Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yosuke Endo

Ken Yasuhara

Kei Shimada

Ritsuo Hara

Yasushi Ikeuchi

Keishiro Kikuchi

Toru Takenaka

Jun Ashihara

Hiroshi Kudoh

Yutaka Hiki

Tetsuya Ido

Eiichi Genda

To measure the number of steps of a user in a more precise manner, the pedometer of the present invention comprises a state variable detection unit for detecting a state variable indicating a walking movement of a user, a walking step determination unit for determining each walking step of the user from an output of the state variable detection unit, a walking information storage unit for incrementing a step count each time a walking step is determined by the walking step determination unit and storing the incremented step count and the associated time information obtained by a clock, and a walking step count computation unit for computing a walking step count of the user from a time point of initiating the measurement operation to a time point of terminating the measurement operation to a decimal part according to the step count and the associated time information stored in the walking information storage unit.

Pedometer, walking assist device and pedometric computer program product

When performing actuator control using weight on the bottom of the foot as a trigger, the foot of the user must appropriately touch the ground in order for the weight to be sensed. Therefore, the activation condition for starting the actuator control is limited and, for example, a rehabilitation patient who has one injured leg has difficulty training their step movement using this step assist device. Provided is a step assist device including a providing section that provides an assist force to a step movement of a user; a detecting section that detects a hip joint angle, which is an angle of aperture of a hip joint of the user; and a control section that begins controlling the providing section when the hip joint angle exceeds a predetermined threshold value, according to an assistance plan set in advance for the step movement of a single step of the user.

Step counter, step assist device, and computer-readable medium having stored thereon a step count program

Provided is a step counter including a right angle sensor that outputs a right hip joint angle signal indicating a right hip joint angle of a user; a left angle sensor that outputs a left hip joint angle signal indicating a left hip joint angle of the user; a generating section that generates an angle difference signal indicating change over time of an angle difference between the right hip joint angle and the left hip joint angle, based on the right hip joint angle signal and the left hip joint angle signal; and a calculating section that calculates a step number of the user based on a difference signal generated from a difference between filtered signals resulting from the angle difference signal being applied to at least two different filters.

Provided is a step assist device including a first phase angle modifying section that, according to repetition of the step movement, modifies in a staged manner the phase angle input thereto, based on a predetermined phase change pattern, such that a phase pattern of the phase angle approaches a straight line relative to the passage of time, and outputs the modified phase angle as a first modified phase angle. The control section acquires a target value based on a continuous change pattern of the auxiliary force set in advance for at least one of the first modified phase angle and a prescribed phase angle, and controls the providing section according to the target value.

Step assist device, and computer-readable medium having stored thereon a step count program

According to a walking motion assist device, an assisting force T of a leg in a standing-leg period is controlled to indicate a greatest value or a maximum value in a first designated period (refer to the one-dot chain line and the two-dot chain line in t=tto t). By doing so, in the first designated period (an initial period or a prior period) of one leg, a translation of a body derived from a floor reaction force acting on the one leg is largely prompted compared to other periods of the standing-leg period. A smooth starting of floor leaving and bending motion of the other leg is prompted so as to follow the translation of the body.

Walking motion assist device

A walking assist device evaluates the degree of asymmetry between a left motion oscillator, which is a waveform signal indicative of the time-dependent change form of an output of a left hip joint angle sensor, and a right motion oscillator, which is a waveform signal indicative of the time-dependent change form of an output of a right hip joint angle sensor. In order to reduce the degree of asymmetry, the value of at least one of a left bending coefficient, a left stretching coefficient, a right bending coefficient, and a right stretching coefficient is adjusted.

Walking assist device, walking assist method, walking state estimating device and walking state estimating method

Provided is a walking motion assisting device capable of assisting a leg of an agent in walking motion to alleviate an assisting burden or eliminate an assisting necessity by a caregiver. According to the walking motion assisting device (), the value of a persistent energy input term (&#x3b6;) contained in a simultaneous differential equation denoting a second model configured to generate a second motion oscillator (&#x3c6;) is adjusted so as to limit a landing position (x) of a leg of the agent in a specified range [x, x]. Further, the motion state of the leg is recognized on the basis of a variation mode of a second oscillator (&#x3be;), and on the basis of the recognition result, the relative motion between the thigh and crus of the leg around the knee joint is assisted.

Walking motion assisting device

A training device capable of converting kinetic energy of an agent into electric energy while applying to the agent a resistance force of a variation behavior appropriate to a motion behavior of the agent. According to the training device, a strength and a direction of a resistance force applied to the agent can be varied via a regenerative braking on a motor according to at least one of a variation behavior of a relative posture between an upper body and a leg of the agent and a temporal variation behavior of the relative posture therebetween.

Training device

In the assist device, the output of an actuator is adjusted so that it becomes lower as a state of charge of a battery exceeds a first threshold value, and also so that it becomes lower as the state of charge of the battery becomes lower. The output of the actuator is controlled on the basis of the state of charge of the battery, so that it is possible to make the agent recognize the change in the state of charge of the battery by changing the output of the actuator, and as a result, to avoid the situation where the agent feels strange with respect to stopping the operation of the assist device following thereto.

Assist device

A walking assistance device has a load transmitting assembly, a foot-worn assembly, and a leg link provided between the load transmitting assembly and the foot-worn assembly. The foot-worn assembly has a ground contact member, on which a user's foot rests, and a connecting member which connects the ground contact member to a joint at a lower end of the leg link. The ground contact member is provided with tread force sensors and the foot-worn assembly permits detection of a tread force. The connecting member is formed so as to rise in a cantilever manner from one lateral side of the ground contact member. The tread force sensors are installed in at least one location adjacent to the heel of the user's foot and in at least two locations adjacent to toes of the user's foot, with the latter two locations being laterally spaced apart.

Walking assistance device

A movement assist system for assisting stably a movement of a creature, particularly a creature whose body part is paralyzed due to neuropathy or the like. According to the movement assist system, walking movement of a human is assisted according to an output from an actuator of a movement assist device. A timing of an electrical stimulation applied to the creature is adjusted by an electrical stimulation device on the basis of a signal representing an arithmetic processing result by a first controller which controls the output of the actuator. According thereto, it is possible to apply an electrical stimulation to the human at an appropriate timing from the viewpoint of maintaining an appropriate posture by considering a periodical movement state of the human even in cases where the body function is degraded, allowing the human assisted by the movement assist device to continue the walking movement.

Movement assist system

Provided is a device capable of assisting a periodical motion of a creature, such as a human, by applying a force to the creature so as to match a motion rhythm and a motion scale of the periodical motion to a desired motion rhythm and a desired motion scale, respectively, while reducing computation processing load. According to a motion assist device () of the present invention, a value of a member or a coefficient contained in a simultaneous differential equation of a state variable (u) for defining a second model which generates a second oscillator (&#x3be;) is adjusted by means of an adjusting device (). The second oscillator (&#x3be;) is generated by the adjusted second model and a torque (T) applied to a human (P) is controlled to vary periodically according to the second oscillator (&#x3be;).

Motion assist device

A body weight support device of the present invention is equipped with a body attachment part attached to a user's body, a floor contact part provided contactably on a floor, a leg link part for connecting the body attachment part to the floor contact part through a joint part, an actuator for driving the joint part, and a control unit for controlling a drive of the actuator, wherein the control unit drives the actuator so that the leg link part gives a body weight support force to the user through the body attachment part.

Body weight support device and body weight support program

The motion assist device () is provided with an auxiliary oscillator generation element () configured to generate, on the basis of a second intrinsic angular velocity (&#x3c9;) set according to a first oscillator (&#x3be;) generated from a first motion oscillator (&#x3c6;) and a first model and a second oscillator (&#x3be;) generated from a second motion oscillator (&#x3c6;) and a second model, an auxiliary oscillator (&#x3b7;) which includes therein a first auxiliary oscillator (&#x3b7;) denoting an elastic force originated from a virtual elastic element for assisting the motion of the user so as to approximate a value of a third motion oscillator (&#x3c6;) to a desired value (&#x3c6;, &#x3c6;) related to a desired motion scale of the user, and an auxiliary oscillator regulation element () configured to sequentially regulate the first auxiliary oscillator (&#x3b7;) so as to approximate a motion index value of the user to a reference value.

A motion assist device for assisting a periodical motion of a creature such as a human by applying a force with appropriate strength to the creature so as to match a motion scale with a desired motion scale thereof regardless of a motion rhythm of the periodical motion. According to the motion assist device (), a second model is corrected so as to approximate a value of a motion variable (&#x3be;) to a desired value (&#x3be;). A second oscillator (&#x3be;) is generated according to the corrected second model. A periodical force (torque) (T) applied to the human (P) is controlled according to the second oscillator (&#x3be;).

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Wako, Japan

Yosuke Endo