JPH0738870B2 - Sole for lower limb brace - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shoe sole for a lower limb orthosis, which is a walking assist device for paraplegic persons.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a cervical spine or a spine is struck by a traffic accident or a fall accident, the upper or lower limbs are paralyzed. Under the current circumstances, he immediately becomes a wheelchair. However, although a wheelchair has good patient movement performance, it has many medical or psychological disadvantages, and a walking assist device for moving the patient is considered in terms of improvement. One of such walking aids is a British parawalker. This para-walker is designed to move forward with a twisting motion of the upper body while fixing all the lower body except the hip joint. In the walking motion by the twisting motion, it is necessary to provide a clearance between the floor and the swing leg, and therefore it is necessary to tilt the body greatly and perform the twisting motion, which is a heavy burden on the patient. To reduce this burden, shorten the leg length when the patient's leg is off the floor and make it long when the patient's leg rests on the floor. It is possible to achieve walking with less burden. The length of this leg
Conventionally, a lower limb brace has been developed in which the thickness of the shoe sole is variable as a mechanism for alternately expanding and contracting.

[0003]

As shown in FIG. 6, the conventionally developed shoe sole having a variable thickness has a sole 100 and an upper sole 10.
1 and a lower bottom 102 to form a double bottom, and the upper bottom 101
The upper and lower bases 101 and 102 are connected by a bendable and extendable connecting link mechanism 106 composed of link members 103 and 104 and a rotary shaft 105. By bending and extending the connecting link mechanism 106, the thickness of the shoe sole 100 is changed by moving the upper sole 101 and the lower sole 102 closer to or further from each other. A pneumatic cylinder, for example, is used as an actuator for bending and extending the connecting link mechanism 106, and the actuator 107 is used.
Is disposed between the upper sole 101 and the lower sole 102, and the sole 10
Since the shoe sole 100 is attached to 0, the weight of the shoe sole 100 increases, and even when the thickness of the sole 100 is reduced as well as burdening the wearer, the actuator 107 interferes with the thickness of the sole 100. It cannot be made small enough. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention previously made a new proposal to dispose the actuator at a position away from the sole (see Japanese Patent Application No. 53048 of 1993). The problem remains that the structure is complicated by the need for pulleys and connecting rods.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and the thickness of the shoe sole can be easily changed, and a large load does not act on the wearer's toes, and the structure is simple. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a shoe sole for a lower limb brace that can sufficiently reduce the thickness of the shoe sole when swinging.

[0005]

To this end, a shoe sole for a lower limb orthosis of the present invention is a shoe sole having a double sole consisting of an upper sole and a lower sole whose relative distance is variable, A bendable and extendable connecting tool that connects the upper bottom and the lower bottom, a drive mechanism that drives the connecting tool, and a stopper that restrains the movement of the connecting tool, and the connecting tool is at least one connection. A pair of connecting links consisting of a link and the other connecting link, each of the connecting links has an upper link member and a lower link member that are rotatably connected via a first rotating shaft, The upper end of the upper link member is connected to the upper bottom via a second rotation shaft, the lower end of the lower link is connected to the lower bottom via a third rotation shaft, and the drive mechanism is An actuator arranged at a position away from the sole A drive wire that is driven by the actuator to extend the pair of connecting links synchronously and bends outward from an original position to an extended position; and a return mechanism that can return the elongated connecting member to the original position. Then
Further, the stopper is provided inside the connecting link, the drive wire member is a tubular outer cable, and an inner wire that is inserted through the outer cable and is relatively displaceable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the outer cable. The outer cable has one end fixed to a fixed portion of the actuator and the other end connected to the first rotary shaft or the upper link member and the lower link member of the other connecting link of the pair of connecting links. The inner wire is connected to the moving part of the actuator at one end and slidably penetrates through the first rotation shaft of the other connecting link at the other end of the pair of connecting links. It is characterized in that it is connected to the first rotating shaft of the one connecting link or to the connecting portion between the upper link member and the lower link member.

[0006]

When the actuator is driven, one of the front connecting links is pulled inward by the force from the inner wire and rises, and at the same time, the other rear connecting link is also pushed inward by the reaction force of the outer cable. Can be launched. As a result, the sole becomes thicker. On the contrary, when the force of the piston is released, the pair of front and rear connecting links are expanded by the leaf spring or the spiral spring attached to the upper part of each link by the moment force expanded outward, and the shoe sole is thinned.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a shoe sole. The shoe sole 1 constitutes a lower end portion of a lower limb orthosis 2 worn by a user who is a patient with lower body paralysis. The shoe sole 1 has a double bottom consisting of an upper sole 3 and a lower sole 4 which are vertically spaced from each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper bottom 3 and the lower bottom 4 are connected by a bendable and extendable connecting tool 5 so that the relative distance in the vertical direction is variable. That is, increasing the relative distance between the upper sole 3 and the lower sole 4 means increasing the thickness of the shoe sole, and decreasing the relative distance between the upper sole 3 and the lower sole 4 means reducing the sole. 1 means that the thickness becomes smaller.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting tool 5 is provided with a pair of connecting links 6a, 6b consisting of one connecting link 6a and the other connecting link 6b. One connecting link 6
a and the other connecting link 6b are provided with an upper link member 7 and a lower link member 8, and the lower end of the upper link member 7 and the upper end of the lower link member 8 are rotatably connected via a first rotating shaft 11. is doing. On the other hand, the upper end of the upper link member 7 is rotatably connected to the upper bottom 3 via the second rotating shaft 12,
Further, the lower end of the lower link member 8 is rotatably connected to the lower bottom 4 via a third rotating shaft 13. The state in which the upper link member 7 and the lower link member 8 are positioned on a straight line represents a state in which the connecting links 6a and 6b are extended, and this is the extension posture 14 of the connecting links 6a and 6b. When the connecting links 6a, 6b take the extended posture 14, the upper bottom 3
And the lower sole 4 are most distant from each other in the vertical direction, and the shoe sole 1 has a maximum thickness.

The bending and stretching of the connecting links 6a and 6b are performed by the drive mechanism 20. The drive mechanism 20 includes an actuator 21, a wire 22, and a return mechanism 40. The actuator 21 has a fixed portion 23 and a movement portion 24. An air cylinder can be used as the actuator 21. Actuator 2
1 is attached to the lower limb orthosis 2 at a position substantially corresponding to the waist of the wearer. The drive wire 22 includes a tubular outer cable 26 and an inner wire 27 that is inserted through the outer cable 26 and is relatively displaceable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the outer cable 26. The outer cable 26 covers the inner wire 27, but the inner wire 27 inside is freely movable in the longitudinal direction. The tip of the inner wire 27 is connected to the connecting portion between the upper link member 7 and the lower link member 8 of the one connecting link 6a.
In this embodiment, the tip of the inner wire 27 is connected to the first rotating shaft 11 of the one connecting link 6a as a connecting portion, but in addition to this, in the vicinity of the lower end of the upper link member 7 or the upper end of the lower link member 8. May be connected to. The base end of the inner wire 27 penetrates the first rotary shaft 11 of the other connecting link 6b to reach the actuator 21, and is connected to the moving portion 24 of the actuator 21. However, the place where the inner wire 27 passes through the other connecting link 6b is not limited to the first rotating shaft 11, but may be near the lower end of the upper link member 7 of the other connecting link 6b or near the upper end of the lower link member 8. In any case, it is desirable to correspond to the contact portion at the tip of the outer cable 26 described later. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a through hole 28 is formed in the first rotating shaft 11 of the other connecting link 6b in the diameter direction.
The inner wire 27 is inserted through the through hole 28. A tip portion 33 of the outer cable 26 is attached to the first rotating shaft 11 of the other connecting link 6b by a mounting member 35. Through hole 3 in mounting bracket 35
6 is formed, the through hole 36 communicates with the through hole 28 of the first rotating shaft, and the inner wire 27 is inserted through the communicated through holes 28 and 36. The base end portion of the outer cable 26 is fixed to the fixing portion 23 of the actuator 21. In addition to the structure shown in FIG. 3, the connecting structure of the drive wire 22 and the actuator 21 is, as shown in FIG. The inner wire 27 may be pulled out from the upper end of 26 and connected to the upper end of the motion part 24. On the other hand, a spring 41 of the return mechanism 40 is provided between the upper plate 3 and the upper link member 7, and the spring 41 applies a spring force to the connecting links 6a, 6b in a direction in which the connecting links 6a, 6b are bent outward. Is acting. A stopper 42 is fixed to the upper bottom 3 and the lower bottom 4 inside the upper link member 7 and the lower link member 8. The stopper 42 is a connecting link 6a, 6b.
From being bent further inward from the extended posture 14.

The thickness adjusting operation of the shoe sole 1 thus constructed is performed as follows. When the leg of the user 10 is a free leg, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the shoe sole 1, but this is because the actuator 21 does not act and the connecting link 6a, 6b is free, and the spring 41 is The upper link member 7 is pressed outward to bend the connecting links 6a and 6b outward. The original posture of the connecting links 6a, 6b is when the connecting links 6a, 6b are bent outward. Next, when the legs of the user 10 become supporting legs, the thickness of the shoe sole 1 needs to be increased. In this case, the actuator 21 is operated and the inner wire 2
Pull seven. The first rotating shaft 11 of the one connecting link 6a is pulled by the force from the inner wire 27, the one connecting link 6a is pulled inward by a, and at the same time, the reaction force of the outer cable 26 causes the other connecting link 6b to move. The first rotating shaft 11 is pushed, and the other connecting link 6b is also pushed inward by an amount a to start up. As a result, the sole 1 becomes thicker. On the contrary, when the force of the piston is released, the front and rear links are spread by the moment force that is expanded outward by the spring 41 such as a leaf spring or a spiral spring attached to the upper part of each link member, and the shoe sole becomes thin.

The connecting links 6a and 6b are in the extended posture 14
When a load is applied to the connecting links 6a, 6b from above, the connecting links 6a, 6b may be bent inward or outward.
Of the connecting links 6a, 6
The inward refraction of b is caused by the upper link member 7 and the lower link member 8
Collides with the stopper 42 and is prevented from rotating. In this way, the state of the shoe sole 1 with the increased thickness is maintained.

[0012]

In the shoe sole 1 having such a structure, the actuator 21 does not exist between the upper sole 3 and the lower sole 4, and only the inner wire 27 and the stopper 42 are located. Can be prevented from increasing, and when the thickness of the shoe sole 1 is reduced by folding the connecting links 6a and 6b, the actuator 21 that causes such operation is not present inside.
The thickness of the shoe sole can be reduced, and the variable range of the thickness of the shoe sole can be increased. In this way, the burden on the user can be avoided and walking can be facilitated.

In the shoe sole 1 thus constructed,
The thickness of the shoe sole can be easily changed by the operation of the actuator and the link mechanism, and the actuator is located at a position distant from the shoe sole 1 and exists between the upper sole and the lower sole of the sole 1. Therefore, a large load does not act on the user's toes. In this way, it is possible to obtain a shoe sole for a lower limb brace that has a simple structure and can sufficiently reduce the thickness of the shoe sole when swinging.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective explanatory view of a shoe sole.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional explanatory view of a shoe sole.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional explanatory view of a drive wire.

FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view showing a mounting state of an outer cable and a first rotating shaft.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another example of a fixed state of a drive wire and an actuator.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional explanatory view of a conventional shoe sole.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 shoe sole 2 lower limb orthosis 3 upper sole 4 lower sole 5 connecting tools 6a, 6b pair of connecting links 6a one connecting link 6b other connecting link 7 upper link member 8 lower link member 10 user 11 first rotating shaft 12 Second rotary shaft 13 Third rotary shaft 14 Extension posture 15 Original posture 20 Drive mechanism 21 Actuator 22 Drive wire 23 Fixed part 24 Motion part 26 Outer cable 27 Inner wire 28 Through hole 31 Tip 32 Base end 33 Tip 34 base End part 35 Mounting bracket 36 Through hole 40 Return mechanism 41 Spring 42 Stopper

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An upper bottom and a lower bottom having a variable relative distance.
A shoe sole having a heavy sole, comprising a bendable and extendable connecting tool that connects the upper sole and the lower sole, a drive mechanism that drives the connecting tool, and a stopper that restrains the movement of the connecting tool. The upper link member includes a pair of connecting links including at least one connecting link and the other connecting link, and each connecting link is rotatably connected via a first rotating shaft. And a lower link member, the upper end of the upper link member is connected to the upper bottom via a second rotation shaft, and the lower end of the lower link is connected to the lower bottom via a third rotation shaft. And the drive mechanism is driven by the actuator disposed at a position distant from the shoe sole and driven by the actuator to extend from the original position in which the pair of connecting links are bent outward in synchronization. Drive wheel that extends the posture A return mechanism capable of returning the extended connecting member to the original position, the stopper is provided inside the connecting link, and the drive wire member is a tubular outer cable and the outer cable. The inner cable is inserted through the inner cable and is relatively displaceable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the outer cable. One end of the outer cable is fixed to a fixed portion of the actuator and the other end of the pair of connecting links is fixed. It reaches the first rotary shaft of the other connecting link or the connecting portion of the upper link member and the lower link member, one end of the inner wire is connected to the moving portion of the actuator, and the other end is the other end. The first rotating shaft of the connecting link is slidably pierced through the first rotating shaft of the one connecting link of the pair of connecting links or the upper connecting shaft of the connecting link. Shoe soles for foot orthosis, characterized in that is connected to the connecting portion of the click member and the lower link member.