JP4015941B2 - Walking exercise device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a walking exercise apparatus that performs a walking exercise in a biped upright posture, and more particularly to a walking exercise apparatus that is suitable for rehabilitation of a walking movement of an elderly person and a person who has an obstacle in walking.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a large number of walking exercise devices of this type have been developed and commercialized. However, they employ a mechanism that places a fulcrum in front to move the pedal up and down (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-325860
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above-described conventional walking exercise apparatus employs a mechanism that places a fulcrum in front, so that it is specialized in training of the treading force (stepping force), and the adjustment of the height difference (stepping width) is limited. ing.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to provide a walking exercise device that reproduces an exercise trajectory close to natural walking and considers lift (force to lift a foot).
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first and second pedal members on which the left and right feet are placed and the first and second pedal members are slidably provided and are arranged rearward. The first and second rail members that rotate by a predetermined angle around the fulcrum and the first and second rail members that are driven back and forth alternately with respect to the first and second rail members; a driving unit for rotating the first and the second rail member alternately, to manage the drive unit, viewed contains a control unit for controlling respective high and low positions of the first and second pedal members, wherein the depression It is a walking exercise apparatus characterized by a rail member falling from a horizontal position .
The invention according to claim 2 is the walking exercise device according to claim 1, wherein a pressure sensor is provided on the pedal member.
A third aspect of the present invention is the walking exercise apparatus according to the first or second aspect, further comprising a pedal position detecting unit that detects a position of the pedal member.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control unit manages the drive unit based on the detection result of the pedal position detection unit, and controls the front and rear height positions of the first and second pedal members. It is a walking exercise apparatus of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the movement is in accordance with actual walking from the operating position of the pedal member and the force applied to the pedal member measured by the pressure sensor. The walking exercise device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a walking exercise apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a block diagram, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a pedal unit, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a pressure sensor, and FIG. A flowchart and FIG. 5 are diagrams showing a walking motion trajectory.
As shown in FIG. 1, the walking exercise device 10 of this embodiment includes an operation unit 11, a lower limb exercise device 20 including pedals 21 </ b> L and 21 </ b> R, a control unit 12, a drive unit 13, and the like.
[0008]
The operation unit 11 uses a touch panel screen, and is a part for setting exercise content, a stepping amount, a stride, and the like.
[0009]
The lower limb exercise device 20 is a device capable of walking in a biped upright posture, and as shown in FIG. 2, left and right pedal parts (first and second pedal members) 21L and 21R ( Hereinafter, the left and right pedal portions 21 are slidably provided, and the left and right rail portions (first and second rails) rotate around a fulcrum 22a disposed at the rear by a predetermined angle. Members) 22L and 22R (hereinafter, may be represented by 22).
In this embodiment, a fulcrum 22a is placed on the rear side, and an operation for driving the rail portion 22 on which the pedal portion 21 is placed "up and down" (arrow A), and an operation for driving the pedal portion 21 "back and forth" (arrow B, C) is combined to reproduce the trajectory of natural walking.
[0010]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower limb exercise apparatus 20 is provided with a pressure sensor 23 (23L, 23R) that measures the stepping force of the left and right feet.
As the pressure sensor 23, a load cell or the like can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right pedal portions (foot placement portions) 21R and 21L have sensors S1 and S2 on the right and left on the toe side, and a sensor S3 on the center. However, five sensors S4 and S5 are provided on the right and left sides of the heel side.
[0011]
The pressure sensor 23 provided in the pedal portion 21 is provided to grasp the user's exercise state. If the pressure sensor 23 of both feet shows a numerical value of 0, it can be regarded as a fall or unauthorized use and can be used as a safety measure to stop the device.
As an application, it can be used to measure the balance during walking exercise. As a measure of walking ability, the force applied to the pedal portion 21 at the operation position corresponding to the time of landing on the sole and the swinging leg (the state where one foot floats in the air to step forward) is measured. It can be determined whether or not it is in accordance with walking.
[0012]
The control unit 12 is a part that manages the drive unit 13 and controls the front and rear height positions of the pedal unit 21.
The drive unit 13 is a part that alternately drives the pedal unit 21 back and forth with respect to the rail unit 22 and that alternately rotates the rail unit 22. For example, each unit may be motor-driven.
[0013]
Next, the operation of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
When the start SW of the operation unit 11 is turned on, the apparatus 10 is started (S100), and the operation content, the amount of stepping, and the stride are set by the operation unit 11 (S101).
The exercise content can be selected from “stepping exercise” in which the left and right feet are alternately moved up and down, “slip exercise” in which the left and right feet are alternately moved back and forth, and “elliptical exercise” in which the locomotion trajectory is reproduced. As the stepping amount, a height difference for moving the left and right feet up and down is set, and as the step length, a sliding amount for moving the left and right feet back and forth is set.
[0014]
After the exercise is started (S102), the pedal position is detected by an encoder (not shown) (S103), AC servo motor control is performed (S104), and the exercise is terminated (S105).
Measure body weight and reset sensor when boarding device. After a certain time has elapsed, measurement is started. This is because the measurement error immediately after the start of exercise is eliminated and the system is stabilized. In addition to sensor drift, there is also pedestrian wandering.
[0015]
Here, the walking motion trajectory of the walking motion apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
At the time of walking, as shown in FIG. 5, landing is made from the heel (state of F6, P6), and the ground is kicked diagonally downward and rearward by the toes (state of F2, P2), thereby obtaining propulsive force.
At this time, the pedal portion 21 slides back and forth on the rail portion 22 to reproduce the “step length”. In addition, the rail portion 22 loaded with the pedal portion 21 operates up and down to reproduce the “depression amount (foot lifting amount)”.
[0016]
6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the operation (B) of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment while comparing it with the operation (A) of the conventional walking exercise device.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the conventional walking exercise device 100 always moves in the “downward” direction (arrow D). Then, after kicking the foot from the front fulcrum 122a to the lower rear part (arrow E) and raising the foot above the fulcrum 122a (arrow F) by the jumping action of the rail part 122 by the driving unit (arrow F), toward the fulcrum 122a The operation is to push the foot forward and downward (arrow D). The trajectory of the foot at this time is as shown in FIG.
[0017]
On the other hand, the walking exercise device 10 according to the present embodiment always moves in the “up” direction as shown in FIG. 6B (arrow B). Then, after depressing from the foremost part of the rail part 22 (arrow A), kicking upward from the lowermost position toward the fulcrum 22a (arrow C), the leg is lifted toward the foremost part of the rail part 22 (Arrow B). The trajectory of the foot at this time is as shown in FIG.
[0018]
In this embodiment, the movement of the ankle is urged at points A1 to A2. That is, in A1, the maximum position is reached by the tip of the rail portion 22 so as to land from the heel, and a load is applied to the heel side to the horizontal position.
Moreover, in A2, the movement different from the natural world is forced by lowering from the horizontal position, but the load on the heel side is moved to the toe side to encourage a "kicking" movement.
When the rail part 22 is in the horizontal position, the pedal part 21 reaches the foremost part and draws an arc centered on the rear fulcrum, so that the rear part is moved and the load on the heel side is moved to the toe. Encourage movement.
[0019]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of one cycle (# 1 to # 5) of natural walking, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating in detail the operation of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment.
In # 1, the left heel is attached. In other words, the knee of the left foot is stretched and the ankle is heeled at a substantially right angle. At the same time, the heel of the right foot rises. The right toe is on the ground. This operation corresponds to (a) to (b) of the rear fulcrum in FIG.
[0020]
In # 2, support the entire left sole. That is, after the entire bottom of the left foot is attached, the right foot tip kicks out backward, and a load is applied to the left foot tip. The right ankle remains bent and the toes are swung forward. This operation corresponds to (b) to (e) of the rear fulcrum in FIG.
[0021]
In # 3, the left toe remains (is on). That is, the heel of the right foot is attached and the heel of the left foot is raised. Kick backwards with your left foot and raise your toe. This operation corresponds to (f) to (g) of the rear fulcrum in FIG.
[0022]
In # 4, swing the left foot forward. That is, the toe is swung forward with the left ankle bent. Support on the bottom of the right foot. This operation corresponds to (g) to (j) of the rear fulcrum in FIG.
At # 5, the left heel is attached again, and the movement of # 1 is resumed.
[0023]
Next, the feeling of the front fulcrum and the rear fulcrum will be described.
(1) With the conventional front fulcrum, when the rail is raised, the rear foot feels “splashed up”. On the other hand, the rear fulcrum of this embodiment is close to the fulcrum and has a small amount of movement, so it does not feel uncomfortable with rising (the right foot in FIGS. 9A to 9C and (( f) Left foot in (h)).
(2) With the conventional front fulcrum, there is no sensation of stepping with force on the forefoot when the rail is lowered (because the amount of movement is close to the fulcrum). On the other hand, at the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, it feels like a step on the front foot (the left foot in FIGS. 9A to 9C and the right foot in FIGS. 9F to 9H).
[0024]
(3) At the conventional front fulcrum, there is a feeling that the escalator is going down. On the other hand, at the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, it becomes a sensation of climbing the descending escalator ((c) to (e) in FIG. 9 and (h) to (j) in FIG. 9).
In other words, the escalator is expressed as whether the center of gravity is directed in the descending direction (front fulcrum) or the ascending direction (rear fulcrum) without body movement in the front-rear direction.
At the front fulcrum (= sensation of going down the escalator), the swung foot (assumed to be the right foot) is landed on the lower step, then moved upward while moving up the body by the movement of the escalator, passing through the center line of the body This is a movement that swings out the opposite leg (left leg) at the time, and the consciousness is directed to lowering the leg.
On the other hand, at the rear fulcrum (= sensation of climbing down the escalator), after the swinging foot has landed on the upper step, it is swept down while moving backward by the movement of the escalator. Directed to.
9 (c) to 9 (e) show movement in the front-rear direction. Depending on whether the inclination of the rail is in the traveling direction and is “up” or “down”, It seems that the consciousness is directed to either “lower the foot”.
(4) With the conventional front fulcrum, there is a sense that the front fulcrum is always moving toward the downhill. On the other hand, at the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, it becomes a sensation of always moving toward the uphill ((c) to (e) in FIG. 9 and (h) to (j) in FIG. 9).
[0025]
(5) At the conventional front fulcrum, there is a sense of being pulled in the descending direction. In the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, there is no such feeling ((c) to (e) in FIG. 9 and (h) to (j) in FIG. 9).
(6) At the conventional front fulcrum, there is a sense that gravity is acting in addition to its own force. In the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, there is no such feeling ((c) to (e) in FIG. 9 and (h) to (j) in FIG. 9).
(7) The conventional front fulcrum has a scary sensation that seems to slide down, especially when kicking the foot backwards. In the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, there is no such feeling (the left foot in FIGS. 9C to 9E and the right foot in FIGS. 9H to 9J).
(8) In the conventional front fulcrum, since the inclination in the descending direction occurs due to the up and down of the rail, there is a feeling that the center of gravity shakes back and forth in the lower direction. In the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, there is no such feeling ((c) to (e) in FIG. 9 and (h) to (j) in FIG. 9).
(9) With the conventional front fulcrum, there is a feeling of stepping back slightly during the stepping motion (the front and rear motion of the pedal is fixed). At the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, it feels like a slight step forward during the stepping motion (fixed forward / backward motion of the pedal).
[0026]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the motion trajectory of natural walking can be reproduced by using the rear fulcrum mechanism.
Therefore, in addition to training of the treading force (stepping force), it is possible to train the force to lift the lower limbs and the joint motion.
[0027]
The majority of elderly people fall into a bedridden life after being fractured due to a fall accident and have been hospitalized, and there is a need for a barrier-free environment such as elimination of steps. There are many things that land from the toe instep side due to the `` toe-down '' state due to muscle weakness more than a stumble to the step and fall down without being able to support weight, and it is considered important to maintain the ability to lift the lower limbs .
By using the rear fulcrum of this embodiment, the height difference of the front which becomes an action point can be varied, and the load amount commensurate with the user can be set.
[0028]
(Deformation)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
For example, the lower limb exercise apparatus may use a walking exercise mechanism 20 as shown in FIG. In this case, the drive unit 13 is implemented by the pedal advance / retreat mechanism unit 30 and the rail vertical movement mechanism unit 40.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a specific example of a lower limb exercise device according to the present invention.
In the following description, especially when it is necessary to distinguish between left and right, an L or R character is appended to the code as appropriate.
The walking motion mechanism 20 includes a pedal 21 (a right pedal 21R and a left pedal 21L), a pedal mounting rail 22 (a right pedal mounting rail 22R and a left pedal mounting rail 22L), a pedal advance / retreat mechanism unit 30, and a rail vertical movement mechanism unit. 40.
[0029]
The pedal 21 (the right pedal 21R and the left pedal 21L) is a part where a walking exerciser puts his / her foot to perform a walking exercise. The pedal 21 is supported by four springs and can follow the movement of the foot of the walking exerciser.
The pedal mounting rails 22 (the right pedal mounting rail 22R and the left pedal mounting rail 22L) place the pedal 21 thereon. The pedal mounting rail 22 has an open top surface, and a belt 31 for moving the pedal 21 is exposed as will be described later.
[0030]
The pedal advance / retreat mechanism 30 is a mechanism that causes the right pedal 21R and the left pedal 21L to alternately advance and retreat on the pedal mounting rail 22. The pedal advance / retreat mechanism 30 includes a belt 31 (right belt 31R and left belt 31L), a driven shaft 32 (right driven shaft 32R and left driven shaft 32L), and a drive shaft 33 (right drive shaft 33R and left drive shaft 33L). A bevel gear 34 (a right bevel gear 34R and a left bevel gear 34L), a bevel gear 35, and a pedal advance / retreat motor 36.
[0031]
A part of the belt 31 is exposed from an opening provided in the pedal mounting rail 22, and the pedal 21 is attached to the belt 31. Therefore, when the belt 31 moves, the pedal 21 also moves together. The belt 31 is stretched between the driven shaft 32 and the drive shaft 33.
[0032]
The driven shaft 32 is a shaft that adjusts the tension of the belt 31. Both ends of the driven shaft 32 are rotatably held by the side wall portion of the pedal mounting rail 22.
[0033]
The drive shaft 33 is a shaft that drives the belt 31. The drive shaft 33 is rotatably held by the side wall portion of the pedal mounting rail 22, and further, one end passes through the side wall of the pedal mounting rail 22 and a bevel gear 34 is attached to the tip thereof. The drive shaft 33 transmits the rotation of the bevel gear 34 to drive the belt 31.
[0034]
The bevel gears 34 and 35 are transmission units that transmit the rotation of the pedal advance / retreat motor 36 to the drive shaft 33.
The pedal advance / retreat motor 36 rotates the bevel gear 35. Further, a rotary encoder (not shown) is integrally provided at the rear portion of the pedal advance / retreat motor 36, and the rotation angle is continuously detected.
[0035]
The rail vertical movement mechanism unit 40 alternately moves the right pedal mounting rail 22R and the left pedal mounting rail 22L up and down around the right drive shaft 33R and the left drive shaft 33L as rotation centers. The rail vertical movement mechanism unit 40 includes a belt 41, a rail vertical movement motor 42, a drive pulley 43, and a tension pulley 44.
[0036]
The belt 41 is stretched between the drive pulley 43 and the tension pulley 44 in a “W” shape, and both ends thereof are fixed to the right pedal mounting rail 22R and the left pedal mounting rail 22L.
[0037]
The rail vertical movement motor 42 rotates the drive pulley 43. Further, a rotary encoder (not shown) is integrally provided at the rear part of the rail vertical movement motor 42, and the rotation angle is continuously detected. The movable range of the pedal mounting rail 22 is determined by the rotation angle of the rail vertical movement motor 42. In this embodiment, the movable range is 10 degrees above and below the horizontal position (20 degrees in the range). ).
[0038]
The drive pulley 43 is attached to the rail vertical movement motor 42 and transmits the rotation of the rail vertical movement motor 42 to drive the belt 41.
The tension pulley 44 adjusts the tension of the belt 41.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by using the mechanism of the rear fulcrum, the motion trajectory of natural walking can be reproduced. Can exercise exercise.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a walking exercise apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a pedal portion of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a pressure sensor of a pedal portion of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a walking motion trajectory of the walking motion apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation (B) of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment while comparing it with an operation (A) of a conventional walking exercise device.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation (B) of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment while comparing it with the operation (A) of the conventional walking exercise device.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of one cycle (# 1 to # 5) of natural walking.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing in detail the operation of the walking exercise device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a specific example of a lower limb exercise device according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Walking exercise apparatus 11 Operation part 12 Control part 13 Drive part 20 Lower limb exercise | movement apparatus

Claims (5)

First and second pedal members for placing left and right feet;
The first and second pedal members are slidably provided, respectively, and first and second rail members that rotate a predetermined angle around a fulcrum disposed at the rear;
A driving unit that alternately drives the first and second pedal members back and forth with respect to the first and second rail members, and alternately drives the first and second rail members to rotate;
Manages the drive unit, viewed contains a control unit for controlling respective high and low positions of the first and second pedal members,
The rail member is lowered from the horizontal position by stepping on.
A walking exercise device characterized by . The walking exercise device according to claim 1, wherein a pressure sensor is provided on the pedal member. The walking exercise device according to claim 1, further comprising a pedal position detection unit that detects a position of the pedal member. The said control part manages the said drive part based on the detection result of the said pedal position detection part, and controls the front-back height position of the said 1st and 2nd pedal member, The Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The walking movement apparatus described. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein whether or not the movement is in accordance with actual walking is determined from an operation position of the pedal member and a force applied to the pedal member measured by the pressure sensor. The walking exercise device according to any one of the above.

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