JP5760196B2 - Motion detection device, knee fixation release device, and lower limb orthosis - Google Patents

Description

    The present invention relates to a motion detection device that detects lower limb paralysis, in particular, walking and motion of a person who has difficulty in extending a knee joint, a knee fixation release device including the motion detection device, and a lower limb paralysis patient including the knee fixation release device. The present invention relates to a lower limb orthosis that assists walking.

  A person with lower limb paralysis who has a disorder in the lower limbs (especially extension of the knee joint) due to stroke or polio, etc. receives walking support using an orthosis or a walking assist device. If a person with lower limb paralysis has significant impairment in knee joint function (knee extension / flexion) and ankle function (foot dorsiflexion / plantar flexion), the lower limb is supported from the thigh to the lower leg and further to the sole. Alternatively, a long leg brace that is fixed is used.

  Such long leg braces often incorporate a knee joint mechanism that secures the knee joint of the brace user. If a user who has a disability in the lower limbs, particularly the knee joint function, stands and walks without fixing the knee joint, the standing position becomes unstable, and there is a risk of causing knee breakage during walking. Since the knee joint is fixed, the body can be supported by the lower limbs on the handicapped side and can walk safely.

  On the other hand, when the knee joint is fixed by the long lower limb orthosis, the user is forced to swing out the lower limb by extending or turning since the knee is fixed during the walking swing phase. When walking on a flat ground or floor, consciously swinging out the lower limbs is a mental and physical burden for the user. Moreover, when raising and lowering stairs, it is inconvenient if the knee joint is fixed.

  Under such circumstances, a technique has been proposed in which the operation of a device that assists walking is optimized to the user's operation state by detecting the user's operation state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, a technique has been proposed in which the knee joint is unlocked or the rotation of the knee joint is controlled as necessary by detecting the user's operation state (for example, Patent Document 2). And Patent Document 3).

JP 2010-148637 A Noto 300002320 gazette Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-108551

  In the prior art, the lower limb orthosis detects the user's operating state by detecting the grounding state from grounding sensors installed on the toe side and the heel side of the sole. For example, when both the toe side ground sensor and the heel side ground sensor detect that they are away from the ground, the lower limb orthosis releases the fixation of the knee joint. As described above, the technique for releasing the fixation of the knee joint based on the signals from the ground sensors provided on the toe side and the heel side of the sole has been used in the past.

  Each technique of patent documents 1-3 detects a user's operation state, adding other conditions to detection of a grounding state by a grounding sensor installed in a sole. The motion state includes a standing state (a state where the foot is standing on the ground), a free leg state (a state where the foot is walking away from the ground), and a state in which these are further subdivided. By detecting the operation state of the user, the operation of the device that assists the user's walking can be brought closer to the actual operation of the user. Each technique of patent documents 2 and 3 uses the case where a swing leg state is detected as timing which cancels fixation of a knee joint or controls rotation of a knee joint. By releasing the fixation of the knee joint, the user can walk while bending the knee, and the user wearing the lower limb orthosis can walk close to nature.

  The technique of Patent Document 1 uses the relative speed of the leg of the free leg as another condition. If the relative speed of the free leg's foot is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, it is determined that the free leg state (the foot is walking away from the ground) continues, and if the relative speed is less than the predetermined value, the free leg state is terminated. to decide.

  The technique of patent document 2 uses the bending angle of a knee joint as other conditions. By considering the bending angle of the knee joint, the technique of Patent Document 2 releases the fixation of the knee joint more precisely.

  The technique of Patent Document 3 uses a detected load as another condition. By detecting the load, the rotation of the knee joint is controlled. The techniques of Patent Literature 2 and Patent Literature 3 positively release the fixation of the knee joint by detecting the free leg state.

  However, the conventional techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 release the fixation of the knee joint when the sole moves away from the ground without considering the operation that is not intended by the user. For example, there is a case in which the user puts the sole with the lower limb orthosis away from the ground while standing on the floor (the sole moves away from the ground by changing the position of the center of gravity of the body). In such a case, if the fixation of the knee joint is released, the user is exposed to the risk of falling. Alternatively, the sole may be separated from the ground even when the user is leaning forward. Even in this case, when the knee joint is released, the user loses balance and is at risk.

  As described above, since the lower limb orthosis of the prior art gives priority to making the user's walking easier, the fixation of the knee joint is released even in the operation not intended by the user, thereby making the user uneasy or dangerous. Has the problem of exposing.

  In addition, the walking pattern of a disabled person is often different from that of a healthy person, and releasing the fixation of the knee joint just by moving the sole away from the ground without considering the walking pattern poses the same danger. The techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 consider the speed and angle, but these do not take into account the operation unintended by the user. This causes the knee joint to be unfixed, which causes anxiety and danger.

  For users with disabilities, as a general rule, do not release the knee joint as much as possible, rather than give priority to releasing the knee joint in consideration of ease of walking. It is important to release the fixation.

  In addition, conventional techniques such as Patent Documents 1 to 3 use various devices such as a speedometer and an angle measuring device in order to detect the timing of releasing the fixation of the knee joint. For this reason, the lower limb orthosis becomes larger and heavier. The user is a handicapped person, and wearing such a heavy leg brace has been a very burdensome problem.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a highly safe motion detection device, knee fixation release device, and lower limb orthosis that is simple and lightweight and can release the fixation of a knee joint in consideration of an operation not intended by the user. The purpose is to provide.

In view of the above problems, the motion detection device of the present invention is provided on the toe side of the sole of the user, and a toe sensor that detects at least one of grounding and separation on the toe side of the sole,
A heel sensor that is provided on the heel side of the sole and detects at least one of ground contact and separation on the heel side of the sole;
A detection unit for detecting a plurality of ground contact patterns on the sole by the first signal from the toe sensor and the second signal from the heel sensor;
The state in which the sole is separated from the ground (hereinafter referred to as “free leg state”) is determined from among the plurality of ground contact patterns, and in addition to the free leg state based on the plurality of movement patterns of the user. A determination unit for determining a state in which the user is walking (hereinafter referred to as “walking swing leg state”),
Multiple operation patterns
(1st condition) The kind of grounding pattern in time immediately before the free leg state used as judgment object,
(Second condition) The duration of a predetermined type of grounding pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Third Condition) Transition time from a predetermined grounding pattern to a different grounding pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Fourth condition) The appearance order of the ground contact pattern between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state,
Of (first condition), (second condition), viewed contains at least one (third condition) and (fourth condition)
It further includes a selection unit that selects which of the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and the fourth condition is used.

  The motion detection device of the present invention can detect the motion of the user who is a disabled person more accurately by considering an additional condition indicating the motion of the user in addition to the fact that the sole is separated from the ground. In particular, since it is not determined to be a free leg state based on a motion that is not intended by the user, the motion detection device and the lower limb orthosis using the motion detection device do not cause the knee joint to be unfixed, which gives the user anxiety and danger.

  The motion detection device determines the state where both the toe side and the heel side are separated from the ground as the free leg state, and then, depending on the additional conditions, the free leg state during the actual walking (hereinafter referred to as “walking free leg”). Status)) can be detected with high accuracy. As a result, the fixation of the knee joint is released only in the minimum necessary case.

  Further, as additional conditions, (first condition) the kind of grounding pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined, (second condition) a predetermined type before the free leg state to be determined. The duration of the ground contact pattern, (third condition) the transition time from a predetermined ground pattern to a different ground pattern temporally before the free leg state to be judged, (fourth condition) the free leg state to be judged The motion detection device can detect the walking swing leg state with high accuracy by appropriately using the appearance order of the ground contact pattern between the swing leg state and the swing leg state temporally before the swing leg state.

  As a result, the motion detection device, the knee fixation release device, and the lower limb orthosis of the present invention can assist the user in walking and standing without giving the user anxiety and danger.

It is a block diagram of the operation | movement detection apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the grounding pattern in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart regarding the detection in the detection part in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the determination in the case of based on the 1st condition in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the determination based on the 2nd condition in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the determination based on the 2nd condition in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the determination based on the 3rd condition in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the determination based on the 3rd condition in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the determination based on the 4th condition in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the operation | movement detection apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the fixing release device and its peripheral elements in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. It is a photograph of the lower limb orthosis in Embodiment 4 of the present invention. It is a photograph which shows the heel contact state in which the lower limb orthosis in Embodiment 4 of this invention was mounted | worn. It is a photograph which shows the plantar ground state which mounted | worn the leg support device in Embodiment 4 of this invention. The toe grounding state equipped with the lower limb orthosis in Embodiment 4 of the present invention is shown. The non-walking swing leg state which mounted | worn the lower limb orthosis in Embodiment 4 of this invention is shown. The walking free leg state which mounted | wore with the leg brace in Embodiment 4 of this invention is shown.

A motion detection device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a toe sensor that is provided on a toe side of a user's sole and detects at least one of grounding and separation on the toe side of the sole,
A heel sensor that is provided on the heel side of the sole and detects at least one of ground contact and separation on the heel side of the sole;
A detection unit for detecting a plurality of ground contact patterns on the sole by the first signal from the toe sensor and the second signal from the heel sensor;
The state in which the sole is separated from the ground (hereinafter referred to as “free leg state”) is determined from among the plurality of ground contact patterns, and in addition to the free leg state based on the plurality of movement patterns of the user. A determination unit for determining a state in which the user is walking (hereinafter referred to as “walking swing leg state”),
Multiple operation patterns
(1st condition) The kind of grounding pattern in time immediately before the free leg state used as judgment object,
(Second condition) The duration of a predetermined type of grounding pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Third Condition) Transition time from a predetermined grounding pattern to a different grounding pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Fourth condition) The appearance order of the ground contact pattern between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state,
Of (first condition), (second condition), viewed contains at least one (third condition) and (fourth condition)
It further includes a selection unit that selects which of the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and the fourth condition is used.

  With this configuration, the motion detection device can detect with high accuracy whether the user is in the walking leg state or the non-walking leg state even when the user separates the sole from the ground. With this configuration, the motion detection device can detect the walking leg state in accordance with the characteristics and preferences of the user.

  In the motion detection apparatus according to the second invention of the present invention, in addition to the first invention, the detection unit may display a ground pattern when each of the first signal and the second signal indicates “ground”. If the first signal indicates “separation” and the second signal indicates “ground”, the ground pattern is determined as “heel contact state”, and the first signal indicates “foot contact state”. When the second signal indicates “separation”, the ground pattern is determined as “toe grounding state”, and when each of the first signal and the second signal indicates “separation”, The grounding pattern is determined as “free leg state”.

  With this configuration, the detection unit can reliably detect the contact relationship between the sole and the ground. As a result, it is possible to accurately detect the ground contact pattern and the motion pattern which are the reference for the walking leg state.

  In the motion detection device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second aspect, in the case where the determination unit is based on the first condition, the contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is in the heel contact state. In this case, the swinging leg state is determined as a non-walking swinging leg state. Judged as the leg state.

  With this configuration, the motion detection device can accurately detect the motion leading to the walking of the user who has a disorder in the lower limbs.

  In the motion detection device according to the fourth invention of the present invention, in addition to the second or third invention, the determination unit, when based on the second condition, of the grounding pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined In any of the case where the duration is not less than the first time and less than the second time, it is determined that the swing leg state is a non-walking swing leg state, and is not less than the second time and less than the first time. If it is, it is determined that the free leg state is a walking free leg state, and the first time is longer than the second time.

  With this configuration, the motion detection apparatus can determine with high accuracy whether the user is in a walking state, standing in a standing position, or leaning forward.

  In the motion detection device according to the fifth invention of the present invention, in addition to the second or third invention, the determination unit is a time previous to the free leg state to be determined in the case of being based on the second condition. In the case where the sole ground contact state is not less than the first time and less than the second time, it is determined that the swing leg state is a non-walking swing leg state and the first time is not less than the second time. When it is less than the time, the swinging leg state is determined to be a walking swinging leg state, and the first time is longer than the second time.

  With this configuration, the motion detection apparatus can determine with high accuracy whether the user is in a walking state, standing in a standing position, or leaning forward.

  In the motion detection device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any of the second to fifth aspects of the invention, in the case where the determination unit is based on the third condition, In the case where the transition time from the heel contact state to the plantar contact state in the previous period is equal to or longer than the first time and less than the second time, the swing leg state is set to the non-walking swing leg state. When it is determined that there is a second swing time and is less than the first time, the swing leg state is determined to be a walking swing leg state, and the first time is longer than the second time.

  With this configuration, the motion detection device can determine with high accuracy whether the user is in a walking state or whether the user is in a walking state but not in a walking state.

  In the motion detection device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to any of the second to fifth aspects of the invention, in the case where the determination unit is based on the third condition, In the case where the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state is not less than the first time and less than the second time, the swing leg state is changed to the non-walking swing leg state. When it is determined that there is a second swing time and is less than the first time, the swing leg state is determined to be a walking swing leg state, and the first time is longer than the second time.

  With this configuration, the motion detection device can determine with high accuracy whether the user is in a walking state or performing an operation different from walking.

  In the motion detection device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any of the second to seventh aspects of the invention, the determination unit, when based on the fourth condition, determines the free leg state to be determined and the play state. When the ground contact pattern in the period before the leg state with the free leg state is in the order of the heel contact state, the sole ground contact state, and the toe ground contact state, the free leg state is designated as a non-walking free leg state. If the ground contact pattern of the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state is in the order of the sole ground contact state and the toe ground contact state, The free leg state is determined to be a walking free leg state.

  With this configuration, the motion detection device can detect the state of the swinging leg by optimizing the appearance order of the ground contact pattern of the user who has a disorder in the lower limb.

In the motion detection device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to eighth aspects , the selection unit is controlled by the user.

  With this configuration, the user can control the detection characteristics of the motion detection device according to his / her preference and experience.

In the motion detection apparatus according to the tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to any one of the first to ninth aspects, at least one of the toe sensor and the heel sensor includes a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a distance sensor, and an optical sensor. Provide at least one.

  With this configuration, the motion detection device can detect the ground pattern with high accuracy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  (Embodiment 1)

  Embodiment 1 will be described.

(Overview)
First, the outline | summary of the operation | movement detection apparatus in Embodiment 1 is demonstrated. The motion detection apparatus according to the first embodiment detects a motion state of a human body, particularly a fine motion state during walking. The motion detection apparatus according to the first embodiment is applied to various uses. For example, the motion detection device includes a lower limb orthosis worn by a user with reduced limbs, a prosthetic leg worn by a user with reduced limbs, a walker used by a user with reduced limbs, a robot walking mechanism, a toy It is used for the walking mechanism.

  First, the outline | summary of an operation | movement detection apparatus is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an operation detection apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows the motion detection device 1 and elements existing in the vicinity thereof.

  The motion detection device 1 includes a toe sensor 2, a heel sensor 3, a detection unit 5, and a determination unit 6. Moreover, the memory | storage part 7 which memorize | stores the operation | movement pattern which the determination part 6 uses as information is further provided. Although the storage unit 7 is shown as another element independent of other elements in FIG. 1, the storage unit 7 may be an element provided inside the determination unit 6. Alternatively, the determination unit 6 may store the operation pattern itself. Since the operation pattern may be stored in advance as necessary, the storage unit 7 may store the operation pattern. FIG. 1 also shows a part of the user's foot 10.

  The toe sensor 2 is provided on the toe side of the sole 11 of the user, and indicates the state where the toe side of the sole is in contact with the floor surface or the ground. Detects at least one of the following: the state of being away from the ground or floor. The toe sensor 2 outputs the detected result of at least one of grounding and separation to the detection unit 5 as a first signal.

  The heel sensor 3 is provided on the heel side of the user's sole 11, and is grounded on the heel side of the sole (showing a state where the heel side is in contact with the floor or the ground. The same applies hereinafter) and a separation (the heel side is Detects at least one of the following: the state of being away from the ground or floor. The heel sensor 3 outputs the detected result of at least one of the grounding and the separation to the detection unit 5 as a second signal.

  The detection unit 5 detects a plurality of grounding patterns on the sole 11 based on the first signal from the toe sensor 2 and the second signal from the heel sensor 3. The plurality of grounding patterns indicate in what state the sole 11 is grounded or separated from the floor surface or the ground with the toe side and the heel side as elements.

  The plurality of ground patterns are determined from the first signal and the second signal indicating the binary values of “ground” and “separation”. In other words, the detection unit 5 detects four types of ground patterns using a 2-bit signal.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a grounding pattern according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the grounding patterns of the sole 11 of the foot 10 in four types of states. FIG. 2 shows four states from the left: “free leg state”, “heel contact state”, “foot contact state”, and “toe contact state”. The ground pattern indicates one of these four states.

(Free leg state)
When each of the first signal and the second signal indicates “separation” (that is, when the toe sensor 2A indicates separation and the heel sensor 3A indicates separation), the sole 11A is completely separated from the floor surface 12. Separated. The detection unit 5 detects such a state of the sole 11 </ b> A as a “free leg state”.

(踵 grounding state)
When the first signal indicates “separation” and the second signal indicates “grounding” (ie, when the toe sensor 2B indicates separation and the heel sensor 3B indicates grounding), only the heel of the sole 11B The floor 12 is grounded. The detection unit 5 detects such a state of the sole 11B as a “heel contact state”.

(Foot ground contact state)
When each of the first signal and the second signal indicates “grounding” (that is, when the toe sensor 2C indicates grounding and the heel sensor 3C indicates grounding), the entire sole 11C touches the floor 12 doing. The detection unit 5 detects such a state of the sole 11 </ b> C as a “plantar ground state”.

(Toe grounding state)
When the first signal indicates “ground” and the second signal indicates “separation” (that is, when the toe sensor 2D indicates ground and the heel sensor 3D indicates separation), only the toe side of the sole 11D Is grounded to the floor 12. The detection unit 5 detects such a state of the sole 11D as a “toe grounding state”.

  Thus, the detection unit 5 detects the four types of grounding states with respect to the floor surface 12 of the sole 11 as grounding patterns, and outputs the detection results to the determination unit 6.

  The determination unit 6 determines that the sole 11 is in a state of being separated from the floor surface or the ground (hereinafter referred to as “free leg state”) among the plurality of grounding patterns detected by the detection unit 5. Further, the determination unit 6 determines a state in which the user is in the swinging state and the user is in the walking state (hereinafter referred to as “walking swinging leg state”) based on the plurality of motion patterns of the user. That is, the determination unit 6 determines the walking swing leg state in consideration of not only the ground contact state (ground contact pattern) of the sole 11 but also the motion pattern of the user. Here, the walking leg state is a condition for releasing the fixation of the knee joint such as the lower limb orthosis when the motion detection device 1 is used for the lower limb orthosis, the artificial leg, the walker, and the like.

  Here, in order to release the fixation of the knee joint such as the lower limb orthosis, the sole 11 needs to be in a free leg state in which the sole 11 is separated from the floor surface or the ground. In the prior art, the fixation of the knee joint is released only by this first premise. The motion detection device 1 according to the first embodiment adds a motion pattern indicating the user's walking state as a second premise to the swing leg state, and more accurately determines the condition for releasing the fixation of the knee joint.

  The storage unit 7 stores an operation pattern. Alternatively, the determination unit 6 itself stores the operation pattern. The determination unit 6 reads this motion pattern and determines the walking leg state of the user together with the ground pattern that is in the swinging leg state.

  The operation pattern includes at least one of the following first condition, second condition, third condition, and fourth condition. Here, the determination unit 6 considers the motion pattern as the second premise in addition to the free leg state in the ground contact pattern as the first premise. For this reason, the determination part 6 considers an action pattern in the case of the free leg state which is the determination object which is a candidate of a walking free leg state. The “free leg state as a determination target” described in the first condition to the fourth condition indicates the timing of the free leg state, which is the appearance of the target for determining the walking free leg state.

(First condition) The type of the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined.
(Second condition) A duration of a predetermined type of grounding pattern in time before the free leg state to be determined.
(Third condition) Transition time from a predetermined grounding pattern to a different grounding pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined.
(Fourth condition) The appearance order of the ground contact pattern between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before this free leg state.

  The determination unit 6 uses at least one of the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and the fourth condition to determine that the free leg state to be determined is a problem in which walking is not a problem even when the knee joint is unfixed. Judge whether it is in a leg state. The first condition to the fourth condition are weighting requirements that are operation patterns peculiar to a user who has a disability in the lower limb. For this reason, the determination part 6 provides the conditions which can cancel | release the fixation of a knee joint for the first time by also satisfy | filling the weighting requirement of the motion pattern peculiar to the user who has a disorder | damage | failure.

  The prior art has determined the state of the swinging leg that causes the knee joint to be unfixed without taking into consideration the motion pattern peculiar to the user having such a disorder. As described in the prior art, when the sole 11 is separated from the floor or the ground, the user is not walking but is standing on the foot, changing the direction, or leaning forward. It also includes situations where the price goes up. In spite of such a situation, releasing the fixation of the knee joint of a user who has a lower limb may cause great anxiety and danger to the user.

  The motion detection device 1 according to the first embodiment shows the timing of releasing the fixation of the knee joint based on the state in which the sole 11 is separated from the floor or the ground (free leg state) and the user's motion pattern. The walking leg state can be determined. In other words, the motion detection device 1 determines the walking leg state based on both the ground contact pattern and the motion pattern.

  As a result, when the user is in a free leg state other than walking, the fixation of the knee joint is remarkably reduced, so that the motion detection device 1 and the device using the same may damage the lower limbs. The risk of anxiety and danger is reduced for the users who have them.

  It should be noted that elements relating to the determination function for determining the operating state, such as the detection unit 5, the determination unit 6, and the storage unit 7, are also preferably considered as elements that are combined as the determination unit 4.

  Next, the detail of each part is demonstrated.

(Toe sensor and heel sensor)
The toe sensor 2 detects at least one of grounding and separation on the toe side of the sole 11. For example, the toe sensor 2 includes at least one of a pressure sensor element, a temperature sensor element, a distance sensor element, and an optical sensor element. Using the function of any of these sensor elements, the toe sensor 2 detects at least one of grounding and separation on the toe side of the sole 11.

  For example, when the toe sensor 2 includes a pressure sensor element, the toe sensor 2 detects at least one of grounding and separation by detecting the contact pressure with the floor surface. When the toe sensor 2 includes a temperature sensor element, it is considered that the temperature in the grounded state is higher than the temperature in the separated state. Therefore, when the temperature measured by the temperature sensor element is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the toe sensor 2 is detected as a grounded state (detected as a separated state when the temperature is lower than the threshold).

  Alternatively, when the toe sensor 2 includes a distance sensor element, the distance sensor element measures the distance between the toe and the floor surface 12. When the distance is less than the threshold value, it can be said that the toe is substantially in contact with the floor surface 12, and when the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold value, it can be said that the toe is separated from the floor surface 12. In this manner, the toe sensor 2 detects at least one of the toe separation and the ground contact depending on whether the distance measured by the distance sensor element is greater than or less than the threshold value.

  Further, when the toe sensor 2 includes an optical sensor element, the toe sensor 2 detects at least one of grounding and separation according to the light amount and luminance detected by the optical sensor element. When the toe is in contact with the floor 12, the optical sensor element can detect only a low light amount and luminance. On the contrary, when the tip of the toe is away from the floor surface 12, the optical sensor element can detect a high light quantity and luminance. For this reason, when the light sensor element detects a light amount or luminance greater than or equal to a threshold value, the toe sensor 2 detects that the toe is separated from the floor surface 12, and the light sensor element detects only a light amount or luminance less than the threshold value. If it cannot be detected, the toe sensor 2 detects that the toe is in contact with the floor 12.

  In this way, by using various sensor elements, the toe sensor 2 can detect at least one of grounding and separation. In addition, the above-mentioned sensor element and its detection procedure are examples, and other various elements and means may be used. Alternatively, the toe sensor 2 may detect at least one of grounding and separation by a combination of a plurality of different sensor elements.

  Note that the heel sensor 3 has the same configuration and function as the toe sensor 2 and detects at least one of ground contact and separation on the heel side of the sole 11 by the processing procedure as described above.

  Each of the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 may detect at least one of grounding and separation by a single element, or may detect at least one of grounding and separation by a plurality of elements. Each of the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 may include an element for detecting grounding and an element for detecting separation as different elements.

  The toe sensor 2 outputs the detection result to the detection unit 5 as a first signal. The eyelid sensor 3 outputs the detection result to the detection unit 5 as the second signal. At this time, a first signal and a second signal are output from the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 to the detection unit 5 by wireless communication, wired communication, or the like.

(Detection unit)
The detection unit 5 detects the ground contact pattern of the sole 11 based on the first signal and the second signal. Since the first signal is a 1-bit signal and the second signal is a 1-bit signal, the detection unit 5 can detect a ground pattern including quaternary (four types) states using the 2-bit signal. The four types of grounding patterns are as described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a timing chart relating to detection by the detection unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The timing chart of FIG. 3 shows a 1-bit (binary) first signal and a 1-bit (binary) second signal. A binary value of a 2-bit signal is also shown. Depending on the binary state, the detection unit 5 is a grounding pattern of “free leg state”, “heel contact state”, “toe ground state”, “foot ground contact” "Status" is detected.

  In FIG. 3, the value “1” of the first signal and the second signal indicates a state where each of the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 is grounded to the floor surface 12, and the first signal and the second signal The value “0” indicates a state where each of the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 is separated from the floor surface 12.

  When the 2-bit signals (the first signal and the second signal) of the first signal and the second signal are values (0, 0), the detection unit 5 detects the “free leg state” and the value In the case of (0, 1), it is detected as “the heel contact state”, in the case of the value (1, 0), it is determined as the “toe contact state”, and in the case of the value (1, 1), It is detected as “plantar ground contact state”.

  In this way, by handling the signals from the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 as 2-bit digital signals, the detection unit 5 can be connected to the ground pattern by a simple electronic element, electronic circuit, and semiconductor integrated circuit (or software). Can be detected easily and reliably.

  The detection unit 5 outputs the detection result to the determination unit 6. At this time, the four types of ground patterns may be output as 2-bit digital signals, or may be output as other signals. Here, it has been described that the detection unit 5 determines four types of grounding patterns and outputs the result to the determination unit 6. However, the detection unit 5 converts the detected signals from the toe sensor 2 and the heel sensor 3 into a 2-bit signal and outputs the signal to the determination unit 6. The determination unit 6 detects four types of grounding patterns. Also good.

  Next, details of the determination of the walking leg state based on the ground contact pattern and the motion pattern will be described.

(When based on the first condition)
The determination unit 6 (or the detection unit 5) determines the “free leg state” in which the soles are all separated from the ground among the plurality of ground contact patterns. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the determination unit 6 (detection unit 5) determines the ground pattern as the “free leg state” when the 2-bit signal is (0, 0). The determination unit 6 uses the first condition to determine whether or not the free leg state to be determined is the walking free leg state in addition to the free leg state to be determined to determine whether or not the walking free leg state. Determine.

  In the case where the determination unit 6 is based on the first condition, if the grounding pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is either the heel grounding state or the sole grounding state, the determination unit 6 It is determined as a walking leg state. On the other hand, when the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is the toe ground contact state, the determination unit 6 determines the free leg state as the walking free leg state.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining determination based on the first condition according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 (a) shows a case where the state immediately before the free leg state to be determined is the heel contact state, and FIG. 2 (b) is a case where the immediately before the free leg state to be determined is the sole ground state. FIG. 2C shows a case where the toe grounding state is immediately before the free leg state to be determined.

  A healthy person has various ground contact patterns that lead to a state in which the sole of the foot is separated from the ground or floor surface (a swing leg state) during walking. For example, a normal person may have a toe grounding state immediately before the swinging leg state (this pattern is considered to be many), and in some cases, immediately before the swinging leg state is a heel grounding state or a sole grounding state. Sometimes. This is because a healthy person uses various walking patterns such as normal walking, fast walking, and steps. Or, when the pattern is such that the legs are raised when standing up, not in walking, and the knee joint is not fixed, There is no particular danger.

  It is considered that a user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs due to various factors such as polio and accidents often makes the toe grounding state immediately before the swinging leg state when walking. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4C, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state is the walking free leg state when the toe grounding state is immediately before the free leg state to be determined.

  On the other hand, a user who has difficulty in lower limbs due to various factors such as polio and accidents is a pattern in which the legs are raised while standing, not in a walking state (just before the swinging leg is in the ground contact state) In a pattern in which it is picked up backwards (the state immediately before the free leg state is the heel contact state), releasing the fixation of the knee joint makes the user feel anxious and dangerous. This is because a user who is incapable of lower limbs stabilizes the stance by fixing the knee joint. When the knee joint is released, it becomes difficult for the user to stabilize the stance, and the user feels anxiety and danger.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the swing leg state immediately before the determination target is the heel-contacting state, the determination unit 6 determines that there is a possibility that the user is wearing the back. Determines that this free leg state is a non-walking free leg state. Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, if the sole is in the ground contact state immediately before the free leg state to be determined, it is determined that the user may have raised his / her leg while standing The unit 6 determines that this free leg state is a non-walking free leg state. Of course, there may be an actual walking free leg state, but the determination unit 6 determines that this free leg state is a non-walking free leg state, giving priority to the safety of a user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs. Is preferred.

  Thus, in the case of being based on the first condition, the determination unit 6 determines the free leg state as a walking free leg state or a non-walking free leg state depending on the type of the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined. To do.

(When based on the second condition)
When the determination unit 6 is based on the second condition, the determination unit 6 determines the walking free leg state or the non-walking free leg state based on the duration of the predetermined type of grounding pattern temporally before the free leg state to be determined. To do.

(Judgment 1)
The determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state is non-walking when the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time or less than the second time. It is determined as a free leg state. In addition, when the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the swing leg state to be determined is longer than the second time and less than the first time, the determination unit 6 sets the swing leg state as the walking swing leg state. Is determined. Here, the first time is longer than the second time.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating determination based on the second condition in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In normal walking, as shown in FIG. 2, the foot starts to touch the ground as shown in the heel contact state, and then the entire sole touches the ground as shown in the sole contact state, and then As shown in the toe grounding state, the sole starts to separate from the ground, and finally the entire sole separates from the ground as shown in the free leg state. Thus, it is likely that the determination unit 6 only makes a determination according to the type of the ground contact pattern immediately before the swing leg state to be determined (determination based on the first condition). However, even if the immediately preceding grounding pattern is the same as a series of flows related to walking, it is not necessarily a walking state.

  FIG. 5A shows a case where the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time. In Fig.5 (a), the grounding pattern immediately before the free leg state used as determination object is a toe grounding state. When this toe grounding state is very long, it can be considered that the user has raised his / her leg while standing without being in a walking state. You can think of it as raising your foot while standing.

  In such a case, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state of the determination target is the walking free leg state, the fixation of the user's knee joint is released in spite of the standing state. Thus, the user cannot maintain a stable standing state. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state is a non-walking free leg. Judge as a state.

  FIG. 5B shows a case where the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the swing leg state to be determined is less than the second time. In FIG.5 (b), the grounding pattern immediately before the free leg state used as determination object is a toe grounding state. When the toe grounding state is very short, the user can also consider that the user is in a state of wearing the front edge. Alternatively, it can be considered that the user has fallen into a dangerous state although it is not in a walking state.

  In such a case, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state of the determination target is the walking free leg state, the fixation of the user's knee joint is released in spite of the standing state. Thus, the user cannot maintain a stable standing state. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the ground contact pattern immediately before the determination of the swing leg state is less than the second time, the determination unit 6 determines that the swing leg state is a non-walking swing leg. Judge as a state.

  FIG. 5C shows a case where the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the swing leg state to be determined is not less than the second time and less than the first time. In FIG.5 (c), the grounding pattern immediately before the free leg state used as determination object is a toe grounding state. If the duration of the toe grounding state is included in an appropriate amount of time, the user is considered to be in a walking state. This is because, in walking, the ground contact pattern changes based on a constant rhythm, and the duration of each ground contact pattern easily falls within a predetermined range due to the constant rhythm.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), when the ground contact pattern immediately before the free leg state to be determined is longer than the second time and less than the first time, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state is the walking It is determined as a free leg state.

  As described above, the determination unit 6 can accurately determine the walking / non-walking swinging leg state based on the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the swinging leg state to be determined.

  Note that FIG. 5 shows the previous grounding pattern as a toe grounding state, but the same applies to other grounding patterns (plantar grounding state, heel grounding state). The determination unit 6 determines the walking / non-walking leg state based on the duration of the ground contact pattern other than the swinging leg state immediately before the determination target swinging leg state.

(Judgment 2)
In the case where the determination unit 6 is based on the second condition, the duration of the sole ground contact state that is temporally prior to the free leg state to be determined is greater than or equal to the first time and less than the second time In any of the cases, this swinging leg state is determined as a non-walking swinging leg state. In addition, when the duration of the sole ground contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the second time and less than the first time, the determination unit 6 walks the swing leg state to the walking state. It is determined as a free leg state.

  Here, the sole contact state for which the duration is to be measured may be immediately before the free leg state to be determined, or may be before another contact pattern is sandwiched. That is, another grounding pattern (an heel grounding state or a toe grounding state) may be included between the free leg state to be determined and the sole grounding state to be measured.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating determination based on the second condition in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the sole is in the ground contact state immediately before the free leg state to be determined, but for the convenience of drawing, as described above, the ground contact state and the free leg state are as follows. Other ground patterns may be included between the two. The first time is longer than the second time.

  FIG. 6A illustrates a case where the duration of the sole ground contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time. When this sole contact state is very long, it can be considered that the user raised his / her foot while standing without being in a walking state. For example, it can be considered as an operation such as stepping on while standing. Alternatively, when leaning forward, it can be considered that the foot is just separated from the ground and not the walking state.

  In such a case, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state of the determination target is the walking free leg state, the fixation of the user's knee joint is released in spite of the standing state. Thus, the user cannot maintain a stable standing state. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6A, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state is in a state where the ground contact state before the determination of the free leg state of the determination target is equal to or longer than the first time. The non-walking swing leg state is determined.

  FIG. 6B shows a case where the duration of the sole ground contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is less than the second time. If the plantar grounding state is very short, the user can also consider that the user is in a state of wearing the front edge. Alternatively, it can be considered that the user has fallen into a dangerous state although it is not in a walking state.

  In such a case, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state of the determination target is the walking free leg state, the fixation of the user's knee joint is released in spite of the standing state. Thus, the user cannot maintain a stable standing state. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the determination unit 6 determines the free leg state when the ground contact state before the determination of the free leg state of the determination target is less than the second time. The non-walking swing leg state is determined.

  FIG. 6C shows a case where the duration of the sole ground contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is longer than the second time and shorter than the first time. If this sole contact state is included in an appropriate amount of time, the user is considered to be in a walking state. This is because, in walking, the ground contact pattern changes based on a constant rhythm, and the duration of each ground contact pattern easily falls within a predetermined range due to the constant rhythm.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the determination unit 6 determines that if the ground contact state before the determination of the free leg state of the determination target is the second time or more and less than the first time, The leg state is determined as a walking leg state.

  In this manner, the determination unit 6 can accurately determine the walking / non-walking leg state based on the duration of the sole ground contact state temporally prior to the swinging leg state to be determined. Become.

  The above determination 1 and determination 2 are examples based on the second condition, and different procedures may be used depending on the characteristics of the user's disability and the habit of the user's walking.

(When based on the third condition)
When the determination unit 6 is based on the third condition, the determination unit 6 is based on a transition time from a certain ground pattern to another ground pattern (a time from the start of a certain ground pattern to the start of the next ground pattern). Then, the free leg state to be determined is determined as the walking free leg state / non-walking free leg state.

  Whether a healthy person or a user with disabilities in the lower limbs is in a walking state, a grounding pattern appears in the order of appearance of the heel-grounded state, the bottom-grounded state, the toe-grounded state, and the free leg state Often. Here, when this appearance order appears in a normal walking state, the transition time from one grounding pattern to another grounding pattern is usually within a predetermined time. Alternatively, the transition time from one ground pattern to another ground pattern usually falls within a substantially constant rhythm regardless of the ground pattern.

  On the other hand, if the transition time from one grounding pattern to another is extremely long or extremely short, there is a high possibility that it is not a normal walking state or an irregular state. . It is inconvenient for the lower limbs that the determination unit 6 determines that the walking leg is in a walking state when the walking part is not in such a walking state or in an irregular state, so that the fixation of the knee joint is released. May cause anxiety and danger to users who have

  For this reason, the third condition is a condition that pays attention to the transition time from such a ground pattern to another ground pattern.

(Judgment 1)
In the case where the determination unit 6 is based on the third condition, the transition time from the heel contact state to the sole contact state in time before the free leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time and In any case where it is less than 2 hours, this free leg state is determined as a non-walking free leg state. Further, when the transition time from the heel contact state to the sole contact state is the second time or more and less than the first time, the determination unit 6 determines the free leg state as the walking free leg state.

  Here, the first time is longer than the second time.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating determination based on the third condition in the first embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of drawing, FIG. 7 shows a case where the sole is in the ground contact state immediately before the free leg state and the heel contact state is in front of it. Actually, a toe grounding state may be included between the sole grounding state and the free leg state.

  FIG. 7A shows a case where the transition time from the heel contact state in time to the sole contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time. If this transition time is very long, the user may not have just started walking, but only put his sole on the ground to cope with fatigue of the foot when standing. Or, it is just leaning forward from the standing state, or it is just leaning forward. Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the user is only standing while changing the ground contact state of the sole.

  In such a case, if the determination unit 6 determines that the swinging leg state that appears next is the walking swinging leg state, the fixation of the knee joint of the user is released despite the standing leg state, The user cannot maintain a stable standing state. Or there is also a problem that the stability when leaning forward or leaning forward is impaired. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7A, the determination unit 6 determines that the transition time from the heel contact state to the foot contact state before the swing state of the determination target is not less than the first time. In some cases, this free leg state is determined as a non-walking free leg state.

  FIG. 7B shows a case where the transition time from the heel contact state in time to the sole contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is less than the second time. If this transition time is very short, the user can also consider that the user is in danger of falling. Alternatively, it may be considered that only the ground contact state of the sole is changed while in the standing state. As shown in the impression received from FIG. 7B, the short transition time from the heel contact state to the sole contact state is uncomfortable when viewed from the rhythm of the walking state.

  In such a case, the determination unit 6 determining that the free leg state to be determined is the walking free leg state impairs the stability of the user. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7B, the determination unit 6 has a transition time from the heel contact state in time to the sole contact state in time to the determination target swing leg state is less than the second time. In this case, this free leg state is determined as a non-walking free leg state.

  FIG. 7C shows a case where the transition time from the heel contact state in time to the sole contact state to be determined is a second time or more and less than the first time. Thus, when the transition time is included in an appropriate amount of time, the user is considered to be in a walking state. This is because, in walking, the ground contact pattern changes based on a constant rhythm, and the transition time between the ground contact patterns easily falls within a predetermined range due to the constant rhythm.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7 (c), the determination unit 6 determines that the transition time from the heel-contacting state to the foot-contacting state in the time before the swing state of the determination target is the second time or more for the first time. When it is less than this, this free leg state is determined as a walking free leg state.

(Judgment 2)
In the case where the determination unit 6 is based on the third condition, the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time and the second time In any case where the time is less than the time, this swinging leg state is determined as a non-walking swinging leg state. Further, when the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state is not less than the second time and less than the first time, the determination unit 6 determines the free leg state as the walking free leg state.

  Here, the first time is longer than the second time.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining determination based on the third condition in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 8 shows a case where the toe grounding state is immediately before the free leg state, and the front is the sole grounding state. This is considered to be the appearance order of the ground contact pattern that appears easily in the walking state.

  FIG. 8A shows a case where the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state in the time of the free leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time. If this transition time is very long, the user may have just raised his heel for stepping when he is in a standing position rather than starting walking. Or, it is just leaning forward from the standing state, or it is just leaning forward.

  In such a case, if the determination unit 6 determines that the swinging leg state that appears next is the walking swinging leg state, the fixation of the knee joint of the user is released despite the standing leg state, The user cannot maintain a stable standing state. Alternatively, there is also a problem that stability when leaning forward or leaning forward is lost. Therefore, as shown in FIG. When the transition time from the bottom grounding state to the toe grounding state is equal to or longer than the first time, this free leg state is determined as a non-walking free leg state.

  FIG. 8B shows a case where the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state in the time of the free leg state to be determined is less than the second time. If this transition time is very short, the user can also assume that the user is in a state of being tired of the previous flip. Alternatively, it can be considered that the user has fallen into a dangerous state although it is not in a walking state. As shown in the impression from FIG. 8B, the short transition time from the ground contact state to the toe contact state is uncomfortable when viewed from the rhythm of the walking state.

  In such a case, the determination unit 6 determining that the free leg state to be determined is the walking free leg state impairs the stability of the user. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8B, the determination unit 6 determines that the transition time from the plantar ground contact state to the toe ground contact state in time is less than the second time in the free leg state to be determined. In this case, this swinging leg state is determined as a non-walking swinging leg state.

  FIG. 8C shows a case where the transition time from the sole ground contact state in front of the free leg state to be determined to the toe ground contact state is the second time or more and less than the first time. Thus, when the transition time is included in an appropriate amount of time, the user is considered to be in a walking state. This is because, in walking, the ground contact pattern changes based on a constant rhythm, and the transition time between the ground contact patterns easily falls within a predetermined range due to the constant rhythm.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, the determination unit 6 determines that the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state with respect to the time of the free leg state to be determined is a second time or more and less than a first time. If this is the case, this swinging leg state is determined as a walking swinging leg state.

(When based on the fourth condition)
In the case where the determination unit 6 is based on the fourth condition, the appearance order of the ground contact patterns in the period (hereinafter referred to as the appearance period) between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state is determined. , (1) heel contact state, (2) sole contact state, and (3) toe contact state, the free leg state is determined to be a non-walking free leg state. Further, when the ground contact pattern in the appearance period is in the order of (1) sole ground contact state and (2) toe ground contact state, the determination unit 6 determines that the free leg state is the walking free leg state. judge.

  Although different depending on the cause of the obstacle and the degree of the obstacle, a user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs may not include the heel-grounding state in the appearance order of the grounding pattern in the walking state. That is, such a user does not touch the ground from the heel next to the free leg state, but immediately touches the entire sole to the ground after the free leg state. This is a phenomenon that can be caused by fixation of the knee joint or inflexibility of the lower limbs. Therefore, the determination unit 6 does not include the heel contact state in the appearance period from the free leg state to the free leg state, and further includes the order of (1) plantar ground state and (2) toe ground contact state. The swinging leg state is determined as the walking swinging leg state.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining determination based on the fourth condition in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 9A, in the appearance period, the ground pattern appears in the order of (1) heel contact state, (2) sole contact state, and (3) toe contact state. In FIG. 9 (a), the appearance period starts from the heel contact state, and it is considered not to be a walking state of a user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs. In such a case, it is determined that the free leg state after the appearance order (the free leg state to be determined) is the walking free leg state. May be released. For this reason, the determination part 6 determines the free leg state of determination object as a non-walking free leg state in the appearance order shown by Fig.9 (a).

  In FIG. 9B, in the appearance period, the grounding pattern appears in the order of (1) plantar grounding state and (2) toe grounding state. This appearance order is considered to indicate the walking state of the user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs. For this reason, in the case of the appearance order shown in FIG.9 (b), the determination part 6 determines the free leg state of determination object as a walking free leg state.

  As described above, by considering the fourth condition, the determination unit 6 can determine the walking leg state without anxiety and danger to the user.

  Each time length of the first time and the second time used in the second condition and the third condition may be appropriately determined. These may be determined in the design of the actual motion detection apparatus, and it is also preferable that they are programmed in a variable state. For example, the storage unit 7 stores the first time and the second time used by the determination unit 6. At this time, the first time and the second time based on a plurality of time amounts are stored, and the determination unit 6 may select and use each of the plurality of first times and the second time as necessary. . The storage unit 7 may store the first time and the second time in a rewritable manner. In this case, the actual user inputs the first time and the second time based on his / her own experience. Thus, the parameters such as the first time and the second time may be flexibly determined at various stages of the design stage, the manufacturing stage, and the use stage.

  In the above description, each of the first condition to the fourth condition has been individually described. However, the determination unit 6 can walk the free leg state to be determined by appropriately combining two or more of the first condition to the fourth condition. You may determine as a free leg state or a non-walking free leg state.

  It is also preferable that the detailed elements of the first condition to the fourth condition are stored in the storage unit 7. The determination unit 6 can determine the walking leg state using at least one of the first condition to the fourth condition by reading these elements from the storage unit 7 as necessary.

  The detection unit 5, the determination unit 6, and the storage unit 7 may be integrated or separate. These may be configured by hardware such as a dedicated electronic substrate, an electronic circuit, and a semiconductor integrated device, or a part or all of the hardware may be configured by software. If configured by software, an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or DSP is provided, and this arithmetic processing unit causes the software to be executed.

  As described above, the motion detection apparatus according to the first embodiment is not limited to the ground contact pattern in which the soles are separated from each other in the walking swing leg state that is a reference for the timing of releasing the knee joint fixation such as the lower limb orthosis. The determination is made using at least one of the first condition to the fourth condition, which is the operation pattern. As a result, it is possible to remarkably reduce the occurrence of anxiety and danger to the user when using a lower limb orthosis by a user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs.

  (Embodiment 2)

  Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  In the second embodiment, a process for controlling the determination of the determination unit 6 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the motion detection apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 10, a selection unit 20 and an input unit 21 are added as compared with the motion detection apparatus described in FIG. 1.

  The selection unit 20 switches the first condition to the fourth condition that the determination unit 6 uses in the determination of the walking leg state / non-walking leg state. As described in the first embodiment, the determination unit 6 determines the walking leg / non-walking leg state using at least one of the first condition to the fourth condition. At this time, it is preferable that which one of the first condition to the fourth condition is used, or which one of the first condition to the fourth condition is used in combination, is selected according to the user, the use situation, and the like.

  The selection unit 20 selects which of the first condition to the fourth condition is used. The selection unit 20 selects which of the first condition to the fourth condition is used based on the processing of the determination unit 6. For example, if the determination unit 6 has an arithmetic processing unit that operates a program, the determination unit 6 determines the selection method in the selection unit 20 according to the processing procedure of the program that is the source of the operation.

  The selection unit 20 selects any one of the first condition to the fourth condition according to a predetermined processing procedure based on data such as the user's age, degree of disability, sex, and characteristics. Data such as the user's age, degree of disability, sex, and characteristics are input from the input means 21. Actually, a user who uses the motion detection device 1 (or a lower limb orthosis equipped with the motion detection device 1) inputs these data through the input means.

  Further, the user may operate the selection operation in the selection unit 20 through the input unit 21. For example, the user inputs to the input means that any one of the first condition to the fourth condition is used. With this input, the selection unit 20 selects a condition desired by the user and causes the determination unit 6 to make a determination.

  In this way, the optimum conditions for the user are selected by the user's input or by the manufacturer or assistant. As a result, the motion detection device 1 can detect the optimal timing for the user who releases the fixation of the knee joint.

  The input means 21 may be provided in the motion detection device 1 or may be realized separately from the motion detection device 1 as a remote controller or an operation device.

  In addition, a part or all of the motion detection device 1 described in the first and second embodiments is incorporated and mounted in a lower limb orthosis worn by a user who has inconvenience in the lower limbs.

  (Embodiment 3)

  Next, the third embodiment will be described.

  In the third embodiment, a knee fixation releasing device using the motion detection device described in the first and second embodiments will be described. The term “knee fixation release device” as used herein refers to a device that releases a fixed state in which the knee joint is mainly fixed. For this reason, in general, a device that releases a fixed state that is fixed to stop bending of the knee joint is shown (that is, the knee fixation release device includes a concept of a knee joint fixation release device, It can be paraphrased as a knee joint fixation release device). Of course, it includes a wide range of devices that release the fixed state that fixes the posture of the knee of a user who is incapable of lower limbs, rather than fixing specifically for the knee joint.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a fixing release device and its peripheral elements according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows the knee fixation releasing device 30 and the lower limb orthosis to be fixed and released by the knee fixation releasing device 30 together. For the convenience of drawing, the knee fixation releasing device 30 that acts on a photograph of the lower limb orthosis 50 actually manufactured by the inventor is shown as a block diagram. Actually, the knee fixation releasing device 30 (and the motion detection device 1 included in the knee fixation releasing device 30) may be incorporated and mounted in the lower limb orthosis 50.

  The lower limb orthosis 50 includes a fixing portion 40 that fixes a user's knee joint. The fixing unit 40 can fix the knee joint and release the fixation. The knee fixation releasing device 30 instructs the release of the fixing portion. In the release, the knee fixation release device 30 may output a signal for releasing the fixation of the fixation part 40 of the knee joint.

  The knee fixation release device 30 includes the motion detection device 1 described in the first and second embodiments. As described in the first and second embodiments, the motion detection device 1 detects the walking leg state indicating the timing for releasing the fixation of the knee joint. When detecting the walking swing leg state, the motion detection device 1 outputs a signal indicating the detection result to the release unit 31. The release unit 31 outputs a signal for releasing the fixation to the fixation unit 40 of the knee joint. The fixing unit 40 releases the fixation of the knee joint based on the release signal.

  Note that the fixing unit 40 may normally fix the knee joint and release the fixation by receiving a release signal from the knee fixation releasing device 30. Alternatively, the knee joint may be fixed when receiving a non-release signal from the knee fixation releasing device 30, and the knee joint may be released when receiving a release signal from the knee fixation releasing device 30.

  The knee fixation releasing device 30 may not only output a signal for instructing the release to the fixing unit 40 but also perform a process of releasing the operation itself that causes the fixing unit 40 to fix the knee joint.

    (Forced release)

  Moreover, the cancellation | release part 31 may have a forced cancellation | release mechanism which cancels | releases fixation forcibly by a user.

  Since the release device 30 includes the motion detection device 1, the release device 30 can release the fixation at the fixing portion 40 at the timing of the automatically detected walking leg state. For this reason, the user can receive fixation and cancellation | release of a knee joint, without performing special operation. However, depending on the case, it may be preferable to release the fixation of the knee joint with the intention of the user. This is the case when leaning forward or sitting on a chair.

  The forcible release mechanism can forcibly release the fixation of the knee joint by forcibly turning on the release signal from the release unit 31 or releasing the fixing mechanism of the fixing unit 40. Thus, the cancellation | release part 31 is provided with a forced cancellation | release mechanism, and can implement | achieve a leg apparatus with high usability for a user. Various known techniques may be used for the forced release mechanism.

  Here, the forcible release mechanism may be provided in the release unit 31 or may be provided in the fixing unit 40. In any case, it is only necessary to achieve the purpose of forcibly releasing the knee joint.

  As described above, the knee fixation releasing device 30 including the motion detection device 1 described in the first and second embodiments can realize the release of the knee fixation that optimally matches the actual walking state of the user. Note that the knee described in the third embodiment can be obtained by attaching the motion detection device 1 described in the first and second embodiments to a known knee fixation releasing device or a commonly used knee fixation releasing device. The fixing release device 30 can be easily realized.

  (Embodiment 4)

  Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, a lower limb orthosis including the knee fixation releasing device 30 described in the third embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a photograph of the lower limb orthosis according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The lower limb orthosis 50 shown in FIG. 12 is actually prototyped by the inventors.

  The lower limb orthosis 50 includes a main body 55 that covers at least a part of the user's thigh and lower leg, the motion detection device 1 described in the first and second embodiments, and the motion detection device 1. Provided with the knee fixation releasing device 30 described in the third embodiment and a fixing portion 40 for fixing the knee joint. As shown in FIG. 12, the lower limb orthosis 50 has an outer shape that can fix the periphery of a human foot.

  The main body 55 covers at least a part of the user's thigh and crus, so that a first mounting portion 54 and a second mounting portion 53 are provided on each of the upper and lower sides of the knee joint of the user. Yes. Each of the first mounting portion 54 and the second mounting portion 53 has a band, and can be mounted around the thigh and the lower leg to fix the lower limb orthosis 50 to the user. The band may be fixed with a hook-and-loop fastener or the like. The knee joint is sandwiched between the first mounting portion 54 and the second mounting portion 53.

  The first mounting portion 54 and the second mounting portion 53 are connected by a frame 51. The frame 51 can attach the lower limb orthosis 50 along the user's lower limb. The frame 51 is divided into a thigh-side member and a crus-side member at a joint 41 described later. When the joint 41 is extended, the thigh-side member and the crus-side member are in a straight traveling state. When the joint 41 is bent, the thigh side and crus side members are bent.

  The fixing portion 40 for fixing the knee joint is provided at a position sandwiched between the first mounting portion 54 and the second mounting portion 53. The fixing portion 40 includes a joint 41. The extension of the joint 41 causes the knee joint to be fixed, and the bending of the joint 41 causes the knee joint to be released from being fixed.

  The joint 41 is always locked by a built-in spring that attracts the frame 51 from the thigh to the crus. With this lock, the joint 41 fixes the standing direction of the frame 51. That is, the joint 41 fixes the knee joint. The joint 41 loses the elasticity of the built-in spring, so that the straightness of the frame 51 in the standing direction is lost. As a result, the fixation of the knee joint is released, and the user can bend the knee joint.

  The knee fixation releasing unit 40 releases the extension of the joint 41 and releases the knee joint by the action of pulling the built-in spring toward the thigh. For example, the knee fixation release unit 40 performs motor driving that draws the built-in spring toward the thigh. This is performed when the motion detection device 1 detects that it is in the walking leg state. Detection of the walking leg state by the motion detection device 1 is as described in the first and second embodiments.

  Further, it is also preferable that the member on the thigh side and the member on the crus side of the frame 51 are connected by the joint 41 so that the extension and bending of the joint 41 generate the fixation and release of the knee joint. However, various mechanisms other than the joint 41 may be used. For example, the fixing unit 40 includes a locking mechanism by fitting, and when the fitting is released by an operation from the knee fixation releasing device 30, the fixing unit 40 releases the fixation of the knee joint.

      (Explanation of usage of lower limb orthosis)

  Next, the usage state of the lower limb orthosis that the inventor made as a trial will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a photograph showing the heel contact state with the lower limb orthosis according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The user wears the lower limb orthosis 50 on his / her lower limb. For mounting, the first mounting portion 54 and the second mounting portion 53 are used. The lower limb orthosis 50 includes a fixing portion 40, and the fixing portion 40 switches between fixation and release of the knee joint by extension and bending of the joint 41. The knee fixation release device 30 includes the motion detection device 1, and releases the fixation of the knee joint when the motion detection device 1 detects the walking leg state. In other cases, the knee joint is always fixed. The knee fixation release device 30 and the motion detection device 1 included in the knee fixation release device 30 are stored in a housing as software by an electronic board, an electronic circuit, and an arithmetic processing device.

  In FIG. 13, since the heel 61 is in contact with the ground and is in the heel contact state, the motion detection device 1 determines that it is not in the walking leg state. For this reason, the knee fixation releasing device 30 continues the fixation in the fixing portion 40. That is, the joint 41 continues to be extended. For this reason, the lower limb apparatus 50 is fixing in the state which extended the knee joint.

  FIG. 14 is a photograph showing the plantar grounding state with the lower limb orthosis according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In addition, the code | symbol is abbreviate | omitted about the element which description overlaps. The user wears the lower limb orthosis 50 on his / her lower limb as in the case of FIG. Here, in FIG. 14, the entire sole 62 is in contact with the ground, which is in the ground contact state. For this reason, since the motion detection apparatus 1 determines that it is not a walking free leg state, the knee fixation releasing apparatus 30 continues fixing by the fixing | fixed part 40. FIG. That is, the joint 41 continues to be extended. For this reason, the lower limb apparatus 50 is fixing in the state which extended the knee joint.

  FIG. 15 shows a toe grounding state in which the lower limb orthosis according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention is worn. In addition, the code | symbol is abbreviate | omitted about the element which description overlaps. The user wears the lower limb orthosis 50 on his / her lower limb. Here, in FIG. 15, the toe 63 is in contact with the ground and is in a toe grounding state. For this reason, since the motion detection apparatus 1 determines that it is not a walking free leg state, the knee fixation releasing apparatus 30 continues fixing by the fixing | fixed part 40. FIG. That is, the joint 41 continues to be extended. For this reason, the lower limb apparatus 50 is fixing in the state which extended the knee joint.

  FIG. 16 shows a non-walking swing leg state in which the lower limb orthosis according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention is worn. In addition, the code | symbol is abbreviate | omitted about the element which description overlaps. The user wears the lower limb orthosis 50 on his / her lower limb. Here, in FIG. 16, the soles 62 are all separated from the ground. However, even when the soles are separated, the user may have picked up or just raised their legs, not due to walking.

  As described in the first and second embodiments, the motion detection device 1 is in a non-walking leg state even when the entire sole 62 is separated from the ground in consideration of the user's motion pattern. Sometimes it is judged. In FIG. 16, it is determined that the motion detection device 1 is in the non-walking swing leg state. For this reason, the knee fixation releasing device 30 continues the extension of the joint 41 as it is. As a result, the lower limb device 50 fixes the knee joint in an extended state.

  FIG. 17 shows a walking leg state with the lower limb orthosis according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The user wears the lower limb orthosis 50 on his / her lower limb. Here, in FIG. 17, it is determined that the entire sole 62 is separated from the ground, and the motion detection device 1 is in the walking leg state. The motion detection device 1 detects the walking leg state by the procedure described in the first and second embodiments.

  As a result, the knee fixation releasing device 30 releases the fixation of the knee joint. For example, the knee fixation releasing device 30 releases the elastic force of the joint 41 and bends the joint 41. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, the knee joint can be bent, and the user can easily walk.

  As described above, the lower limb orthosis 50 can accurately detect only when it is necessary to release the fixation of the knee joint, and can fix or release the knee joint of the user. As a result, the lower limb orthosis 50 can give the user assistance during walking with high usability.

  As described above, the motion detection device, the knee fixation release device, and the lower limb orthosis described in the first to fourth embodiments are examples for explaining the gist of the present invention, and modifications and alterations are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Including.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Motion detection apparatus 2 Toe sensor 3 Acupuncture sensor 4 Judgment means 5 Detection part 6 Judgment part 7 Storage part 10 Foot 11 Sole 20 Selection part 30 Knee fixation release device 31 Release part 40 Fixing part 41 Joint 50 Lower limb orthosis 51 Frame 53 1st 2 Mounting part 54 First mounting part 55 Body part

Claims (14)

A toe sensor that is provided on the toe side of the user's sole and detects at least one of grounding and separation on the toe side of the sole;
A heel sensor that is provided on the heel side of the sole and detects at least one of grounding and separation on the heel side of the sole;
A detection unit for detecting a plurality of ground contact patterns on the sole by a first signal from the toe sensor and a second signal from the heel sensor;
A state in which the sole is separated from the ground (hereinafter referred to as a “free leg state”) among the plurality of ground contact patterns is determined, and in the free leg state based on the plurality of movement patterns of the user. And a determination unit that determines a state in which the user is walking (hereinafter referred to as “walking leg state”),
The plurality of operation patterns are:
(First condition) The type of the ground pattern immediately before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Second condition) The duration of the predetermined type of the grounding pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Third condition) Transition time from a predetermined ground pattern to a different ground pattern in time before the swing leg state to be determined,
(Fourth condition) Appearance order of the ground contact pattern between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state,
Of (first condition), (second condition), viewed contains at least one (third condition) and (fourth condition)
An operation detection apparatus further comprising a selection unit that selects which of the first condition, the second condition, the third condition, and the fourth condition is used . The detector is
When each of the first signal and the second signal indicates “ground”, the ground pattern is determined to be “plantar ground state”;
When the first signal indicates “separate” and the second signal indicates “ground”, the ground pattern is determined to be “踵 ground state”;
When the first signal indicates “ground” and the second signal indicates “separation”, the ground pattern is determined as “toe ground state”;
2. The motion detection device according to claim 1, wherein when each of the first signal and the second signal indicates “separation”, the grounding pattern is determined to be “free leg state”. In the case where the determination unit is based on the first condition,
When the grounding pattern immediately before the swinging leg state to be determined is either the heel grounding state or the sole grounding state, the swinging leg state is determined as a non-walking swinging leg state,
The motion detection device according to claim 2, wherein when the immediately preceding grounding pattern is the toe grounding state, the free leg state is determined as a walking free leg state. In the case where the determination unit is based on the second condition,
In the case where the duration of the ground contact pattern immediately before the swing leg state to be determined is equal to or longer than the first time and less than the second time, the swing leg state is set to the non-walking swing leg state. It is determined that
If it is not less than the second time and less than the first time, the swinging leg state is determined to be a walking swinging leg state,
The motion detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first time is longer than the second time. In the case where the determination unit is based on the second condition,
In the case where the sole ground contact state temporally before the swing leg state to be determined is not less than the first time and less than the second time, the swing leg state is determined as non-walking. It is determined that it is in a swing leg state,
If it is not less than the second time and less than the first time, the swinging leg state is determined to be a walking swinging leg state,
The motion detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first time is longer than the second time. In the case where the determination unit is based on the third condition,
In any of the case where the transition time from the heel contact state to the sole contact state before the swing leg state to be determined is not less than the first time and less than the second time , Determining that the swinging leg state is a non-walking swinging leg state,
If it is not less than the second time and less than the first time, the swinging leg state is determined to be a walking swinging leg state,
The motion detection device according to claim 2, wherein the first time is longer than the second time. In the case where the determination unit is based on the third condition,
In the case where the transition time from the sole ground contact state to the toe ground contact state in time before the swing leg state to be determined is not less than the first time and less than the second time Determines that the swing leg state is a non-walking swing leg state,
If it is not less than the second time and less than the first time, the swinging leg state is determined to be a walking swinging leg state,
The motion detection device according to claim 2, wherein the first time is longer than the second time. In the case where the determination unit is based on the fourth condition,
The grounding pattern during the period between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state is the order of the heel grounding state, the sole grounding state, and the toe grounding state. In this case, it is determined that the swing leg state is a non-walking swing leg state,
When the ground contact pattern in the period between the free leg state to be determined and the free leg state temporally before the free leg state is the order of the sole ground contact state and the toe ground contact state, The motion detection device according to claim 2, wherein the free leg state is determined to be a walking free leg state. The motion detection device according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit is controlled by the user. Wherein at least one of toe sensor and the heel sensors, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, distance comprises at least one sensor and a light sensor, motion detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The motion detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
A release part for releasing the fixation of the fixing part for fixing the knee joint of the user,
The release unit is a knee fixation release device that releases the fixation by the fixation unit based on a detection result from the motion detection device. The knee fixation releasing device according to claim 11 , wherein when the detection result from the motion detection device indicates a “walking leg state”, the releasing unit releases the fixation by the fixing unit. The knee fixation releasing device according to claim 11 or 12 , wherein the release unit includes a forced release mechanism forcibly releasing the fixation by the user. A knee fixation releasing device according to any one of claims 11 to 13 ,
A fixing portion for fixing the knee joint of the user;
A lower limb orthosis with a knee fixation releasing function, comprising: a main body part covering at least a part of the user's thigh and lower leg.