WO2014030296A1 - Body movement-determining device and electric stimulation device - Google Patents

Description

Body movement determination device and electrical stimulation device

The present invention relates to a body movement determination device for detecting a walking state and an electrical stimulation device using the body movement determination device.

Patent Document 1 describes a body movement determination device that detects a walking state based on an output signal of an acceleration sensor worn on a user's body. The walking state detected by the body movement determination device is used, for example, to evaluate the motion of the left leg and the right leg, or to apply a physical stimulus to the user.

JP 2002-355236 A

By the way, in the above-mentioned body movement judging device, abnormalities, such as a failure of a sensor or detachment of a sensor from a body, may occur. However, in the conventional body movement determination apparatus, when the sensor transitions from the normal state to the abnormal state, the accuracy of the detection value of the sensor may decrease, and the low-accuracy detection value is a determination of the user's action. May reduce accuracy. In addition, once the sensor is worn on the user's body, it is difficult to accurately detect whether the sensor is abnormal or not.

An object of the present invention is to provide a body movement determination device capable of detecting whether or not there is an abnormality in a sensor worn on a human body, and an electrical stimulation device using the body movement determination device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, a body movement judging device according to one aspect of the present invention is attached to a human body, detects a body movement, and outputs an output signal which shows a detection result based on an output signal of the sensor And a sensor malfunction detection unit configured to detect a malfunction of the sensor.

The sensor abnormality detection unit preferably detects that the sensor is in an abnormal state when the output signal of the sensor is larger than an upper threshold or smaller than a lower threshold.

The sensor detects a physical quantity indicating displacement of a human body, and the sensor malfunction detection unit determines that a time interval of peak values of an output signal of one sensor having a value exceeding a predetermined threshold is equal to or less than a predetermined interval. At the same time, it is preferable to detect that the one sensor is in an abnormal state.

The sensor detects a physical quantity that indicates displacement of the human body, and the sensor abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality of the sensor when one or both of the following first condition and second condition are satisfied. The first condition is that the output signal of the sensor is larger than the upper threshold or smaller than the lower threshold, and the second condition is the sensor abnormality It is preferable that the time interval of the peak value of the output signal of one sensor in which the detection unit has a value exceeding a predetermined threshold is equal to or less than the predetermined interval.

The sensor abnormality detection unit is configured to perform frequency analysis on an output signal of the sensor, and detect an abnormality of the sensor based on the predetermined threshold and the predetermined interval as a result of the frequency analysis. Is preferred.

The sensor is two or more sensors, and the body movement judging unit cancels the judgment of the body movement based on the output signal of the specific sensor when the abnormality of the specific sensor is detected by the sensor abnormality detecting unit. At the same time, it is preferable to determine the state of the body movement based on the output signals of other sensors whose abnormality has not been detected except for the specific sensor.

The sensor is a plurality of sensors mounted at symmetrical positions with respect to a reference plane which is a plane that is the center of symmetrical movement of the human body, and the body movement judging unit is a part of the human body with respect to the reference plane. A first discriminator for discriminating the movement of one limb of a human body based on output signals of one or more first sensors mounted on one side, and one mounted on the other side of the human body with respect to the reference surface And a second determination unit that determines the movement of the other limb of the human body based on the output signal of the second sensor described above, wherein the body movement determination unit detects an abnormality of one sensor by the sensor abnormality detection unit. When the operation determination is performed based on the output signal of the one sensor detected as abnormal, the determination of the state of body movement based on the operation determination result of the first determination unit or the second determination unit is canceled, and the other Determining the state of the body movement based on the operation determination result of the determination unit It is preferred.

The sensor abnormality detection unit outputs the determination timing of the determination result of the first determination unit when the determination result indicating the stationary state symmetrically with respect to the reference surface is output from each of the first determination unit and the second determination unit. It is preferable to detect that either the first sensor or the second sensor is in an abnormal state, when the interval between the second determination unit and the output timing of the determination result of the second determination unit is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

The body movement determination device further includes a display unit for visibly displaying the determination result of the body movement determination device, and the display unit generates an abnormality when the sensor abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality of the sensor. Is preferably visible.

Preferably, the sensor abnormality detection unit activates a detection function in response to the occurrence of a defined body movement, and stops the detection function in response to an end of the defined body movement.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric stimulation apparatus comprising: the body movement judging device; an electric stimulation unit for giving an electric stimulation to a human body; and the electric stimulation unit based on the movement of the human body judged by the body movement judging device. And a controller configured to control the electrical stimulation to be applied to the human body by controlling.

Preferably, the control unit stops the application of the electrical stimulation for a predetermined time when the sensor abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality of the sensor.

According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect whether or not there is an abnormality in a sensor attached to a human body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS (a) is a front view of the human body with which the body movement determination apparatus of 1st Embodiment was mounted | worn, (b) is a schematic perspective view of the body movement determination apparatus of Fig.1 (a). It is a rear view of a mounting part. It is a block diagram of the body movement judging device of a 1st embodiment. It is a graph which shows the detection value of a sensor, an upper limit threshold, and a lower limit threshold. (A) and (b) are figures for demonstrating walk operation | movement. It is a graph which shows the output signal of a body movement determination apparatus, and a discrimination | determination area. It is a flowchart of the process which the control part of the body movement determination apparatus of 1st Embodiment performs. (A) and (b) are schematic diagrams of a display part. It is a figure for demonstrating the operation | movement of the lower leg part in 1 walk cycle. It is a block diagram of the body movement determination apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. (A) is a graph showing the difference between the output signals of two normal sensors attached respectively to the user's thigh and knee, (b) is a normal sensor attached to the user's thigh And (c) is a graph showing an output signal of the sensor attached to the user's knee during normal operation. It is a graph which shows the frequency-analyzed normal sensor, the output signal of an abnormal sensor, and a threshold. It is an example of discrimination | determination of the walking motion by the body movement determination apparatus of 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a figure which shows the discrimination result of a 1st discrimination | determination part, (b) is a figure which shows the discrimination | determination result of a 2nd discrimination | determination part, c) shows the determination result of the integrated logical operation unit. (A) shows the determination result of the first determination unit at the occurrence of an abnormality, (b) shows the determination result of the second determination unit at the normal time, (c) shows the determination result of the integrated logic operation unit at the occurrence of an abnormality It is a figure which shows a determination result. (A) is a front view of the human body with which the body movement judging device of a 3rd embodiment was equipped, (b) is a schematic diagram of an operation part. It is a block diagram of the body movement determination apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. (A) is a graph which shows the output signal and threshold value of a sensor. (B) is a graph which shows the difference of the output signal of two sensors. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the sensor abnormality detection part of 3rd Embodiment. (A) is a figure which shows the installation aspect of the sensor installed in the regular direction, (b) is a figure which shows the installation aspect of the sensor installed in the direction contrary to a regular. It is a rear view of the mounting part of 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the body movement determination apparatus of 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the control part of 4th Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the output signal of the body movement determination apparatus of 4th Embodiment, a discrimination | determination area, and an electric signal. It is a graph which shows the detection result and threshold value of the sensor of other embodiment. It is a graph which shows the detection result and threshold value of the sensor of other embodiment.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a body movement determining apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

As shown to Fig.1 (a), the body movement determination apparatus 10 is provided with sensor SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 which detects the physical quantity which shows displacement of a user's thigh and knee, for example. The body movement determination device 10 detects the walking state of the user based on the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2.

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the body movement determination device 10 includes a mounting portion 11 attached to the left and right legs of the user and a main body portion 12. In addition, since the body movement determination apparatus 10 attached to right and left both feet is the same structure, it illustrates and demonstrates only a left leg.

The mounting portion 11 includes a thigh mounting portion 21 attached to the thigh, a lower leg mounting portion 22 attached to the lower leg, and a pair of connecting portions 23a and 23b connecting the thigh mounting portion 21 and the lower leg mounting portion 22 to each other. including.

As shown in FIG. 2, the thigh attachment portion 21 includes a thigh front pad 24 covering a part of front and side of the thigh and a pair of thigh rear pads 25 formed on both ends of the thigh front pad 24, And 26. The thigh front pad 24 is formed in accordance with the shape of the thigh, and a recess 24a is formed on the knee side portion (lower end side in FIG. 2). The thigh back pads 25, 26 have a band shape extending from both ends of the thigh front pad 24. Connecting portions 25b and 26b are provided on the tip portions 25a and 26a of the thigh rear surface pads 25 and 26, respectively. The connection portions 25b and 26b may be, for example, surface fasteners such as Velcro (registered trademark). The thigh attachment portion 21 is attached to the user's thigh by connecting the connecting portions 25b and 26b of the thigh rear surface pads 25 and 26 to each other on the back of the thigh.

The lower leg attachment portion 22 includes a lower leg front pad 27 covering a part of the front and side of the lower leg, and a pair of lower leg back pads 28, 29 formed on both end portions (left and right ends in FIG. 2) of the lower leg front pad 27. And. The lower leg front pad 27 is formed in accordance with the shape of the lower leg, and a recess 27a is formed on the upper end side of the knee side portion (FIG. 2). The lower back pads 28, 29 have a band shape extending from both ends of the lower front pad 27. Connecting portions 28 b and 29 b are respectively provided on the tip portions 28 a and 29 a of the lower thigh back pads 28 and 29. The connection portions 28b and 29b may be, for example, surface fasteners such as Velcro (registered trademark). The lower thigh attachment portion 22 is attached to the lower thigh of the user by connecting the connecting portions 28b, 29b of the lower thigh back pads 28, 29 to each other on the back of the lower thigh.

The connection parts 23a and 23b are, for example, members having stretchability, and are formed to connect the left ends and the right ends of the thigh attachment part 21 and the lower leg attachment part 22, respectively. In a state in which the thigh attachment portion 21 and the lower thigh attachment portion 22 are integrated by the connection portions 23a and 23b, the attachment hole 31 (see FIG. 2) is formed by the recess 24a of the thigh front pad 24, the recess 27a of the lower thigh front pad 27, 1 (b)) is divided. When the body movement determination device 10 is attached, the front of the user's knee is exposed from the attachment hole 31, and the bending operation of the knee joint in the walking operation becomes easy. By aligning the mounting hole 31 with the knee, the mounting portion 11 is mounted at the correct position.

The thigh front pad 24 and the lower thigh front pad 27 are provided with insertion portions 32 and 33 at substantially the center, and the sensors SL1 and SL2 (SR1 and SR2) are disposed in the insertion portions 32 and 33, respectively. The sensors SL1 and SR1 provided on the thigh front pad 24 are, for example, acceleration sensors. The sensors SL2 and SR2 provided on the lower leg front pad 27 are, for example, angular velocity sensors. For example, the sensors SL1 and SR1 (acceleration sensor) output a signal indicating the acceleration of the thigh rotating around the hip joint in the walking operation. For example, the sensors SL2 and SR2 (angular velocity sensors) output a signal indicating the angular velocity of the lower leg rotating about the knee joint. The body movement determination device 10 detects the walking state (displacement of the knee joint) using the output signals of the sensors SL1 and SL2 (SR1 and SR2). The sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 may use the same type of sensor. Further, as each of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2, a rotary encoder, a potentiometer, a goniometer, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like may be used. The sensors SL 1, SL 2, SR 1, SR 2 are electrically connected to the main body 12 via the connection cable 13. The main body unit 12 includes a display unit 43 for visually displaying various information and an operation unit 44 for performing various operations.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the sensor SL1 attached to the upper portion of the lower left crotch and the sensor SR1 attached to the upper portion of the lower right crotch are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the reference plane O. The reference plane O is a plane that is central to the symmetrical motion of the human body. In the illustrated example, the reference plane O is a median plane that divides the user's body equally from left to right as viewed in the walking direction. The sensor SL2 mounted to the lower portion of the lower left crotch of the user and the sensor SR2 mounted to the lower portion of the lower right crotch are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the reference plane O.

The two sensors SL1 and SL2 attached to the lower left crotch constitute a first detection unit SL that detects the movement of the user's left foot. The two sensors SR1 and SR2 attached to the lower right crotch constitute a second detection unit SR that detects the movement of the user's right foot. The first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR constitute a body movement detection unit.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 12 includes a control unit 41 and a power supply unit 45.

Control unit 41 includes an arithmetic processing unit 46, a determination unit 47, and a sensor abnormality detection unit 1 that detects whether there is an abnormality in sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. The arithmetic processing unit 46 is connected to the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. The determination unit 47 is an example of a body movement determination unit.

The sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 detect the walking motion of one walking cycle consisting of the stance phase and the swing phase shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the arithmetic processing unit 46 is supplied with output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2. The output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 indicate the results of detection of the walking motion for one of the two regions divided by the median plane O. The output signals IR1 and IR2 of the sensors SR1 and SR2 indicate the detection results of the walking motion for the other region.

The arithmetic processing unit 46 performs signal processing on sensor output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2. The signal processing of the arithmetic processing unit 46 may be, for example, removal of noise such as high frequency components, calculation of a moving average value, and frequency analysis.

The arithmetic processing unit 46 performs processing of combining the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 and the output signals IR1 and IR2 of the sensors SR1 and SR2 arranged symmetrically with respect to the median plane O. The arithmetic processing unit 46 executes, for example, subtraction processing (IL1−IR1) and / or addition processing (IL1 + IR1) of the output signal IL1 and the output signal IR1 as the combination processing. The arithmetic processing unit 46 executes, for example, subtraction processing (IL2-IR2) and / or addition processing (IL2 + IR2) of the output signal IL2 and the output signal IR2 as combined processing.

For example, the arithmetic processing unit 46 can also generate the signal Z1 by combining the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 in accordance with the following equation.

Z1 = aX1 + bX2 + cX3 + dX4 + ... + C
In one example, the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 are substituted for the variables X1 to X4. For the variables X1 to X4, values in which the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the first detection unit SL and the output signals IR1 and IR2 of the second detection unit SR are combined may be substituted. The values of the variables X1 to X4 are characteristic values of the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 in the respective determination sections H1a to H1c (see FIG. 6). Specifically, the values of the variables X1 to X4 are, for example, moving average values, differential values, values calculated by performing predetermined calculations with other characteristic values (for example, X1-X4, X1 + X2), etc. It may be a value obtained continuously. The set values (coefficients a to d) can be changed in each of the determination sections H2a to H2d.

The values of the coefficients a to d and the constant C are set, for example, using a discriminant analysis method which is one of multivariate analysis methods. For example, a walking test is performed on a plurality of subjects in advance to calculate variables X1 to X4 in each of the discrimination sections H1a to H1c.

In addition to the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2, for example, another sensor (pressure sensor) is used to detect the determination sections H1a to H1c in the walking test. The variables X1 to X4 are substituted into the discriminant Z1 calculated based on the discriminant analysis method, and characteristic values of all the discrimination sections H1a to H1c are represented (grouped) in one graph. The coefficients a to d are set such that the above-described discriminant equation Z1 indicates the boundary of characteristic values of the respective discrimination sections H1a to H1c grouped in this graph. That is, when the determination sections H1a to H1c are different, different coefficients a to d are set. The constant C is a value for adjusting the value of the discriminant Z1. The discriminant Z1 set in this way becomes a predetermined value (for example, Z1 = 0) at the boundary of each of the discrimination sections H1a to H1c.

The arithmetic processing unit 46 supplies the processing result to the sensor abnormality detection unit 1.

The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 based on upper and lower thresholds defined for output signals of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2.

The upper threshold and the lower threshold will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the upper limit threshold value ERu is set to a value larger by a predetermined value or more than the sum (for example, average value + 3σ) of the average value and the standard deviation of the detection values of normal sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2. Ru. Further, the lower limit threshold value ERd is set to a value smaller by a predetermined value or more than the sum (for example, the average value -3σ) of the average value and the standard deviation of the detection values of the normal sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2. In the illustrated example, the absolute values of the upper threshold ERu (+800) and the lower threshold ERd (-800) are the same.

The normal range αS is a range not less than the lower limit threshold ERd and not more than the upper limit threshold ERu. The detection value of the sensor outside the normal range αS is an abnormal value. When any one of the detection values of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 is out of the normal range αS, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects that the sensor is abnormal. The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 does not supply the output signal of the sensor detected as abnormal to the determination unit 47, and supplies only the output signal of the sensor not detected as abnormal to the determination unit 47.

The determination unit 47 includes a comparison unit 49 and a logic operation unit 50, as shown in FIG. The comparison unit 49 determines which section the value of the signal Z1 calculated by the arithmetic processing section 46 belongs to, by whether the signal Z1 is larger or smaller than the threshold with different threshold values in each determination section. The logic operation unit 50 performs logic operation of the determination signal supplied from the comparison unit 49. The determination unit 47 uses the comparison unit 49 and the logic operation unit 50 to make a determination on the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 and the like. For example, the determination unit 47 detects a plurality of determination sections H1a to H1c illustrated in FIG. 6 from the walking motion of one walking cycle (the standing phase and the swing phase) illustrated in FIG. Then, the determination unit 47 performs control of changing the output signal from the high level to the low level, for example, when it is determined that the determination section H1a is switched to the determination section H1b in accordance with the walking motion.

The display unit 43 displays, for example, the determination result of the walking state of the user in each of the determination sections H1a to H1c. In addition, on the display unit 43, for example, the evaluation result of the walking motion based on the difference in the movement of the left and right legs in the determination sections H1a to H1c and the difference in the movement of the left and right legs is displayed. Note that the operation to be the determination target displayed on the display unit 43 can be changed by the user using the operation unit 44.

The power supply unit 45 supplies a drive current to the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2, the control unit 41, and the operation unit 44. The power supply unit 45 is, for example, a power supply circuit that generates a required drive current based on the supply of a rechargeable battery, a dry battery, and a commercial power source.

Next, the walking motion of the human body will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b).

One walking cycle indicates a cycle from when the heel of the foot of one side of the user touches the ground to when the same heel again touches the ground again. The period in which one of the user's feet is in contact with the floor in one walking cycle is the stance phase (also referred to as stance phase), and the period in which the foot is away from the floor is the swing phase (also referred to as swing phase). For example, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the condition of each leg of the walking cycle is shown, when one leg is in the stance phase, the other leg may be in the swing phase. Then, the other leg is shifted from one leg over time to become a stance phase. Basically, during one walking cycle, a period occurs in which both feet touch the ground.

Next, the operation of the body movement determination apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6.

When the control unit 41 obtains the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 along with the walking motion of the user, it detects whether or not there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2. Do. The control unit 41 detects a stance phase and a plurality of swing phases (discrimination sections H1a to H1c) from one walking cycle based on an output signal of a sensor detected as normal (see FIG. 6). The control unit 41 determines the walking state of the user based on the determination sections H1a to H1c.

Next, the details of the above-described operation will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the user walks, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 detect displacement of the user (human body) accompanying the walking motion, and output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 indicating the detection results It supplies to the abnormality detection part 1 (step 61). Each sensor is configured to detect a physical quantity corresponding to a displacement of a human body, such as acceleration and / or angular velocity.

The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects whether the detection result of the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 exceeds the range of the normal range αS (step 62). The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects that the sensor is abnormal when the detection value of a certain sensor exceeds the range of the normal range αS. On the other hand, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects that the sensor indicating the detection value within the normal range αS is normal. Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 outputs, to the arithmetic processing unit 46, only detection values (output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2) of the sensor that is detected as normal. When the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality of a certain sensor, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 supplies a signal indicating that effect to the display unit 43. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8A, the display unit 43 displays information indicating the occurrence of an abnormality. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the display unit 43 can include an LED corresponding to each of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. In this configuration, for example, when an abnormality of the sensor SL1 is detected, only the LED indicating the occurrence of the abnormality of the sensor SL1 is lit.

The arithmetic processing unit 46 performs, for example, a process of combining the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2, SR1 and SR2 which are divided by the median plane O with the output signals IR1 and IR2. The arithmetic processing unit 46 also performs signal processing on the combined signal and the previous signal to be combined (step 63). The arithmetic processing unit 46 outputs the signal subjected to the signal processing to the determination unit 47.

Next, the determination unit 47 detects a plurality of determination sections H1a to H1c from one walking cycle based on the supplied signal and a threshold for dividing one walking cycle for each characteristic of walking motion. The determination unit 47 determines one walking cycle into a determination section H1a which is a standing phase shown in FIG. 6 and determination sections H1b and H1c which are a plurality of swing phases. For example, the determination unit 47 causes the comparison unit 49 to compare the signals indicated as transition IL1 to IR1 in FIG. 6 as the subtraction results of the output signals IL1 and IR1 with the defined thresholds TH1, TH2, TH3, and TH4. The determination unit 47 determines, based on the comparison result, a period in which the transition IL1-IR1 exceeds the threshold TH1 or TH2 as a stance period. The comparison unit 49 sets the transition IL1-IR1 to "1" (high level) when each output signal is smaller than the threshold values TH1 and TH2. Further, when each output signal is equal to or greater than the threshold, the comparison unit 49 outputs the transition IL 1 -IR 1 as “0” (low level) to the logic operation unit 50. The threshold values TH1, TH2, TH3, and TH4 are constant values in one walking cycle.

Next, in step 65 shown in FIG. 6, the logic operation unit 50 performs logic operation of the determination signal supplied from the comparison unit 49. The determination unit 47 detects the determination sections H1a to H1c from the output result of the logic operation unit 50 (step 66).

In the stance phase, the logic operation unit 50 determines that the period T12 in which the transition IL1-IR1 exceeds the threshold value TH1 is the first stance phase. Furthermore, the logic operation unit 50 determines that the period T23, which is a period after the threshold value TH1 is reached once and exceeds the threshold value TH2, is the late stance phase. Then, based on the determination result of the logic operation unit 50, the determination unit 47 defines a period including the stance phase early phase T12 and the stance phase late period T23 as a determination section H1a. In addition, in the first stance phase, it is in a state (section) until the heel is separated from the ground by touching the heel with the heel of one foot during one walking cycle. In the latter half of the stance phase, the heels of one foot are separated from the ground during one walking cycle, and the toes are separated from the ground.

The logic operation unit 50 determines that the period T34 which is a period following the late stance phase and which is equal to or less than the threshold TH3 is the swing phase early period. Further, the logic operation unit 50 is a period following the early swing phase, and determines that the period T40 exceeding the threshold TH3 and equal to or smaller than the threshold TH4 is late swing phase. Then, based on the determination result of the logic operation unit 50, the determination unit 47 defines the swing phase early period as a determination section H1 b and the swing phase late period as a determination section H1 c.

A case may also occur where a section determined based on the threshold values TH1, TH2, TH3 and TH4 indicates a plurality of sections common to one walking cycle, for example, a plurality of preceding standing phases are included in one walking cycle. In this case, the logic operation unit 50 separately acquires a determination signal different from the determination signal used for the determination. Then, the logical operation unit 50 specifies the determination sections H1a to H1c by performing a logical operation on the acquired determination signal.

The threshold values TH1, TH2, TH3, and TH4 are set based on, for example, walking tests performed in advance for a plurality of subjects. The gait test is performed, for example, by providing another sensor (for example, a pressure sensor) in addition to the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 on the body of the subject. This other sensor is provided to detect the discrimination sections H1a to H1c in the walking test. For example, a pressure sensor provided on the sole detects a period in which the foot is in contact with the ground in one walking cycle, and this period is regarded as a standing period, that is, a determination section H1a. The value of the output signal of each subject is acquired according to the discrimination sections H1a to H1c detected by such another sensor. Then, for example, the average value of the values of the output signals at the boundaries of the determination sections H1a to H1c is calculated. The calculated results are set as threshold values TH1, TH2, TH3 and TH4. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the threshold value TH2 is set to a value for determining the output signal in the late stance phase and the sections before and after that (the stance phase period and the swing phase period). Therefore, the threshold value TH2 is set from the average value of the values of the output signals at the boundaries between the first standing phase period of the plurality of subjects in the walking test and the sections before and after the standing phase period. The settings of the threshold values TH1, TH2, TH3 and TH4 are not limited to the border values, and may be set based on, for example, the average value of the values of the respective output signals in the respective determination sections H1a to H1c. Good.

Next, the operation of the body movement determination device 10 will be described.

The above-described body movement determination device 10 includes the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 that detects whether there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 outputs only the detection result (output signal) of the sensor that has detected normality to the determination unit 47. Therefore, the determination unit 47 can determine the operation of the human body based on the detection result that is detected to be normal.

The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects that the sensor is abnormal when the detection result of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 exceeds the threshold value ERu because it is higher than the upper limit threshold value ERu. Further, when the detection result of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 exceeds the absolute value of the lower limit threshold ERd, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects that the sensor is abnormal. Therefore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines whether the detection result of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 exceeds any one of the upper limit threshold ERu and the lower limit threshold ERd. And the sensor abnormality detection part 1 can detect abnormality of a sensor only by performing this determination.

Further, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 using two thresholds, the upper limit threshold ERu and the lower limit threshold ERd. Therefore, even if the detection values of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are reversed due to the mounting of the mounting unit 11 in the opposite direction to the normal direction, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 is abnormal. Can be detected. Therefore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can detect an abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 regardless of the mounting direction of the mounting unit 11 and the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. Thereby, the reliability of abnormality detection by the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 is enhanced.

When the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 displays the fact on the display unit 43. Therefore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can allow the user to visually recognize that an abnormality has occurred in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2.

Further, the above-described body movement determination device 10 includes the sensors SL1 and SL2 and the sensors SR1 and SR2 disposed in a region sandwiching the reference surface O of the user. The sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 detect a symmetrical walking motion. The determination unit 47 combines the plurality of output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 detected by the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 to determine the walking motion of the user. Therefore, the amount of data used to determine the walking motion increases, and highly accurate determination becomes possible.

Moreover, also when the site | part of the user which pinched | interposed the median plane O, for example, the balance of the right and left of a user's leg is evaluated, evaluation including the state of the other leg can be performed. This enables, for example, an evaluation including an interaction with the other state when evaluating one leg.

Further, the sensors SL1 and SL2 and the sensors SR1 and SR2 are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the median plane O which is the boundary of the walking motion performed symmetrically. That is, the motion of the human body has many parallel movements with respect to the median plane O which divides the human body seen from the walking direction evenly. In addition, the motion of the human body tends to be similar in the part divided by the median plane O (for example, the left limb and the right limb). For example, in the motion of sitting on a chair, the left and right legs operate simultaneously, such as when the left and right knees extend from the standing position and the knee bends when the seat surface is approached. Therefore, by combining the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2, the operation determination based on the detection result indicating the movement of each part of the human body operating simultaneously is performed. As a result, the determination unit 47 is supplied with the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 attached to one of the legs and the output signals IR1 and IR2 of the sensors SR1 and SR2 attached to the other of the legs. Therefore, the data amount of the signal supplied to the determination unit 47 is doubled as compared with the configuration in which only the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 are used. Thus, the walking motion of the user is more accurately determined.

During movement of the human body, the movement of each part is similar to the median plane O, but the rhythm or phase of movement may differ between parts. For example, the motions of the left and right hip sides during walking are out of phase by about 180 degrees. In this case, the detection result of one of the sensors SL1 and SL2 (SR1 and SR2) tends to make it difficult to determine the operation. Therefore, by using the detection results of the other sensors SR1 and SR2 (SL1 and SL2), it becomes easy to determine an operation that was conventionally difficult to determine.

The body movement determination device 10 includes sensors SL1 and SL2 attached to one limb of a user (human body) and sensors SR1 and SR2 attached to one limb of the user. When the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are worn on the limbs that commonly exist on the left and right of the human body, the sensor values fluctuate more than when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are worn on the user's waist There are many. This increases the amount of data that can be acquired. In addition, there is also a method of performing discrimination by providing an attitude state as a reference of a sensor value when basically determining an operation. However, in this method, it is difficult to determine with high accuracy because the difference between the sensor value acquired in the posture state and the sensor value in another operation is small. On the other hand, the sensor values of the sensors SL1 and SL2 and the sensors SR1 and SR2 attached to the left and right crotch have a sufficient difference. As described above, the motion determination is performed with higher accuracy by attaching the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 to the left and right limbs that are present commonly on the left and right of the human body.

The body movement determination device 10 combines the output signals of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 mounted at symmetrical positions on the median plane O. And the body movement determination apparatus 10 performs operation | movement discrimination | determination of one leg of a human body based on the signal obtained by combining. For example, it is assumed that the left and right common human body parts (for example, feet and legs) are simultaneously moving, that is, in the standing position, that is, the two soles are in contact with the ground. In this state, even if it is possible to determine a state in which one sole is in contact, it is difficult to determine a state in which the other sole is in contact with the ground. Therefore, for example, a method is also conceivable in which the state of one leg is acquired by a sensor attached to one leg, and the state of the other leg is acquired by a sensor attached to the other leg. In this method, the states of the left and right legs are determined based on the sensor values of the respective sensors, and the state of the human body is determined based on the determination result. However, in this method, the states of the left and right legs are individually determined. And since operation | movement of the whole human body is discriminate | determined after that, the operation | movement discrimination | determination of the whole human body is not performed rapidly. On the other hand, the body movement determination device 10 determines the movement of one of the limbs of the human body based on the signal obtained by the combination. Thereby, the body movement determination apparatus 10 can determine the standing position with high accuracy and quickly.

The body movement determination device 10 includes a determination unit 47 that divides one walking cycle (the stance phase and the swing phase) using the thresholds TH1, TH2, TH3, and TH4. The threshold values TH1, TH2, TH3, and TH4 are set to values capable of detecting a desired section (discrimination section H1b, H1c) obtained by dividing the swing phase further. Therefore, by dividing one walking cycle into a plurality of determination sections H1a to H1c, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the balance and the like of the body based on the determination sections H1a to H1c.

In addition, the body movement determination device 10 is provided at a position where the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 sandwich the user's knee (joint), and is configured to be able to detect the rotational position (angular velocity etc.) of the knee joint. As shown in FIG. 9, for example, in the early period of the swing phase, the thigh rotates about the hip joint in the same direction as the traveling direction B1 (rotational direction B2).

The sensors SL1 and SR1 (acceleration sensors) detect acceleration of the thigh with respect to the rotational direction B2 and output output signals IL1 and IR1. The lower leg rotates in a direction B3 in which an inertial force acts on the knee joint (rotational direction B4). The sensors SL2 and SR2 (angular velocity sensors) detect the angular velocity of the lower leg along the rotational direction B4 and output output signals IL2 and IR2. In the late swing phase, both parts rotate in the opposite direction to the previous period (rotational directions B5 and B6). Therefore, sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are provided at sites sandwiching the knee joint so as to detect the characteristic motion of the foot in the swing phase described above. Thereby, the detection accuracy of the discrimination sections H1b and H1c can be improved.

The first embodiment has the following effects.

(1) The body movement determination device 10 includes the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 that detects whether there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. Thus, the body movement determination device 10 can accurately detect whether there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 worn on the human body.

(2) The sensor malfunction detection unit 1 detects a sensor malfunction by comparing the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 with the upper limit threshold value ERu. Further, the sensor malfunction detection unit 1 detects a sensor malfunction by comparing the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 with the lower threshold ERd. The structure for comparing the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1 and SR2 with the upper limit threshold value ERu and / or the lower limit threshold value ERd is simple, the calculation load for comparison is low, and the comparison accuracy is high. Therefore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can detect the abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 easily and accurately.

(3) The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality based on whether the detection result of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 exceeds the normal range αS which is equal to or more than the lower limit threshold ERd and less than the upper limit threshold ERu. Thus, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can detect an abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 regardless of the installation direction of the mounting unit 11 and the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2.

(4) The body movement judging device 10 detects the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 mounted at symmetrical positions with respect to the reference surface O of the human body, and the output signals IL1, IL2, of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2. And a discrimination unit 47 that discriminates the posture (action) of the human body by combining IR1 and IR2. As a result, the amount of data used to determine the walking motion increases, and highly accurate determination becomes possible.

(5) The sensors SL1 and SL2 and the sensors SR1 and SR2 are disposed symmetrically with respect to the median plane O which divides the human body seen from the walking direction equally to the left and right. As a result, the data amount of the signal supplied to the determination unit 47 is twice that of the comparative example in which only the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 are used, and the walking motion of the user is more accurately determined. Ru.

(6) The body movement determination device 10 includes a plurality of sensors SL1 and SL2 provided on one limb of the human body and a plurality of sensors SR1 and SR2 provided on the other limb. For this reason, the body movement determination device 10 can acquire more signals indicating displacement of the human body accompanying various operations such as walking operation, for example. Thereby, the body movement determination device 10 can perform the operation determination based on the abundant data indicating the motion of the human body, and can perform the operation determination in more detail and with high accuracy.

(7) The body movement determination device 10 combines the output signals of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 mounted at symmetrical positions on the median plane O. And the body movement determination apparatus 10 performs operation | movement discrimination | determination of one leg of a human body based on the signal obtained by combining. As a result, it is possible to quickly and accurately determine various operations including standing and the like.

Second Embodiment
A body movement determining apparatus and an electrical stimulation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14, focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

In FIGS. 10 to 14, the elements substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 41 includes a first sensor malfunction detection unit 2 and a second sensor malfunction detection unit 3. The control unit 41 also includes a first determination unit 60, a second determination unit 70, and an integrated logic operation unit 80.

Output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are supplied from the arithmetic processing unit 46 to the first sensor malfunction detection unit 2. The first sensor abnormality detection unit 2 detects whether there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 based on the supplied output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2. The first sensor abnormality detection unit 2 outputs the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 among the output signals detected as normal to the first determination unit 60. Further, the first sensor abnormality detection unit 2 outputs the output signals IR1 and IR2 of the sensors SR1 and SR2 among the output signals detected as normal to the second determination unit 70.

The first determination unit 60 operates the one limb of the user based on the detection result of the first detection unit SL including the sensors SL1 and SL2 mounted on one half of the user divided by the median plane O Make a decision. The first determination unit 60 includes a comparison unit 61 and a logic operation unit 62. The comparison unit 61 determines to which determination section of one walking cycle the value of the signal indicating the detection result of the first detection unit SL calculated by the calculation processing unit 46 belongs. The logic operation unit 62 performs logic operation of the determination signal output from the comparison unit 61. The first determination unit 60 uses the comparison unit 61 and the logic operation unit 62 to make a determination on the output signals IL1 and IL2 of the sensors SL1 and SL2 processed by the operation processing unit 46. Thereby, the first determination unit 60 detects a plurality of determination sections H1a to H1c shown in FIG. 6 from the walking motion of one walking cycle of one body. Then, when it is determined that the walking state of the user has switched from the determination section H1a to the determination section H1b, for example, the first determination unit 60 performs control to change the output signal from the high level to the low level . The first determination unit 60 outputs the determination result to the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3.

The second determination unit 70 determines the operation of the other limb of the user based on the detection result of the second detection unit SR including the sensors SR1 and SR2 mounted on the other half of the user divided by the median plane O I do. The second determination unit 70 includes a comparison unit 71 and a logic operation unit 72. The comparison unit 71 determines which determination section of one walking cycle the value of the detection result signal of the second detection unit SR calculated by the calculation processing unit 46 belongs to. The logic operation unit 72 performs a logic operation of the determination signal output by the comparison unit 71. The second determination unit 70 uses the comparison unit 71 and the logical operation unit 72 to make a determination on the output signals IR1 and IR2 of the sensors SR1 and SR2 processed by the arithmetic processing unit 46. Thereby, the second determination unit 70 detects a plurality of determination sections H1a to H1c shown in FIG. 6 from the walking motion of one walking cycle of the other half. Then, the second determination unit 70 performs control to change the output signal from the high level to the low level, for example, when it is determined that the walking state of the user has switched from the determination section H1a to the determination section H1b due to the walking motion. . The second determination unit 70 outputs the determination result to the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3.

Based on the determination result supplied from the first determination unit 60, the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3 detects whether there is an abnormality in the sensors SL1 and SL2. Further, based on the determination result supplied from the second determination unit 70, the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3 detects whether there is an abnormality in the sensors SR1 and SR2. The second sensor malfunction detection unit 3 outputs the determination result based on the detection result of the sensor that has detected normality to the integrated logic operation unit 80. For example, when the supplied determination result indicates an unknown operation other than the specified operation, the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3 detects that a sensor that is a generation source of the determination result is abnormal. In addition, the second sensor malfunction detection unit 3 operates normally, for example, the determination results respectively supplied from the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70 indicate that the same walking operation is continued for a long period of time. As a result, it is also detected that the sensor is abnormal when it indicates an operation other than the combination defined.

The integrated logic operation unit 80 performs a process of determining the user's operation based on the determination result that the normality is detected. For example, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation of the left leg of the user divided by the median plane O by adding the determination result of the second determination unit 70 to the determination result of the first determination unit 60. Thereby, the integrated logic operation unit 80 verifies the determination result of the first determination unit 60, and confirms whether there is an erroneous determination. In addition, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation of the user whose determination is difficult based on the determination result of the first determination unit 60 alone. The integrated logic operation unit 80 outputs an output signal from a sensor in which one of the determination results of the first determination unit 60 and the determination result of the second determination unit 70 (for example, the determination result of the first determination unit 60) is abnormal. When it is determined that the determination result is based on the above, the determination of the operation is performed based only on the other determination result (for example, the determination result of the second determination unit 70) based on the output signal of the normal sensor. In this way, the integrated logic operation unit 80 does not determine the operation based on the determination result from the determination unit based on the output signal of the abnormal sensor. Further, when the integrated logic operation unit 80 detects that both the determination results supplied from the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70 are determination results based on the output signal of the abnormal sensor, both determinations are made. Do not judge the action based on the result.

In addition, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines, for example, the operation of the user's right leg divided by the median plane O by adding the determination result of the first determination unit 60 to the determination result of the second determination unit 70. . Thereby, the integrated logic operation unit 80 verifies the determination result of the second determination unit 70, and confirms whether there is an erroneous determination. In addition, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation of the user whose determination is difficult based on the determination result of the second determination unit 70 alone.

Next, the details of abnormality detection by the first sensor abnormality detection unit 2 and the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 11 shows the transition of the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 are normal or abnormal in one walking cycle.

FIG. 11A shows a difference IS between the output signal IR1 of the sensor SR1 mounted on the thigh of the user in the normal state and the output signal IR2 of the sensor SR2 mounted on the knee in the normal state. ing. In FIG. 11B, the solid line indicates the transition IS1 of the output signal IR1 when the sensor SR1 mounted on the thigh of the user is normal. The broken line indicates the transition Ie1 of the output signal IR1 at the time of abnormality of the sensor SR1 mounted on the user's thigh. In FIG. 11C, the solid line indicates the transition IS2 of the output signal IR2 when the sensor SR2 mounted on the knee of the user is normal. The broken line shows the transition Ie2 of the output signal IR2 at the time of abnormality of the sensor SR2 mounted on the knee of the user. FIGS. 11B and 11C also show a threshold TE1 for detecting an abnormality.

As shown as transition IS1 in FIG. 11B, the physical quantity detected by the normal sensor SR1, that is, the value of the output signal IR1 fluctuates according to the movement of the user's body. Similarly, as shown as a transition example IS2 in FIG. 11C, the physical quantity detected by the normal sensor SR2, that is, the value of the output signal IR2 fluctuates according to the movement of the user's body.

The sensors SR1 and SR2 may be damaged by an impact or the like. In this case, as shown as transition Ie1 in FIG. 11B, the output signal IR1 of the sensor SR1 having an abnormality shows a constant value regardless of the movement of the body. Further, as shown as transition Ie2 in FIG. 11C, the output signal IR2 of the sensor SR2 having an abnormality also shows a constant value regardless of the movement of the body.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the result of frequency analysis of the output signal IR1 of the sensor SR1, and a peak value at a predetermined time for the output signal IR1 having a value exceeding the threshold TE1 for abnormality detection shown in FIG. Indicates the interval time of The same applies to the frequency analysis result of the sensor SR2. As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when the sensor SR1 is abnormal, the interval time of the peak value of the output signal IR1 of the sensor SR1 is equal to or less than the threshold value TE2 for abnormality detection.

When the frequency analysis result of the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 exceeding the threshold value TE1 becomes less than or equal to the threshold value TE1, the first sensor abnormality detection unit 2 detects that the sensor that outputs the output signal of the threshold value TE2 or less is abnormal. Do.

Next, details of the operation of the body movement determination device 10 will be described according to a time chart shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 shows the progress of the walking motion by dividing the one walking cycle illustrated in FIG. 6 into four stages of the early stance phase, the late stance phase, the early swing phase, and the late swing phase. FIG. 13A shows the determination result of the walking motion of the left leg of the user by the first determination unit 60. Further, FIG. 13B shows the determination result of the walking motion of the user's right leg by the second determination unit 70. Further, FIG. 13C shows the determination result of the walking motion of the user by the integrated logic operation unit 80. In FIG. 13, "discrimination number 1" is in the first stance phase, "discrimination number 2" is in the second stance phase, "discrimination number 3" is in the first swing phase, and "discrimination number 4" is in the second swing phase. It shows.

Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the motion of the lower leg of one walking cycle is larger in the swing phase than in the stance phase. Therefore, in the swing phase, the fluctuation of the sensor values acquired by the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR is large, and the determination can be made with higher accuracy than in the other determination sections.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the timing at which the state of one leg transitions from the early stance phase to the late stance phase is the timing at which the other leg transitions from the early swing phase to the late swing phase. Same or similar. That is, when the state of one leg transitions from the early stance phase to the late stance phase, the other leg transitions from the early swing phase to the late swing phase.

Therefore, the determination result of the first determination unit 60 indicates that the state of the left leg has transitioned from the early stance phase to the late stance phase at timing T18 in FIG. 13 (a). Further, the determination result of the second determination unit 70 indicates that the state of the right leg has transitioned from the early swing phase to the late swing phase at timing T18 in FIG. 13 (b).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13B, at timing T19, the second discrimination is performed before the discrimination result of the first discrimination unit 60 indicates the end of the first half of the stance phase of the left leg (FIG. 13A: T20). The determination result of the part 70 changes. That is, the determination result of the second determination unit 70 already indicates the start of the late swing phase of the right foot. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13C, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines that the stance phase previous period of the left leg has ended at timing T19. That is, the integrated logic operation unit 80 corrects the determination result based on the determination result of the second determination unit 70 on the assumption that the determination result of the first determination unit 60 is an erroneous determination.

Next, the determination process performed when an abnormality is detected in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the first sensor malfunction detection unit 2 or the second sensor malfunction detection unit 3 senses that, for example, the sensor SL1 is malfunctioning (timing T30). Then, the first determination unit 60 stops the operation determination based on the sensor SL1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14B, the second determination unit 70 continues the operation determination based on the sensors SR1 and SR2 detected to be in the normal state. The integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation of the user's left leg by using the determination result of the second determination unit 70 instead of the determination result of the first determination unit 60 as shown in FIG. To (timing T31). That is, the integrated logic operation unit 80 detects that the state of the user's right leg has transitioned from the early swing phase period to the late swing phase period based on the second determination unit 70. Then, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines that the state of the left leg of the user has transitioned from the early stance phase to the late stance phase. As a result, even if the determination result of the first determination unit 60 indicates an abnormal result, the state of the left leg that should be originally determined by the first determination unit 60 is continuously determined. Moreover, even if abnormality generate | occur | produces in sensor SL1, SL2 which the 1st discrimination | determination part 60 uses by this, the state of the left leg which the 1st discrimination | determination part 60 should originally discriminate | determine is discriminate | determined continuously.

In addition, when the first sensor abnormality detection unit 2 or the second sensor abnormality detection unit 3 detects that the sensors SR1 and SR2 are abnormal, for example, the second determination unit 70 stops the operation determination based on the sensors SR1 and SR2. . On the other hand, the first determination unit 60 continues the operation determination based on the sensors SL1 and SL2 detected to be in the normal state. The integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation of the right leg of the user by using the determination result of the first determination unit 60 instead of the determination result of the second determination unit 70. That is, the integrated logic operation unit 80 detects that the state of the left leg of the user has transitioned from the early swing phase period to the late swing phase period based on the first determination unit 60. Then, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines that the state of the user's right leg has transitioned from the early stance phase to the late stance phase. Thereby, even if the determination result of the second determination unit 70 indicates an abnormal result, the state of the right leg that the second determination unit 70 should originally determine is continuously determined. Moreover, even if abnormality generate | occur | produces in sensor SR1, SR2 which the 2nd discrimination | determination part 70 uses by this, the state of the right leg which the 2nd discrimination | determination part 70 should distinguish originally is discriminate | determined continuously.

The integrated logic operation unit 80 performs, for example, the determination by substituting the determination results of the first determination unit 60 or the second determination unit 70 for a fixed time. For this reason, when a predetermined time has elapsed after detection of an abnormality such as the sensors SL1 and SL2 (timing T32), the integrated logic operation unit 80 stops the operation determination of the user. Then, for example, the display unit 43 displays that the user's operation determination has been stopped.

Next, the operation of the body movement determination device 10 will be described.

When the frequency analysis result of the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 exceeding the threshold value TE becomes less than or equal to the threshold value TE1, the sensor abnormality detecting unit 1 detects that the sensor that outputs the output signal of the threshold value TE2 or less is abnormal. . Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 performs abnormality detection based on the stepwise index on condition that the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 exceed the threshold value TE1. Furthermore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 performs abnormality detection based on the stepwise index, with the second condition that the frequency analysis result of the output signal exceeding the threshold value TE1 is equal to or less than the threshold value TE2. As a result, the detection of the abnormality is further scrutinized, and the accuracy of the abnormality detection is further improved. Further, as a result, when the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 do not exceed the threshold value TE1, the sensor malfunction detection unit 1 can immediately detect that the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are normal. Therefore, the time for the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 to perform the detection process of the abnormality can be shortened, and the power consumption can be reduced along with the shortening of the driving time of the sensor abnormality detection unit 1.

The body movement determination device 10 includes a first determination unit 60 that determines the operation state of one leg of the user. The body movement determination device 10 further includes a second determination unit 70 that determines the operation state of the other leg of the user. The first determination unit 60 determines the state of one leg of the user based on the detection result of the first detection unit SL. Further, the second determination unit 70 determines the state of the other leg of the user based on the detection result of the second detection unit SR. The integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation state of one leg by adding the second determination unit 70 to the determination result of the first determination unit 60. Further, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation state of the other leg by adding the first determination unit 60 to the determination result of the second determination unit 70. Therefore, the integrated logic operation unit 80 can verify and correct the determination result of the first determination unit 60 or the second determination unit 70 based on the determination result of the other determination unit (70.60). Thereby, the determination accuracy of the walking motion is further enhanced.

The integrated logic operation unit 80 uses the determination result of the second determination unit 70 that performs operation determination based on the detection result of the non-abnormalized sensors SR1 and SR2 when the abnormality occurs in the sensors SL1 and SL2. Then, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the state of the left leg that the first determination unit 60 should originally determine based on the determination result of the second determination unit 70. Further, the integrated logic operation unit 80 uses the determination result of the first determination unit 60 that performs the operation determination based on the detection result of the sensors SL1 and SL2 in which no abnormality has occurred when the sensor SR1 or SR2 has an abnormality. Then, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the state of the right leg that the second determination unit 70 should originally determine based on the determination result of the first determination unit 60. Therefore, the integrated logic operation unit 80 continuously performs the operation determination even if some sensors are abnormal, if an abnormality does not occur in the sensor used by either the first determination unit 60 or the second determination unit 70. be able to.

The first determination unit 60 determines the transition from the early stance phase to the late stance phase of the state of one leg. In addition, the second determination unit 70 determines the transition from the early swing phase to the late swing phase of the state of the other leg. Then, the integrated logic operation unit 80 considers the determination of the transition from the early stance phase to the late stance phase of the state of one leg, and the determination result from the early swing phase of the other leg state to the late swing phase I did it. Thus, the motion state is determined based on highly relevant movements such as the transition from the early standing phase to the late standing phase of one leg and the transition from the early swing phase to the late swing phase of the state of the other leg Be done. Therefore, the integrated logic operation unit 80 can perform the operation determination of the user based on the determination results of both the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70 with high accuracy.

The second embodiment has the following effect in addition to the effects (1) to (7).

(8) The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality on the condition that the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, and IR2 exceed the threshold value TE1. Further, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality under the second condition that the frequency analysis result of the output signal exceeding the threshold value TE1 is equal to or less than the threshold value TE2. That is, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 performs the detection of the abnormality stepwise based on the two conditions. As a result, the detection of the abnormality is further scrutinized and the accuracy of the abnormality detection is further improved. Moreover, thereby, the time which the sensor abnormality detection part 1 performs a detection process of abnormality is shortened, and reduction of the power consumption accompanying shortening of the drive time of the sensor abnormality detection part 1 is achieved.

(9) The body movement determination device 10 includes, as a determination unit, a first determination unit 60 and a second determination unit 70 that determine the operation states of the left and right legs divided by the median plane O. In addition, the body movement determination device 10 includes an integrated logical operation unit 80 that performs a process of determining the operation state of the left and right legs based on the determination results of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70. As a result, even if it is an operation that is difficult to determine by the detection result of the state of one leg, it is possible to properly determine.

Third Embodiment
A body movement determining apparatus and an electrical stimulation apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 19, focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

In FIG. 15 to FIG. 19, the elements substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the redundant description will be omitted.

As shown to Fig.15 (a), the body movement determination apparatus 10 of 3rd Embodiment further contains 3rd detection part SO provided with sensor SO1. The third detection unit SO is mounted on, for example, the waist of the reference surface O of the user. In the third embodiment, the user is in the standing or sitting position, and in a state in which the user is at rest symmetrically with respect to the reference plane O is taken as the basic posture. The first detection unit SL, the second detection unit SR, and the third detection unit SO are configured by, for example, an acceleration sensor. The first detection unit SL, the second detection unit SR, and the third detection unit SO according to the third embodiment each of the user when the state of the user is in the basic posture illustrated in FIG. Detect the condition of the site. As illustrated in FIG. 15B, the third detection unit SO is built in the operation unit 44 mounted on the waist of the user. The operation unit 44 is provided with selection buttons 43 a and 43 b that allow the user to switch the operation mode of the body movement determination device 10. The body movement determination device 10 has a user's operation determination mode and an abnormality detection mode. The body movement determination device 10 switches between the operation determination mode and the abnormality detection mode by the user operating the selection buttons 43a and 43b.

As the structure of the body movement determination apparatus 10 of 3rd Embodiment is shown in FIG. 16, the body movement determination apparatus 10 is 1st detection part SL, 2nd detection part SR, and 3rd detection part as a detection part. It has SO. Output signals IL 1, IL 2, IR 1, IR 2 and IO 1 of the first detection unit SL, the second detection unit SR, and the third detection unit SO are supplied to the arithmetic processing unit 46 of the control unit 41. Then, when the user is in the basic posture, the output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 all show constant values as shown in FIG. 17 (a).

The arithmetic processing unit 46 processes the output signals IL 1, IL 2, IR 1, IR 2, IO 1 and outputs the processed output signals IL 1, IL 2, IR 1, IR 2, IO 1 to the sensor abnormality detection unit 1.

When the user in the basic posture operates the operation unit 44 and the abnormality detection mode is selected, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 calculates the difference between the output signal IL1 of the sensor SL1 mounted on one side with respect to the reference surface O and the output signal IR1 of the sensor SR1 mounted on the other side, when detecting an abnormality. Further, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 calculates the difference between the output signal IL2 of the sensor SL2 mounted on one side with respect to the reference surface O and the output signal IR2 of the sensor SR2 mounted on the other side. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17B, a value approximating about "0" is calculated as the difference between the accelerations indicated by the output signal IL1 and the output signal IR1 of each pair of sensors SL1 and SR1. Similarly, a value approximating about “0” is calculated as the difference between the accelerations indicated by the output signal IL2 and the output signal IR2 of each pair of sensors SL2 and SR2.

It is assumed that one of the pair of sensors SL1 and SR1 (SL2 and SR2) is attached in the opposite direction to the normal installation direction. At this time, since the sign of the detection result of one of the output signals IL1 and IR1 is inverted, the difference between the output signal IL1 and the output signal IR1 is approximately twice the acceleration indicated by the output signals IL1 and IR1. Therefore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that one of the sensors SL1 and SR1 is attached in the opposite direction to the normal installation direction.

In addition, it is assumed that each of the paired sensors SL1 and SR1 (SL2 and SR2) is attached in the opposite direction to the normal installation direction. Also at this time, as shown in FIG. 17B, a value approximating about “0” is calculated as the difference between the accelerations indicated by the output signal IL1 and the output signal IR1 of each pair of sensors SL1 and SR1 as a pair. . Also, even when each of the paired sensors SL1 and SR1 (SL2 and SR2) is in an abnormal state, a value approximating about “0” is obtained as a difference between the accelerations indicated by the output signal IL1 and the output signal IR1. It is assumed to be calculated. Therefore, in order to detect such an abnormality, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 of the third embodiment uses the detection result of the third detection unit SO (sensor SO1) in addition to the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR. To detect abnormalities.

When the difference is approximately “0”, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines whether the detection result of the sensor SO1 at the user's basic posture is the same as or similar to the detection result of each of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 Determine Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects that one of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 that indicates a detection result deviated from the detection result of the sensor SO1 by a predetermined value or more is in an abnormal state.

Next, the operation of the body movement determination apparatus 10 of the third embodiment will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 18, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 acquires output signals IL1, IL2, IR1, IR2 which are detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 in the basic posture (step 10).

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines whether the detection result in one walking cycle is included in the range of the normal range αS (step 11). When the detection result is not included in the range of the normal range αS (step 11: NO), the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 switches the sign and the minus sign of the detection result (step 12). Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines whether the detection result obtained by replacing the code is included in the range of the normal range αS (step 13).

When the detection result in which the sign is replaced is not included in the range of the normal range αS (step 13: NO), the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the sensor that has output the detection result is abnormal. Further, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the cause of the abnormality of the sensor is unknown (step 14).

On the other hand, the detection result obtained by replacing the code may be included in the range of the normal range αS (step 13: YES). In this case, it is determined whether the detection result is a time interval of a peak (inflection point) exceeding the normal range αS, that is, whether the frequency analysis is equal to or more than the threshold TE2 illustrated in FIG. 12 (step 15). The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the sensor that has output the detection result is abnormal when the peak time interval of the detection result obtained by replacing the sign is less than the threshold value TE2 (step 15: NO). In addition, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the installation direction of the sensor is highly likely to be the normal installation direction as illustrated in FIG. 19A (step 16). Conversely, the peak time interval of the detection result obtained by replacing the sign may be equal to or greater than the threshold value TE2 (step 15: YES). In this case, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the sensor that has output the detection result is abnormal. Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the installation direction of this sensor is highly likely to be the opposite direction to the normal installation direction as illustrated in FIG. 19B (step 17).

Further, the sensor malfunction detection unit 1 determines in step 11 that the detection result is included in the range of the normal range αS. Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines whether the time interval of peaks exceeding the normal range αS is equal to or more than the threshold value TE2 (step 18). When the peak time interval of the detection result is less than the threshold value TE2 (step 18: NO), the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the sensor that has output the detection result is abnormal. Also, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the cause of the abnormality of the sensor is unknown (step 19). On the contrary, the time interval of the peak of the detection result in which the code is replaced may be equal to or more than the threshold value TE2 (step 18: YES). Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 determines that the sensor that has output the detection result is normal (step 20).

Next, the operation of the body movement determination device 10 will be described.

The sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality based on the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 when the user is in the basic posture. Therefore, when the user is in the basic posture, the condition of each knee and each thigh of the user symmetrical to the reference plane O is the same or similar, and the physical quantity corresponding to the movement is also the same or similar. Therefore, when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are normal, the difference between each of the sensors SL1, SR1, and each of the sensors SL2, SR2 mounted at symmetrical positions on the reference plane O is approximately "0". On the other hand, when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 are abnormal, the difference between the sensors SL1, SR1, and the sensors SL2, SR2 becomes larger than a predetermined value. Therefore, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can easily detect an abnormality based on the difference between each of the sensors SL1 and SR1 and each of the sensors SL2 and SR2.

The body movement determination device 10 further includes a third detection unit SO provided with a sensor SO1. Then, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 based on the detection results of the first detection unit SL, the second detection unit SR, and the third detection unit SO. For this reason, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can detect an abnormality in the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 even if an abnormality occurs in the respective sensors SL1 and SR1 (SL2, SR2) that form a pair.

The third detection unit SO provided with the sensor SO1 was mounted on the reference plane O of the user. For this reason, even if the user performs a specific operation, the vibration applied to the third detection unit SO is reduced. As a result, failure or the like associated with detachment of the third detection unit SO or impact is suppressed.

The third embodiment has the following effect in addition to the effects (1) to (7).

(10) The body movement determination device 10 detects an abnormality based on the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 when the user is in the basic posture. Thus, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 can easily detect an abnormality based on the difference between the sensors SL1 and SR1 and the sensors SL2 and SR2.

(11) The body movement determination device 10 further includes the third detection unit SO including the sensor SO1. As a result, the sensor malfunction detection unit 1 can also detect the occurrence of a malfunction that is difficult to detect only by the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2.

Fourth Embodiment
A body movement determination apparatus and an electrical stimulation apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 23, focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

In FIG. 20 to FIG. 23, the elements substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 20, in the fourth embodiment, electrode portions 34 and 35 for applying electrical stimulation to the user's body are provided on the thigh front pad 24 and the lower thigh front pad 27. The electrode unit 34 includes a pair of anodes 34 a and cathodes 34 b. The electrode unit 35 also includes a pair of anodes 35 a and cathodes 35 b. The anodes 34a and 35a and the cathodes 34b and 35b are partially exposed from the backs 24b and 27b of the thigh front pad 24 and the lower thigh front pad 27, and are configured to apply an electrical stimulation in direct contact with the skin ing. The sensors SL 1, SL 2, SR 1, SR 2 and the electrode units 34, 35 are electrically connected to the main unit 12 via the connection cable 13.

As shown in FIG. 21, the body movement determination device 10 of the fourth embodiment includes an electrical stimulation unit 42 that applies an electrical stimulation to the user. The control unit 41 further includes an electrical control unit 48 that controls the electrical stimulation unit 42.

The electrical control unit 48 controls the electrical stimulation unit 42 based on the output signal from the determination unit 47, that is, the determination sections H1a to H1c. The electrical stimulation unit 42 includes the electrode units 34 and 35 described above, and a pulse generation unit 51 electrically connected to the electrode units 34 and 35.

The electrical stimulation unit 42 drives the pulse generation unit 51 based on the control signal supplied from the electrical control unit 48. Thereby, the electrical stimulation unit 42 generates a predetermined pulse signal between the anodes 34 a and 35 a and the cathodes 34 b and 35 b of the electrode units 34 and 35. Each of the electrode units 34 and 35 applies an electrical stimulation to the user by the generation of the pulse signal.

For example, in addition to the determination result of the operation state of the user, the display unit 43 displays settings such as whether or not there is an electrical stimulation in each of the determination sections H1a to H1c. Further, this setting can be changed by the user using the operation unit 44. The power supply unit 45 supplies a drive current to the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2, the electrical stimulation unit 42, the control unit 41, and the operation unit 44. Then, the determination unit 47 outputs a signal to the effect that the determination sections H1a to H1c are switched to the electrical control unit 48.

Next, the operation of the body movement determination apparatus 10 of the fourth embodiment will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 22, first, the processing of steps 71 to 76 corresponding to steps 61 to 66 shown in FIG. 7 is performed. Thereby, the determination unit 47 detects the determination sections H1a to H1c from the output result of the logic operation unit 50. Then, the determination unit 47 outputs, to the electrical control unit 48, a signal indicating that each of the determination sections H1a to H1c has been switched.

Next, the electrical control unit 48 controls the pulse generation unit 51 of the electrical stimulation unit 42 based on the supplied determination sections H1a to H1c (step 77). As shown in FIG. 23, the electrical control unit 48 controls the electrode units 34 to apply the electrical stimulations A and B in the determination section H1a corresponding to the stance phase. Further, the electrical control unit 48 performs control to stop the drive (electrical stimulation) of the pulse generation unit 51 in the determination section H1b corresponding to the swing leg early period. The electric control unit 48 performs control of the magnitude and frequency of the current of the pulse signal generated in each of the electrode units 34 and 35 based on a predetermined program or the like.

Next, the operation of the body movement determination device 10 will be described.

In the body movement determination device 10, the electrical control unit 48 controls the electrical stimulation unit 42 based on the determination sections H1a to H1c to apply electrical stimulation to the user's body. As a result, for example, in one walking cycle, by applying the electrical stimulation in a range including a section in which the muscle concentrates, it is possible to contract the muscle and effectively reduce the burden on the lower leg. That is, compared with the case of applying the electrical stimulation using only the stance phase and the swing phase, the electrical stimulation can be applied in a finer section according to the walking state. Further, by setting a plurality of determination sections H1a to H1c, it is possible to stop the electrical stimulation not only in the section to which the electrical stimulation is applied but also in a predetermined section. As a result, the electrical stimulation can be applied without interfering with the walking motion, and the electrical stimulation can be efficiently applied. Furthermore, in the discrimination sections H1a to H1c, the electrical stimulation is applied from both of the electrode units 34 and 35. That is, the section to which the electrical stimulation is applied can be performed by combining a plurality of determination sections H2a to H2d. Thereby, provision (feedback) of electrical stimulation can be performed according to various sections (walking state).

The fourth embodiment has the following effect in addition to the effects (1) to (7).

(12) The body movement determination device 10 includes the electrical stimulation unit 42, and applies electrical stimulation to the user's body based on each of the determination sections H1a to H1c into which the electrical control unit 48 is divided. Thereby, an electrical stimulation can be provided in the fine area according to a walk state. Further, the electrical stimulation unit 42 can apply the electrical stimulation at a required timing according to the highly accurate determination result by the determination unit 47. Thereby, the fatigue of the user due to the electric stimulation being continuously applied to the human body for a long time is reduced.

(13) The body movement determination device 10 includes the operation unit 44, and the user can change the determination sections H1a to H1c to which the electrical stimulation is applied. In this way, it is possible to apply the electrical stimulation according to the user's preference or purpose.

The above embodiment can be modified as follows.

In the above embodiments, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 and the main body 12 are connected by wire by the connection cable 13. Then, a signal indicating the detection result of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 is transmitted to the main body 12 via the connection cable 13. In addition to this, for example, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 and the main unit 12 may be provided with a communication unit capable of wireless communication.

In the above embodiments, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are attached to the user's knee joint. In addition to this, for example, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 may be attached to other parts such as a hip joint, a hip, an elbow, an arm, and an ankle of the user. In this case, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are mounted at symmetrical portions with the reference plane O interposed therebetween. Preferably, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are provided at positions sandwiching the joints of the user's body.

-In each said embodiment, the mounting part 11 and the operation part 44 were comprised as another body. Other than this, for example, the operation unit 44 may be built in the mounting unit 11.

In the third embodiment, the sensor that constitutes one of the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR is detected as abnormal. In this case, the operation determination is performed based on the detection result on the side where no abnormality is detected. A time limit may be set in the operation determination based on the detection result on the side where the abnormality is not detected, and the operation determination may be performed within the time limit. According to this, after the time limit elapses, the operation determination based on the detection results of both the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR is resumed. Alternatively, after the time limit has elapsed, the operation determination is stopped until it is detected that all of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are normal.
In the third embodiment, the standing posture and the sitting posture are defined as the basic posture when the abnormality detection mode is executed. Then, detection of abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 was performed when the user was in either the standing position or the sitting position. Other than this, abnormality detection may be performed based on the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 detected in each of the basic postures of standing and sitting. According to this, in one basic posture, the detection accuracy of the abnormality can be further enhanced. Further, according to this, detection of an abnormality that is difficult to identify in one basic posture is also easily detected.

In the third embodiment, the standing posture and the sitting posture are defined as the basic posture. Other than this, the basic posture may be a posture in which the positions of the sensors SL1 and SR1 and the sensors SL2 and SR2 which make a pair with the reference plane O are the same angle. Further, it is desirable that the basic posture is equal to the influence of disturbance such as gravity and load on the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2, and the situation is equal.

In the third embodiment, an acceleration sensor is employed as the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2, and SO1. Besides, as the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 and SO1, a rotary encoder, a potentiometer, a goniometer, an angular velocity sensor, a gyro sensor may be used.

In the third embodiment, the third detection unit SO is incorporated in the operation unit 44 mounted on the waist of the user. Not limited to this, the third detection unit SO and the operation unit 44 may be configured separately.

In the third embodiment, the detection of abnormality is performed based on the difference between the detection results of each of the sensors SL1 and SR1 and the sensors SL2 and SR2 which are a pair. Furthermore, as in the first, second, and fourth embodiments, detection of abnormality may be performed based on the upper limit threshold value ERu or the lower limit threshold value ERd and the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. . According to this, the detection of the abnormality is performed from multiple viewpoints, and the detection accuracy of the abnormality is further enhanced.

In the third embodiment, the body movement determination device 10 includes the third detection unit SO, and the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality based on the detection result of the third detection unit SO. Other than this, the body movement determination device 10 may be configured not to include the third detection unit SO. According to this, the sensor abnormality detection unit 1 detects an abnormality based on the detection results of each of the sensors SL1 and SR1 and the sensors SL2 and SR2 which are a pair.

In the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the control unit 41 includes one sensor abnormality detection unit 1. Furthermore, similarly to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, the first sensor abnormality detection unit and the second sensor abnormality detection unit can be included. According to this, for example, the first sensor abnormality detection unit performs the abnormality detection of step 62 of FIG. 7 and step 72 of FIG. 22 based on the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. Further, according to this, for example, after the logical operation of step 65 of FIG. 7 and step 75 of FIG. 22 ends, the second sensor abnormality detection unit performs abnormality detection based on the determination result of the determination unit 47.

In the above embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the same value is set as each absolute value of the upper threshold ERu and the lower threshold ERd. Besides, as illustrated in FIG. 24, upper limit threshold ERua and lower limit threshold ERdb having different absolute values may be set. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 25, upper limit thresholds ERu1 to ERu4 and lower limit thresholds ERd1 to ERd4 which are different for each parameter may be set.

In the second embodiment, when it is determined that the state of the other leg has transitioned from the early swing phase to the late swing phase, it is determined that the first standing phase of the one leg state has ended. Other than this, the integrated logic operation unit 80 may be an operation in which a correlation exists in the operation of the symmetrical portion sandwiching the reference plane O. If the operation has a correlation, the integrated logic operation unit 80 can perform the operation determination of the user by combining the determination results of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70.

In the second embodiment, the operation determination of one leg is performed based on the determination result of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70. Similarly, the operation determination of the other leg is also performed based on the determination results of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70. In addition to this, for example, the operation determination of one leg may be performed based on the determination results of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70. The operation determination of the other leg may be performed based on only the determination result of either the first determination unit 60 or the second determination unit 70.

In the second embodiment, the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 of the same type are used as the sensors that constitute the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR. Not limited to this, the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR may be configured by different types of sensors. According to this, the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70 can perform the operation determination of the user using the detection values of different sensors.

In the fourth embodiment, the electrical control unit 48 may appropriately change the generation mode of the current generated in the electrode units 34 and 35. For example, the current value may be gradually increased as time passes. Also, for example, the electrical control unit 48 may execute processing based on a delay circuit or the like provided separately. Then, the electrical control unit 48 may delay the generation timing of the current from the boundary of the determination sections H1a to H1c for a predetermined time by this processing. Further, for example, the electrical control unit 48 may appropriately change the period of the current (the period of the pulse waveform). Also, for example, the electrical control unit 48 may gradually increase the current value after starting the electrical stimulation. Similarly, the electrical control unit 48 may gradually lower as it approaches the end time of the electrical stimulation. Furthermore, the electrical control unit 48 may appropriately combine such current generation modes.

In each of the embodiments, the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR constitute the detection unit. Furthermore, the body movement determination apparatus 10 may be configured to include an auxiliary detection unit including at least one sensor attached to a human body, in addition to the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR. According to this, even if the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR both erroneously detect, the auxiliary detection unit substitutes the first detection unit SL and the second detection unit SR and detects the motion of the human body Do. Thereby, motion detection of the human body is performed with higher reliability.

In the second embodiment, two determination units, the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70, are provided. Furthermore, in addition to the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70, one or more determination units may be provided. According to this, the integrated logic operation unit 80 determines the operation state of the user based on the determination results of the three or more determination units.

In the fourth embodiment, the body movement determination device 10 includes the determination unit 47, the electrical stimulation unit 42, and the electrical control unit 48. In addition to the above, in the second embodiment, the body movement determination device 10 can further include an electrical stimulation unit 42 and an electrical control unit 48. According to this, the electrical control unit 48 can control the electrical stimulation according to the operation state of the user determined based on the determination results of both the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70. Thereby, the application of the electrical stimulation is performed at a more appropriate timing. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the body movement determination device 10 can further include an electrical stimulation unit 42 and an electrical control unit 48. According to this, the electrical control unit 48 can control the electrical stimulation based on the more accurate abnormality detection result realized by the third detection unit SO. Further, according to this, it is possible to detect an abnormality of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 caused by the pulse signal generated by the pulse generation unit 51 based on the detection result of the third detection unit SO.

In the first embodiment, the occurrence of an abnormality is detected based on the upper threshold ERu and the lower threshold ERd. In addition to this, the occurrence of an abnormality may be detected based on the fact that the time in which the detection result of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 exceeds the normal range αS is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

The average value of the detection values at normal times of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 is set as the threshold value used for abnormality detection, which is larger by, for example, + 3σ or more than the standard deviation. Further, as the lower limit threshold value ERd, an average value of detection values at normal times of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 and a value smaller than the standard deviation by, for example, -3σ by a predetermined value or more are set. Other than this, the threshold used for abnormality detection may be set based on a new parameter after a plurality of parameters have been calculated. Also, the threshold used for abnormality detection may be only one of the upper threshold ERu or the lower threshold ERd. Furthermore, the threshold used for abnormality detection may be three or more.

For example, when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are acceleration sensors, it is assumed that the mounting position of the acceleration sensor is shifted by about 90 degrees. Then, the detection result of the acceleration sensor shifts about 1 G due to the influence of gravity. Therefore, in order to detect an abnormality in the mounting position of the acceleration sensor, a value within 1 G may be set as the threshold value. According to this, the abnormality of the installation angle of the acceleration sensor is detected.

When the abnormality detection mode is set, an average value of detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 obtained after the setting and after a predetermined time may be calculated. According to this, abnormality detection is performed based on comparison of the calculated average value with the threshold values ERu, ERd and the like.

In the above embodiments, when an abnormality is detected in one of the sensors SL1 and SL2, the operation determination of the left leg based on the detection result of the sensors SL1 and SL2 is stopped. In addition, when one of the sensors SR1 and SR2 is detected as abnormal, the operation determination of the right leg based on the detection result of the sensors SR1 and SR2 is stopped. Besides this, for example, when an abnormality of the sensor SL1 is detected, the operation determination of the left leg may be continued based only on the detection result of the normal SL2. Similarly, for example, when the abnormality of the sensor SR1 is detected, the operation determination of the right leg based on only the detection result of the normal SR2 may be continued.

In each of the above embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when detection of an abnormality is performed, display of information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality and lighting display of the LED corresponding to the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred are performed. The Besides this, when it is detected that the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 are normal, the LEDs corresponding to the normal sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2 may be constantly lit. Then, when an abnormality of a certain sensor is detected, the LED corresponding to that sensor may blink. In addition, the LEDs corresponding to the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 may always blink. Then, when an abnormality of a certain sensor is detected, the blinking interval of the LED corresponding to that sensor may be changed. Furthermore, when an abnormality is detected, a warning sound may be generated.

In the first, second and fourth embodiments, the signs (positive and negative signs) of the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1 and SR2 are not converted, and the threshold values ERu, ERd, etc. A comparison was made. Other than this, after the signs (positive and negative signs) of the detection results of the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are converted, comparison with the thresholds ERu, ERd, and the like may be performed.

In the second embodiment, even when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are normal, the operation determination is performed based on the determination results of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70. Other than this, when the sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 are normal, the operation determination may be performed based on the determination result of one of the first determination unit 60 and the second determination unit 70.

In the first, second, and fourth embodiments, the detection unit includes the four sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2. In the third embodiment, the detection unit is configured of four sensors SL1, SL2, SR1, and SR2 and one sensor SO1. In addition to the above, in each of the above embodiments, the detection unit may be configured by three or less sensors. In addition, the detection unit may be configured by five or more sensors.

-In each said embodiment, the body movement determination apparatus 10 discriminate | determined the user's walking motion. In addition to this, the body movement determination device 10 may be an elevating operation such as stairs or a rising operation from a seat or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sensor abnormality detection part, 2 ... 1st sensor abnormality detection part, 3 ... 2nd sensor abnormality detection part, 10 ... Body movement determination apparatus, 11 ... Mounting part, 12 ... Body part, 41 ... Control part, 42 ... Electricity Stimulation part, 43: display part, 44: operation part, 47: discrimination part, 48: electrical control part, 60: first discrimination part, 70: second discrimination part, O: median surface (reference surface), SL: second 1 detection unit, SR: second detection unit, SO: third detection unit, SL1, SL2, SR1, SR2, SO1: sensor.

Claims (12)

It is a body movement judging device,
A sensor attached to a human body to detect body movement and output an output signal indicating a detection result;
A body movement determination unit that determines a state of body movement based on an output signal of the sensor;
And a sensor malfunction detection unit configured to detect a malfunction of the sensor. In the body movement judging device according to claim 1,
The said sensor abnormality detection part detects that the said sensor is in an abnormal state, when the said output signal of the said sensor is larger than upper limit threshold value, or smaller than a lower limit threshold value. In the body movement judging device according to claim 1 or 2,
The sensor detects a physical quantity that indicates displacement of a human body,
The sensor abnormality detection unit detects that the one sensor is in an abnormal state when a time interval of peak values of output signals of one sensor having a value exceeding a predetermined threshold is equal to or less than a predetermined interval. Motion judgment device to do. In the body movement judging device according to claim 1,
The sensor detects a physical quantity that indicates displacement of the human body,
The sensor abnormality detection unit detects that the sensor is in an abnormal state when one or both of the following first condition and second condition are satisfied:
The first condition is that the output signal of the sensor is greater than an upper threshold or smaller than a lower threshold.
The second condition is that a time interval of peak values of an output signal of one sensor having a value exceeding a predetermined threshold is equal to or less than a predetermined interval. Judgment device. In the body movement judging device according to claim 3 or 4,
The sensor abnormality detection unit is configured to perform frequency analysis on an output signal of the sensor, and detect an abnormality of the sensor based on the predetermined threshold and the predetermined interval as a result of the frequency analysis. A movement determination apparatus characterized in that In the body movement judging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The sensor is two or more sensors,
The body movement judging unit stops the judgment of the body movement based on the output signal of the specific sensor when the abnormality of the specific sensor is detected by the sensor abnormality detecting unit, and the abnormality excluding the specific sensor is abnormal. A body movement judging device characterized in that the state of the body movement is judged on the basis of output signals of other sensors whose are not detected. In the body movement judging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The sensors are a plurality of sensors mounted at symmetrical positions with respect to a reference plane which is a plane that is the center of symmetrical movement of the human body,
The body movement determination unit is a first determination unit that performs operation determination of one limb of the human body based on output signals of one or more first sensors attached to one side of the human body with respect to the reference surface; A second determination unit that determines the operation of the other limb of the human body based on output signals of one or more second sensors attached to the other side of the human body with respect to the reference surface;
The body movement determination unit determines the operation based on the output signal of the one sensor detected as an abnormality when the abnormality of the one sensor is detected by the sensor abnormality detection unit, or the first determination unit or the first 2. A body movement judging device characterized in that the judgment of the state of body movement based on the movement judgment result of the judgment unit is stopped, and the state of the body movement is judged based on the movement judgment result of the other judgment unit. In the body movement judging device according to claim 7,
When the determination result indicating the stationary state symmetrically with respect to the reference plane is output from each of the first determination unit and the second determination unit,
When the interval between the output timing of the determination result of the first determination unit and the output timing of the determination result of the second determination unit is equal to or longer than a predetermined time, the sensor abnormality detection unit determines that the first sensor and the first It detects that either of sensors of 2 are in an abnormal state. A body movement judging device characterized by things. In the body movement judging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The body movement determination device further includes a display unit for visibly displaying the determination result of the body movement determination device, and the display unit generates an abnormality when the sensor abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality of the sensor. A movement determination apparatus characterized by visibly displaying. In the body movement judging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The sensor abnormality detection unit activates a detection function in response to the occurrence of a defined body movement, and stops the detection function in response to an end of the defined body movement. . The body movement determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
An electrical stimulation unit that applies electrical stimulation to the human body;
An electric stimulation apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the electric stimulation to be applied to the human body by controlling the electric stimulation unit based on the movement of the human body determined by the body movement determination device. In the electrical stimulation device according to claim 11,
The control unit is configured to stop the application of the electrical stimulation for a predetermined time when the sensor abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality of the sensor.

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