JP7611955B2 - Seated motor function evaluation system, seated motor function evaluation method, and seated motor function evaluation program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seated motor function evaluation system, a seated motor function evaluation method, and a seated motor function evaluation program for assessing the risk of needing nursing care, and in particular, to a seated motor function evaluation system, a seated motor function evaluation method, and a seated motor function evaluation program for evaluating a user's motor function during a seated movement based on the user's seated movement.

In a super-aging society, from the perspective of extending healthy life expectancy and reducing nursing care costs, there is a strong need to assess the "risk of needing nursing care in the future" for nursing care prevention and frailty countermeasures. For example, the J-CHS standard, one of the representative frailty assessment methods, requires measurement of grip strength and walking speed in addition to answering a questionnaire. This requires the preparation of equipment and a place for physical fitness testing, and it is not easy to measure grip strength and walking speed, making it impossible to assess frailty based on the J-CHS standard.

On the other hand, focusing on movements that occur in daily life, motor function is also being continuously evaluated in the user's living space, such as at home, while reducing the burden on the user. One example is the assessment of locomotive syndrome. Locomotive syndrome is assessed mainly based on the standing up and walking movements. It is known that a decline in all or part of the ability to stand up and walk increases the risk of needing nursing care in the future. For this reason, methods have been proposed to assess motor function by focusing on the standing up and walking movements.

Among these, the following methods are known as methods for evaluating motor function by focusing on the standing up motion. For example, in Patent Document 1, a distance sensor is placed above the user's head to extract the movement trajectory of the user's head, and a foot pressure sensor is placed under the user's feet to extract the movement trajectory of the user's foot pressure center of gravity, and the user's physical ability is evaluated by combining the judgment results regarding the standing up time and the judgment results regarding the movement distance of the head and foot pressure center of gravity. In Patent Document 2, a load sensor attached to the seat on which the user sits is used to measure the load applied to the seat by the user's standing up motion, and the amount of change in load is calculated to judge the user's trunk muscle function, lower limb muscle function, and balance function as motor function.

JP 2020-44295 A JP 2020-92977 A

In the configuration of Patent Document 1, which detects the position of the user's head and evaluates the user's motor function based on the movement trajectory of the user's head, the position of the user's head can be continuously measured during the "standing up motion", and the movement trajectory of the user's head can be extracted from the measured position of the user's head to evaluate the motor function. However, when people stand up, they perform various movements depending on their habits when standing up, such as "people who stand up quickly", "people who stand up slowly", "people who stand up with a large bend", and "people who stand up using only the strength of their legs". Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to evaluate whether the user's motor function has declined based only on the movement trajectory of the user's head, and an accurate evaluation cannot be performed, for example, when a healthy person is evaluated as "declining" based on the characteristics of the way they stand.

In order to improve the accuracy of the motor function evaluation system, we focused on the sitting motion and investigated a method to evaluate the user's motor function from information obtained from the movement of the lower limbs during the sitting motion. In the standing motion, the hip extensor muscles, knee extensor muscles, and ankle plantar flexor muscles work by concentric contraction, whereas in the sitting motion, the hip extensor muscles, knee extensor muscles, and ankle plantar flexor muscles work by eccentric contraction. In other words, when sitting down, it is necessary to control the flexion of the hip joint, flexion of the knee joint, and dorsiflexion of the ankle joint by eccentric contraction of the hip extensor muscles, knee extensor muscles, and ankle plantar flexor muscles. There is a difference in the muscle strength required for contraction between eccentric contraction and concentric contraction, and eccentric contraction is considered to be more difficult, so elderly people who do not have the muscle strength and sufficient range of motion of the muscles working during the sitting motion tend to sit down with a thud. Therefore, we thought that eccentric contraction may be more likely to obtain results of decline in motor function.

Incidentally, Patent Document 2 describes the use of a load sensor to evaluate motor function not only during standing up but also during sitting down. However, in Patent Document 2, the load sensor only operates when the user is in a "seated state" when in contact with the seat, and the load sensor cannot obtain biometric information if the user is away from the seat during sitting down and standing up. This means that the user's motor function cannot be continuously measured when the user is away from the seat, which creates the problem that the user's motor function cannot be properly evaluated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a seated motor function evaluation system, a seated motor function evaluation method, and a seated motor function evaluation program for evaluating a user's motor function based on the user's state during seated movement.

The seating motor function evaluation system of the present invention includes a seating device on which a user sits, a first sensor capable of acquiring measurement data capable of calculating at least the thigh inclination angle of the user seated on the seat of the seating device, and an information processing device. The information processing device includes a thigh inclination calculation unit that calculates the thigh inclination angle of the user during a seating motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor, a seating mechanical quantity calculation unit that calculates the seating mechanical quantity of the user during a seating motion based on the thigh inclination angle of the user calculated by the thigh inclination angle calculation unit, and a seating motor function evaluation unit that evaluates the motor function of the user during a seating motion based on the seating mechanical quantity calculated by the seating mechanical quantity calculation unit. The seating motor function evaluation unit evaluates the motor function of the user during a seating motion based on a change in the peak value of the seating mechanical quantity.

The seated motor function evaluation system of a preferred embodiment further includes a second sensor capable of acquiring measurement data capable of calculating at least the trunk inclination angle of the user standing up from the seat. The information processing device further includes a trunk inclination angle calculation unit that calculates the trunk inclination angle of the user during the standing up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor, a standing up dynamics calculation unit that calculates the standing up dynamics of the user during the standing up motion based on the trunk inclination angle of the user calculated by the trunk inclination angle calculation unit, and a standing up motor function evaluation unit that evaluates the motor function of the user during the standing up motion based on the standing up dynamics calculated by the standing up dynamics calculation unit. The standing up motor function evaluation unit evaluates the motor function of the user during the standing up motion based on the change in the peak value of the standing up dynamics.

In a further preferred embodiment of the seated motor function evaluation system, the information processing device further includes a total motor function evaluation unit that evaluates the user's total motor function based on the evaluation results of the motor function during the seated motion evaluated by the seated motor function evaluation unit and the evaluation results of the motor function during the standing up motion evaluated by the standing up motor function evaluation unit.

The method for evaluating sitting motor function of the present invention also includes the steps of: acquiring measurement data using a first sensor from which at least the thigh inclination angle of a user seated on the seat of a seating device on which the user sits can be calculated; calculating the thigh inclination angle of the user during sitting based on the measurement data from the first sensor; calculating the sitting dynamics of the user during sitting based on the thigh inclination angle of the user; and evaluating the motor function of the user during sitting based on the sitting dynamics. The step of evaluating the motor function of the user during sitting is performed based on the change in the peak value of the sitting dynamics.

A preferred embodiment of the seated motor function evaluation method further includes the steps of: acquiring measurement data using a second sensor from which the trunk inclination angle of the user standing up from the seat can be calculated; calculating the trunk inclination angle of the user during the standing up motion based on the measurement data from the second sensor; calculating the standing up dynamics of the user during the standing up motion based on the trunk inclination angle of the user; and evaluating the motor function of the user during the standing up motion based on the standing up dynamics. The step of evaluating the standing up dynamics of the user during the standing up motion is performed based on the change in the peak value of the standing up dynamics.

The seating motor function evaluation program of the present invention causes a computer to execute processing including the steps of: acquiring, using a first sensor, measurement data from which at least the thigh inclination angle of a user seated on the seat of a seating device on which the user sits can be calculated; calculating the thigh inclination angle of the user during the seating motion based on the measurement data from the first sensor; calculating the seating dynamics of the user during the seating motion based on the user's thigh inclination angle; and evaluating the user's motor function during the seating motion based on the seating dynamics. The step of evaluating the user's motor function during the seating motion is performed based on the change in the peak value of the seating dynamics.

The seated motor function evaluation program of a preferred embodiment causes the computer to execute further processes including the steps of: acquiring, using a second sensor, measurement data from which at least the trunk inclination angle of the user standing up from the seat can be calculated; calculating the trunk inclination angle of the user during the standing up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor; calculating the standing up dynamics of the user during the standing up motion based on the trunk inclination angle of the user; and evaluating the motor function of the user during the standing up motion based on the standing up dynamics. The step of evaluating the standing up dynamics of the user during the standing up motion is performed based on the change in the peak value of the standing up dynamics.

According to the present invention, the user's motor function can be objectively evaluated based on the user's state during the seated movement, and the user's state of decline can be correctly understood.

1 is a side view of a seated movement function evaluation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a seated motion function evaluation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a human body link model generated by the seated motion function evaluation system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a seating movement function evaluation method according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a graph showing changes over time in seating dynamics calculated by the seating motion function evaluation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side view of a seated motion function evaluation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a seated motion function evaluation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing a seating movement function evaluation method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a graph showing the time change of the standing dynamics calculated by the seated movement function evaluation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side view of a seated motion function evaluation system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a seated motion function evaluation system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing a seated movement function evaluation method according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a graph showing changes over time in seating dynamics calculated by the seating motion function evaluation system according to embodiment 3 of the present invention. 13 is a graph showing the time change of the standing dynamics calculated by the seated movement function evaluation system according to embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the experimental results of the embodiment, comparing peak values of seating dynamic quantities. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the experimental results of the embodiment, comparing peak values of standing dynamics.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The seated motor function evaluation system of the present invention is a system that evaluates the motor function of a user by focusing on the seated movement.

[Embodiment 1]
First, the seated motor function evaluation system 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a side view of the seated motor function evaluation system 1a according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the seated motor function evaluation system 1a according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a side view showing a human body link model 50 generated by the seated motor function evaluation system 1a according to the first embodiment. In the following, the up-down direction (vertical direction) is defined based on the state of Fig. 1. In addition, the front-rear direction is defined with the side on which the user stands when sitting on the seating device 10 being the front side. The direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the front-rear direction is defined as the left-right direction.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the seated motor function evaluation system 1a includes a seated device 10, a first sensor 21a, an information processing device 30, and a display device 45.

The seating device 10 includes at least a seat portion 11. The seating device 10 may include a backrest portion 12. The seating device 10 is, for example, a chair, a sofa, a toilet seat, a wheelchair, the edge of a bed, or the like, on which a user sits or stands. A dedicated seating device 10 may be prepared for evaluating a user's motor function, or the seating device 10 may be a device on which a user sits or stands in the user's living space.

The first sensor 21a is a sensor that measures the sitting motion of the user U. The first sensor 21a can acquire measurement data that can be used to calculate at least the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U sitting on the seat 11 of the seating device 10. Here, the thigh inclination angle θL is the angle between the thigh 54 and the seat 11. The first sensor 21a is attached to the seat 11 of the seating device 10. The first sensor 21a is a distance measurement sensor, such as a laser distance sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, or a radio wave distance sensor, that can measure the distance to the thigh 54 of the user U when the user U sits down or stands up. The first sensor 21a may be not only a distance measurement sensor that measures the distance to a single point, but also a distance measurement sensor that captures an area.

In the first embodiment, the information processing device 30 includes a thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31, a seating dynamics calculation unit 32, a seating motion function evaluation unit 33, a link model generation unit 38, a storage unit 39, and a control unit 40. The information processing device 30 is, for example, a computer.

The memory unit 39 stores various information, data, programs, etc. The memory unit 39 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). In the first embodiment, the memory unit 39 stores the physical information of the user U, the environmental information of the seating device 10, the environmental information of the first sensor 21a, and a seated motor function evaluation program that evaluates the motor function of the user U. The memory unit 39 also stores the evaluation results of the motor function of the user U evaluated by the seated motor function evaluation program. The evaluation results of the motor function, including past evaluation results, are stored as history. The physical information and motor function evaluation results of the user U are stored for each user U.

The physical information includes, for example, the height, weight, sex, age, length of the thighs 54, length of the trunk 52, and length of the lower legs 56 of the user U. The length of the thighs 54, length of the trunk 52, and length of the lower legs 56 of the user U may be directly measured and stored, or may be estimated from a human body dimension database created for each age and/or sex.

The environmental information of the seating device 10 and the first sensor 21a includes the dimensions and height of the seat 11 of the seating device 10, the installation position and installation angle of the first sensor 21a, and the distance between the heel 57 (see FIG. 3) of the user U and the seating device 10. Specifically, the installation position of the first sensor 21a is the distance from a reference position 111 of the seat 11 of the seating device 10 to the first sensor 21a. In the first embodiment, the reference position 111 is the front end of the seat 11 of the seating device 10. The reference position 111 can be set arbitrarily. The installation angle of the first sensor 21a is the angle between the seat 11 of the seating device 10 and the direction of irradiation of the laser, ultrasonic wave, or radio wave of the first sensor 21a.

The link model generation unit 38 generates the human body link model 50 shown in FIG. 3 from the body information stored in the memory unit 39. The human body link model 50 is created based on the calculated positions and lengths of each part, with the head 51, pelvis 53, knees 55, and heels 57 as link joints, and the trunk 52, thighs 54, and lower legs 56 as links, by calculating the position and length of each part based on the body information. The lengths of the trunk 52, thighs 54, and lower legs 56 calculated by the link model generation unit 38 are saved in the memory unit 39 as the link lengths of each part.

The thigh inclination calculation unit 31 calculates the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U during the sitting motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor 21a. Specifically, the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U is calculated based on the preset length of the user U's thigh 54, the distance from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a, the installation angle of the first sensor 21a relative to the seat 11, and the distance data from the first sensor 21a to the user U's thigh 54 measured over time by the first sensor 21a. The thigh inclination angle θL is calculated over time along the time axis along which the distance to the user U's thigh 54 is measured by the first sensor 21a.

The sitting mechanical quantity calculation unit 32 calculates the sitting mechanical quantity of the user U during the sitting motion based on the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U calculated by the thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31. Here, the sitting mechanical quantity is, for example, the angle, angular velocity, and angular acceleration of the thigh 54 of the user U relative to the seat 11. The sitting mechanical quantity is calculated over time along a time axis along which the first sensor 21a measures the distance to the thigh 54 of the user U.

The sitting motor function evaluation unit 33 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the sitting motion based on the sitting mechanical quantities calculated by the sitting mechanical quantity calculation unit 32. The sitting motor function evaluation unit 33 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the sitting motion based on the change in the peak value of the sitting mechanical quantities. In addition, the sitting motor function evaluation unit 33 compares the results with the history of past motor function evaluation results of the user U stored in the memory unit 39 to calculate the amount of change in the motor function.

The control unit 40 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 40 executes a program to control the operation of the femoral inclination angle calculation unit 31, the seating dynamics calculation unit 32, the seating motion function evaluation unit 33, the link model generation unit 38, and the memory unit 39.

The display device 45 is a device that displays to the user U the results of the evaluation of the user U's motor function by the information processing device 30. Specifically, the display device 45 displays the evaluation results of the motor function evaluated by the seated motor function evaluation unit 33 and/or the amount of change in the motor function calculated by the seated motor function evaluation unit 33. The display device 45 displays the evaluation results of the motor function in the form of at least one of visual information such as an image or video and auditory information such as a sound or melody. The display device 45 is, for example, a television monitor, a display, a speaker, etc.

Next, with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, a seating motor function evaluation method for evaluating motor function based on the seating motor function evaluation system 1a will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the seating motor function evaluation method according to the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a graph showing the time change in the sitting dynamics calculated by the seating motor function evaluation system 1a according to the first embodiment. Each process of the seating motor function evaluation method is executed by a seating motor function evaluation program stored in the information processing device 30. Here, a case where the motor function of the user U is evaluated based on the actions of the user U when sitting on the seating device 10 will be described.

First, physical information of the user U whose motor function is to be evaluated, and environmental information of the seating device 10 and the first sensor 21a are input (S10). The physical information and environmental information are input by an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard or mouse connected to the information processing device 30. The input physical information and environmental information are stored in the memory unit 39.

The link model generation unit 38 generates a human body link model 50 based on the input physical information (S12). The link lengths of the trunk 52, thighs 54, and lower legs 56 of the user U calculated when generating the human body link model 50 are stored in the memory unit 39.

The user U starts to sit on the seating device 10. The control unit 40 determines whether the user U has started to sit and performs a measurement start determination (S14). The measurement start determination is performed, for example, by determining that the distance between the first sensor 21a and the user U's thigh 54 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or that a measurement start detection sensor (not shown) such as a push button or a human body detection sensor is turned ON, etc.

When the measurement is started, the first sensor 21a acquires measurement data that allows calculation of the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U seated on the seat 11 of the seating device 10. Specifically, the first sensor 21a measures the distance between the first sensor 21a and the thigh 54 of the user U, and acquires distance data _d1t for each time t over time (S16). The acquired distance data is stored in the storage unit 39.

Next, the thigh inclination calculation unit 31 calculates the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U during the sitting motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor 21a. Specifically, the thigh inclination calculation unit 31 acquires from the storage unit 39 the length _Lf of the thigh 54 of the user U, the distance _Ls1 from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a, the installation angle _Φs1 of the first sensor 21a, and distance data _d1t from the first sensor 21a to the thigh 54 of the user U, which is stored over time. The length _Lf of the thigh 54 is the link length stored in the storage unit 39. The length _Lf of the thigh 54 may be physical information data. Then, the thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31 calculates the thigh inclination angle _θ of the user U based on the distance L from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a, the length _Lf of the thigh 54 of the user U, and the distance data _dt from the first sensor 21a to the thigh 54 of the user U measured over time by the first sensor 21a (S18).

ここで、θL_tは、時刻tにおける大腿部５４と座部１１とのなす角度である。 More specifically, the femoral inclination angle _θLt at time t is calculated by the following method.

Here, θL _t is the angle between the thigh 54 and the seat 11 at time t.

なお、微分式の算出においては、前方差分又は後方差分などの近似解法で算出してもよい。着座力学量算出部３２で算出された着座力学量の時間変化を示したグラフが図５となる。 Next, the sitting dynamics calculation unit 32 calculates the sitting dynamics of the user U during the sitting motion based on the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U (S20). Here, the angular velocity _ωLt of the knee joint of the user U is calculated as the sitting dynamics based on the angle _θLt between the thigh 54 and the seat 11.

The differential equation may be calculated by an approximate solution such as forward difference or backward difference. A graph showing the change over time of the seating dynamic quantity calculated by the seating dynamic quantity calculation unit 32 is shown in FIG.

When the user U sits on the seating device 10, the control unit 40 determines whether the measurement has ended (S22). The measurement end determination is performed, for example, by determining whether the distance between the first sensor 21a and the thigh 54 of the user U is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or whether a measurement end detection sensor (not shown), such as a push button or a human body detection sensor, has been turned ON.

When the measurement is completed, the seating motion function evaluation unit 33 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the seating motion based on the change in the peak value ωp of the seating dynamic quantity calculated by the seating dynamic quantity calculation unit 32 (S24).

Specifically, the motor function of the user U's sitting movement is evaluated using a combination of one or more of the following sitting movement function evaluation indexes. The sitting movement function evaluation indexes are (1) whether the peak value ωp of the sitting dynamics quantity is equal to or greater than a threshold value, (2) whether the time tp from the peak of the sitting dynamics quantity to the end of the sitting movement is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and (3) whether the peak value α of the slope of the plot from the peak of the sitting dynamics quantity to the end of the sitting movement is equal to or less than a threshold value. The peak value ωp of the sitting dynamics quantity is the minimum value of the sitting dynamics quantity for each time t. The time tp is calculated as the difference between the end time te of the sitting movement and t0, with the time t at which the peak value ωp of the sitting dynamics quantity is set to t0. The peak value α of the slope of the plot is calculated by calculating the slope of the plot for each time t from the time t at which the peak value ωp of the sitting dynamics quantity was calculated to the end time of the sitting movement, and is set to the maximum value of the slope of the plot.

The seated motor function evaluation unit 33 evaluates the motor function of the user U's seated movement using a combination of one or more of the seated motor function evaluation indexes calculated above. If the indexes are satisfied, the motor function is determined to be good. The evaluation results of the motor function are stored in the memory unit 39.

When the evaluation of user U's motor function is completed, the evaluation result of motor function is displayed on the display device 45 (S26). The evaluation result indicates whether motor function is good or requires improvement. In addition, the current evaluation result may be compared with the previous evaluation result to indicate improvement or deterioration of motor function. User U checks the evaluation result of motor function displayed on the display device 45.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a seated motor function evaluation system 1b according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a side view of the seated motor function evaluation system 1b according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the seated motor function evaluation system 1b according to the second embodiment. Below, the differences between the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the seating motor function evaluation system 1b includes a seating device 10, a first sensor 21a, a second sensor 22b, an information processing device 30, and a display device 45. The seating device 10 includes a seat portion 11 and a backrest portion 12.

The second sensor 22b is a sensor that measures the standing up motion of the user U. The second sensor 22b can acquire measurement data that can be used to calculate at least the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U standing up from the seat 11. Here, the trunk inclination angle θB is the angle of the trunk 52 with respect to an axis extending vertically from the pelvis 53. The second sensor 22b is attached to the backrest 12 of the seating device 10. The second sensor 22b is a distance measurement sensor, such as a laser distance sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, or a radio distance sensor, that can measure the distance to the trunk 52 of the user U when the user U sits down, stands up, or is in a seated state. The second sensor 22b may be not only a distance measurement sensor that measures the distance to a single point, but also a distance measurement sensor that captures an area.

In the second embodiment, the information processing device 30 includes a thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31, a sitting dynamics calculation unit 32, a sitting motor function evaluation unit 33, a trunk inclination angle calculation unit 34, a standing dynamics calculation unit 35, a standing motor function evaluation unit 36, a total motor function evaluation unit 37, a link model generation unit 38, a memory unit 39, and a control unit 40. The information processing device 30 is, for example, a computer.

The memory unit 39 stores various information, data, programs, etc. In the second embodiment, the memory unit 39 stores the user U's physical information, the seating device 10's environmental information, the first sensor 21a's environmental information, the second sensor 22b's environmental information, and a seating motor function evaluation program for evaluating the user U's motor function. The environmental information of the seating device 10, the first sensor 21a, and the second sensor 22b includes the dimensions, height, and depth of the seat 11 of the seating device 10, the installation position and installation angle of the first sensor 21a, the installation position and installation angle of the second sensor 22b, and the distance between the heel 57 (see FIG. 3) of the user U and the seating device 10. Specifically, the installation position of the second sensor 22b is the distance from the seat 11 of the seating device 10 to the second sensor 22b. The installation angle of the second sensor 22b is the angle between the backrest 12 of the seating device 10 and the direction of the laser, ultrasonic wave, or radio wave emitted by the second sensor 22b. Note that a single sensor may be used as both the first sensor 21a and the second sensor 22b, depending on the type of sensor.

The trunk calculation unit 34 calculates the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U during the standing up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor 22b. Specifically, the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U is calculated based on the preset length of the thighs 54 of the user U, the distance from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a, the installation angle of the first sensor 21a relative to the seat 11, the distance data from the first sensor 21a to the thighs 54 of the user U measured over time by the first sensor 21a, the depth length of the seat 11, the vertical distance from the seat 11 to the second sensor 22b, the installation angle of the second sensor 22b relative to the backrest 12, and the distance data from the second sensor 22b to the trunk 52 of the user U measured over time by the second sensor 22b. The trunk inclination angle θB is calculated over time along the time axis along which the distance to the trunk 52 of the user U is measured by the second sensor 22b.

The standing up dynamics calculation unit 35 calculates the standing up dynamics of the user U during the standing up motion based on the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U calculated by the trunk inclination angle calculation unit 34. Here, the standing up dynamics is, for example, the angle, angular velocity, and angular acceleration of the trunk 52 of the user U relative to the vertical axis. The standing up dynamics is calculated over time along a time axis along which the first sensor 21a and the second sensor 22b measure the distance to the thigh 54 and trunk 52 of the user U.

The standing motor function evaluation unit 36 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the standing up movement based on the standing up dynamic quantity calculated by the standing up dynamic quantity calculation unit 35. The standing up motor function evaluation unit 36 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the standing up movement based on the change in the peak value of the standing up dynamic quantity. In addition, the standing up motor function evaluation unit 36 compares the results with the history of past motor function evaluation results of the user U stored in the memory unit 39 to calculate the amount of change in motor function.

The overall motor function evaluation unit 37 evaluates the overall motor function of the user U based on the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting motion evaluated by the sitting motor function evaluation unit 33 and the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing motion evaluated by the standing motor function evaluation unit 36. The overall motor function evaluation unit 37 also compares the evaluation result with the history of the past motor function evaluation results of the user U stored in the memory unit 39 to calculate the amount of change in the motor function.

Next, with reference to Figs. 8 and 9, a motor function evaluation method for evaluating motor function based on the seated motor function evaluation system 1b will be described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the seated motor function evaluation method according to the second embodiment. Fig. 9 is a graph showing the time change in standing dynamics calculated by the seated motor function evaluation system 1b according to the second embodiment. Here, a case where the motor function of the user U is evaluated based on the movement of the user U when standing up from the seating device 10 will be described. Note that the seated motor function evaluation system 1b can also evaluate the motor function of the user U based on the movement of the user U when sitting on the seating device 10 in a similar manner to the first embodiment.

First, physical information of the user U whose motor function is to be evaluated, and environmental information of the seating device 10, the first sensor 21a, and the second sensor 22b are input (S30). The physical information and environmental information are input by an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard or a mouse connected to the information processing device 30. The input physical information and environmental information are stored in the memory unit 39.

The link model generation unit 38 generates the human body link model 50 shown in FIG. 3 based on the input physical information (S32). The link lengths of the trunk 52, thighs 54, and lower legs 56 of the user U calculated when generating the human body link model 50 are stored in the memory unit 39.

The user U starts standing up from the seating device 10. The control unit 40 determines whether the user U has started standing up and performs a measurement start determination (S34). The measurement start determination is performed, for example, by determining that the distance between the second sensor 22b and the user U's trunk 52 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, or that a measurement start detection sensor (not shown) such as a push button or a human body detection sensor is turned ON, etc.

When the measurement is started, the first sensor 21a acquires measurement data from which the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U seated on the seat 11 of the seating device 10 on which the user U sits can be calculated. At the same time, the second sensor 22b acquires measurement data from which the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U standing up from the seat 11 can be calculated. Specifically, the first sensor 21a measures the distance between the first sensor 21a and the thigh 54 of the user U, and acquires distance data _d1t for each time t over time (S36). At the same time, the second sensor 22b measures the distance between the second sensor 22b and the trunk 52 of the user U, and acquires distance data _d2t for each time t over time (S36). The acquired distance data is stored in the storage unit 39.

Next, the thigh inclination calculation unit 31 calculates the thigh inclination angle θL of the user U during the sitting motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor 21a. Specifically, the thigh inclination calculation unit 31 acquires from the storage unit 39 the length _Lf of the thigh 54 of the user U, the distance _Ls1 from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a, the installation angle _Φs1 of the first sensor 21a, and distance data _d1t from the first sensor 21a to the thigh 54 of the user U, which is stored over time. The length _Lf of the thigh 54 is the link length stored in the storage unit 39. The length _Lf of the thigh 54 may be physical information data. Then, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31 calculates the thigh inclination angle _θL of the user U based on the distance L from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a, the length _Lf of the thigh 54 of the user U, and the distance data _d1t from the first sensor 21a to the thigh 54 of the user U measured over time by the first sensor 21a.

Next, the trunk inclination angle calculation unit 34 calculates the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U during the standing up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor 22b. Specifically, the trunk inclination angle calculation unit 34 calculates the coordinates of the pelvis 53 based on the thigh inclination angle θL, and calculates the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U based on the calculated coordinates of the pelvis 53, as well as the depth length L _C of the seat 11, the vertical distance L _S2 from the seat 11 to the second sensor 22b, and the installation angle Φ _S2 of the second sensor 22b with respect to the backrest 12, which are preset in the memory unit 39 and acquired from the memory unit 39, and distance data _d2t from the second sensor 22b to the trunk 52 of the user U, which are measured over time by the second sensor 22b (S38).

次いで、骨盤部５３の座標（x_t，y_t）に基づいて、骨盤部５３から鉛直方向に延びる軸に対する体幹部５２の角度θB_tを算出する。

ここで、d3_tは、時刻tにおける、体幹部５２と第２センサ２２ｂの照射軸との交点と、骨盤部５３との水平方向距離であり、d4_tは、時刻tにおける、体幹部５２と第２センサ２２ｂの照射軸との交点と、骨盤部５３との鉛直方向距離である。 More specifically, the trunk inclination angle θB at time t is calculated by the following method: First, the coordinates (x _t , y _t ) of the pelvis 53 are calculated based on the thigh inclination angle θL.

Next, based on the coordinates (x _t , y _t ) of the pelvis 53 , the angle θB _t of the trunk 52 with respect to an axis extending vertically from the pelvis 53 is calculated.

Here, _d3t is the horizontal distance between the intersection of the trunk 52 and the irradiation axis of the second sensor 22b and the pelvis 53 at time t, and _d4t is the vertical distance between the intersection of the trunk 52 and the irradiation axis of the second sensor 22b and the pelvis 53 at time t.

なお、微分式の算出においては、前方差分又は後方差分などの近似解法で算出してもよい。起立力学量算出部３５で算出された起立力学量の時間変化を示したグラフが図９となる。 The standing-up dynamics calculation unit 35 calculates the standing-up dynamics of the user U during the standing-up motion based on the trunk inclination angle θB of the user U (S40). Here, the angular velocity _ωBt of the waist joint of the user U is calculated as the standing-up dynamics based on the angle _θBt between the trunk 52 and a vertical axis starting from the pelvis 53.

In addition, the differential equation may be calculated by an approximate solution such as forward difference or backward difference. A graph showing the time change of the standing dynamic amount calculated by the standing dynamic amount calculation unit 35 is shown in FIG.

When the user U stands up from the seating device 10, the control unit 40 determines whether the measurement has ended (S42). The measurement end determination is performed, for example, by determining that the distance between the second sensor 22b and the torso 52 of the user U is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, or that a measurement end detection sensor (not shown), such as a push button or a human body detection sensor, has been turned ON, etc.

When the measurement is completed, the standing motor function evaluation unit 36 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the standing movement based on the change in the peak value ωp of the standing dynamics calculated by the standing dynamics calculation unit 35 (S44).

Specifically, the motor function of user U is evaluated using a combination of one or more of the following standing motor function evaluation indexes. The standing motor function evaluation indexes are (1) whether the peak value ωp of the standing dynamics is equal to or greater than a threshold, (2) whether the time tp from the start of the standing movement to the peak of the standing dynamics is equal to or less than a threshold, and (3) whether the peak value α of the slope of the plot from the start of the standing movement to the peak of the standing dynamics is equal to or greater than a threshold. The peak value ωp of the standing dynamics is the maximum value of the standing dynamics for each time t. The time tp is calculated as the difference between the start time ts of the standing movement and the time t at which the peak value ωp of the standing dynamics is calculated. The peak value α of the slope of the plot is calculated as the maximum value of the slope of the plot for each time t from the start time of the standing movement to the time t at which the peak value ωp of the standing dynamics is calculated.

The standing motor function evaluation unit 36 evaluates the motor function of the user U in the standing movement by a combination of one or more of the standing motor function evaluation indexes calculated above. If the indexes are satisfied, the motor function is determined to be good. The evaluation result of the motor function is stored in the memory unit 39.

When the evaluation of the motor function of the user U is completed, the evaluation result of the motor function is displayed on the display device 45 (S46). The evaluation result indicates whether the motor function is good or needs improvement. At this time, the evaluation of the motor function during the sitting motion may be performed in the same manner as in embodiment 1, and the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting motion and the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing motion may be displayed separately. In addition, the overall motor function evaluation unit 37 may multiply the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting motion and the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing motion by a predetermined coefficient, respectively, and add them together to display the overall evaluation result of the motor function. In addition, the current evaluation result may be compared with the previous evaluation result to indicate an improvement or deterioration of the motor function. The user U checks the evaluation result of the motor function displayed on the display device 45.

[Embodiment 3]
Next, a seated motor function evaluation system 1c according to embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. Fig. 10 is a side view of the seated motor function evaluation system 1c according to embodiment 3. Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the seated motor function evaluation system 1c according to embodiment 3. Below, differences between embodiment 3 and embodiments 1 and 2 will be described.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the seating motor function evaluation system 1c includes a seating device 10, a first sensor 21c, a second sensor 22c, an information processing device 30, and a display device 45. The seating device 10 may be composed of only a seat portion 11, or may include a seat portion 11 and a backrest portion 12.

In the third embodiment, the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c are depth sensors that can measure the distance to the thigh 54 of the user U and the distance to the trunk 52 of the user U when the user U sits down or stands up. Here, the depth sensor is a sensor that can obtain an image (distance image) in which each pixel value has distance information, such as Kinect (manufactured by Microsoft). In the third embodiment, the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c are each configured with one depth sensor. The first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c are disposed at a position separated from the seating device 10 by a distance L _D that can capture the entire body of the user U performing the sitting or standing up motion, so as to capture the entire body of the user U performing the sitting or standing up motion.

In the third embodiment, the information processing device 30, like the second embodiment, includes a thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31, a sitting dynamics calculation unit 32, a sitting motor function evaluation unit 33, a trunk inclination angle calculation unit 34, a standing dynamics calculation unit 35, a standing motor function evaluation unit 36, a total motor function evaluation unit 37, a link model generation unit 38, a memory unit 39, and a control unit 40. The information processing device 30 is, for example, a computer.

The storage unit 39 stores various information, data, programs, and the like. In the third embodiment, the storage unit 39 stores the physical information of the user U and a seated motor function evaluation program for evaluating the motor function of the user U. The storage unit 39 also includes analysis software for extracting the motion of the user U from the distance images acquired by the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c. On the other hand, the storage unit 39 does not need to store the environmental information of the seating device 10, the first sensor 21c, and the second sensor 22c. Furthermore, the storage unit 39 stores the evaluation results of the motor function of the user U evaluated by the seated motor function evaluation program. The evaluation results of the motor function, including past evaluation results, are stored as history. The physical information and motor function evaluation results of the user U are stored for each user U.

Next, with reference to Figs. 12 to 14, a seating motor function evaluation method for evaluating motor function based on the seating motor function evaluation system 1c will be described. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the seating motor function evaluation method according to the third embodiment. Fig. 13 is a graph showing the time change in the sitting dynamics calculated by the seating motor function evaluation system 1c according to the third embodiment. Fig. 14 is a graph showing the time change in the standing dynamics calculated by the seating motor function evaluation system 1c according to the third embodiment. Each process of the seating motor function evaluation method is executed by a seating motor function evaluation program stored in the information processing device 30. Here, a case where the motor function of the user U is evaluated based on the actions of the user U when sitting on the seating device 10 and when standing up from the seating device 10 will be described.

First, physical information of the user U whose motor function is to be evaluated is input (S50). The physical information is input by an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard or a mouse connected to the information processing device 30. The input physical information is stored in the memory unit 39.

The link model generation unit 38 generates the human body link model 50 shown in FIG. 3 based on the input physical information (S52). The link lengths of the trunk 52, thighs 54, and lower legs 56 of the user U calculated when generating the human body link model 50 are stored in the memory unit 39.

When evaluating the motor function of the user U based on the user U's movements when sitting on the seating device 10, the control unit 40 determines whether the user U has started to sit down and performs a measurement start determination (S54). The measurement start determination is performed, for example, by determining whether a measurement start detection sensor (not shown), such as a push button or a human body detection sensor, has been turned on. If the user U's posture can be detected by analyzing the distance image acquired by the first sensor 21c in real time, the measurement start may be determined when it is detected that the user U has assumed a specific posture before starting to sit down.

When measurement starts, the first sensor 21c acquires distance images capturing the user U's sitting motion over time (S56). The acquired distance images are stored in the memory unit 39.

When the user U sits on the seating device 10, the control unit 40 determines whether the measurement has ended (S58). The measurement end determination is performed, for example, by determining whether a measurement end detection sensor (not shown), such as a push button or a human body detection sensor, has turned ON. If the posture of the user U can be detected in real time by analyzing the distance image acquired by the first sensor 21c, the measurement may be determined to have ended when it is detected that the user U has assumed a specific posture when seated.

When the measurement is completed, the thigh inclination angle calculation unit 31 calculates the thigh inclination angle θLt of the user U, which is the angle between the thigh 54 and the seat 11 at time t, based on the distance image acquired by the first sensor 21c and using analysis software for extracting the _motion of the user U from the distance image stored in the storage unit 39 (S60). Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the sitting dynamics calculation unit 32 calculates the sitting dynamics of the user U during the sitting motion (S62), and the sitting motor function evaluation unit 33 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the sitting motion (S64). The evaluation result of the motor function is stored in the storage unit 39.

When evaluating the motor function of user U based on the movement of user U when standing up from the seating device 10, the control unit 40 judges whether user U has started standing up and judges whether measurement has started (S54). The measurement start judgment is performed, as in the case of the sitting down movement, by judging whether a measurement start detection sensor (not shown), such as a push button or a human body detection sensor, has been turned on. If the posture of user U can be detected by analyzing the distance image acquired by the second sensor 22c in real time, it may be judged that measurement has started when it is detected that user U has assumed a specific posture before starting to stand up.

When measurement starts, the second sensor 22c acquires distance images capturing the standing-up movement of the user U over time (S56). The acquired distance images are stored in the memory unit 39.

When the user U stands up from the seating device 10, the control unit 40 determines whether the measurement has ended (S58). The measurement end determination is performed, as in the case of the seating action, by determining whether a measurement end detection sensor (not shown), such as a push button or a human body detection sensor, has turned ON. If the posture of the user U can be detected in real time by analyzing the distance image acquired by the second sensor 22c, the measurement may be determined to have ended when it is detected that the user U has assumed a specific posture when standing up.

When the measurement is completed, the trunk inclination calculation unit 34 calculates the trunk inclination angle θBt of the user U, which is the angle of the trunk 52 with respect to the axis extending vertically from the pelvis 53 at time t, based on the distance image acquired by the second sensor 22c and using analysis software for extracting the movement of the user U from the distance image stored in the storage unit ₃₉ (S60). Thereafter, as in the second embodiment, the standing-up dynamics calculation unit 35 calculates the standing-up dynamics of the user U during the standing-up movement (S62), and the standing-up motor function evaluation unit 36 evaluates the motor function of the user U during the standing-up movement (S64). The evaluation result of the motor function is stored in the storage unit 39.

Figure 13 is a graph showing the change over time in the seating dynamics calculated by the seating dynamics calculation unit 32. Figure 14 is a graph showing the change over time in the standing dynamics calculated by the standing dynamics calculation unit 35.

When the evaluation of the user U's motor function is completed, the evaluation result of the motor function is displayed on the display device 45 (S66). The evaluation result indicates whether the motor function is good or needs improvement. At this time, if the evaluation of the motor function during both the sitting down motion and the standing up motion is performed, the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting down motion and the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing up motion may be displayed separately. In addition, the overall motor function evaluation unit 37 may multiply the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting down motion and the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing up motion by a predetermined coefficient, respectively, and add them together to display the overall evaluation result of the motor function. In addition, the current evaluation result may be compared with the previous evaluation result to indicate an improvement or deterioration of the motor function. The user U checks the evaluation result of the motor function displayed on the display device 45.

Next, the motor function evaluation systems 1a, 1b, and 1c according to embodiments 1 to 3 will be specifically described using examples.

In this example, the seated motor function evaluation system 1b of embodiment 2 is used to evaluate motor function during sitting and standing movements. Here, an occupational therapist with specialized knowledge of human movement is asked to simulate two characteristic sitting movements and two characteristic standing movements shown below nine times each, and motor function is evaluated. The peak value ωp of the sitting dynamics (angular velocity ωL) was used as the seated motor function evaluation index, and the peak value ωp of the standing dynamics (angular velocity ωB) was used as the standing motor function evaluation index.

The two types of sitting motions and the two types of standing motions are as follows.
Sitting down motion A: How a healthy person sits (sitting down at a constant speed)
Sitting motion B: Sitting motion where the body weight is not supported and the seat slams down on the floor (a sitting motion that shows signs of decline)
Standing up motion A: How a healthy person stands up (standing up while shifting the center of gravity using the trunk)
Standing up B: Standing up using the back muscles due to weakened core muscles (a weakened way of standing up)

The physical information and the environmental information of the seating device 10, the first sensor 21a, and the second sensor 22b are as follows.
<Physical information>
Length of thigh 54 _Lf : 366 mm
<Environmental Information>
Distance L _S1 from the reference position 111 of the seat 11 to the first sensor 21a: 130 mm
Installation angle Φ _S1 of first sensor 21a: 63.5°
Seat depth L _C : 550mm
Distance L _S2 from the seat 11 to the second sensor 22b: 465 mm
Installation angle Φ _S2 of second sensor 22b: 90°
Sampling period Δt of the first sensor 21a and the second sensor 22b: 0.033 sec

The occupational therapist performed sitting motion A, sitting motion B, standing motion A, and standing motion B, and calculated the peak value ωp of the sitting dynamics (angular velocity ωL) and the peak value ωp of the standing dynamics (angular velocity ωB) as shown in the above-mentioned embodiment 1 and embodiment 2. The results are shown in Table 1, Table 2, Fig. 15, and Fig. 16. Table 1 shows the results of the occupational therapist performing sitting motion A and sitting motion B nine times each. Table 2 shows the results of the occupational therapist performing standing motion A and standing motion B nine times each. Fig. 15 shows the experimental results of this embodiment, comparing the peak values ωp of the sitting dynamics (angular velocity ωL). Fig. 16 shows the experimental results of this embodiment, comparing the peak values ωp of the standing dynamics (angular velocity ωB). Figs. 15 and 16 show the data shown in Tables 1 and 2 in box and whisker plots.

In general, the quadriceps muscles, which perform eccentric contraction, are evaluated in the sitting motion, and as the quadriceps muscles weaken, they are unable to support the weight of the upper body, resulting in the person landing with a thud on the seat 11. The same phenomenon occurs when the center of gravity is shifted backwards due to poor posture or other factors, resulting in loss of balance. On the other hand, the trunk muscles, which perform centripetal contraction, are evaluated in the standing motion, and as the trunk muscles weaken, the person will tend to stand up using the back muscles to gain momentum in order to compensate for the shift in the center of gravity.

For seating movements, for example, the threshold value of the peak value ωp of the seating dynamic quantity is set to -100. As shown in the above embodiment 1, if the peak value ωp of the seating dynamic quantity is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it can be evaluated as no weakening (○), and if it is less than the threshold value, it can be evaluated as weakening (×). Based on this, and referring to the results in Table 1 and Figure 15, it can be confirmed that seating movement A can be evaluated as no weakening, and seating movement B can be evaluated as weakening.

For the standing up movement, for example, the threshold value of the peak value ωp of the standing up dynamic quantity is set to 60. As shown in the above embodiment 2, if the peak value ωp of the standing up dynamic quantity is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it can be evaluated as no weakening (○), and if it is less than the threshold value, it can be evaluated as having weakening (×). Based on this, and referring to the results in Table 2 and Figure 16, it can be confirmed that the standing up movement A can be evaluated as having no weakening, and the standing up movement B can be evaluated as having weakening.

On the other hand, when comparing Figures 15 and 16, the average difference in the standing up movement is smaller than the average difference in the sitting down movement. Furthermore, as can be seen from Table 2, with standing up movement B, there is a tendency for momentum to be gained when using the back muscles to stand up, and the variation in ωp increases depending on the amount of force used at that time. This shows that evaluation based on standing up dynamics has a higher probability of erroneous evaluation and lower accuracy than evaluation based on sitting down dynamics. From the above, it was confirmed that sitting down movement is easier to obtain results on the decline of motor function.

Next, we will explain a specific example of an overall evaluation that combines the evaluation results of motor function during sitting and standing movements.

By combining sitting down motion A, sitting down motion B, standing up motion A and standing up motion B, four types of motions are possible. That is, there are cases where there is no decline in both sitting down motion and standing up motion, cases where there is decline in either sitting down motion or standing up motion, and cases where there is decline in both sitting down motion and standing up motion. When the evaluation results of sitting down motion and standing up motion are represented by ○ for no decline and × for decline, examples of people who correspond to the four types of motion are as shown in Table 3.

As an example of a comprehensive evaluation, the four types of evaluation shown in Table 3 can be evaluated on a four-level scale as follows.
・When there is no decline in both sitting and standing movements (○): No decline (◎)
・When there is no decline in sitting (○) but there is decline in standing (×): There is no decline, but care must be taken when standing up (○)
・When the sitting down movement is weakened (×) and the standing up movement is not weakened (○): There is some weakening (△)
・If both sitting and standing movements are weakened (×): Weakened (×)
The results of the overall evaluation performed in this manner are shown in Table 4.

As another example of the overall evaluation, taking into consideration the difference in muscle strength required for eccentric contraction and concentric contraction, with eccentric contraction being more difficult, the evaluation results of the motor function during the sitting down movement and the evaluation results of the motor function during the standing up movement can be scored and evaluated. Specifically, for the evaluation results of the motor function during the sitting down movement and the evaluation results of the motor function during the standing up movement, for example, ○ = 100 points for no decline, × = 0 points for decline, and a coefficient of 0.7 for the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting down movement and a coefficient of 0.3 for the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing up movement. The overall evaluation can then be calculated by multiplying the score of the evaluation result of the motor function during the sitting down movement by the coefficient, multiplying the score of the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing up movement by the coefficient, and then adding them together. The results of the overall evaluation performed in this manner are shown in Table 5.

By displaying it as in Table 4 or Table 5, it becomes easier for user U to understand the current state of his or her motor function.

As described above, the seated motor function evaluation systems 1a, 1b, and 1c of the present invention focus primarily on the seated movement, and evaluate the motor function by measuring the state of the user U during the seated movement. This makes it possible to evaluate the motor function of the user U by focusing on eccentric contraction, which is the dynamic muscle contraction consisting of eccentric contraction and concentric contraction and is the one that is most likely to show signs of weakening. As a result, the motor function of the user U can be accurately evaluated. By accurately evaluating the motor function in this way, it is possible to accurately determine the risk of the user U needing nursing care.

In addition, in the seated motor function evaluation systems 1a, 1b, and 1c of the present invention, the sitting mechanical quantities and/or standing mechanical quantities of the user U are calculated using the first sensor 21a and/or the second sensor 22b attached to the seating device 10, or the first sensor 21c and/or the second sensor 22c provided at a distance from the seating device 10. This eliminates the need to attach a measuring device to the user U. As a result, not only can measurements be easily performed in daily life, but even when measurements are taken as part of an examination, the user U can act in a relaxed manner similar to that in daily life, allowing the motor function of the user U to be evaluated more accurately.

In addition, by constructing the motor function evaluation system 1a, 1b, 1c using the seating device 10 on which the user U sits and stands in daily life, the user U can always be aware of his or her own motor function. The user U can also review the evaluation results of his or her own motor function and attempt to improve it, thereby reducing the risk of becoming in need of care due to a decline in motor function. In particular, in the motor function evaluation system 1a, 1b, 1c of the present invention, past motor function evaluation results are also stored in the memory unit 39. This allows the user U to compare the evaluation results of motor function with past evaluation results and to confirm ongoing changes in motor function, which can be effectively used to maintain or improve motor function.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, distance measuring sensors or depth sensors are used for the first sensors 21a, 21c and the second sensors 22b, 22c, but this configuration is not necessarily required. For example, video cameras, motion sensors, optical motion capture, etc. can be used for the first sensors 21a, 21c and the second sensors 22b, 22c. When a video camera is used, a skeletal analysis is performed from the moving images captured by the video camera using AI technology, etc., to calculate the sitting dynamics and the standing dynamics. When a motion sensor is used, a device incorporating an acceleration sensor or gyro sensor is attached to each part of the user U's body, and the thigh tilt angle θL and the trunk tilt angle θB are calculated from the movements of the user U detected by the motion sensor. When optical motion capture is used, markers are attached to each part of the user U's body, and the marker positions are traced with cameras installed in the vicinity to calculate the sitting dynamics and the standing dynamics.

When distance sensors, depth sensors or video cameras are used as the first sensors 21a, 21c and the second sensors 22b, 22c, they can be configured as non-wearable sensors and can be used easily. On the other hand, when motion sensors or optical motion capture are used as the first sensors 21a, 21c and the second sensors 22b, 22c, highly accurate measurements can be performed, and the motor function of the user U can be evaluated more accurately. Regardless of which sensor is used for the first sensors 21a, 21c and the second sensors 22b, 22c, the motor function of the user U can be evaluated, and the risk of physical deterioration of the user U can be adequately evaluated.

In the above embodiment 3, the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c are configured as one depth sensor, but this configuration is not necessarily required. For example, the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c may be configured as two separate depth sensors. The depth sensor is arranged so that the user U can be photographed, but by configuring the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c as separate depth sensors, the first sensor 21c can photograph the lower body of the user U, and the second sensor 22c can be arranged so that the upper body of the user U can be photographed. This makes it possible to shorten the distance L _D between the seating device 10 and the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c, and to use the seating motor function evaluation system 1c even in a narrow space.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the calculation of the thigh inclination angle θL, the calculation of the sitting dynamics, the calculation of the trunk inclination angle θB, and the calculation of the standing dynamics are performed while the user U is performing the sitting or standing motion, but this is not necessarily the case. For example, the calculation of the thigh inclination angle θL, the calculation of the sitting dynamics, the calculation of the trunk inclination angle θB, and the calculation of the standing dynamics may be performed after the user U finishes the sitting or standing motion and the measurement is completed. Conversely, in the third embodiment, the calculation of the thigh inclination angle θL, the calculation of the sitting dynamics, the calculation of the trunk inclination angle θB, and the calculation of the standing dynamics are performed after the user U finishes the sitting or standing motion, but if the posture of the user U can be detected in real time by analyzing the distance images acquired by the first sensor 21c and the second sensor 22c, the calculation of the thigh inclination angle θL, the calculation of the sitting dynamics, the calculation of the trunk inclination angle θB, and the calculation of the standing dynamics may be performed while the user U is performing the sitting or standing motion.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the information processing device 30 includes the link model generation unit 38, but the link model generation unit 38 is not necessarily required. In this case, steps S12, S32, and S52 for generating the human body link model 50 are not performed, and the motor function of the user U is evaluated based on the physical information stored in the memory unit 39.

Reference Signs List 1a, 1b Seating motor function evaluation system 10 Seating device 11 Seat 12 Backrest 21a, 21c First sensor 22b, 22c Second sensor 30 Information processing device 31 Thigh inclination angle calculation unit 32 Seating dynamics calculation unit 33 Seating motor function evaluation unit 34 Trunk inclination angle calculation unit 35 Standing up dynamics calculation unit 36 Standing up motor function evaluation unit 37 Total motor function evaluation unit U User

Claims (7)

A seating device on which a user sits;
A first sensor is provided at a distance from a user and is capable of acquiring measurement data that can be used to calculate at least a thigh inclination angle of the user seated on a seat portion of the seating device;
An information processing device,
The information processing device includes:
a thigh inclination angle calculation unit that calculates a thigh inclination angle of the user from a standing state to a sitting state during a sitting motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor;
a seating dynamics calculation unit that calculates a seating dynamics of the user at the time of a seating motion based on the thigh inclination angle of the user calculated by the thigh inclination angle calculation unit;
and a sitting motor function evaluation unit that evaluates a motor function related to the continuity of eccentric contraction in the thigh of the user from a standing state to a sitting state during a sitting motion based on the sitting mechanical quantity calculated by the sitting mechanical quantity calculation unit,
The sitting motor function evaluation system is characterized in that the sitting motor function evaluation unit evaluates the motor function related to the continuity of eccentric contraction in the thigh during the sitting motion from a standing position to sitting based on the change in the peak value of the sitting mechanical quantity. Further, a second sensor is provided at a distance from the user and capable of acquiring measurement data from which a trunk inclination angle of the user standing up from the seat can be calculated;
The information processing device includes:
a trunk inclination calculation unit that calculates a trunk inclination angle of the user during a stand-up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor;
a standing-up dynamics calculation unit that calculates a standing-up dynamics of the user during a standing-up motion based on the trunk inclination angle of the user calculated by the trunk inclination angle calculation unit;
and a standing-up motor function evaluation unit that evaluates the motor function of the user during a standing-up movement based on the standing-up dynamic amount calculated by the standing-up dynamic amount calculation unit.
The seated motor function evaluation system according to claim 1, characterized in that the standing motor function evaluation unit evaluates the motor function during the standing movement of the user based on a change in a peak value of the standing dynamic quantity. The sitting motor function evaluation system of claim 2, further comprising an overall motor function evaluation unit that evaluates the user's overall motor function based on the evaluation result of the motor function related to the continuity of eccentric contraction in the thigh from the user's standing state to sitting during the sitting motion evaluated by the sitting motor function evaluation unit, and the evaluation result of the motor function during the standing motion evaluated by the standing motor function evaluation unit. acquiring measurement data from which at least a thigh inclination angle of a user seated on a seat portion of the seating device on which the user sits can be calculated using a first sensor provided at a distance from the user ;
calculating a thigh inclination angle of the user from a standing state to a sitting state during a sitting motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor;
Calculating a sitting dynamics of the user during a sitting motion based on the thigh inclination angle of the user;
and evaluating a motor function related to the continuity of eccentric contraction in the thigh during a sitting motion from a standing state to a sitting state based on the sitting dynamics.
A method for evaluating seated motor function, characterized in that the step of evaluating the user's motor function during seated movement is performed based on a change in peak value of the seated dynamic quantity. acquiring measurement data from which at least a torso inclination angle of the user standing up from the seat portion can be calculated using a second sensor provided at a distance from the user ;
calculating a trunk inclination angle of the user during a stand-up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor;
calculating a standing dynamic amount of the user during a standing-up motion based on the trunk inclination angle of the user;
and evaluating the motor function of the user during a standing-up motion based on the standing-up dynamics.
5. The seated movement function evaluation method according to claim 4, wherein the step of evaluating the standing dynamics of the user during the standing movement is performed based on a change in a peak value of the standing dynamics. On the computer,
acquiring measurement data from which at least a thigh inclination angle of a user seated on a seat portion of the seating device on which the user sits can be calculated using a first sensor provided at a distance from the user ;
calculating a thigh inclination angle of the user from a standing state to a sitting state during a sitting motion based on the measurement data of the first sensor;
Calculating a sitting dynamics of the user during a sitting motion based on the thigh inclination angle of the user;
and evaluating a motor function related to the continuity of eccentric contraction in the thigh during a sitting motion from a standing state to a sitting state based on the sitting dynamics.
A seating motor function evaluation program, characterized in that the step of evaluating the user's motor function during a seating motion is performed based on a change in peak value of the seating dynamics. The computer includes:
acquiring measurement data from which at least a torso inclination angle of the user standing up from the seat portion can be calculated using a second sensor provided at a distance from the user ;
calculating a trunk inclination angle of the user during a stand-up motion based on the measurement data of the second sensor;
calculating a standing dynamic amount of the user during a standing-up motion based on the trunk inclination angle of the user;
and evaluating the motor function of the user during a standing-up motion based on the standing-up dynamics.
7. The seated movement function evaluation program according to claim 6, wherein the step of evaluating the standing-up dynamics of the user during the standing-up movement is performed based on a change in a peak value of the standing-up dynamics.

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