JP2015100527A - Assist arm - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an assist arm which supports an arm during a work which a person performs while remaining raising his/her upper arm upward, or lowering his/her upper arm downward.SOLUTION: An assist arm includes: a worm gear which rotates; a shoulder part which is provided on a shoulder; a worm wheel which meshes with the worm gear of the shoulder part and rotates; an upper arm part which rotates accordingly to the rotation of the worm wheel; and an upper arm supporting part which is provided adjacently to the upper arm part, goes up and down by following the rotation of the upper arm part, and supports an upper arm.

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an assist arm that supports an arm, for example, in an operation performed with the upper arm raised upward or with the upper arm lowered downward.

  Conventionally, many researches have been made on robotic technology, such as a large working arm for carrying a large load or heavy work on a working arm instead of a person's own arm when working.

  In addition, there are some research and developments on support devices that reduce the burden on the human body by supporting the waist and body when working by the person himself (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2005-192664 A JP 2009-284944 A

  Among the tasks performed by humans, there are relatively many tasks performed with the arms raised upwards or lowered downwards. In such work performed with the arm raised or lowered downward, a support tool for supporting the arm is required.

  Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an assist arm that supports an arm during an operation performed with the upper arm raised upward or the upper arm lowered downward.

An assist arm according to the present disclosure includes a rotating worm gear, a shoulder portion provided on the shoulder,
The upper arm portion that meshes with the worm gear of the shoulder portion, has a worm wheel that rotates, and rotates according to the rotation of the worm wheel;
An upper arm support portion that is provided in contact with the upper arm portion, moves up and down with rotation of the upper arm portion, and supports the upper arm;
Is provided.

  According to the assist arm according to the present disclosure, the elbow can be supported by the upper arm support portion during the operation with the upper arm raised upward or the upper arm lowered downward. Moreover, the angle adjustment with respect to the level of the upper arm at the time of work can be performed easily. This makes it possible to support the arm during work performed with the upper arm raised upward or with the upper arm lowered downward.

It is the schematic which shows the state which mounted | wore the assist arm which concerns on Embodiment 1 on the left arm. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an assist arm according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the case where an assist arm is provided in both arms. It is sectional drawing which shows the meshing state of the worm gear of the assist arm which concerns on Embodiment 1, and a worm wheel. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the assist arm according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from the inner side. It is the schematic which shows the state which is supporting the elbow with the assist arm which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state from which the mesh | engagement of the worm gear and the worm wheel came off by rotation to the upper direction of the upper arm part of the assist arm which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state from which the mesh | engagement of the worm gear and the worm wheel was removed by the downward rotation of the upper arm part of the assist arm according to the first embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state from which the mesh | engagement of the worm gear and the worm wheel was removed by moving the upper arm part of the assist arm which concerns on the modification of Embodiment 1 ahead.

The assist arm according to the first aspect of the present disclosure has a rotating worm gear, and a shoulder portion provided on the shoulder;
The upper arm portion that meshes with the worm gear of the shoulder portion, has a worm wheel that rotates, and rotates according to the rotation of the worm wheel;
An upper arm support portion that is provided in contact with the upper arm portion, moves up and down with rotation of the upper arm portion, and supports the upper arm;
Is provided.

  According to the assist arm according to the first aspect, the elbow can be supported by the upper arm support portion when the upper arm is raised or the upper arm is raised. Moreover, the angle adjustment with respect to the level of the upper arm at the time of work can be performed easily. Therefore, the arm can be supported during the work performed with the upper arm raised upward or with the upper arm lowered downward.

  In the assist arm according to a second aspect, in the first aspect, the worm wheel may have teeth that mesh with the worm gear in at least a certain range along a circumferential direction.

  According to the assist arm according to the second aspect, the worm gear and the worm wheel mesh with each other and the upper arm portion can be held within a certain range having the teeth meshing with the worm gear. On the other hand, if the worm gear is out of a certain range having teeth that mesh with the worm gear, the worm gear and the worm wheel are disengaged, so that the upper arm portion becomes free. This makes it possible to obtain a desired degree of freedom during work.

  In the assist arm according to a third aspect, in the first aspect, the worm wheel may have teeth that mesh with the worm gear in a plurality of continuous ranges spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction. .

  According to the assist arm according to the third aspect, the worm gear and the worm wheel mesh with each other and the upper arm portion can be held in a range having the teeth that mesh with the worm gear. On the other hand, if the worm gear is out of the range having the teeth that mesh with the worm gear, the worm gear and the worm wheel are disengaged, so that the upper arm portion becomes free. This makes it possible to obtain a desired degree of freedom during work.

  The assist arm according to a fourth aspect is the assist arm according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the worm wheel is provided so as to be movable in a direction away from the worm gear so as to be disengaged from the worm gear. It may be.

  According to the assist arm of the fourth aspect, the worm wheel and the worm wheel are disengaged by moving the worm wheel in a direction away from the worm gear, so that the upper arm portion becomes free. This makes it possible to obtain a desired degree of freedom during work.

  In the assist arm according to a fifth aspect, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the worm wheel may rotate in a plane parallel to the vertical plane with respect to the horizontal axis.

  The assist arm according to a sixth aspect may further include a motor for rotating the worm gear in any one of the first to fifth aspects.

  Since the assist arm according to the sixth aspect has the motor that rotates the worm gear, the worm gear can be stably rotated and the upper arm can be supported.

  In the sixth aspect, the assist arm according to a seventh aspect may further include a forearm portion that is rotatably connected to the end of the upper arm portion along the forearm and sandwiches the forearm. .

  According to the assist arm according to the seventh aspect, since the forearm portion is provided with the forearm in between, the angle of the forearm with respect to the upper arm can be kept constant.

  The assist arm according to an eighth aspect is the input according to the seventh aspect, wherein the forearm portion serves as a switch for rotating the motor so as to move the upper arm support portion up and down on the inner upper and lower sides facing the forearm. A sensor may be provided.

  According to the assist arm according to the eighth aspect, since the input can be performed in the upward direction or the downward direction by the input sensor of the forearm, it is possible to input the vertical movement with a slight movement even when the hand is blocked.

  The assist arm according to a ninth aspect further includes a back member that is fixed to the back surface and rotatably supports the shoulder portion according to the rotation of the shoulder in any one of the first to eighth aspects. Also good.

  According to the ninth aspect, since the back member is further provided that supports the shoulder portion so as to be rotatable in accordance with the rotation of the shoulder, the shoulder portion is rotated in accordance with the movement of the shoulder even when the shoulder is rotated. Can be moved.

  Hereinafter, an assist arm according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state where an assist arm 10 according to Embodiment 1 is attached to a left arm. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the assist arm 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a case where the assist arms 10 and 10a are provided on both arms. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a meshed state between the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 of the assist arm 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the assist arm 10 according to Embodiment 1 as viewed from the inner side. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the elbow is supported by the assist arm 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The assist arm 10 according to Embodiment 1 includes a shoulder portion 11, an upper arm portion 12, and an upper arm support portion 13. A forearm portion 14 may be further provided. The shoulder 11 has a rotating worm gear 21 and is provided along the shoulder. The upper arm 12 has a worm wheel 22 that meshes with the worm gear 21 of the shoulder 11 and rotates according to the rotation of the worm wheel 22. The upper arm support portion 13 is provided in contact with the upper arm portion 12 and moves up and down as the upper arm portion 12 rotates, and supports the upper arm. In the attached drawings, only the assist arm 10 attached to the left arm is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the assist arm 10a attached to the right arm as shown in FIG. 3 may be used. Furthermore, it is good also as the assist arms 10 and 10a with which both arms are mounted | worn. In this case, the shoulder portions 11 and 11a may be provided for the assist arms 10 and 10a of the respective arms. Alternatively, a common back member 16 is provided for the assist arms 10 and 10a of both arms, and the shoulder members 11 and 11a of the assist arms 10 and 10a of both arms are rotated on the left and right shoulders of the back member 16. Along the rotary shafts 17 and 17a, the rotary shafts 17 and 17a may be rotatably provided.

(effect)
According to the assist arm 10, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the elbow can be supported by the upper arm support portion 13 during the operation with the upper arm raised upward or the upper arm lowered downward. Moreover, the angle adjustment with respect to the level of the upper arm at the time of work can be performed easily. Therefore, the arm can be supported during the work performed with the arm raised or lowered downward.

(Background to one form of the present disclosure)
In the work performed with the arm raised or lowered downward as described above, a certain degree of freedom is required for the upper and lower sides of the arm. The present inventor can support the work performed with the arm raised or lowered downward in the conventional case and the above case, but has found a problem that the degree of freedom in the vertical direction of the arm is still not sufficient, It came to the following one form of this indication.
In one form of the present disclosure, teeth 23 that mesh with the worm gear 21 are provided in a certain range along the circumferential direction of the worm wheel 22.
In another form of the present disclosure, teeth 23 that mesh with the worm gear 21 are provided in a plurality of continuous ranges spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the worm wheel 22.
In still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the worm wheel 22 is provided so as to be movable in a direction away from the worm gear 21 so as to be disengaged from the worm gear 21.

  According to each of the above forms, the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are engaged with each other and the upper arm portion 12 can be held in a certain range having teeth that mesh with the worm gear 21. On the other hand, when the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are out of a certain range having teeth that mesh with the worm gear 21, the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are disengaged, so that the upper arm portion 12 becomes free. Alternatively, by moving the worm wheel 22 in a direction away from the worm gear 21, the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are disengaged, so that the upper arm portion 12 becomes free. This makes it possible to obtain a desired degree of freedom during work. For example, the upper arm can be raised further upward than a certain angle. Alternatively, the upper arm can be lowered further below a certain angle.

  Below, each structural member which comprises the assist arm 10 which concerns on this indication is demonstrated.

<Shoulder>
The shoulder 11 is provided on the shoulder. The shoulder 11 has a rotating worm gear 21. Shoulder 11 may be configured to support upper arm 12 connected via worm gear 21 and worm wheel 22. The worm gear 21 can be rotated by the motor 15. As described above, when the assist arms 10 and 10a are attached to both arms, the shoulder portions 11 and 11a may be provided for the assist arms 10 and 10a of the respective arms. Alternatively, a common back member 16 for connecting the shoulder portions 11 and 11a of the assist arms 10 and 10a of both arms is provided, and the shoulder portions 11 and 11a of the assist arms 10 and 10a of both arms are connected to the back member 16. The rotation shafts 17 and 17a may be provided so as to be rotatable along the rotation of the left and right shoulders.

<Upper arm and upper arm support>
The upper arm 12 has a worm wheel 22 that meshes with the worm gear 21 of the shoulder 11 and rotates. The worm wheel 22 may rotate in a plane parallel to the vertical plane with respect to the horizontal axis. Or you may rotate in the surface inclined from the vertical surface. The upper arm portion 12 includes an upper arm support portion 13 that supports the upper arm. The upper arm portion 12 rotates according to the rotation of the worm wheel 22, and the upper arm support portion 13 moves up and down with the rotation of the upper arm portion 12. The worm wheel 22 of the upper arm 12 has teeth 23 that mesh with the worm gear 21 at least in a certain range along the circumferential direction. Or you may comprise so that it may have the tooth | gear 23 which meshes with the worm gear 21 in the several continuous range spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction of the worm wheel 22. FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are disengaged due to the upward rotation of the upper arm portion 12 of the assist arm 10. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are disengaged due to the downward rotation of the upper arm portion 12 of the assist arm 10.

For example, a case in which teeth that mesh with the worm gear 21 in a certain range along the circumferential direction of the worm wheel 22 will be described. Specifically, the range in which the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 mesh with each other corresponds to the range in which the upper arm 12 is 50 ° to 80 ° with respect to the horizontal.
As shown in FIG. 7, the tooth portion of the worm wheel 22 is disengaged from the teeth of the worm gear 21 when the angle θ formed by the upper arm portion with respect to the horizontal is 80 ° or more. This frees the worm wheel 22. As a result, the upper arm portion 12 and the upper arm support portion 13 are also free. In this case, when the angle is 80 ° or more, the upper arm 12 is free and the human upper arm is also free. For this reason, an upper arm can be extended to a higher place without a restriction | limiting. Note that once the angle exceeds 80 °, it is necessary to rotate the worm gear 21 and re-engage the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 in order to return the angle to 80 ° or less.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the angle θ formed by the upper arm portion 12 with respect to the horizontal is 50 ° or less, the tooth portion of the worm wheel 22 is disengaged from the teeth of the worm gear. This frees the worm wheel 22. As a result, the upper arm portion 12 and the upper arm support portion 13 are also free. In this case, the case where the angle is 50 ° or less is free, and the human upper arm is also free. For this reason, an upper arm can be extended to a lower place without a restriction | limiting. In addition, once the angle becomes less than 50 °, in order to return the angle to 50 ° or more, it is necessary to rotate the worm gear 21 and mesh the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 again.

With the above configuration, the upper arm portion 12 can be fixed to the shoulder portion 11 by the engagement of the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 in the range of the angle θ formed by the upper arm portion 12 with respect to the horizontal in the range of 50 ° to 80 °. As a result, the upper arm can be firmly supported by the upper arm support portion 13.
On the other hand, at an angle other than the above angle range, 50 ° or less or 80 ° or more, the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 do not mesh with each other, and the upper arm support portion 13 can be in a free state. Thereby, at an angle of 50 ° or less or 80 ° or more, the upper arm can be moved freely without being fixed. For example, it can be performed with a high degree of freedom even when working at the top.
In addition, the said angle range is an example, Comprising: It is not limited to this. For example, the worm wheel 22 may have teeth that mesh with the worm gear 21 in a plurality of continuous ranges spaced apart from each other along the circumferential direction. In this case, the work can be performed with a high degree of freedom in an angle range that does not have teeth between a plurality of continuous ranges.

<Forearm>
The forearm portion 14 may be provided so as to sandwich the forearm. The forearm portion 14 may be fixed at an arbitrary angle with respect to the upper arm portion 12. In this case, the angle may be continuously variable, or the angle may be variable stepwise. In addition, the forearm portion 14 includes input sensors 31 and 32 on the inner upper and lower sides facing the forearm, respectively. The input sensors 31 and 32 may be any sensors that turn on / off the rotation of the motor 15 that drives the worm gear 21 of the shoulder 11. For example, by touching one of the upper and lower input sensors 31 and 32, the rotation direction of the motor 15 can be selected to be either upward or downward. Even in a state where both hands are blocked, the rotation of the motor 15 can be controlled by touching the input sensors 31 and 32 with a slight movement of the forearm. Accordingly, the worm gear 21 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the worm wheel 22, the upper arm portion 12 is rotated, and the upper arm support portion 13 can be moved up and down.
As the input sensors 31 and 32, various sensors such as a pressure sensor, a capacitance type sensor, and an optical sensor can be used. Moreover, it is not restricted to said example, For example, it inputs by the electrical switch which inputs by attaching an electrical contact to a forearm and moving a forearm and making it contact with the contact of the corresponding location of the forearm part 14 for example A sensor may be configured.

<Back member>
The assist arm 10 may include a back member 16 fixed to the back surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the back member 16 is fixed to the back surface, and supports the shoulder portion 11 so that the shoulder portion 11 can rotate about the rotation shaft 17. Thus, even when the shoulder is rotated, the shoulder 11 can be rotated in accordance with the movement of the shoulder. Note that the rotation of the shoulder is, for example, the rotation of the rotation shaft 17 to the left and right in the example of FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a case where the assist arm 10a is provided not only on the left arm but also on the right arm as an example. In this case, the back member 16 also supports the shoulder 11a so that the shoulder 11a can rotate about the rotation shaft 17a also for the assist arm 10a of the right arm.

(Example)
Below, operation | movement of the assist arm 10 in an Example is demonstrated.
(1) An operator touches the input sensors 31 and 32 provided above and below the forearm portion 14 upward or downward with the forearm.
(2) The motor 15 rotates and the worm gear 21 rotates according to the input (ON / OFF, analog value) to the input sensors 31 and 32 of the forearm portion 14.
(3) In the gear box, the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 mesh with each other, the worm wheel 22 rotates with the rotation of the worm gear 21, and the upper arm portion 12 rotates upward or downward.
(4) As the upper arm portion 12 rotates, the upper arm support portion 13 moves up and down.
Thus, according to the assist arm 10, the upper arm support portion 13 can be moved up and down while supporting the elbow and the upper arm. Further, the upper arm can be set at a desired angle with respect to the horizontal by rotating the worm gear 21.

(Modification)
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are disengaged by moving the upper arm portion 12 of the assist arm according to the modification forward. In the assist arm according to this modification, the worm wheel 22 is provided so as to be movable away from the worm gear 21 so that the worm wheel 22 is disengaged from the worm gear 21 as compared with the assist arm according to the first embodiment. Is different. In this way, from the state where the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 are engaged, the worm wheel 22 is moved in a direction away from the worm gear 21, the engagement between the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 is removed, and the worm wheel 22. Can be made free. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the teeth 23 of the worm wheel 22 may be provided in the entire circumferential range. Or as shown in FIG. 4, you may provide the tooth | gear 23 in the partial range of the circumferential direction.

  As described above, the worm wheel 22 is not only provided so as to be movable away from the worm gear 21, but conversely, provided so as to be movable in the direction toward the worm gear 21 so as to mesh with the worm gear 21. It has been. Thereby, the engagement with the worm gear 21 and the release thereof can be performed freely. In this case, the engagement between the worm gear 21 and the worm wheel 22 and the release thereof can be performed regardless of the angle of the upper arm portion 12 with respect to the horizontal, and the degree of freedom during work can be further increased.

  As a method of moving the worm wheel 22 in the direction away from the worm gear 21 or in the direction toward the worm gear 21, for example, another input sensor may be provided on the left and right sides of the forearm portion 14 and controlled. In this case, the movement of the worm wheel 22 may be controlled by moving the forearm left and right and touching the left and right input sensors. In addition, since the free state of the upper arm part 12 and the upper arm support part 13 is controlled by the movement of the worm wheel 22, the movement of the worm wheel 22 is performed by a plurality of movements to the left and right input sensors. You may make it carry out by input of times.

  According to the assist arm according to the present disclosure, the elbow can be supported by the upper arm support portion when the upper arm is raised upward or the upper arm is lowered downward. Moreover, the angle adjustment with respect to the level of the upper arm at the time of work can be performed easily. Therefore, the arm can be supported during an operation performed with the upper arm raised upward or with the upper arm lowered downward. Therefore, it is useful for applications such as an assist arm and a support wearing tool that support an operation with the upper arm raised upward or with the upper arm lowered downward.

10, 10a Assist arm 11, 11a Shoulder portion 12, 12a Upper arm portion 13 Upper arm support portion 14, 14a Forearm portion 15, 15a Motor 16 Rear member 17, 17a Rotating shaft 21 Worm gear 22 Worm wheel 23 Teeth 31, 32 Input sensor

Claims (9)

Having a rotating worm gear, and a shoulder provided on the shoulder;
The upper arm portion that meshes with the worm gear of the shoulder portion, has a worm wheel that rotates, and rotates according to the rotation of the worm wheel;
An upper arm support portion that is provided in contact with the upper arm portion, moves up and down with rotation of the upper arm portion, and supports the upper arm;
Assist arm with   The assist arm according to claim 1, wherein the worm wheel has teeth that mesh with the worm gear at least in a certain range along a circumferential direction.   The assist arm according to claim 1, wherein the worm wheel has teeth that mesh with the worm gear in a plurality of continuous ranges spaced apart from each other along a circumferential direction.   The assist arm according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the worm wheel is provided so as to be movable in a direction away from the worm gear so as to be disengaged from the worm gear.   The assist arm according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the worm wheel rotates in a plane parallel to a vertical plane with respect to a horizontal axis.   The assist arm according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a motor for rotating the worm gear.   The assist arm according to claim 6, further comprising a forearm portion that is rotatably connected to an end portion of the upper arm portion along the forearm and is provided so as to sandwich the forearm.   The assist arm according to claim 7, wherein the forearm portion includes an input sensor serving as a switch that rotates the motor so as to move the upper arm support portion up and down on the inner upper and lower sides facing the forearm.   The assist arm according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a back member fixed to the back surface and rotatably supporting the shoulder portion in accordance with a rotation of the shoulder.

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