Suncall Corporation

Kyoto University

Kyoto Institute of Technology

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

National University Corporation Kyoto Institute of Technology

Koji Ohata

Rei Takahashi

Yoshiyuki Higashi

Tadao Tsuboyama

Yuichi Sawada

Yukinobu Makihara

Noriaki Ichihashi

Toru Takenaka

Yasushi Ikeuchi

Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Yuusuke Adachi

Yosuke Nagata

Yasushi Fujita

A gait motion assisting apparatus is provided, in which a thigh phase angle calculating unit has a latest data transmission process to transmit a thigh phase angle φ(k) at sampling timing S(k) (k is an integer of 1 or more) to a gait motion timing calculating unit and store the same as a reference thigh phase angle φc. Also, a stored data transmission process transmits, instead of the thigh phase angle φ(k), a currently stored reference thigh phase angle φc to the gait motion timing calculating unit and performs the stored data transmission process only when conditions are satisfied such that a thigh phase angle at one sampling timing is smaller than the currently stored reference thigh phase angle and an absolute value of a deviation therebetween is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and performs the latest data transmission process in other cases.

Gait motion assisting apparatus

An actuator unit of the present invention includes upper and lower frames respectively connectable to a thigh frame and a lower leg frame, an actuator-side rotational connecting part connecting both frames in a rotatable manner around a pivot axis, a driver producing driving force for rotating the lower frame around the pivot axis, upper and lower connecting bodies respectively connecting the upper frame to the thigh frame and the lower frame to the lower leg frame, and an intermediate connecting body connecting the vicinity of the actuator-side rotational connecting part to the vicinity of a brace-side rotational connecting part, the intermediate connecting body having a ball stud and an accommodation depression respectively provided on one and the other of the knee-ankle-foot orthosis and the actuator unit.

Actuator unit for knee-ankle-foot orthosis

The present invention provides an actuator-equipped knee ankle foot orthosis in which a control device calculates a thigh phase angle based on an angle-related signal detected by a thigh orientation detecting means at one sampling point, applies the thigh phase angle at that sampling point to an assisting force control data, which is stored in the control device in advance and indicates the relationship between the thigh phase angle and a size of the assisting force to be imparted to a lower leg-side brace, to obtain the size of the assisting force to be imparted to the lower leg-side brace at that sampling point, and executes operational control for an actuator unit such that the assisting force having the size is output.

Actuator-equipped knee ankle foot orthosis

A gait motion assisting apparatus of the present invention includes an actuator unit controlling driver so that assisting force calculated by applying gait motion timing based on detected thigh phase angle to output pattern saved data is imparted to lower leg, and a terminal device capable of wireless-communicating with control device of the actuator unit. The terminal device can receive assisting force setting value including assisting force imparting period during gait cycle and create, based on the assisting force setting value, output pattern setting data indicating a relationship between the gait motion timing and a size of assisting force to be imparted to the lower leg. The control device is configured to overwrite-save the output pattern setting data received from the terminal device as the output pattern saved data.

The gait motion assisting device according to the present invention replicates movement of user's leg including thigh and lower leg around hip joint by pendulum movement of a rod-like rigid body, estimates hip joint angle and hip joint angular velocity of thigh calculated based on equation of motion of the pendulum movement by a state estimator using angle-related signal received from a thigh orientation detecting means as the observation, calculates the thigh phase angle using the estimated hip joint angle and the estimated hip joint angular velocity, and outputs assisting force having torque value calculated based on the thigh phase angle.

Gait motion assisting device

An upper body motion measurement systemhas a plurality of inertia sensor units, each of which incorporating an angular velocity sensorand an acceleration sensor. The plurality of the inertia sensor unitsis attached to places that are different from each other on the upper body of a subject P. Based on the detection outputs of the angular velocity sensorand the acceleration sensor, the attitude of each of the inertia sensor unitsis estimated, and the acceleration thereof is further estimated. The angular acceleration of the upper body of the subject P is estimated based on the estimated accelerations of the plurality of the inertia sensor units

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Kyoto, Japan

Koji Ohata