger prosthetic hand in the joint extension state, and the + Z direction for the direction from the flexion side to the extension side of the joint. This is the coordinate system for the direction. 2A and 2B show a state in which the bellows 211 to 213 in the finger joint movement unit 110 _j contract.

The

bellows

211, 212, and 213 described above are elastic resin members having annular grooves that are equally spaced, and form a joint portion of a finger prosthesis. Here, the bellows 211 forms a first joint and the bellows 212 forms a second joint. The bellows 213 forms a third joint.

The

bellows

211 and 212 are connected by a flexible resin pipe. When the air pressure in the

bellows

211, 212 changes through the flexible resin pipe 223 communicating between the bellows 212 and the adjusting portion 180, the

bellows

211, 212 expands and contracts. Further, when the air pressure in the bellows 213 changes through the flexible resin pipe 224 communicating between the bellows 213 and the adjusting portion 180, the bellows 213 expands and contracts. As a result, the bellows 211 performs the joint motion of the first joint, and the bellows 212 performs the joint motion of the second joint. Further, the bellows 231 performs the joint motion of the third joint. Details of the joint motion will be described later.

The connecting

members

231, 232, 233, and 234 are formed by, for example, bending a long metal plate along a fold line perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Here, the

connection members

231 and 234 are formed by bending a metal plate into an L shape, and the

connection members

232 and 233 are formed by bending the metal plate into a U shape. Note that the bending angle of the connection members 213 to 234 is an appropriate angle so that it can be adapted to the movable range required by the joint portion that performs the bending and stretching movements.

Further, the connection members 231 to 234 may be formed by forming a wire into a substantially rectangular ring shape and bending the wire formed into the ring shape into an L shape or a U shape.

The connecting member 231 forms one side portion connected to the first joint portion. The connection member 231 has bent

portions

231a and 231b. And the bending part 231a is directly connected to the + Y direction side (one side edge part) of the expansion-contraction direction of the bellows 211, and the bending part 231b forms the terminal node between a fingertip part and a 1st joint part.

The connection member 232 forms the other side part connected to the first joint part and forms the one side part connected to the second joint part. The connecting member 232 has bent

portions

232a, 232b, and 232c, and a hole (not shown) through which the pipe 222 is passed is provided at the approximate center of the bent portion 232a and the bent portion 232c. The bent part 232a is directly connected to the −Y direction side (the other side end part) of the expansion / contraction direction of the bellows 211, and the bent part 232c is directly connected to the + Y direction side (one side end part) of the bellows 212. It is connected to the. The bent portion 232b forms a middle joint between the first joint portion and the second joint portion.

The connecting member 233 forms the other side part connected to the second joint part and also forms the one side part connected to the third joint part. The connection member 233 has bent

portions

233a, 233b, and 233c, and a hole (not shown) through which the pipe 223 is passed is provided in the approximate center of the bent portion 233a and the bent portion 233c. The bent part 233a is directly connected to the −Y direction side (the other side end part) of the expansion / contraction direction of the bellows 212, and the bent part 233c is directly connected to the + Y direction side (one side end part) of the bellows 213. It is connected to the. The bent portion 233b forms a base joint between the second joint portion and the third joint portion.

The connecting member 234 forms the other side portion connected to the third joint. The connecting member 234 has bent

portions

234a and 234b, and holes (not shown) through which the

pipes

223 and 224 are passed are provided in the bent portion 234a. The bent portion 234a is directly connected to the −Y direction side (the other end portion) of the bellows 213, and the bent portion 234b forms a portion between the third joint portion and the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis. . In the present embodiment, the bent portion 234b is fixed to a fixing member 150 (not shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, see FIG. 1) that forms a carpal bone.

The above-described

restraining members

241, 242, and 243 restrain the

bellows

211, 212, and 213 on the bending side of the first, second, and third joint portions. The restraining member 241 is attached to the bent portion of the connecting member 231 and the bent portion of the connecting member 232 on the + Y direction side, and restrains the annular groove of the bellows 211 corresponding to the bent side of the first joint portion. In addition, the restraining member 242 is attached to the bent portion on the −Y direction side of the connecting member 232 and the bent portion on the + Y direction side of the connecting member 233, and the bellows 212 corresponding to the bent side of the second joint portion. Restrain the annular groove. The restraining member 243 is attached to the bent portion of the connecting member 233 on the −Y direction side and the bent portion of the connecting member 234, and restrains the annular groove of the bellows 213 corresponding to the bent side of the third joint portion. To do.

<Configuration of wrist joint exercise unit 120>
The wrist joint motion unit 120 performs joint motion of the wrist prosthesis. The wrist joint exercise unit 120 replaces the function of the wrist of the human body. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the wrist joint exercise unit 120 includes a bellows 310, a pipe 320, and

connection members

331 and 332. Further, the wrist joint exercise unit 120 includes a restraining member 340.

Here, in the coordinate systems (U, V, W) in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the direction from the wrist prosthesis to the middle finger in the joint extension state is the + V direction, and the direction from the flexion side to the extension side of the joint. Is a coordinate system with + W direction. 3A and 3B show a state when the bellows 310 in the wrist joint exercise unit 120 contracts.

The bellows 310 described above is a stretchable resin member having an annular groove at equal intervals, and forms a joint portion of a wrist prosthesis. When the air pressure in the bellows 310 changes through the flexible resin pipe 320 communicating between the bellows 310 and the adjusting portion 180, the bellows 310 expands and contracts. As a result, the bellows 310 performs joint motion of the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis. The details of the wrist joint joint movement will be described later.

The

connection members

331 and 332 are formed by bending a long metal plate into an L shape along a fold line perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, similar to the connection members 231 to 234 described above. . In addition, the bending angle of the

transmission members

331 and 332 is an appropriate angle so that it can adapt to the movable range which the joint part of a wrist artificial hand requires. Further, the connecting

members

331 and 332 may be formed by forming the wire into a substantially rectangular ring shape and bending the wire formed into the ring shape into an L shape.

The connection member 331 forms one side portion connected to the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis. The connection member 331 has bent

portions

331a and 331b. And the bending part 331a is directly connected to the + V direction side (one side edge part) of the expansion-contraction direction of the bellows 310, and the bending part 331b is the fixing member 150 (FIG. 3 (A)) which forms a carpal bone. , (B) (not shown, see FIG. 1).

The connection member 332 forms the other side part connected to the joint part of the wrist prosthesis. The connection member 332 has bent

portions

332a and 332b, and a hole (not shown) for allowing the pipe 320 to pass through is provided in the approximate center of the bent portion 332a. The bent portion 332a is directly connected to the −V direction side (the other side portion) of the bellows 310, and the bent portion 332b is a fixing member 160 (FIGS. 3A and 3B) that forms a skeleton of the forearm portion. It is not shown in B) (see FIG. 1).

The above-described restraining member 340 restrains the bellows 310 on the bending side of the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis. The restraining member 340 is attached to the bent portion of the connecting member 331 and the bent portion of the connecting member 332, and restrains the annular groove of the bellows 310 corresponding to the bent side of the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis.

<Configuration of fixing member 150>
Returning to FIG. 1, the fixing member 150 is, for example, a flat metal member, and forms a portion corresponding to a carpal bone of a human body. The fixing member 150 fixes the bent portion 234b of the finger joint motion portion 110 _j (j = 1,..., 5) and the bent portion 331b of the wrist joint motion portion 120. Therefore, bent portions 234b of the finger articulation portion 110 _j is is fixed to the finger side of the fixing member 150 to form the carpal and bent portion 331b of the wrist articulation portion 120, forming a carpal The fixing member 150 is fixed to the wrist side.

<Configuration of Fixing Member 160>
The fixing member 160 is, for example, a flat metal member and forms a skeleton of the forearm portion of the human body. The fixing member 160 fixes the bent portion 332b of the wrist joint motion unit 120. For this reason, the bending part 332b of the wrist joint exercise | movement part 120 is fixed to the wrist side of the fixing member 160 which forms the frame | skeleton of a forearm part.

<Configuration of Adjustment Unit 180>
It said adjustment unit 180, hand via a pipe 223 finger articulation portion _{110 j (j = 1, ...} , 5) together with and communicates with the

bellows

211 and 212, finger articulation portion 110 _j via the pipe 224 The bellows 213 is communicated. Further, the adjustment unit 180 communicates with the bellows 310 of the wrist joint exercise unit 120 via the pipe 320. The adjusting unit 180 is connected to the bellows 211 to 213 of the finger joint moving unit 110 _j and the bellows 310 of the wrist joint moving unit 120 (hereinafter, all bellows are collectively referred to simply as “bellows” through the

pipes

223, 224, and 320). The air pressure in the bellows is adjusted by forcibly discharging air from the air and supplying the air to the bellows forcibly.

In the following description, the pipe 223 of the finger joint motion unit 110 _j (j = 1,..., 5) is also referred to as “pipe 223 _j ”. Further, the pipe 224 of the finger joint motion unit 110 _j (j = 1,..., 5) is also referred to as “pipe 224 _j ”.

As shown in FIG. 4, the adjustment unit 180 having such a function includes a pressurization pump 181, a decompression pump 182, an electro-pneumatic control valve 183, a control unit 184, and

pipes

185 and 186. .

The pressurizing pump 181 is connected to one inlet side of the electro-pneumatic control valve 183 through the pipe 185. The pressurizing pump 181 is used when forcibly supplying air to the bellows. The decompression pump 182 is connected to the other inlet side of the electro-pneumatic control valve 183 via a pipe 186. The decompression pump 182 is used when forcibly discharging air from the bellows.

The above-described electro-pneumatic control valve 183 includes a flow path switching valve and a pressure control valve (proportional solenoid valve). One side of the inlet side of the flow path switching valve is connected to the pressurizing pump 181, and the other side of the inlet side is connected to the pressure reducing pump 182.

When the flow switching valve forcibly supplies air to the bellows under the control of the control unit 184, the pipe 185 connected to the pressure pump 181 and the designated bellows A flow path is formed by connecting the pipes communicating with each other. The flow path switching valve communicates with the designated bellows and the pipe 186 connected to the pressure reducing pump 182 when forcibly discharging the air from the bellows under the control of the control unit 184. A flow path is formed by connecting the pipes.

For example, when forcibly supplying the finger joint motion unit 110 _{1 to} the

bellows

211, 212, the flow path switching valve connects the pipe 185 and the pipe 223 ₁ to form a flow path. Further, when forcibly discharging the air from the bellows 213 of the finger joint motion unit 110 ₃ , the flow path switching valve connects the pipe 186 and the pipe 224 ₃ to form a flow path.

Further, the pressure control valve controls the air pressure under the control of the control unit 184 to change the air pressure in the bellows.

The control unit 184 performs forced discharge of air from the bellows, switching of forced supply of air to the bellows, and control of air pressure in the bellows. In such control, when the air is forcibly supplied to the bellows, the control unit 184 forms an electric-pneumatic control valve so as to form a flow path that connects the pressurizing pump 181 and the bellows performing articulation. 183 is controlled. In addition, when forcibly discharging air from the bellows, the control unit 184 controls the electro-pneumatic control valve 183 so as to form a flow path that connects the decompression pump 182 and the bellows that performs articulation. To do.

Such control is performed on the basis of biological information related to brain waves and muscle strength obtained from experiments, simulations, experiences, and the like.

[Operation]
The operation of the joint exercise device 100 configured as described above, that is, the operation of joint motion of the finger prosthesis and the wrist prosthesis will be described.

In the joint exercise device 100, initially, the air pressure in the bellows is not adjusted by the adjusting unit 180, and the internal pressure of the bellows is assumed to be atmospheric pressure.

<Joint motion of finger prosthesis>
First, the movement of the joint prosthetic hand will be described. In the following, we will mainly focus on the movement of the first to third joints of the finger prosthesis from the joint flexion state to the joint extension state, and the motion of the joint prosthesis from the joint extension state to the joint flexion state. I will explain.

Here, since the pressure in the bellows 211 to 213 is initially atmospheric pressure, the joint portion of the finger prosthesis is shown in FIG. 5A due to the effect that the restraining member restrains the bent side portion of the bellows. As shown, the joint is bent.

The movement of the hand prosthetic hand is because the control unit 184 forcibly discharges air from the

bellows

211, 212, and 213 when the joint part of the hand prosthetic hand is changed from the joint bending state to the joint extending state. Control.

According to such control, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly discharges the air from the bellows 211 to 213, the air pressure in the bellows 211 to 213 decreases. Thus, when the air pressure in the bellows 211 is lowered, the one end of the bellows 211 that directly connects the bent portion 231a faces and the other end of the bellows 211 that directly connects the bent portion 232a. The bellows 211 contracts while widening the crossing angle with the direction in which the part faces. FIG. 6 shows the direction in which the one end of the bellows faces, the direction in which the other end of the bellows faces, and the direction in which the one end faces and the direction in which the other end faces. Corner relationships are shown.

Further, when the air pressure in the bellows 212 is lowered, the direction in which one end of the bellows 212 that directly connects the bent portion 232c faces and the other side of the bellows 212 that directly connects the bent portion 233a. The bellows 212 contracts while widening the crossing angle with the direction in which the end faces. In addition, when the air pressure in the bellows 213 decreases, the direction in which one end of the bellows 213 directly connecting the bent portion 233c faces and the other side of the bellows 213 directly connecting the bent portion 234a. The bellows 213 contracts while widening the crossing angle with the direction in which the end faces.

When the inside of the bellows 211 to 213 is in a sufficiently negative pressure state, the first to third joint portions of the finger joint motion portion 110 _j are as shown in FIG. 5B (re-displayed in FIG. 2B). In addition, the joint is extended.

Further, when the first to third joints of the finger prosthesis are changed from the joint extended state (see FIG. 5B) to the joint bent state, the control unit 184 causes the air to the

bellows

211, 212, and 213. Control to perform forced supply.

In accordance with such control, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly supplies air to the bellows 211 to 213, the air pressure in the bellows 211 to 213 increases. When the air pressure in the bellows 211 rises in this way, the annular groove of the bellows 211 corresponding to the bent side of the first joint portion is restrained by the restraining member 241, and thus the bellows 211 that directly connects the bent portion 231b. The bellows 211 expands in a substantially arc shape while narrowing the crossing angle between the direction in which the one side end faces and the direction in which the other end of the bellows 211 directly connecting the bent portion 232a faces.

Further, when the air pressure in the bellows 212 rises, the annular groove of the bellows 212 corresponding to the bent side of the second joint portion is restrained by the restraining member 242, and thus the bellows 212 that directly connects the bent portion 232c. The bellows 212 expands in a substantially arc shape while narrowing the crossing angle between the direction in which the one end of the bellows 212 faces and the direction in which the other end of the bellows 212 directly connecting the bent portion 233a faces. Further, when the air pressure in the bellows 213 rises, the annular groove of the bellows 213 corresponding to the bent side of the third joint portion is restrained by the restraining member 243, so that the bellows 213 that directly connects the bent portion 233c. The bellows 213 expands in a substantially arc shape while narrowing the crossing angle between the direction in which the one end of the bellows faces and the direction in which the other end of the bellows 213 directly connecting the bent portion 234a faces.

When the inside of the bellows 211 to 213 is in a sufficiently positive pressure state, the first to third joint portions of the finger joint motion portion 110 _j are in a joint bent state as shown in FIG.

In order to place the first joint portion and the second joint portion in the joint extended state and the third joint portion in the joint bent state, air is forcibly discharged from the

bellows

211 and 212 through the pipe 223 and the pipe. This can be realized by forcibly supplying air to the bellows 213 through 224.

In addition, in order to place the first joint portion and the second joint portion in the joint flexed state and the third joint portion in the joint extended state, air is forcibly supplied to the

bellows

211 and 212 through the pipe 223 and the pipe. This can be realized by forcibly discharging the air from the bellows 213 through 224.

<Joint movement of wrist prosthesis>
Next, the movement of the joint prosthesis will be described.

Here, since the pressure in the bellows 310 is initially atmospheric pressure, the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis is shown in FIG. 7A due to the effect of the restraining member restraining the bent side of the bellows. In addition, the joint is bent.

The movement of the wrist prosthesis is controlled so that the control unit 184 forcibly discharges air from the bellows 310 when the joint of the wrist prosthesis is changed from the joint bending state to the joint extension state. .

According to such control, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly discharges air from the bellows 310, the air pressure in the bellows 310 decreases. Thus, when the air pressure in the bellows 310 is lowered, the one end of the bellows 310 that directly connects the bent portion 331a faces and the other end of the bellows 310 that directly connects the bent portion 332a. The bellows 310 contracts while widening the crossing angle with the direction in which the part faces.

Then, when the inside of the bellows 310 is in a sufficiently negative pressure state, the joint portion of the wrist joint movement unit 120 is in a joint extension state as shown in FIG. 7B (re-displayed in FIG. 3B).

In addition, when the joint portion of the wrist prosthesis is changed from the joint extended state (see FIG. 7B) to the joint bent state, the control unit 184 performs control for forcibly supplying air to the bellows 310. Do.

In accordance with such control, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly supplies air to the bellows 310, the air pressure in the bellows 310 increases. When the air pressure in the bellows 310 rises in this way, the annular groove of the bellows 310 corresponding to the bent side of the joint is restrained by the restraining member 340, so that one side of the bellows 310 that directly connects the bent portion 331a. The bellows 310 expands in a substantially arc shape while narrowing the crossing angle between the direction in which the end faces and the direction in which the other end of the bellows 310 directly connecting the bent portion 332a faces.

Then, when the inside of the bellows 310 is in a sufficiently positive pressure state, the joint portion of the wrist joint motion portion 120 is in a joint bending state as shown in FIG.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly discharges air from the bellows 211 to 213 of the finger joint motion unit 110 _j (j = 1,..., 5), the bellows 211 is discharged. The air pressure in 213 decreases. When the air pressure in the bellows 211 to 213 decreases in this manner, the bellows contracts in each bellows while widening the intersection angle between the direction in which the one end of the bellows faces and the direction in which the other end faces. When the inside of the bellows 211 to 213 is in a sufficiently negative pressure state, the first to third joint portions of the finger joint motion portion 110 _j are in a joint extension state.

Further, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly supplies air to the bellows 211 to 213 of the finger joint exercise unit 110 _j , the air pressure in the bellows 211 to 213 increases. When the air pressure in the bellows 211 to 213 rises in this manner, in each bellow, the annular groove of the bellows corresponding to the bent side of the joint is restrained by the restraining member, so that the one end of the bellows faces the other side and the other side. The bellows expands in a substantially arc shape while narrowing the crossing angle with the direction in which the end faces. When the inside of the bellows 211 to 213 is in a sufficiently positive pressure state, the first to third joint portions of the finger joint motion portion 110 _j are in a joint bending state.

In the present embodiment, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly discharges air from the bellows 310 of the wrist joint exercise unit 120, the air pressure in the bellows 310 decreases. When the air pressure in the bellows 310 is thus lowered, the bellows 310 contracts while widening the crossing angle between the direction in which the one end of the bellows 310 faces and the direction in which the other end faces. And if the inside of bellows 310 will be in a sufficient negative pressure state, wrist joint exercise part 120 joint part will be in a joint extension state.

In addition, when the adjustment unit 180 forcibly supplies air to the bellows 310 of the wrist joint exercise unit 120, the air pressure in the bellows 310 increases. When the air pressure in the bellows 310 rises in this way, the annular groove of the bellows 310 corresponding to the bent side of the joint is restrained by the restraining member 340, so that the one end of the bellows 310 faces and the other end is The said bellows expand | swells in a substantially circular arc shape, narrowing the crossing angle with the direction to face. And if the inside of bellows 310 will be in a sufficient positive pressure state, wrist joint exercise part 120 joint part will be in a joint bending state.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the joint motion can be appropriately performed.

[Modification of Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the bellows is made of a resin that can be expanded and contracted so that the intervals between the annular grooves along the caliber direction are equal. On the other hand, a bellows is employed in which the intervals between the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows corresponding to the extension side of the joint portion are wider than the intervals between the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows corresponding to the bending side of the joint portion It may be. In this case, a restraining member that restrains the bellows on the bending side of the joint can be omitted.

In the embodiment, the resin bellows is adopted. However, other materials can be used as long as they are extendable and do not impose a burden such as the weight of a device attached to a human body. Good.

In the above embodiment, the articulation device that substitutes the functions of the fingers and wrists of the right hand of the human body has been described. However, the articulation device may substitute the functions of the fingers and wrists of the left hand. is there.

In the above embodiment, the articulation device substitutes for the functions of the fingers and wrists of the human body. However, the device may replace the functions of only the fingers, or the device substitutes the functions of only the wrist. It may be.

In the above-described embodiment, the articulation device substitutes for the functions of the fingers and wrists of the human body. However, the device may substitute for other parts. For example, the present invention can be applied to a prosthetic hand that moves an elbow joint. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a prosthetic leg that exercises at least one joint of an ankle, knee, and crotch.

In the joint motion device of the present invention, the working fluid is air, but the working fluid may be a liquid such as water or oil. Thus, when the working fluid is water or oil, it is possible to generate a larger force for performing joint motion than when the working fluid is air.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a prosthetic device that substitutes the function of a lost part of a human body. On the other hand, the present invention can be applied to a prosthetic device that substitutes for the function of a lost part of an animal such as a mammal other than the human body.

Further, a robot hand such as a robot hand that exercises a finger joint, a robot arm that exercises at least one joint of a wrist and an elbow, a robot leg that exercises at least one joint of an ankle, a knee, and a crotch The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus. In the robot apparatus, when oil or water is used as the working fluid, even a small and fine robot apparatus can perform joint motion with a large force according to hydraulic pressure or water pressure.

As described above, the joint exercise device of the present invention can be applied to a joint exercise device that has a joint portion and moves the joint portion.

Claims

An articulation device having a joint and performing articulation,
A telescopic bellows forming the joint;
Piping communicating with the bellows;
A one-side connection member connected to one end of the bellows and forming a one-side portion connected to the joint;
The other side connection member connected to the other side end of the bellows and forming the other side portion connected to the joint part;
The one side connection member includes an L-shaped portion that is directly connected to one end of the bellows,
The other side connection member includes an L-shaped portion directly connected to the other side end of the bellows,
When the working fluid is forcibly discharged from the bellows, the bellows contracts while widening the crossing angle between the direction in which the one side end faces and the direction in which the other side end faces. By doing joint movement that changes from joint flexion state to joint extension state,
When the working fluid is forcibly supplied to the bellows, the bellows expands while narrowing the crossing angle between the direction in which the one end is facing and the direction in which the other end is facing. By performing joint movement that changes from the joint extension state to the joint flexion state,
An articulation device characterized by that.
The articulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an adjustment unit that adjusts the working fluid pressure in the bellows through the pipe.
The articulation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting unit discharges the working fluid from the bellows and supplies the working fluid to the bellows.
A binding member that is in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows and that restrains the bellows on the bent side of the joint portion;
The constraining member connects between the vicinity of the bellows side in the one side connection member and the vicinity of the bellows side in the other side connection member,
The joint exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
The interval between the plurality of environmental grooves of the bellows corresponding to the extension side of the joint portion is wider than the interval between the plurality of annular grooves of the bellows corresponding to the bending side of the joint portion. The joint exercise device according to any one of claims 3 to 4.
The joint exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the joint exercise device is a prosthetic hand that exercises a finger joint.
The joint exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the joint exercise device is a prosthetic hand that exercises at least one joint of a wrist and an elbow.
The joint exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the joint exercise device is a prosthetic leg that exercises at least one joint of an ankle, a knee, and a crotch.
The joint motion device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the joint motion device is a robot hand that performs joint motion of fingers.
The articulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the articulation apparatus is a robot arm that exercises at least one joint of a wrist and an elbow.
The joint exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the joint exercise device is a robot leg that exercises at least one joint of an ankle, a knee, and a crotch.