Suncall Corporation

Kyoto University

Kyoto Institute of Technology

National University Corporation Kyoto Institute of Technology

Tadao Tsuboyama

Koji Ohata

Rei Takahashi

Yuichi Sawada

Yoshiyuki Higashi

Noriaki Ichihashi

Yukinobu Makihara

Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Yuusuke Adachi

Yasushi Fujita

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.

Gait motion assisting apparatus

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

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Tadao Tsuboyama