JP7640312B2 - Wearable training equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a wearable training device.

In modern times, chronic lack of exercise and walking has led to a decline in muscle strength and various associated problems. In order to maintain muscle strength, it is necessary to apply an appropriate load to the muscles on a daily basis, but in modern life, the muscles involved in walking are often not loaded sufficiently, which results in a decline in lower limb muscle strength with age, leading to a decline in walking function and the onset of various diseases.

For example, among the lower limb muscles, weakness is particularly problematic for the iliopsoas and adductor muscles. Both are large muscles involved in hip joint movement, with the iliopsoas contributing greatly to hip joint flexion and the adductor muscles contributing greatly to hip joint adduction. They are antagonistic muscles to the gluteal muscles, but compared to the gluteal muscles, which are used more frequently in daily life, they tend to be weaker more easily. Of these, weakness in the iliopsoas leads to a reduced stride length and is the main cause of impaired walking function, while weakness in the adductor muscles can induce external rotation of the hip joint while walking (the so-called "bow-legged" posture).

Training equipment is known that can effectively apply a load to the iliopsoas muscle and can effectively train the iliopsoas muscle in people of all ages, from children to the elderly, and even athletes. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a training equipment that includes a first attachment part that is attached at least above the greater trochanter, a second attachment part that is fixed to the thigh, and a load generating means that is placed between the first attachment part and the second attachment part, and that is characterized in that the load generating means applies a load when the leg is lowered forward.

JP 2020-81305 A

However, while the training device described in Patent Document 1 can effectively train the iliopsoas muscle, it has the problem that it cannot selectively train the adductor muscles.

The present invention was developed in consideration of these problems, and its main objective is to provide a wearable training device that can selectively train the adductor muscles.

The present invention employs the following means to achieve at least one of the above-mentioned objectives.

The wearable training device of the present invention comprises:
A wearable training device that is worn and used by a wearer,
A waist attachment part that is attached to the waist of the wearer;
A leg attachment part to be attached to the leg of the wearer;
an arm portion that rotatably connects the waist attachment portion and the leg attachment portion;
a load generating unit that generates a load in a lateral direction on the leg of the wearer when the arm unit rotates;
The present invention is characterized in that it comprises
It is something.

This wearable training device is equipped with a waist attachment part that is attached to the waist of the wearer and a leg attachment part that is attached to the legs of the wearer. The waist attachment part and the leg attachment part are rotatably connected by an arm part, so that the arm part rotates when the wearer walks or runs. At this time, a load generating part is provided that generates a load in the lateral direction of the wearer as the arm part rotates, so that a load is generated in the lateral direction of the wearer as the arm part rotates. In this way, a load can be selectively applied to the adductor muscle group, and the adductor muscle group can be selectively trained.

In the wearable training device of the present invention, the load generating unit may generate loads in the forward and lateral directions of the wearer when the wearer wears the device. This allows a load to be applied to the iliopsoas muscle in addition to the adductor muscles, thereby reducing the decline in lower limb muscle strength and preventing a decline in walking function.

In the wearable training device of the present invention, the load generating unit may be characterized by generating a load when the wearer's legs are positioned backward. It is known that the adductor muscles are more active when the legs are positioned backward during walking, so by generating a load when the legs are positioned backward, the adductor muscles can be trained efficiently.

The wearable training device of the present invention may be characterized in that the load generated by the load generating unit is maximum when the wearer's hip joint angle is between -10° and -20°. It is known that applying a load to the adductor muscles is efficient when the wearer's hip joint angle is between 0° and -30°, and even more efficient when it is between -10° and -20°. Applying a load at this angle can increase muscle activity in the adductor muscles, and can efficiently train the adductor muscles. Here, the hip joint angle refers to the angle between the base of the leg and the vertical direction, with the forward direction being a positive angle and the backward direction being a negative angle.

In the wearable training device of the present invention, the load generating section may be characterized by having a guide section having a protrusion that protrudes to the side of the wearer when worn by the wearer, and the arm section rotates along the protrusion. In this way, as the arm section rotates, the arm section is guided in the protruding direction of the protrusion, and as the arm section moves toward the protruding direction of the protrusion, the leg attachment section moves, and a load can be applied to the wearer's leg in the direction of the protrusion without the need for an external force.

In the wearable training device of the present invention employing this aspect, the protruding portion may be characterized as being located rearward of the center of the guiding portion when worn by the wearer. This allows a load to be generated when the holding portion is located rearward of the center of the guiding portion, i.e., when the wearer's legs are located on the back side of the wearer, so that the adductor muscles can be trained efficiently.

In the wearable training device of the present invention, the arm portion may be made of an elastic material. By doing so, even if a strong force is applied to the arm portion due to the wearer losing balance, or if the load of the load generating portion is too strong, the elasticity of the arm portion will absorb some of the force, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the wearable training device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of a wearable training device 20. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing an outline of the internal structure of the load generating unit 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing an outline of the internal structure of the load generating unit 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the hip joint angle. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the change in hip joint angle and the change in load in the forward direction. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between changes in hip joint angle and changes in lateral load.

Next, a wearable training device 20 will be described in detail as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiments and drawings described below are intended to illustrate some of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to be used to limit the present invention to these configurations. The present invention may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, corresponding components in each drawing are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 1, a wearable training device 20, which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention, includes a waist attachment section 22 attached to the waist of the wearer, a leg attachment section 24 attached to the leg of the wearer, an arm section 26 that rotatably connects the leg attachment section 24 to the waist attachment section 22, and a load generating section 30 that generates a load on the arm section 26. This wearable training device 20 is used by attaching the waist attachment section 22 to the waist of the wearer and the leg attachment section 24 to the leg of the wearer. When the wearer walks or steps (hereinafter referred to as "walking, etc.") while wearing the wearable training device 20, the leg attachment section 24 moves in response to the movement of the wearer's legs, and the arm section 26 rotates in response to the movement of the leg attachment section 24. At this time, a load is generated on the arm section 26 by the load generating section 30, so that the wearer can apply a load to the legs of the wearer by walking, etc., and can train the iliopsoas muscle, adductor muscles, etc.

The waist attachment part 22 is a member for attaching the wearable training device 20 to the waist of the wearer. When the waist attachment part 22 is attached to the waist of the wearer, the waist attachment part 22 is positioned parallel to the wearer's sacrum, so that the waist attachment part 22 is positioned appropriately for the wearer and can efficiently apply a load to the iliopsoas and adductor muscles. The waist attachment part 22 may be, for example, in the shape of a belt, in the shape of clothing such as spats, or in the shape of a fixture fixed to clothing. There are no particular limitations on the shape as long as it can be attached to the waist of the wearer, regardless of the shape.

The leg attachment part 24 is a member for attaching the wearable training device 20 to the wearer's legs, and is rotatably connected to the waist attachment part 22 and the arm part 26. The leg attachment part 24 is, for example, a belt-shaped member that can be wrapped around the leg fixed to one end of the arm part 26. It is more preferable that the leg attachment part 24 is attached to the wearer's legs, below the thighs and above the knees. This allows for efficient loading of the iliopsoas and adductor muscles.

The arm section 26 is a member that rotatably connects the waist attachment section 22 and the leg attachment section 24, and when worn by the wearer, it rotatably connects the waist attachment section 22 and the leg attachment section 24. Therefore, when the wearer's legs move due to the wearer walking, etc., the leg attachment section 24 moves with the movement of the wearer's legs, and the arm section 26 rotates with the movement of the leg attachment section 24. The arm section 26 is a band-shaped member made of an elastic material such as a flat metal or resin. By doing so, when the wearable training device 20 is worn inside clothing such as trousers, the arm section 26 is difficult to see from the outside of the clothing, etc., and it is difficult for people around to see that the wearable training device 20 is being worn. In addition, because the arm portion 26 is a band-shaped member made of an elastic material, even if a strong force is applied to the arm portion 26 due to the wearer losing balance, or if the load of the load generating unit 30 is too strong, the elasticity of the arm portion 26 will absorb some of the force, reducing the possibility of damage to the wearable training device 20. In this case, by making the surface parallel to the wearer into a flat plate shape with a larger area than the surface approximately perpendicular to the wearer, the side toward the side of the wearer has greater rigidity than the side in the direction of the wearer's forward movement, and the adductor muscles can be efficiently loaded.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, when the arm section 26 is worn by the wearer, a rotating body 26a that rotates with the rotation of the arm section 26 is provided on the wearer's side at a position facing a protrusion 40a (described later) provided on the guide section 40, in a state of abutment against the surface of the guide section 40. Therefore, when the arm section 26 rotates, the rotating body 26a smoothly guides it along the surface of the guide section 40, and the arm section 26 moves in the protruding direction (the direction away from the wearer when worn by the wearer) as the protrusion 40a protrudes. This allows a load to be applied in the direction away from the wearer, and the adductor muscles can be selectively trained.

As shown in FIG. 1, the load generating unit 30 is located on the side of the waist attachment unit 22, and is a member that applies a load to the arm unit 26 as the arm unit 26 rotates when the leg attachment unit 24 attached to the wearer's leg moves due to the wearer walking, etc. At this time, the load generating unit 30 applies a load in each of the directions of the leg's forward movement, the opposite direction to the forward movement, and the lateral direction of the leg. In this way, a load can be applied to the leg according to the wearer's walking state, etc., and the iliopsoas muscle and adductor muscles can be trained.

2 and 3, the load generating unit 30 is connected to the arm unit 26 and includes a cam 32 that rotates with the rotation of the arm unit 26, and a guide unit 40 having a protrusion 40a that protrudes to the side when the load generating unit 30 is worn by the wearer. When the wearer walks or the like and the hip joint angle changes with walking or the like, the arm unit 26 rotates with the movement of the leg attachment unit 24, and the cam 32 rotates with the rotation of the arm unit 26. The cam 32 is a plate cam with an outer peripheral surface consisting of an arc having a peripheral surface whose distance from the cam rotation axis 32a varies depending on the position of the peripheral surface, and can apply a load according to the hip joint angle of the wearer to the direction of travel and the opposite direction of travel, thereby efficiently training the iliopsoas muscle. Note that here, "hip joint angle" refers to the angle of leg B (α in FIG. 4) with respect to the vertical direction A, as shown in FIG. 4, and is positive when the angle of leg B is in the direction of travel (front side), and negative when it is in the opposite direction to the direction of travel (dorsal side).

Here, the shape of the cam 32 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the cam 32 is a plate cam with an outer circumferential surface formed of a circular arc with a circumferential surface whose distance from the cam rotation axis 32a varies depending on the position on the circumferential surface. By doing so, when the cam 32 rotates, the load increases at a position where the rate of change (mm/°) at which the distance from the center to the outer circumferential surface increases for a certain angle, and decreases at a position where the rate of change (mm/°) at which the distance from the center to the outer circumferential surface decreases for a certain angle change. Therefore, when the cam 32 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the arm portion 26, the load on the legs (load in the forward direction and in the opposite direction to the forward direction when worn by the wearer) can be adjusted according to the hip joint angle depending on the rotation angle of the cam 32.

As shown in FIG. 5, the load on the wearer is preferably applied when the hip joint angle of the wearer is between 0° and -30°, and more preferably between -10° and -20°. In other words, it is preferable to apply a load that is greatest in the forward direction when the leg is positioned behind the body. This makes it possible to train the iliopsoas muscle efficiently. When the hip joint angle is positive, the load is applied in the hip joint flexion direction, so that the wearer's walking is subjected to a negative load, that is, a force in a direction that assists walking. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between load and hip joint angle, where the vertical axis shows the load (N) in the forward and backward direction with the hip joint flexion direction being positive, and the horizontal axis shows the hip joint angle (°).

2 and 3, the guide unit 40 is a plate-shaped member having a protruding portion 40a that curves and protrudes toward the arm unit 26 at a position that is rearward of the wearer when worn by the wearer (a position that is rearward of the center of the guide unit 40 when worn by the wearer, the right side in FIG. 2 and the lower side in FIG. 3). At a position opposite to this protruding portion 40a, a rotating body 26a provided on the inner surface (the surface facing the wearer) of the arm unit 26 is located. In this way, when the wearer's leg is positioned rearward, it moves along the side of the guide unit 40 as the arm unit 26 rotates, and is guided in a direction away from the wearer along the curve of the protruding portion 40a, so that an outward load can be applied to the leg, and the adductor muscles can be trained efficiently.

As shown in FIG. 6, for example, it is preferable to apply a load to the wearer when the hip joint angle of the wearer is between -10° and -20°, i.e., when the legs are positioned behind the body, the load is greatest in the direction away from the wearer. This makes it possible to train the adductor muscles efficiently. Note that FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between load and hip joint angle, with the vertical axis showing the load (N) in the front-to-back direction with the hip joint flexion direction being positive, and the horizontal axis showing the hip joint angle (°).

According to the embodiment of the wearable training device 20 described above in detail, when the wearer wears the waist attachment part 22 on the waist and the leg attachment part 24 on the leg, and walks or the like, the arm part 26 rotates with walking or the like, and the leg attachment part 24 moves in a direction away from the wearer, thereby applying an outward load to the wearer's leg. In this way, a load can be selectively applied to the adductor muscles, allowing for efficient training.

In addition, when the wearer walks, etc., the arm portion 26 rotates in conjunction with the walking, etc., and the cam 32 rotates, which has an outer peripheral surface consisting of an arc with a circumferential surface whose distance from the cam rotation axis 32a varies depending on the position on the circumferential surface, thereby applying a load to the direction of travel and the opposite direction of travel according to the hip joint angle, thereby selectively applying a load to the wearer's iliopsoas muscle, and efficiently training both the iliopsoas muscle and the adductor muscles.

Furthermore, since the protrusion 40a is positioned on the rear side when worn by the wearer, when the wearer's legs are positioned on the rear side of the wearer, a load is applied to the legs in a direction away from the wearer (outward direction). Since it is known that the adductor muscles are more active when the legs are positioned on the rear side during walking, by generating a load when the legs are positioned on the rear side, the adductor muscles can be trained efficiently.

Furthermore, the load applied by the load generating unit 30 is maximum when the wearer's hip joint angle is between -10° and -20°, which increases muscle activity in the adductor muscles and allows the adductor muscles to be trained efficiently.

The arm 26 then moves away from the wearer along the shape of the protruding portion 40a, which curves as the wearer walks, etc., and applies a load to the wearer's legs in a direction away from the wearer (outward). This allows for selective application of a load to the adductor muscles, making it possible to train them efficiently.

Furthermore, when worn by a wearer, the protrusion 40a is positioned at the rear side of the wearer, so that when the wearer's legs are positioned to the rear of the wearer, the arm portion 26 moves in a direction away from the wearer along the shape of the protrusion 40a, and can apply an outward load when the wearer's legs are positioned to the rear.

Furthermore, because the arm portion 26 is made of an elastic material, even if a strong force is applied to the arm portion due to the wearer losing balance, or if the load on the load generating portion is too strong, some of the force is absorbed by the elasticity of the arm portion, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the wearable training device 20.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the guide unit 40 is a plate-shaped member having a protruding portion 40a that curves and protrudes toward the arm unit 26 at a position behind the wearer, and the arm unit 26 moves along the curve of the side of the guide unit 40 as the rotating body 26a provided on the arm unit 26 rotates. However, the shape of the guide unit 40 is not limited to this as long as it has a structure that can guide the arm unit 26 in the outward direction. For example, the curved side of the guide unit 40 may have a guide structure such as a groove or rail, the guide unit 40 may be provided with a rotating body and the arm unit 26 may have a guide structure, or the rotating body 26a may be a cam having an outer peripheral surface consisting of an arc with a peripheral surface whose distance from the cam rotation axis varies depending on the position on the peripheral surface. In any case, the same effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

As shown in the above-mentioned embodiment, it can be used in the training field, particularly as a training tool for the iliopsoas and adductor muscles.

20...wearable training device, 22...waist attachment part, 24...leg attachment part, 26...arm part, 26a...rotating body, 30...load generating part, 32...cam, 32a...cam rotation shaft, 40...guiding part, 40a...projecting part.

Claims (7)

A wearable training device that is worn and used by a wearer,
A waist attachment part that is attached to the waist of the wearer;
A leg attachment part that is attached to a lower position of the wearer's thigh and above the knee ;
An arm portion that rotatably connects the leg attachment portion and the waist attachment portion;
a load generating unit that generates a load in a lateral direction on the leg of the wearer when the arm unit rotates;
The present invention is characterized in that it comprises
Wearable training device. The load generating unit generates a load in a forward direction and a lateral direction of the wearer when the wearer wears the device.
The wearable training device of claim 1 . The load generating unit generates a load when the wearer's leg is positioned rearward.
3. The wearable training device according to claim 1 or 2. The load generated by the load generating unit is maximized when the hip joint angle of the wearer is between -10° and -20°.
The wearable training device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The load generating unit includes a guide unit having a protrusion that protrudes in a lateral direction of the wearer when the wearer wears the device;
Equipped with
The arm portion rotates along the protrusion.
A wearable training device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The protrusion is located rearward of the center of the guide portion when the wearer wears the wearer's ...
The wearable training device according to claim 5. The arm portion is made of an elastic material.
A wearable training device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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