JPS6219174B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a power orthosis that is attached to a disabled person whose legs are paralyzed due to spinal cord injury or the like and drives at least one joint such as the hip joint, knee joint, or ankle joint of the leg using a hydraulic drive device.

Traditionally, wheelchairs were available for people with paralyzed legs. However, wheelchairs have drawbacks such as being limited in their use indoors and being unable to move around uneven surfaces or narrow passageways. In order to eliminate these drawbacks, a power equipment having a hydraulic drive device for hydraulically driving the joints has been proposed, and such a power equipment is shown in FIG. In Fig. 1, 1 is a hydraulic drive device for the crotch, 2 is a hydraulic drive device for the knee, 3 is a hydraulic drive device for the ankle, and 4 is a hydraulic drive device for the ankle.
5 is a control device equipped with a power source for each hydraulic drive device 1, 2, and 3, and 5 is a hydraulic pump and a hydraulic tank. In this power orthosis, a joint angle pattern signal similar to that used during walking is sent from the control device 4 to the hydraulic drive devices 1, 2, and 3 for each joint of the hip, knee, and ankle, and the hydraulic The driving devices 1, 2, and 3 are driven to perform walking.

However, the conventional power orthosis has the disadvantage that if the walking pattern of each joint given by the control device 4 is not appropriate, the walking becomes unstable and the user may fall.

This invention was made to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and stabilizes the joint angle pattern of each joint when a healthy person walks normally, by storing in the control device the joint angle pattern over time. The aim is to provide a power orthosis that allows for comfortable walking.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
The diagram will be explained. In Figure 2, 1a, 2
3a and 3a are angle sensors that measure the joint angles of the hip, knee, and ankle, respectively. In FIG. 3, 4a is a hydraulic drive control circuit, 4b is a storage device, 4c is an input terminal connected to the output of each angle sensor, and 4d
is an output terminal, and 4e is a changeover switch.

The operation will be explained below. First, the power orthosis is attached to a healthy person, the hydraulic power source of the hydraulic drive device for each joint is turned off to allow the joints to move freely, and the switch 4e is set to the input terminal 4c side. Then, a healthy person is allowed to walk normally, and angle sensors 1a, 2a, and 3a detect changes in each joint angle over time, and the detected changes are stored in a storage device 4b via a hydraulic drive control circuit 4a. Next, the power equipment is attached to the disabled person, the hydraulic power source is activated, and the switch 4e is closed to the output terminal 4d side. The joint angle pattern during normal walking stored in the storage device 4b is read out to the output terminal 4d by the hydraulic drive device control circuit 4a, and drives the hydraulic drive device of the corresponding joint. This makes it possible to walk almost in the same way as a healthy person.

As described above, according to the present invention, each joint angle is driven in exactly the same walking pattern as when a healthy person walks normally, so stable walking can be achieved and a safe power orthosis can be achieved. There are benefits to be gained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional power equipment, in which A is a front view, B is a rear view, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the power equipment according to the present invention, A is a front view, B is a rear view, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device for a power equipment according to the present invention, and the same reference numerals in the figure indicate the same or equivalent parts. In the figure, 1a is a hip joint angle sensor, 2a is a knee joint angle sensor, 3a is an ankle joint angle sensor, 4 is a control device, 4a is a hydraulic drive control circuit, and 4b is a storage device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a power orthosis in which at least one joint of the leg, such as the hip joint, knee joint, or ankle joint, is driven by a hydraulic drive device, the angle that is attached to the joint driven by the hydraulic drive device to measure the joint angle. A sensor, a memory device that stores the change in the joint angle with respect to time during normal walking by a healthy person, and when the power orthosis is worn, the change in the joint angle with respect to time is retrieved from the memory device, and the signal is used to determine the corresponding joint. A power equipment characterized by being provided with a hydraulic drive device control circuit for controlling a hydraulic drive device.