JP2002263152A - Walker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a walker capable of performing a placement training and a foot behavior measurement by recognizing a current state of walking and performing a walking training while confirming a degree of recovery of a foot and waist. . SOLUTION: In a walker for assisting walking by supporting a pedestrian's body, a hand load measuring device 6 for measuring loads applied from left and right hands of the pedestrian, and a left and right hand load measuring device 6 An arithmetic unit 12 for comparing measurement results is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a walker suitable for use by elderly people, persons with physical disabilities, rehabilitation patients after surgery for legs and hips, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A walker is used as an assistive device when an elderly person, a person with a disability, or a patient after an operation on a leg or the like performs rehabilitation of walking. This walker, for example, is configured to include wheels at the lower part of a frame, and supports a pedestrian with a part of the frame to assist walking while stabilizing the body of the pedestrian.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional walker does not have, for example, a function for measuring a load during walking or a function for measuring the behavior of a foot. Since it is necessary to use a dedicated load measuring device or behavior measuring device provided separately, it is impossible to perform measurement in walking for a long time or long distance, simultaneous measurement of load measurement and behavior measurement, There was a problem that it took time.

[0004] In view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional walker, the present invention enables load measurement and foot behavior measurement, recognizes the current state of walking, and performs walking training while confirming the degree of recovery of the legs and hips. It is an object of the present invention to provide a walker capable of performing such a walker.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a walker according to the first aspect of the present invention is a walker which assists walking by supporting a pedestrian's body. A hand load measuring device for measuring the applied load, and a computing device for comparing left and right measurement results of the hand load measuring device.

This walker measures the weight supported by the walker via the left and right hands, and can compare the left and right measurement results and evaluate it as a balance. It is possible to perform walking training while recognizing the current situation in real time and checking the degree of recovery of the legs and hips.

A walker according to a second aspect of the present invention is a walker for supporting walking by supporting a pedestrian's body.
A foot load measuring device is attached to the left and right feet of the pedestrian to measure the weight applied to each foot, and an arithmetic device for comparing the left and right measurement results of the foot load measuring device is provided.

This walker can measure the weight on the left and right feet and compare the left and right measurement results and evaluate it as a balance. Therefore, the walking condition can be recognized in real time based on these measurement results and calculation results. Walking training can be performed while checking the degree of recovery of the legs and hips.

In this case, a foot behavior measuring device for measuring the behavior of the foot of the pedestrian can be provided.

This makes it possible to measure the behavior of the left and right feet of the pedestrian, recognize the current state of walking in real time based on the measured results of the behavior, and perform walking training while checking the degree of recovery of the feet and hips.

Further, the foot behavior measuring device is constituted by a television camera for photographing the behavior of the foot, an image processing device for image-processing the image of the television camera, and a speed measuring device for measuring the moving speed of the walker. be able to.

Thus, the trajectories of the left and right feet can be measured over time.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a walker according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 7 show an embodiment of a walker according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the walker includes an L-shaped frame 1, front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 provided at a lower portion of the frame 1, and a handle 4 projecting upward from an upper portion of the frame 1. And an armrest 5 extending substantially horizontally from the upper part of the frame 1, and the pedestrian walks while holding the body with a walker by gripping the handle 4 and putting an elbow on the armrest 5. It has become. In addition, the front wheel 2, the rear wheel 3, the handle 4, and the armrest 5 are formed as a left and right pair, respectively.

The walker includes a hand load measuring device 6 for measuring the load applied from the pedestrian's hand, a foot load measuring device 7 for measuring the weight applied to the pedestrian's foot, and a pedestrian's foot. And a foot behavior measuring device 8 for measuring the behavior of the subject.

The hand load measuring device 6, as shown in FIG.
Left and right armrests 5 pivotally attached to the frame 1 up and down, and are disposed between the armrests 5 and the load sensor table 9 at the base side of the armrests 5, and are added to the armrests 5. And a load sensor 10 for converting the applied load into an electric signal. In the hand load measuring device 6, the change over time of the weight of the pedestrian on the left and right armrests 5 is measured by the load sensor 1.
0 and amplify by the amplifier 11
Send to 2. Then, the control device 12 compares the left and right measurement results of the hand load measuring device 6 with a built-in arithmetic device (not shown), and displays the result on the display 13 as necessary.

Further, the foot load measuring device 7 are respectively disposed in the bottom of the footwear to be mounted on the left and right feet, the right foot load sensor 14 for converting a load applied to the footwear to an electrical signal, for the left foot And a load sensor 15. In this foot load measuring device 7, the time change of the weight applied to the right foot of the pedestrian is measured by the right foot load sensor 14, and the time change of the weight applied to the left foot is measured by the left foot load sensor 15. Then, they are connected to the amplifier 11 by wires (not shown), and are converted into electric signals and sent to the control device 12. The control device 12 compares the left and right measurement results of the foot load measurement device 7 with a built-in arithmetic device (not shown), and displays the result on the display 13 as necessary.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Display unit 30, power switch 31, load display unit 32, hand load switch 33, foot load switch 34, walking speed display unit 35, forward and backward stride display unit 36, remaining battery amount display unit 3
7, a strength changeover switch 50, a balance / size changeover switch 51, and a speaker 52 are provided. By pressing the hand load switch 33, the display 13 displays the distribution of the load applied to the left and right hands on the load display section 32 as a bar graph as shown in FIG. By pressing the load switch 34, the distribution of the load applied to the left and right feet is displayed in a bar graph on the load display section 32 as shown in FIG.

When the strength changeover switch 50 is pressed, the position (prescribed value) of the horizontal solid line in the load display section 32 is changed.
For example, it changes each time it is pressed, such as 20 kg or 30 kg. If this value is exceeded, a warning sound or the like is emitted from the speaker 52, indicating that the load has exceeded the specified value. Each time the balance / size switch 51 is pressed, the display of the switch changes to "balance" or "size" as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). Of these, “balance” indicates that when the left and right balance (absolute value of the difference in force) exceeds the position of the horizontal solid line, a warning sound or the like is emitted from the speaker 52 and the difference in load exceeds the specified value. In the case of “size”, when one of the left and right loads exceeds the position of the solid horizontal line, a warning sound or the like is emitted from the speaker 52, indicating that the value of the load exceeds the specified value. By listening to these warning sounds, the pedestrian can not only visually sense the right and left sense of balance and the degree of application of force but also perceive it by sound, thereby improving training motivation. However, in the case of a foot load, it is realistic to emit a warning sound when the load is equal to or less than a specified value. Note that the effect is the same even if a buzzer or a lamp is displayed instead of the warning sound from the speaker.

On the other hand, the foot behavior measuring device 8 includes a television camera 16 for photographing the behavior of the foot, an image processing device 17 for image-processing the image of the television camera 16, and a speed for measuring the moving speed and the moving distance of the walker. And a measuring device 18.

The television camera 16 is fixed to the frame 1 downward, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a walking surface 19, a pedestrian's right foot 20 and left foot 21, right rear wheel 3a and left rear wheel 3b, and frame 1 Of the right wheel connecting plate 22a and the left wheel connecting plate 22b.

The image processing apparatus uses the left and right rear wheels 3a, 3b, connecting plates 22a, 22b in the captured image.
For things that do not change, such as right foot 20 and left foot 21,
Or, the load sensor 14 for the right foot or the load sensor 15 for the left foot
Can be easily recognized by subtracting the image.

The speed measuring device comprises a pulse generator 23
Is attached to the axle of the front wheel 2, generates a pulse signal proportional to the number of revolutions of the front wheel 2 that rotates with the movement of the walker, sends the signal to the pulse counter 24, and the pulse counter 24 is sent. The number of pulses is counted, and the result is sent to the controller 12 as the speed and the moving distance of the walker. FIG. 5 shows the connection between the units and the control configuration.

Next, the operation of the walker of this embodiment will be described. A pedestrian with difficulty in walking or a pedestrian during rehabilitation after an operation on the foot and waist holds the steering wheel 4 in his hand, leaves a part of the weight on the armrest 5, and looks at the display surface 13 while viewing the display 13. Perform walking training on the above. At this time, armrest 5
The change over time of the weight of the pedestrian suffering from is measured by the load sensor 10, converted into an electric signal by the amplifier 11, and sent to the control device 12. The control device 12 compares the left and right measurement results of the hand load measuring device 6 with a built-in arithmetic device, and evaluates the balance as a balance.

The time change of the weight applied to the right foot 20 is measured by the load sensor 14 for the right foot, and the time change of the weight applied to the left foot 21 is measured by the load sensor 15 for the left foot. Is converted into an electric signal and sent to the control device 12. Control device 12
Evaluates the balance as a balance by comparing the left and right measurement results of the foot load measurement device 7 with a built-in arithmetic device.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the television camera 16 captures an image in the field of view 25 and sends the image signal to the image processing device 17. The image processing device 17 performs image processing described below on the captured image, and sends the result to the control device 12. The control device 12 sends each signal sent to the display 13 and displays the result. in this case,
If the coordinates and the like are corrected in advance, it is possible to easily know which point on the walking surface 19 on the image corresponds to which position when viewed from the television camera 16. Thereby, the position of the moving object on the image can always be grasped as position coordinates from the camera.

On the other hand, while walking, the position of the television camera 16 relative to the walking surface 19, ie, the position of the walker, constantly moves. It can be obtained by: From these, it is possible to calculate which trajectory the right foot 20, the left foot 21, or the right foot load sensor 14 and the left foot load sensor 15 follow over time, and an example of the calculation result is shown in FIG. Show.

The horizontal axis in FIG. 6 is the floor position information 4 obtained by averaging the number of pulses from each of the left and right pulse generators 23 in the pulse counter 24.
4 and the position of each foot is 20a, 2
0b, 20c, while the left foot is 21a, 21b, 2
1c. At this time, 40 is the left and right foot interval, 41 is the step of the left foot, 42 is the step of the right foot, and 43 is the stride.

FIG. 7 is a graph in which the vertical axis represents a change in the position of each foot with respect to the walking surface 19 with respect to the passage of time on the horizontal axis. FIG. 5A shows an example of a walking pattern of a healthy person in which left and right steps 41 and 42 are equal, and FIG.
Is an example of a pedestrian's walking pattern in which the right foot is poor and the right foot step 42 is less than the left foot step 41.

As described above, according to the walker of this embodiment,
In walking training using a walker, a pedestrian can train while visually observing the load on the hands and feet, and can directly check the degree of recovery of the feet and hips.
In addition, by listening to the warning sound from the speaker 52, the pedestrian can not only visually sense the right and left sense of balance and the degree of application of force but also perceive the sound by sound,
This has the effect of improving training motivation. Further, it is possible to perform training while visually checking the walking speed and the steps of the right and left feet (steps before and after), and it is also possible to visually check the unbalance amount of the feet during walking. If these training data are stored in the memory of a control device (not shown), it is possible to know the comparison of each training and the change in the degree of recovery, etc.
Useful information on rehabilitation can be easily obtained. Further, the walker of this embodiment is cordlessly driven by the mounted battery 26, so that long-term or long-distance walking training can be performed, statistical processing thereof can be easily performed, and data reliability can be improved. Can also be enhanced.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, if the rear wheels 3a, 3b are of a caster structure, curved walking is possible. The load sensor 10 of the armrest 5 is
For example, the load applied to the armrest 5 can be measured with a strain gauge or the like. However, since the weight support position changes depending on the length of the pedestrian's arm, if calibration is performed in advance according to the pedestrian, the measurement can be performed. Accuracy improves. Further, as the load sensors 14 and 15 for the left and right feet, for example, if a pressurized conductive rubber or the like is used, the load sensors 14 and 15 can be formed in a thin shape. Feelings of discomfort are reduced. In addition, although the load sensor for armrests, the load sensor for left and right feet, and the behavior measurement device can be used alone, the effect can be exhibited. Walking training can be performed while checking the details.

[0032]

According to the walker of the first aspect of the present invention, the weight supported by the walker via the left and right hands can be measured, and the left and right measurement results can be compared and evaluated as a balance. The user can recognize the current state of walking in real time based on the measurement results and the calculation results, and can perform walking training while checking the degree of recovery of the legs and hips.

According to the walker of the second aspect of the present invention, the weight on the left and right feet can be measured, and the left and right measurement results can be compared and evaluated as a balance. It is possible to perform walking training while recognizing the current situation in real time and checking the degree of recovery of the legs and hips.

[0034] By providing the foot behavior measuring device for measuring the behavior of the pedestrian's foot, the behavior of the left and right feet of the walker determined, it recognizes the current state of walking with the measurement result of the behavior in real-time In addition, walking training can be performed while checking the degree of recovery of the legs and hips.

Further, the foot behavior measuring device comprises a television camera for photographing the behavior of the foot, an image processing device for image-processing the image of the television camera, and a speed measuring device for measuring the moving speed of the walker. Thus, the trajectories of the left and right feet can be measured with the passage of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a walker according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged sectional view showing an armrest of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of image data in the image processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

4A and 4B show the display device of the embodiment, wherein FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a state in which a load on a hand is displayed, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a state in which a load on a foot is displayed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing connection of a control device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a calculation example of the trajectories of left and right feet with respect to a walking surface during walking.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are graphs in which changes in the position of each foot with respect to the walking surface are plotted on the vertical axis with respect to the time elapsed on the horizontal axis, where FIG. 7A shows a walking pattern in a healthy person, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the walking pattern in a malfunctioning person.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 frame 2 front wheel 3 rear wheel 3a right rear wheel 3b left rear wheel 4 handle 5 armrest 6 hand load measuring device 7 foot load measuring device 8 foot behavior measuring device 9 load sensor stand 10 load sensor 11 amplifier 12 control device ( 13 Display 14 Load sensor for right foot 15 Load sensor for left foot 16 TV camera 17 Image processing device 18 Speed measuring device 19 Walking surface 20 Right foot 21 Left foot 22a Right wheel connecting plate 22b Left wheel connecting plate 23 Pulse generator 24 Pulse counter 25 field of view 26 battery

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A hand load measuring device for measuring a load applied from left and right hands of a pedestrian in a walker for assisting walking by supporting a pedestrian's body, and a right and left measurement of the hand load measuring device. A walker provided with an arithmetic unit for comparing results. 2. A foot load measuring device which is mounted on left and right feet of a pedestrian and measures weight applied to each foot in a walker for supporting walking by supporting the body of the pedestrian; A walker provided with an arithmetic unit for comparing left and right measurement results of the measurement device. 3. The walker according to claim 1, further comprising a foot behavior measuring device for measuring a behavior of a pedestrian's foot. 4. The foot behavior measuring device is constituted by a television camera for photographing foot behavior, an image processing device for image-processing an image of the television camera, and a speed measuring device for measuring a moving speed of the walker. The walker according to claim 3, wherein: