JP7792126B2 - Voice-activated stand-up and sitting assistance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an independent standing/sitting device that assists care recipients in standing up from a seated position and sitting down from a standing position on their own. It is a hanging device that can be activated by commands from the care recipient using a voice recognition function, prevents the care recipient from falling while standing up and sitting down on their own, and can also assist the care recipient in walking from a standing position at the bedside to a destination.

As the number of elderly people and other people requiring care increases, it has become common to use various types of nursing support equipment to assist with care for these people in order to reduce the workload of caregivers. In recent years, with the continued increase in the elderly population, there has been a growing demand for nursing support equipment that enables advanced nursing support.

As such a care support tool, for example, a standing support device has been proposed for elderly people and other care recipients who need assistance when transitioning from a seated position to a standing position. The standing support device uses an actuator to move a handrail attached to a wall, helping the care recipient grasp the handrail and smoothly transition to a standing position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, because the support device is fixed to a simple frame, the care recipient can only benefit from the device at the location where the frame is installed. Furthermore, although assistance is required to transition from a seated position to a standing position and from a standing position to a walking position, such a support device is far from the care support actions of a caregiver. In consideration of the above circumstances, a walking training device has been proposed that can support a smooth transition from a seated position to a standing position and from a standing position to a walking position, even if the user has weak muscles, and can prevent a decline in the user's motor ability (Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-195814 JP 2010-125296 A

While the above-mentioned conventional assistance devices aim to support the independent movements of care recipients to a certain extent, they are not considered appropriate for supporting the basic human standing and sitting movements shown in Figure 1. Because care recipients are typically weak, standing and sitting on their own using their arms carries the risk of falling. In other words, standing and sitting for care recipients is not easy, as shown in Figure 2. Generally, as shown in Figure 2, the care recipient sits on the edge of the bed (1), and the caregiver lifts the patient's hips and stabilizes them with their own knees to prevent the patient's knees from bending (2). The caregiver leans against the patient and pulls down the patient's underwear, signaling the patient to sit down and gently helping them sit down (3). After toileting, the reverse steps (3), (2), and (1) are performed. However, putting on and taking off clothes and underwear is difficult, and two caregivers may be required, one to support the patient's body and the other to pull down the patient's underwear. Robotic assistance devices have also been proposed, but they are expensive and difficult to operate.
In order for a patient to stand up and sit down as much as possible on their own, it is first necessary to prevent the patient from falling when they try to stand up or sit down, and it is necessary to support their weight somewhere and assist them in their movements.The present invention aims to provide a device that can support a person requiring care by preventing them from falling, while enabling them to stand up from the toilet pad and sit down on the toilet seat from an upright position on their own.

As a result of extensive research by the inventors to help care recipients stand up and sit down on their own while preventing the above-mentioned falls, they have once again looked at natural human standing and sitting down movements from three perspectives: sitting, intermediate, and standing up. As shown in Figure 1, to stand up from a sitting position (1), first pull both feet back slightly, and at the same time push your head forward beyond your knees. The further your head pushes forward, the more your buttocks will rise (2). Once your buttocks are completely off the chair, gradually straighten your lower back, and then, by returning your head to its original position and pulling your buttocks back, you will achieve an upright posture (3). However, unless you are able-bodied, it is difficult for a person to perform such movements without assistance.
Therefore, when we look at the actual situation of care support by a caregiver to a care recipient in Figure 2, the caregiver supports the body from the front with both hands behind the back to prevent the care recipient from falling and to help the care recipient stand up and sit down. Therefore, in order to support the movement of the care recipient, it is necessary to support the body from the front in place of the caregiver's hands. The present invention has been made in consideration of the actual situation of care,
The device comprises a sling (20) that is suspended from above and supports the care recipient by embracing the body of the care recipient, an electric hoist (10) that raises or lowers the sling (20) while embracing the body of the care recipient, and an electric switch (30) with a manual and/or voice recognition function that operates the electric hoist (10),
The sling 20 is roughly U-shaped and is attached to the body of the care recipient from behind, passing under the armpits of the care recipient and wrapping around the front of the body to hold the care recipient's body in place of the caregiver's hands embracing the care recipient from the front. The sling supports the care recipient by suspending the body from above and preventing the care recipient from falling when standing up or sitting down. The U-shaped sling is pulled by the electric hoist 10 via the towing rope 11, and the care recipient can operate the electric hoist 10 by using the voice recognition electric switch 30. When the switch 0 is activated, the sling 20 is pulled upward and forward, thereby assisting the care recipient in changing their physical position from a seated position to a standing position while preventing the care recipient from falling over; the sling 20 can rotate in the standing position to change their physical position from front to back while preventing the care recipient from falling over; and the sling 20 can be pulled downward from the front and lowered, thereby assisting the care recipient in changing their physical position from a standing position to a sitting position while preventing the care recipient from falling over.

According to the present invention, the care recipient's body can be supported by a sling so that the caregiver can hold them with both hands, preventing them from falling when standing up or sitting down.As a result, the care recipient can safely stand up or sit down on their own by operating an electric switch to raise or lower the sling.
In particular, the U-shaped sling 20 supporting the body is positioned in the vicinity of the chest of the care recipient.
When the sling 20 is provided with a support frame 22 that supports the sling 20 horizontally, when the support body 21, which is used to lift the patient forward through both sides of the body, is lifted forward, the support body 21, which passes through both sides and extends to the front of the chest, tends to squeeze the patient's sides due to an inward component of the forward lifting force, but the support frame 22 easily resists this and does not squeeze the patient's sides. Furthermore, if the support frame is configured to be easily attached and detached from the support body 21 in front of the patient's chest, the sling 20 can be easily attached to the patient's body. Furthermore, if the sling is provided with a support belt 30 that is wrapped around the patient's waist, the standing and sitting movements shown in FIG. 1 can be made even easier.
In particular, when the electric hoist is operated via a voice recognition switch, the care recipient can request the operation of the electric hoist while lying down, so if the care recipient wears a sling 20 attached to their pajamas or the like, they can easily move from lying down to sitting on the edge of the bed.

1A, 1B, and 1C are exploded views of the standing-up movement of a healthy person. 1A to 1C are exploded views (1), (2), and (3) of a caregiver assisting a care recipient to stand up and sit down. 1A is a schematic diagram of the first of three embodiments of the standing and sitting assist device of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of the second (B) of three embodiments of the standing and sitting assist device of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 10 is a third (C) schematic diagram of three embodiments of the standing and sitting assist device of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a generally U-shaped sling. This is a first preferred variant of the sling. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a care-requiring person's movement from a standing state (1) to sitting down on a wheelchair (2) and (3). FIG. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams of the care-requiring person's standing state (1) and then sitting down on the toilet seat (4) and (5). FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an assistance state during walking. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a portable electric switch according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of a control unit.

3A is a schematic diagram of a specific example of the standing-sitting assist device of the present invention. The device includes a sling 20 that is suspended from above and supports the care recipient by embracing the body of the care recipient, an electric hoist 10 that raises or lowers the sling 20 while embracing the body of the care recipient, and a manual electric switch 30 and/or an electric switch 100 with a voice recognition function that operates the electric hoist 10 via a wired or wireless system.
In Figure 3A, a horizontal frame F3 is installed on a ceiling frame F1 supported by pillars F2 erected in the four directions (east, west, north, and south) and is movable in the forward and backward directions. An electric hoist 10 is attached to the horizontal frame F3 so that it can move in the longitudinal direction. A sling 20 for suspending the body is attached to the electric hoist 10 via a towing rope 11, and the electric hoist 10 can be raised and lowered by operating a manual switch 30.

Figure 3B shows a type in which a pair of support frames F2 are assembled in the shape of an isosceles triangle instead of the ceiling frame F1, and a horizontal frame F3 is erected at the vertices of the pair of triangles, and an electric hoist 10 is attached so as to be able to run longitudinally along the horizontal frame F3.

In Figure 3C, instead of the ceiling frame F1, a pair of support frames F2 are erected in an inverted T shape, and a horizontal frame F3 is erected at the apex of the frame, and an electric hoist 10 is attached so that it can run longitudinally along the horizontal frame F3.

4 is a diagram showing the construction of a roughly U-shaped sling. The sling 20 is roughly U-shaped and is attached to the care recipient's body from behind, passing under the care recipient's armpits and wrapping around the care recipient's front, in order to hold the care recipient's body in place of the caregiver's hands embracing the care recipient from the front. The sling supports the care recipient's body by suspending it from above as if it were being held by the sling, preventing the care recipient from falling when standing up or sitting down. The U-shaped sling is pulled by the electric hoist 10 via the towing rope 11, and the care recipient can operate the sling themselves using a manual electric switch 30 and/or an electric hoist with a voice recognition function. When the electric hoist 10 is operated via the switch 100 in a wired or wireless manner, the sling 20 is pulled upward and forward, preventing the care recipient from falling over and assisting the care recipient in changing their body position from a seated position to a standing position. The sling 20 can rotate to change the front-to-back body position while preventing the care recipient from falling over in the standing position. Furthermore, the sling 20 can be pulled downward and lowered from the front, preventing the care recipient from falling over and assisting the care recipient in changing their body position from a standing position to a sitting position.

Figure 5 shows a first variation of the sling 20. The roughly U-shaped sling 20 is made of a flexible, belt-like support member extending longitudinally, folded back at the center, and bent into a roughly U-shape. The sling 20 is worn by placing the U-shaped portion behind the back and wrapping it around the armpits to support the back of the body and then passing through both sides of the body to lift the body forward. It also includes a support body 21, a connecting means 21a for connecting the towing rope 11 of the hoist to both ends of the body 21, and a support frame 22 extending horizontally in front of the chest to resist the inward component of the forward lifting force acting on the support body 21 as it passes through both sides and extends in front of the chest when the support body 21 is pulled forward by the hoist 10 to lift the body. This prevents the armpits from being pinched by the component. The support frame 22 defines a sling diameter of approximately 50 cm. The support frame 22 is preferably detachably attached to the support body 21 in front of the chest of the care recipient, making it easy to wear the sling 20. Also, if a support belt is provided that is wrapped around the waist and both sides of the support belt are connected to the sling 20 and connected to the towing rope 11 of the hoist 10 with an auxiliary belt, the back and buttocks of the care recipient can be pulled simultaneously, making it easier for the care recipient to stand up from a seated position.

FIG. 6A shows the movement from a standing position (1) to sitting down on a wheelchair (2) when using the assistance device of the present invention.
6B shows the movement assistance from the standing position (1) to the sitting position (4) and (5) on the toilet seat. In both cases, the person requiring care is prevented from falling by the hanging sling 20 when standing. When the person requiring care grasps the upper part of the sling 20 with both hands or one hand from this position, the caregiver places both hands behind their back and supports them as they sit down, allowing them to sit down smoothly.

Figure 7 shows the assistance provided when walking. A running rail 40 is installed on the ceiling above the walkway for the care recipient, extending in several walking directions from a first point to a destination. The electric hoist 10 is attached to the running rail, and the electric hoist 10 can be operated along the running rail via a manual electric switch 30 or an electric switch 100 with voice recognition functionality. A sling connected to the electric hoist 10 suspends and supports the standing care recipient, preventing them from falling while walking. The electric hoist can then be operated with the electric switch to run alongside the care recipient as they walk to their destination, providing walking assistance.

If the electric switch 100 has a voice recognition function, it can operate the electric hoist 10 in response to a voice command from the care recipient, and can make the care recipient wearing the sling 20 stand up, sit down, move forward or move backward. Fig. 8 shows an outline of a portable wireless communication electric switch according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric switch 100 has a housing 102.
The battery 12 includes a wired driver 103, a control unit 110, an information output unit 111, a microphone 112, a wireless communication unit 113, a sensor 114, a memory 117, and a battery 18.
A reference numeral 8 is provided on the lower end side of the housing 2 and supplies power to each component of the electric switch 100 .

The information output unit 111 is an output interface that outputs information to the user and may include a speaker that outputs information audibly and/or a display that outputs information on a screen. The microphone 112 is an input interface that inputs sound signals generated by collecting ambient sounds. Part of the configuration of the information output unit 111 and the microphone 112 may be exposed to the outside of the housing 102. The wireless communication unit 113 is a module that communicates wirelessly with external devices.

The sensor 114 includes a hoist sensor 115 and a touch sensor 116. The hoist sensor 115 includes a forward/backward movement sensor and a vertical movement instruction sensor.
The sensor value of is used to detect the forward/backward movement and the up/down movement of the electric hoist. The touch sensor 116 is a resistive film type or a capacitive type sensor,
The touch sensor 116 detects a touch by the user. The touch sensor 116 may be provided in a grip portion of the housing 102, and the sensor value of the touch sensor 116 may be used to detect whether the user is gripping the electric switch 101. The touch sensor 116 may also be provided on an upper portion of the housing 102, and the sensor value of the touch sensor 116 may be used to detect an instruction by the user.

The drive signal unit 103 receives a signal from the manual switch 109 via the control unit 110 and includes a transmitter 104, a connecting unit 105 connected to the transmitter 106, and a signal 108 is transmitted from the antenna 107 and transmitted wirelessly to the electric hoist 10. It is also connected to the electric hoist 10 via a wire 101.

The control unit 110 is realized by a microcomputer mounted on a control board, etc. The control unit 110 has the function of comprehensively controlling the electric switch 100 and executes various processes related to the electric switch 100. An operation switch 109-1 or 109-2 that can be operated by a user is provided on the front side of the grip portion of the housing 102. The operation switches 109-1 and 109-2 may be trigger-type switches that can be pulled. The control unit 110 controls the forward and reverse movement of the electric hoist by operating the operation switch 109-1, and controls the hoisting motor of the electric hoist in accordance with the operation of the operation switch 109-2, and adjusts whether the sling connected to the motor is hoisted up for lifting or reeled back for processing.

In the electric switch 100 of the embodiment, the microphone 112 functions as an information input interface for inputting sound signals to the control unit 110, and the control unit 110 can execute processing related to the electric switch 100 based on the sound input to the microphone 112. Since the electric switch 100 is equipped with the microphone 112, the user can control the operation of the electric switch 100 by uttering operation information instead of operating the operation buttons 109-1 and 109-2.

Before starting work, the user sets parameter values in the electric switch 100 to control the operation of the hoist motor. The user then speaks the parameter setting values, which allows the control unit 110 to register the parameter values in memory 117 based on the user's voice input into the microphone 112.

The operation control of the motor for managing the operation of the electric hoist is put into practice in various ways depending on the type of electric switch 100. For example, a single operation of the switch sets the forward and backward movement distance of the hoist to 50 cm or 100 cm, the winding up and rewinding distance of the hoist to 30 cm or 50 cm, and a shutoff control is performed to automatically stop the hoist.

The motion control can be set, for example, according to the user's physical strength. For example, one of nine options (L1 to L9) can be set. It is preferable to set a level according to the motion target, such as L1) standing up from a sleeping position, L2) standing up and moving to the edge of the bed, L3) sitting down on the edge of the bed, L4) standing up, L5) sitting down, L6) turning right, L7) turning left, L8) walking forward, and L9) moving backward, and also set a speed level for each motion.

The set number of stages is a parameter for automatically stopping the motor of the electric hoist 10.
For example, the user can set one of 100 options (N00 to N99). Each setting step number may be associated with an operation speed that is easy for the user to use, for example, 10 cm/min for N00, 12 cm/min for N01, 14 cm/min for N02, and 16 cm/min for N03.

The parameter values of the physical strength level and the set operation step number are stored in a master table in the memory 117. Before starting work, the user sets each parameter value in the electric switch 100 by uttering an "operation level" and a "set operation speed step number" for obtaining a target operation optimum value. Furthermore, if the work object is changed during work, the user sets each parameter value in the electric switch 100 by uttering an "operation level" and a "set operation speed step number" for obtaining a target parameter value corresponding to the changed work object. The set parameter values are stored in the memory 117 and are used by the control unit 110 to control the drive of the electric hoist motor.

9 shows functional blocks of the control unit 110. The control unit 110 includes, for example, an operation reception unit 130, a drive control unit 131, an execution function determination unit 132, and a sound processing unit 133, and executes various processes related to the electric switch 100. The sound processing unit 133 has a function of processing sound input to the microphone 112, and can be configured to include a sound analysis unit 134 that performs frequency analysis of the input sound, and a voice recognition unit 135 that recognizes voices spoken by the user.

The operation reception unit 130 receives operation of the operation switch 109 by the user and provides the operation to the drive control unit 131. The drive control unit 31 supplies power to the motor of the electric hoist 10 in response to the ON operation of the operation switch 9, thereby controlling the operation of the hoist. As described above, in the electric switch 100 of the embodiment, the user sets parameter values for torque management before starting work, and the drive control unit 131 controls the rotation of the motor of the electric hoist based on the parameter values stored in the memory 117.

When the power supply of the electric switch 100 is in an on state, various sounds such as the voice of the user and the operating sounds generated by the electric switch 100 during operation are input to the microphone 112. The control unit 110 controls the electric switch 100 based on the sounds input to the microphone 112.
In the embodiment, the voice recognition unit 135 has a function of performing voice recognition processing of the user's speech, and each function in the control unit 110 can perform processing related to the electric switch 100 based on the result of the voice recognition processing performed by the voice recognition unit 135 on the sound input to the microphone 112. In other words, the user can cause the control unit 100 to perform various processes by speaking into the microphone 112.

The present invention has been described above based on an embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component or each processing process, and that such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. The microphone 112 may be provided in a separate terminal device having a communication function, and the terminal device may transmit a sound signal collected by the microphone 112 to the electric switch 1. The terminal device may also have the function of a sound processing unit 133 and transmit the processed sound signal collected by the microphone 112 to the electric switch 100. This allows the control unit 110 in the electric switch 100 to execute processing related to the electric switch 100 based on the sound input to the microphone 112 provided in the separate terminal device. The terminal device may be a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet equipped with a microphone and a wireless communication module. The control unit 110 may execute processing related to the electric switch 1 based on the results of voice recognition processing of the input sound. That is, the control unit 110 may not perform the voice recognition process when the operation switch (9) is in the ON state, and may perform the voice recognition process when the operation switch (9) is in the OFF state.
The control unit 110 may not perform voice recognition processing when the electric switch 100 is not being held by a user, but may perform voice recognition processing when the electric switch 100 is being held by a user. The control unit 110 may perform voice recognition processing when the electric switch 100 is being held by a user and is in a predetermined posture or is being made to perform a predetermined movement. The control unit 100 may set parameter values for controlling the operation of the drive unit 103 based on the results of voice recognition processing of the input sound. The control unit 110 may set parameter values based on information related to the work. The control unit 110 may not set parameter values when the operation switch 109 is in an on state, but may set parameter values when the operation switch 109 is in an off state. The control unit 110 may not set parameter values when the electric switch 100 is not being held by a user, but may set parameter values when the electric switch 100 is being held by a user. The control unit 110 may set the parameter value after notifying the user that the parameter value is to be set.

10... electric hoist, 20... sling, 30... electric switch, 40... ceiling rail, 100... electric switch, 103... drive unit, 104... transmitter, 107...
Antenna, 109... operation switch, 110... control unit, 111... information output unit, 112... microphone, 117... memory, 118... battery, 132... executive function determination unit, 133... sound processing unit, 134... sound analysis unit, 135... voice recognition unit

Claims (3)

The device comprises a sling (20) that is suspended from above and supports the care recipient by embracing the body of the care recipient, an electric hoist (10) that raises the sling (20) upward or lowers the sling (20) while embracing the body of the care recipient, and an electric switch (100) that has a voice recognition function and operates the electric hoist (10) by a wired or wireless method.
The sling (20) comprises a U-shaped support body (21) attached to the body of the care recipient so as to pass under the armpits of the care recipient from behind and wrap around the front of the body in order to hold the body of the care recipient in place of both hands of a caregiver embracing the care recipient from the front, a connecting means (21a) for connecting the towing rope (11) of the electric hoist ( 10) to both ends of the support body (21), and a connecting means (21b) for connecting the support body (21) to the front of the electric hoist (10). When the care recipient is pulled and lifted up, the support body (21) extends in front of the chest through both sides, and as shown in Figure 5, a support frame (22) extends horizontally in front of the chest to resist the component force acting inward of the forward lifting force so as not to pinch the sides with the component force. The support body (21) supports the care recipient's body by suspending it from above as if it were being held in a sling, and the support frame (22) prevents the body from falling forward when standing up or sitting down. The sling (20) is pulled by the electric hoist (10) via a towing rope (11), and when the care recipient himself/herself operates the electric hoist (10) via the electric switch (100) in a wired or wireless manner, first, the sling (20) is pulled forward and upward by the electric hoist (10), and the support frame (22) can prevent the care recipient from falling over, while assisting the care recipient in changing their body position from a sitting position to a standing position. Secondly, the sling (20) can be rotated to change the body position from front to back while preventing the body from falling over in the standing position by the support frame (22), and thirdly, when the sling (20) is lowered downward from the front by the electric hoist (10), it can assist the care recipient in changing the body position from a standing position to a sitting position while preventing the body from falling over by the support frame (22). A device for supporting independence for a care recipient as described in claim 1, wherein the support frame (22) is removably attached to the support body (21) in front of the chest of the care recipient, making it easy to attach the sling (20) to the body. 2. The device for supporting independence of a care recipient as described in claim 1, wherein the electric switch (100) has a voice recognition function and operates the electric hoist (10) in response to a voice command from the care recipient, thereby causing the body of the care recipient wearing the sling (20) to stand up, sit down, move forward or backward.