Assist instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10548797-B2
Application number	US-201514689560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2015
Priority date	Oct 19, 2012
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

To wear and remove an assist instrument has been difficult because a user has to wear or remove the assist instrument on or from her/his body in a state that an elastic member is contracted. An assist instrument includes a wearing-removal member that is placed wearably and removably on a body of a user; an assist unit that is provided to the wearing-removal member, and assists muscular strength of the user by an action of at least one of extension and contraction by power supply; a control unit that controls an action of the assist unit; and something that adjusts constriction of the body by the wearing-removal member at a time of at least one of wearing and detachment of the wearing-removal member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assist instrument comprising:
a wearing-removal member that is adapted to be placed wearably and removably on a body of a user;
an assist unit that is provided to the wearing-removal member, and is adapted to assist muscular strength of the user at a time of moving of the user by an action of at least one of extension and contraction in accordance with a power supply;
a control unit that controls an action of the assist unit; and
a detecting unit that is provided to detect an extension-contraction value of the wearing-removal member;
wherein
the control unit controls the action of the assist unit at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member to extend the assist unit, thereby extending the wearing-removal member; and
the control unit automatically extends the assist unit when the extension-contraction value is equal to or higher than an extension-contraction threshold such that the wearing-removal member is deformed in a direction that causes formation of space between the wearing-removal member and the user at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member.

2. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the assist unit has an elastic body, and extending force of the assist unit extends the wearing-removal member and the elastic body, respectively.

3. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , further comprising: an extension-contraction part that extends and contracts the wearing-removal member, and
the control unit controls the extension-contraction part at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member to extend the extension-contraction part, thereby extending the wearing-removal member.

4. The assist instrument according to claim 1 ,
further comprising: an extension-contraction part that extends and contracts the wearing-removal member,
wherein the control unit controls the extension-contraction part after putting on the wearing-removal member to contract the wearing-removal member so that the wearing-removal member contacts the body of the user.

5. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the assist unit after putting on the wearing-removal member to contract the wearing-removal member so that the wearing-removal member contacts the body of the user.

6. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the assist unit comprises at least two actuators, each actuator of the at least two actuators adapted to extend and contract the wearing-removal member, the extending and contracting of the at least two actuators being in different directions.

7. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit is a pressure sensor.

8. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the detecting unit detects the extension-contraction value based on an electromotive force that occurs in accordance with extension-contraction value.

9. An assist instrument comprising:
an assist unit that is adapted to be wearably and removably attached to a body of a user, and is adapted to assist muscular strength of the user at a time of moving of the user by an action of at least one of extension and contraction in accordance with a power supply;
a control unit that controls an action of the assist unit; and
a detecting unit that is provided to detect an extension-contraction value of a wearing-removal member;
wherein
the control unit adjusts constriction of the body by the assist unit at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the assist unit to extend the assist unit, thereby extending a wearing-removal member; and
the control unit automatically extends the assist unit when the extension-contraction value is equal to or higher than an extension-contraction threshold such that the assist unit is deformed in a direction that causes formation of space between the assist unit and the user at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the assist unit.

10. The assist instrument according to claim 9 , comprising a wearing-removal member that is adapted to be fixed wearably and removably to the body of the user, and is extendable and contractable, wherein
the assist unit is provided to the wearing-removal member, and is adapted to assist muscular strength of the user by at least one of extension and contraction of the wearing-removal member, and
the control unit controls the assist unit at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member to extend the assist unit, thereby extending the wearing-removal member.

11. The assist instrument according to claim 9 , comprising a wearing-removal member that is adapted to be fixed wearably and removably to the body of the user, and is extendable and contractable, wherein
the assist unit has an elastic body, and extending force of the assist unit extends the wearing-removal member and the elastic body, respectively.

12. The assist instrument according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit controls the assist unit after putting on the assist unit to contract the assist unit so that the assist unit contacts the body of the user.

13. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit extends and contracts the wearing-removal member based on an extension-contraction amount of the wearing-removal member at a time of putting on or taking off.

14. The assist instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit extends and contracts the wearing-removal member based on an extension-contraction amount of the wearing-removal member at a time of putting on or taking off, the extension-contraction amount being calculated from physical information of the user.

15. The assist instrument according to claim 9 , further comprising an input unit from which an instruction when completing the at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member is input;
wherein
the control unit adjusts a contraction amount of the assist unit based on the instruction from the input unit to contract the assist unit, thereby contracting the wearing-removal member.

16. An assist instrument comprising:
a wearing-removal member that is adapted to be placed wearably and removably on a body of a user;
an assist unit that is provided to the wearing-removal member, and is adapted to assist muscular strength of the user at a time of moving of the user by at least one of extension and contraction;
an extension-contraction part that is provided to the wearing-removal member, and acts to extend or contract the wearing-removal member in accordance with a power supply;
a control unit that controls an action of the extension-contraction part; and
a detecting unit that is provided to detect an extension-contraction value of the wearing-removal member;
wherein
the control unit adjusts constriction of the body by the wearing-removal member at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member to extend the extension-contraction part, thereby extending the wearing-removal member; and
the control unit automatically extends the extension-contraction part when the extension-contraction value is equal to or higher than an extension-contraction threshold such that the extension-contraction part is deformed in a direction that causes formation of space between the wearing-removal member and the user at a time of at least one of putting on and taking off the wearing-removal member.

17. The assist instrument according to claim 16 , wherein the assist unit is an elastic body, and exte

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Masaya
• Owashi Mikio
• Morino Yusuke
• Ishikawa Junya

Classifications

• A41D2400/38

  Shaping the contour of the body or adjusting the figure · CPC title

• A61H2201/165

  Wearable interfaces · CPC title

• A41D1/005

  with embedded cable or connector · CPC title

• A61H1/02

  Stretching or bending {or torsioning} apparatus for exercising · CPC title

• A61H3/00 Primary

  Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about (apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 {; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003}) · CPC title