JP6035898B2 - Wearable motion assist device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wearable movement assist device .

  For the physically handicapped and the elderly, even if it is a healthy person, even a simple operation can be very difficult. For this reason, various power assist devices have been developed today in order to assist or substitute for the operations of these people.

  As a power assist device, for example, a wearable motion assist device (hereinafter simply referred to as “motion assist device”) worn by a user (hereinafter referred to as “wearer”) is known (for example, Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1). This motion assisting device includes a myoelectric potential sensor (biological signal detection means) for detecting a myoelectric potential signal accompanying the muscle activity of the wearer, a joint angle detection means for detecting angular displacement of each joint of the wearer, and a wearer. A drive source such as a drive motor that applies torque as an assist force and a control unit that controls the drive source are provided.

  In this motion assisting device, the control unit appropriately controls the drive motor based on the detection result by the myoelectric potential sensor and the detection result by the joint angle detection unit, so that it is suitable for the wearer's intention and suitable for the current operation. Torque can be applied to the wearer.

  When the wearer is walking training, the caregiver pays attention to the wearer and cannot see the display etc., whether the movement assist device is giving torque to the wearer, and movement assistance It was unknown from the appearance how much torque the device applied to the wearer. The same applies to the robot arm, and it was not apparent from the appearance whether the object held by the robot arm was heavy or light.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-23003

Takao Nakai, Suwoong Lee, Hiroaki Kawamoto and Yoshiyuki Sankai, “Development of Power Assistive Leg for Walking Aid using EMG and Linux”, Second Asian Symposium on Industrial Automation and Robotics, BITECH, Bangkok, Thailand, May 17-18, 2001

The present invention has been made in consideration of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a wearable motion assisting device that can grasp the driving status of the robot while observing the operating status of the robot body.

  A wearable motion assisting device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first movable frame and a second frame that are worn along a wearer's skeleton, and a movable joint that flexibly connects the first frame and the second frame. A drive source that provides power to the wearer, a first detection unit that detects a biopotential signal associated with the muscle activity of the wearer, and a first angle that detects an angle of the joint of the wearer. 2 detection unit, a light emitting unit provided in the joint movable unit, and causing the drive source to generate power according to the biopotential signal and the angle of the joint, and the light emission according to the operating state of the drive source A control unit that causes the unit to emit light.

  In the wearable motion assist device according to an aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit switches a light emission color or a light emission pattern of the light emitting unit according to an operation state of the drive source.

  In the wearable movement assist device according to the aspect of the present invention, the operation state includes a state in which the drive source applies power to the wearer, a standby state, an error stop state, and an emergency stop state. It is preferably included.

  In the wearable motion assist device according to an aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit changes a light emitting area of the light emitting unit in accordance with a magnitude of power applied by the drive source.

  The wearable movement assist device according to one aspect of the present invention further includes a power supply unit that incorporates a battery that supplies power to the wearable movement assist device, and the control unit has a remaining power value of the battery equal to or less than a predetermined value. In this case, it is preferable that the light emitting unit emit light with a predetermined light emission color or light emission pattern.

  In the wearable motion assist device according to one aspect of the present invention, the light emitting unit is preferably ring-shaped.

  In the wearable motion assisting device according to one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the light emitting unit has a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on the same circumference.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp the driving status of the robot while observing the operating status of the robot body.

It is a schematic block diagram of the robot arm by 1st Embodiment. It is a control block diagram of the robot arm by a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the light emission example of the light-emitting device by 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the mounting | wearing type movement assistance apparatus by 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the mounting | wearing type movement assistance apparatus by 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the task which classifies a wearer's operation | movement. It is a figure which shows the light-emitting device by a modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a robot arm equipped with a light emitting device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the robot arm.

  The robot arm 10 includes frames 11 and 12 and a joint movable portion 13 that connects the frames 11 and 12 so as to be bendable. The joint movable portion 13 connects one end of the frame 11 and one end of the frame 12. The other end of the frame 11 may be fixed, or may be connected to a translational joint or a rotary joint. At the other end of the frame 12, a hand portion 14 that can hold an object is provided. The hand unit 14 is, for example, a scissor type hand.

  The joint movable unit 13 is provided with a power unit (drive source) (not shown). This power unit has a drive motor, and the rotation shaft of the drive motor transmits drive torque to the frame 12 on the driven side via a gear. With this driving torque, the frame 12 can be moved in a state where the hand unit 14 grips an object.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the joint movable unit 13 is provided with a light emitting device 15. The light emitting device 15 has a ring-shaped light emitting region 15A. The light-emitting device 15 includes a plurality of light-emitting elements (for example, LED elements) arranged on the same circumference and a diffusion plate that diffuses light from the light-emitting elements, and the plurality of light-emitting elements and the diffusion plates are translucent covers. Covered with The light emitting element can generate a plurality of colors such as blue, red, and yellow by RGB light control. Since the light emitting device 15 emits light toward the outside of the robot arm 10, the user knows in what color and light emission pattern the light emitting device 15 emits light from the appearance of the robot arm 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting element and the light emitting color of the light emitting element of the light emitting device 15 are controlled by the control unit 16. The control unit 16 controls the operation of the drive motor and the hand unit 14 in the power unit.

The control unit 16 switches the light emission pattern and the light emission color of the light emitting element according to the operation state of the drive motor. Table 1 below shows an example of the relationship between the operation state of the drive motor and the light emission pattern and light emission color of the light emitting element.

  In this way, since the light emission pattern and light emission color of the light emitting device 15 change according to the operating state of the drive motor, the user can emit light without looking at other devices such as a monitor while watching the operation status of the robot arm 10 main body. Based on the light emission pattern and the light emission color of the device 15, the driving state of the robot arm 10 can be known.

  In the first embodiment, the control unit 16 may change the number of light emitting elements that emit light according to the magnitude of the driving torque transmitted from the driving motor to the frame 12. For example, by increasing the number of light emitting elements that emit light as the driving torque increases, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the light emitting area can be made to correspond to the magnitude of the driving torque. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the hatched portion indicates the light emitting portion, and FIG. 3 (b) indicates that the driving torque is larger than that in FIG. 3 (a). By changing the light emitting area (the number of light emitting elements) according to the magnitude of the driving torque in this way, the user can see how much driving torque without looking at other devices such as a monitor while watching the operation status of the main body of the robot arm 10. You can know if the robot arm is working.

  (Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a wearable motion assisting apparatus 100 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a person (wearer P) wearing the wearable movement assist device 100 as seen from the rear side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the wearable motion assisting device 100 includes a biopotential signal detecting means 101, a joint angle detecting means 103, a center of gravity position / pressure center detecting means 104, a control device 110, a drive signal generating means 131, a drive source ( Actuator) 132 and the light emitting unit 140.

  The bioelectric potential signal detection unit 101 detects a myoelectric potential corresponding to the muscle force generated by the wearer P. When a person tries to move, the intention is an electrical signal that is transmitted from the brain to the muscles through the nerves in the body. At this time, the biopotential signal detection means 101 detects a biopotential signal generated on the skin surface.

  The joint angle detection unit 103 detects a joint angle corresponding to the operation of the wearer P and outputs the joint angle to the control device 110.

  The center-of-gravity position / pressure center detection means 104 detects the center-of-gravity position / pressure center according to the operation of the wearer P, and outputs it to the control device 110.

  The control device 110 includes an optional control unit 111, an autonomous control unit 112, a data storage unit 113, a command signal synthesis unit 114, and a light emission control unit 115.

  The voluntary control unit 111 performs signal processing including filter processing (smoothing processing) and amplification on the biopotential signal (myopotential signal) detected by the biopotential signal detection unit 101. Then, the voluntary control unit 111 generates a voluntary command signal for causing the drive source (actuator) 132 to generate power according to the intention of the wearer P, using the bioelectric potential signal subjected to the signal processing.

  The data storage means 113 stores a reference parameter database for specifying the task phase of the wearer P and assist parameters for assisting the movement of the wearer P according to the specified phase. A task is a classification of human main motion patterns. A phase is a series of minimum operation units constituting each task.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of each task and each phase stored in the reference parameter database.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the tasks for classifying the movement of the wearer P include, for example, the task A having the rising movement data for shifting from the sitting position to the standing position, and the walking movement for the standing wearer P to walk. Task B having data, task C having sitting motion data for shifting from a standing state to a sitting state, and task D having stair climbing operation data for climbing up and down the stairs from the standing state are stored in the reference parameter database. Has been.

  Each task is set with a plurality of phase data. For example, in the task B of the walking motion, when the right leg is swung out from the standing position with the center of gravity on the left leg. Phase B1 with motion data (joint angle, center of gravity position / pressure center trajectory, torque fluctuation, change in bioelectric potential signal, etc.) and motion data when landing the right leg from the front and moving the center of gravity Landing from the phase B2 that has movement, the phase B3 that has movement data when trying to swing out the left leg forward from the state where the center of gravity is placed on the right leg and the left leg is placed in front of the right leg Thus, a phase B4 having operation data for shifting the center of gravity is set.

  As described above, when a general human motion is analyzed, it can be seen that typical motion patterns such as angles of joints and movements of the center of gravity in each phase are determined. Therefore, for each phase constituting a large number of basic operations (tasks) of humans, typical joint angle displacements, centroid movement states, and the like are obtained empirically and stored in a reference parameter database.

  Also, for each phase, a plurality of assist patterns are assigned, and different assists are provided for each assist pattern even in the same phase.

  For example, humans have different walking patterns depending on the size of the body, the state of muscle strength, and the walking speed. Also, the walking pattern varies depending on the purpose of the movement (for example, the purpose of rehabilitation, the purpose of training, the purpose of improving the gait, the purpose of assisting the movement (force)). Even for rehabilitation purposes, suitable motion patterns differ depending on the degree of disability of the target person and the progress of rehabilitation.

  Therefore, the assist suitable for the intended operation pattern is also different. Therefore, a large number of assist patterns are assigned to each phase so that an optimum assist pattern can be selected from a plurality of assist patterns according to the assist suitable for the target operation pattern.

  The autonomous control means 112 stores parameters indicating the joint angle detected by the joint angle detection means 103, the center of gravity position / pressure center detected by the center-of-gravity position / pressure center detection means 104, and the like, and data storage The task and phase of the operation of the wearer 1 are specified by comparing with the reference parameters stored in the means 113. When the autonomous control means 112 specifies the phase according to the state of the wearer's movement, the optimum control pattern is selected from the assist patterns assigned to the phase according to the purpose set in advance. An autonomous command signal is generated for causing the drive source (actuator) 132 to generate power corresponding to the assist pattern.

  The command signal combining unit 114 combines the optional command signal generated by the optional control unit 111 and the autonomous command signal generated by the autonomous control unit 112 and outputs the combined command signal to the drive signal generating unit 131. The composite ratio of the voluntary command signal and the autonomous command signal may be set in advance for each task phase and stored in the data storage unit 113.

  The composite command signal has a waveform that causes the drive source 132 to generate power that is obtained by combining power by voluntary control that changes from the start to the end of the operation and power by autonomous control for each phase.

  The drive signal generation unit 131 drives the drive source 132 by generating a drive signal (drive current) corresponding to the combined command signal and supplying the drive signal to the drive source 132. The drive source 132 gives an assist force (power) according to the drive signal to the wearer P.

  The light emission control means 115 of the control device 110 performs light emission control of the light emitting unit 140 according to the driving status of the drive source 132. For example, the light emission control unit 115 determines whether or not the drive source 132 is driven from the combined command signal generated by the command signal combining unit 114 and performs light emission control of the light emitting unit 140. In addition, the light emission control unit 115 causes the light emitting unit 140 to emit light when the wearable movement assist device 100 stops due to the occurrence of an error or emergency stop. The configuration of the light emitting unit 140 and how the light emitting unit 140 emits light will be described later.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wearer P as seen from the rear side. The wearable movement assist device 100 performs walking motion of a person who is difficult to walk on its own, such as a person with lower limb movement dysfunction who cannot walk due to a decrease in skeletal muscle strength, or a patient who performs rehabilitation of walking movement. This is an assisting device that detects a biological signal (surface myoelectric potential) generated when a muscle force is generated by a signal from the brain, and applies a driving force from an actuator to the wearer P based on the detected biological signal. Operates to

  When the wearer P wearing the wearable movement assisting device 100 tries to perform a walking motion with his / her own intention, the driving assisting device 100 uses the driving torque necessary for the walking motion as an assisting force according to the biological signal generated at that time. It is given from. Therefore, even when the wearer P cannot walk due to insufficient muscular strength, the wearer P moves his / her leg according to the resultant force with the driving torque applied from the actuator according to the biological signal based on his / her intention. Can walk.

  At that time, the motion assisting device 100 performs control so that the assist force applied in accordance with the movement of the center of gravity accompanying the walking motion reflects the intention of the wearer P. Therefore, the actuator of the motion assisting device 100 is controlled so as not to apply a load that is against the intention of the wearer P, and does not hinder the operation of the wearer P.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the movement assist device 100 includes a waist frame 210, leg frames 211 to 214, fastening belts 221 to 224, power units 231 to 234, myoelectric potential sensors 241 to 244, shoes 251 and 252, and a control unit 260. Have Further, the motion assisting device 100 includes a power source (not shown) that supplies power to the power units 231 to 234, the control unit 260, and the like. A power source can be attached to the waist frame 210.

  The waist frame 210 is a frame for supporting the waist of the wearer P, and is fixed to the body of the wearer P.

  Power units 231 and 232 are connected to the waist frame 210 so as to be rotatable with respect to the waist frame 210. The power units 231 and 232 are connected to the power units 233 and 234 via leg frames 211 and 212. The power units 233 and 234 are coupled to the leg frames 211 and 212 so as to be rotatable.

  The shoes 251 and 252 are connected to the power units 233 and 234 via the frames 213 and 214.

  The power units 231 to 234 are provided in portions corresponding to the joints (hip joints and knee joints) of the thigh and the lower leg. The frames 211 and 212 are provided along the outer side or the inner side of the wearer P, and the frames 213 and 214 are provided along the outer side or the inner side of the wearer P. Accordingly, the frames 211 to 214 are configured to perform the same operation as the legs of the wearer P.

  The frames 211 and 212 are fastened to the thigh of the wearer P by fastening belts 221 and 222. The frames 213 and 214 are fastened under the knee of the wearer P by fastening belts 223 and 224.

  The power units 231 to 234 include a drive motor, and the rotation shaft of the drive motor transmits drive torque to the frames 211 to 214 on the driven side via gears. This driving torque is transmitted as an assist force to the legs of the wearer P via the fastening belts 221 to 224.

  The drive motor has an angle sensor that detects a joint angle. The angle sensor is constituted by, for example, a rotary encoder that counts the number of pulses proportional to the joint angle. The angle sensor outputs the detected joint angle to the control unit 260.

  The power units 231 to 234 correspond to the joint angle detection unit 103, the drive signal generation unit 131, and the drive source 132 in FIG.

  The myoelectric potential sensors 241 and 242 are affixed to the buttocks of the wearer P and detect the surface myoelectric potential of the muscle for extending the hip joint such as the gluteal muscle.

  The myoelectric potential sensors 243 and 244 are affixed to the rear side above the knee of the wearer P, and detect the surface potential of the muscle related to the bending of the knee joint such as the biceps femoris.

  Although not shown, a myoelectric potential sensor that is attached to the front side of the base of the thigh of the wearer P and detects a surface myoelectric potential of a muscle that is involved in bending of the hip joint such as the rectus femoris muscle, and the wearer P There is also provided a myoelectric potential sensor which is attached to the front side of the knee and detects the surface myoelectric potential of the muscle related to the extension of the knee joint such as the outer vastus muscle or the inner vastus muscle.

  The myoelectric potential sensor outputs the detected myoelectric potential to the control unit 260. The myoelectric potential sensors 241 to 244 correspond to the bioelectric potential signal detection unit 101.

  The shoes 251 and 252 are provided with an insole sensor (not shown). The insole sensor includes, for example, a reaction force sensor that detects a reaction force against the front side and the rear side of the right leg and the left leg. The reaction force sensor is composed of, for example, a piezoelectric element that outputs a voltage corresponding to an applied load, and can detect the position of the center of gravity / the center of pressure. The insole sensor outputs the detection result to the control unit 260.

  Further, stabilizers 253 for preventing the varus of the ankle joint are provided on the outer side portions of the shoes 251 and 252. Furthermore, a load sensor that detects a load applied to the ground (floor) via the frames 211 to 214 and outputs the load to the control unit 260 is mounted on the bottom of the stabilizer 253. The load sensor and the insole sensor of the shoes 251 and 252 correspond to the center-of-gravity position / pressure center detection means 104 in FIG.

  The insole sensor is provided inside the shoes 251 and 252 like an insole, but a similar sensor may be provided not on the inside of the shoes 251 and 252 but on the back of the shoe sole (surface contacting the floor). . When the sensor is provided in the shoe, the load applied to the sole of the wearer P, that is, the position of the center of gravity of the wearer P alone can be detected. On the other hand, when the sensor is provided on the back of the shoe sole, it is possible to detect the load applied to the shoe sole, that is, the center of gravity position / pressure center of the wearer P and the wearable movement assisting device 100 together. For example, if the wearer P has a severe disability, it is difficult to put weight on the soles of the feet, and it is more accurate to measure the load on the shoe sole than to measure the load at the insole position. It can be detected well and can provide good walking support.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the power units 231 to 234 correspond to joint movable portions that connect two frames so as to be bendable, and the power units 231 to 234 are provided with light emitting portions 271 to 274. The light emitting units 272 and 274 are not shown in FIG. For example, the power unit 233 is a joint movable unit that connects the leg frame 211 and the frame 213 so as to be bendable, and is provided with a light emitting unit 273. The light emitting units 271 to 274 correspond to the light emitting unit 140 in FIG.

  The light emitting units 271 to 274 have the same configuration as that of the light emitting device 15 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and a plurality of light emitting elements (for example, LED elements) arranged on the same circumference, light emission It consists of a diffusion plate that diffuses light from the element and a translucent cover, and has a ring-shaped light emitting region. The light emitting element can generate a plurality of colors such as blue, red, and yellow by RGB light control.

  Since the light emitting units 271 to 274 emit light toward the outside of the operation assisting device 100, the assistant who assists the wearer P can determine what color and light emission patterns the light emitting units 271 to 274 have from the appearance of the wearer P. You can see if it emits light.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitting elements 271 to 274 have light emission patterns and light emission colors controlled by the control unit 260 (control device 110).

The control device 110 changes the light emission pattern and the light emission color of the corresponding light emitting units 271 to 274 according to the operation state of the drive motors of the power units 231 to 234. Table 2 below shows an example of the relationship between the operation state of the drive motor and the light emission patterns and light emission colors of the light emitting units 271 to 274.

  For example, when the light emitting units 271 to 274 are lit in blue, it can be seen that the assist force is transmitted to the wearer P. Moreover, when the light emission parts 271-274 are lit green, it turns out that the operation assistance apparatus 100 is in a standby state.

  In addition, when the light emitting units 271 to 274 emit light in yellow or red, it can be seen that the operation assisting device 100 is stopped, so that the assistant can promptly start the work of restoring the operation assisting device 100. . There are various types of errors. By setting a specific error to yellow blinking instead of yellow lighting, it is possible to easily distinguish the difference from other errors based on the difference in the light emission pattern.

  In addition, when the light emitting units 271 to 274 are lit in orange, it can be seen that the remaining battery level of the power source (battery) that supplies power to each unit of the operation assisting device 100 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Preparations for replacement can be made in advance.

  The relationship between the operation state of the drive motor as shown in Table 2 and the light emission patterns and light emission colors of the light emitting units 271 to 274 can be stored in the data storage means 113. The light emission control means 115 refers to the information as shown in Table 2 stored in the data storage means 113, and according to the operation state of the drive motors of the power units 231 to 234, the light emission patterns of the corresponding light emission sections 271 to 274 and The emission color can be switched.

  Thus, since the light emission patterns and light emission colors of the light emitting units 271 to 274 change according to the operating state of the drive motor, the assistant can view the light emitting unit without looking at other devices such as a monitor while looking at the wearer P. Based on the light emission patterns and light emission colors of 271 to 274, the driving status of the motion assisting device 100 can be known.

  In the said 2nd Embodiment, the light emission control means 115 may change the number of the light emitting elements made to light-emit in the light emission parts 271-274 according to the magnitude | size of the assist force which the power units 231-234 provide to the wearer P. FIG. The light emission control means 115 can obtain the assist force from the composite command signal. For example, by increasing the number of light emitting elements that emit light as the assist force increases, the light emission area can correspond to the magnitude of the assist force. By changing the light emitting area (the number of light emitting elements) according to the magnitude of the assist force in this way, the assistant can see how much without looking at other devices such as a monitor while watching the wearer P (operation assisting device 100). It is possible to know whether or not the assist force is applied to the wearer P.

  Further, the ratio between the force by the wearer P itself and the assist force may be obtained, and the number of light emitting elements corresponding to the assist force ratio may be caused to emit light. Thus, the assistant can know how much the wearer P himself / herself is walking from the light emitting areas of the light emitting units 271 to 274.

  The shape of the light emitting units 271 to 274 is not limited to a ring shape, and may be other shapes such as a rectangle or a circle. Further, a display screen such as a liquid crystal display may be provided in the light emitting units 271 to 274 so that characters and the like can be displayed.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the upper surfaces of the light emitting units 271 to 274 may be positioned higher than the upper surfaces of the joint movable units (power units 231 to 234). Here, FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the joint movable part, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the joint movable part. By setting it as such a structure, the light from the light emission parts 271-274 advances to the wearer's P front direction or back direction via the side surfaces 271a-274a of the light emission parts 271-274.

  In general, the assistant helps the wearer P from behind the wearer P. Therefore, with the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the light emission colors and light emission patterns of the light emitting units 271 to 274 can be easily confirmed from an assistant positioned in the back direction of the wearer P.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, light from the light emitting units 271 to 274 easily travels in the vertical direction, so that the wearer P himself / herself can easily recognize the light emission colors and light emission patterns of the light emitting units 271 to 274.

  In the second embodiment, for example, when assisting the knee joint, the myoelectric potential of the muscle for bending and extending the corresponding joint such as the biceps femoris, lateral vastus muscle or medial vastus muscle is detected. However, it is also possible to detect the abdominal muscle potential and detect the intention of the wearer P to raise his / her leg. Thereby, even when it is difficult to detect an optional bioelectric potential signal from the vicinity of a major hip flexor group such as the rectus femoris, it is possible to detect the intention of raising the leg.

  In the wearable motion assisting device 100 according to the second embodiment, the fastening belts 221 to 224 are directly fastened to the thighs and knees of the wearer P, but the frames 211 to 214 are fixed to the legs of the wearer P. Therefore, a curved cuff may be provided on the frames 211 to 214, and the fastening belts 221 to 224 may be wound after the cuff is applied to the back half of the thigh or below the knee. By using such a cuff, the force of the actuator can be transmitted to the leg of the wearer P more efficiently.

  In the second embodiment, the example in which the wearable motion assisting device 100 is worn on the lower body (leg) of the wearer P has been described, but it may be worn on the upper body (arm). In this case, for example, the power units 231 to 234 are provided in portions corresponding to shoulder joints and elbow joints.

  At least a part of the wearable motion assisting device 100 described in the above-described embodiment may be configured by hardware or software. When configured by software, a program for realizing at least a part of the functions of the wearable motion assist device 100 may be stored in a recording medium such as a flexible disk or a CD-ROM, and read and executed by a computer. The recording medium is not limited to a removable medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk, but may be a fixed recording medium such as a hard disk device or a memory.

  Further, a program that realizes at least a part of the functions of the wearable motion assist device 100 may be distributed via a communication line (including wireless communication) such as the Internet. Further, the program may be distributed in a state where the program is encrypted, modulated or compressed, and stored in a recording medium via a wired line such as the Internet or a wireless line.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Robot arm 11, 12 Frame 13 Articulated movable part 14 Hand part 15 Light-emitting device 100 Wearable operation auxiliary device 110 Control apparatus 115 Light-emission control means 140 Light-emitting part 231-234 Power unit 271-274 Light-emitting part

Claims (5)

A first frame and a second frame mounted along the wearer's skeleton;
A drive source that is provided at a joint movable part that connects the first frame and the second frame so as to be bendable, and that applies power to the wearer;
A first detector for detecting a biopotential signal associated with the muscle activity of the wearer;
A second detector for detecting an angle of the joint of the wearer;
A light-emitting part provided in the joint movable part and having a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged on the same circumference, and a diffusion plate for diffusing light from each light-emitting element, and forming a ring-shaped light-emitting region; ,
A control unit that generates power according to the bioelectric potential signal and the angle of the joint in the drive source, and controls to switch a light emission color and a light emission pattern of each light emitting element according to an operation state of the drive source; With
The controller changes the light emitting area of the light emitting region by increasing the number of the light emitting elements that emit light among the plurality of light emitting elements as the power applied by the drive source increases.
A wearable motion assisting device. The control unit obtains a ratio between the force by the wearer himself and the power provided by the drive source necessary for walking motion according to the bioelectric potential signal, and corresponds to the ratio among the plurality of light emitting elements. A number of the light-emitting elements
The wearing type movement auxiliary device according to claim 1 characterized by things. The upper surface of the light emitting unit is configured to be higher than the upper surface of the joint movable unit.
The wearing type movement auxiliary device according to claim 1 or 2 characterized by things. The operation state includes a state in which the drive source applies power to the wearer, a standby state, an error stop state, and an emergency stop state. A wearable movement assist device according to claim 1. It further comprises a power supply unit with a built-in battery that supplies power to the wearable movement assist device,
The said control part makes each said light emitting element light-emit with a predetermined light emission color or light emission pattern, when the remaining electric power value of the said battery becomes below a predetermined value, The said any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The wearable motion assist device as described.

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