Assist system, assist method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11020307-B2
Application number	US-201715695003-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

An assist system includes a fist belt worn on an upper body part of a user, a second belt worn on a knee of the user, a wire, a motor coupled with a first end of the wire and disposed on the first or second belt, a drive controller that controls drive of the motor, a gyro sensor that is disposed on the second belt and that measures an angular velocity about a direction perpendicular to the direction of the wire, and a controller. When the angular velocity is greater than or equal to a first threshold with a first tension being applied to the wire using the motor, the controller outputs first information. A second end of the wire is coupled with the second belt when the motor is disposed on the first belt but coupled with the first belt when the motor is disposed on the second belt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assist system comprising:
a first belt to be worn on an upper body of a user;
a second belt to be worn on a knee of the user;
a wire having a first end and a second end;
a motor coupled with the first end, the motor being disposed on the first belt or the second belt, the second end being coupled with the second belt when the motor is disposed on the first belt, the second end being coupled with the first belt when the motor is disposed on the second belt;
a drive controller that controls driving of the motor and generates an input pattern to apply a first tension to the wire to determine a fit of the second belt;
a gyro sensor that is disposed on the second belt and that measures a magnitude of an angular velocity of movement of the second belt about a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the wire; and
a controller that outputs first information to the user as a notification when a first condition is satisfied, the first condition being that the magnitude of the angular velocity is greater than or equal to a first threshold value when the first tension is applied to the wire by using the motor,
wherein the notification is provided as a text, an image, or a vibration to the user,
the first information indicates that the second belt is worn on the knee loosely based on the angular velocity of the movement of the second belt in response to the first tension applied to the wire, and
the first threshold value is larger than a magnitude of an angular velocity of movement of the second belt worn on the knee tightly about the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire in response to a second tension applied to the wire, a value of the second tension being the same as a value of the first tension.

2. The assist system according to claim 1 , wherein the first information indicates that the second belt is in a shifted state.

3. The assist system according to claim 1 , further comprising an acceleration sensor,
wherein the first condition further includes a condition that an acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor is smaller than or equal to a second threshold value.

4. The assist system according to claim 1 , further comprising an acceleration sensor,
wherein when the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor is smaller than or equal to a second threshold value, the drive controller controls the motor to apply the first tension to the wire.

5. The assist system according to claim 1 , wherein
the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire is a direction that is a forward-backward direction as seen from the user and is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire, and
the first information indicates that the second belt is in a shifted state.

6. The assist system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a user interface that accepts setting by a user; and
a storage unit that stores the setting accepted by the user interface;
wherein the controller adjusts the first threshold value depending on the setting stored in the storage unit and outputs, as the information, a result of judgement performed using the adjusted first threshold value.

7. The assist system according to claim 1 , the gyro sensor is not disposed on the wire.

8. An assist method, in an assist system including a first belt to be worn on an upper body of a user, a second belt to be worn on a knee of the user, a wire having a first end and a second end, and a motor coupled with the first end, comprising:
(a) generating an input pattern to apply a first tension to the wire by using the motor, to determine a fit of the second belt;
(b) measuring a magnitude of an angular velocity of movement of the second belt about a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the wire when the first tension is applied, the measuring being performed using a gyrosensor disposed on the second belt; and
(c) outputting first information to the user as a notification when a first condition is satisfied;
the first condition including a condition that the magnitude of the angular velocity is greater than or equal to a first threshold value,
the first information indicating that the second belt is in a loose state or that the second belt is in a shifted state,
the second end being coupled with the second belt when the motor is disposed on the first belt,
the second end being coupled with the first belt when the motor is disposed on the second belt, and
the notification being provided as a text, an image, or a vibration to the user,
the first information indicates that the second belt is worn on the knee loosely based on the angular velocity of the movement of the second belt in response to the first tension applied to the wire, and
the first threshold value is larger than a magnitude of an angular velocity of movement of the second belt worn on the knee tightly about the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wire in response to a second tension applied to the wire, a value of the second tension being the same as a value of the first tension.

9. The assist method according to claim 8 , further comprising
(d) measuring an acceleration of the user using an acceleration sensor,
wherein the first condition further includes a condition that the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor is smaller than or equal to a second threshold value.

10. The assist method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
(d) measuring an acceleration of the user using an acceleration sensor, and
applying the first tension to the wire using the motor when where in (a), the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor is smaller than or equal to a second threshold value.

11. The assist method according to claim 8 , the gyro sensor is not disposed on the wire.

12. A storage medium including a stored control program for causing a device having a processor to execute a process, the storage medium being non-transitory and computer-readable, the process being for an assist system including a first belt to be worn on an upper body of a user, a second belt to be worn on a knee of the user, a wire having a first end and a second end, and a motor coupled with the first end, the second end being coupled with the second belt when the motor is disposed on the first belt, the second end being coupled with the first belt when the motor is disposed on the second belt, the process comprising:
(a) generating an input pattern to apply a first tension to the wire by using the motor, to determine a fit of the second belt;
(b) measuring a magnitude of an angular velocity of movement of the second belt about a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the wire when the first tension is applied, the measuring being performed using a gyrosensor disposed on the second belt; and
(c) outputting first information to the user as a notification when a first condition is satisfied, wherein
the first condition including a condition that the magnitude of the angular velocity is greater than or equal to a first threshold value,
the first information indicating that the second belt is in a loose state or that the second belt is in a shifted state, and
the notification being provided as a text, an image or a vibration to the user,
the first information indicates that the second belt is worn on the knee loosely based on the angular velocity of the movement of the second belt in response to the first tension applied to the wire, and
the first threshold value is larger than a magnitude of an angular velocity of movement of the second belt worn on the knee tightly about the direction perpendicul

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Murakami Kenta
• John Stephen
• Komatsu Mayumi
• Ozawa Jun

Classifications

• A61H2201/1223

  Frequency controlled AC motor · CPC title

• A61H3/00

  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

• A61H2201/5097

  wireless · CPC title

• A61H2205/088

  Hip · CPC title

• A61H1/0262 Primary

  Walking movement; Appliances for aiding disabled persons to walk (A61H3/00 takes precedence) · CPC title