Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yosuke Ikedo

Toru Takenaka

Hiroshi Gomi

Kenichi Katagiri

Yoshinao Sodeyama

Ken Yasuhara

Yuichi Uebayashi

Provided is a travel motion assist device capable of assisting a travel motion of a user without causing any discomfort, and has a high level of versatility. A travel motion assist device includes an assist drive unit configured to be worn on a prescribed joint of the user required for the travel motion of the user, and to be driven in a corresponding manner, a torso motion detection unit configured to be worn on a torso of the user, and to detect the displacement of a center of gravity C indicating the movement of the torso, and a control unit configured to control an operation of the assist drive unit, wherein the control unit estimates a phase of the travel motion of the user according to a detection result of the torso motion detection unit, and drives the assist drive unit at a prescribed phase.

Travel motion assist device

A joint mechanismhas a zigzag structureextending in a zigzag pattern between a first memberand a second member. A flexible lengthy memberfixed to the first memberextends from the first membertoward the second memberand is travelable with respect to the second member. A tension application unitthat applies a tension to the flexible lengthy memberis configured to be capable of changing a tension to apply.

Joint mechanism

A movement assistance device is provided with thigh frames, lower leg frames, and knee joint mechanisms which are disposed on the outer side and the inner side, respectively, of each knee of a person to be assisted. Each of the thigh frames has a first main frame, which extends in the longitudinal direction of a thigh from a base disposed on one side of the hip of the person to be assisted to the outer knee joint mechanism, a second main frame, which obliquely extends on the front side of the thigh from the base to the inner knee joint mechanism, and a body support member, which is extended between the two main frames on the rear surface side of the thigh.

Movement assistance device

A present invention provides a joint power control device. A joint interlock displacement part () of a power transmission movable mechanism (), which is comprising of a moving pulley () and the like, is connected to a joint mechanism () disposed between a first member () and a second member (). A flexible lengthy member (), which is one of two flexible lengthy members () extending from the power transmission movable mechanism (), is connected to a control mechanism () that controls the movement of the flexible lengthy member (). Further, an elastic structure () is engaged with the other flexible lengthy member ().

Joint mechanism control device

A joint power generating device () has a multilayer structure constituted by alternately stacking an elastic member (), which incorporates a hermetically sealed air chamber, and a partition plate () with high stiffness, an elastic structure (), which has a through hole () formed therein, and a flexible lengthy member () inserted in the through hole (). The joint power generating device () is configured to transmit a force between the lengthy member () and the elastic structure () such that the force for compressing the elastic structure () increases as the tension on the lengthy member () increases.

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Saitama, Japan

Yosuke Ikedo