Optimum elastic strength calculation device, optimum elastic strength calculation system, motion assistance system, optimum elastic strength calculation method, and optimum elastic strength calculation program recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11918534-B2
Application number	US-201816753611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Oct 5, 2017
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

The present invention facilitates adjustment of the strength of an elastic orthotic that assists the movement of an orthotics user by whom the elastic orthotic is worn. This calculation device for calculating the optimum elastic strength of an elastic includes a storage unit in which elastic strength or kinematic properties established through experiments in which a plurality of people wear elastic orthotics are stored in advance, and a mathematical optimization processing unit that calculates the optimal elastic strength on the basis of a prescribed evaluation index on the basis of the kinematic limitations of an orthotics user and the elastic strength or kinetic properties.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optimum elastic strength calculation device comprising:
a storage unit configured to preliminarily store an elastic strength and kinematic property obtained through experiments in a state where an elastic orthotic device for assisting an action of an orthotics user is worn on bodies of a plurality of people; and
an optimization problem processing unit configured to calculate an optimum elastic strength of the elastic orthotic device based on a predetermined evaluation index using a kinematic constraint condition of the orthotics user and the elastic strength and kinematic property,
wherein the elastic strength and kinematic property comprises a predictive value of a walking speed, a predictive value of a maximum bending angle of a joint, a predictive value of a maximum extension angle of the joint, a predictive value of a maximum joint moment of the joint, and a predictive value of a maximum muscle activity amount of a muscle which are obtained through the experiments in the state where the elastic orthotic device is worn on the bodies of the plurality of people.

2. The optimum elastic strength calculation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the kinematic constraint condition comprises a kinematic condition to be satisfied by a pedestrian as the orthotics user during the action.

3. The optimum elastic strength calculation device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined evaluation index comprises one selected from the group consisting of a first index for maximizing the walking speed of the orthotics user, a second index for maximizing a range of joint motion, a third index for minimizing the maximum joint moment, and a fourth index obtained as a weighted average of the first through the third indexes.

4. An optimum elastic strength calculation system comprising:
an input device configured to input a kinematic constraint condition of an orthotics user;
the optimum elastic strength calculation device claimed in claim 1 ; and
a display device configured to output the optimum elastic strength.

5. A motion assistance system comprising:
an elastic orthotics device which is configured to be worn on a body of an orthotics user to assist an action of the orthotics user;
an input device configured to input a kinematic constraint condition of the orthotics user;
the optimum elastic strength calculation device claimed in claim 1 ; and
an adjustment device configured to adjust, in response to the optimum elastic strength, an elastic strength of the elastic orthotic device.

6. An optimum elastic strength calculating method comprising:
preliminarily storing, in a storage unit, an elastic strength and kinematic property which is obtained through experiments in a state where an elastic orthotic device for assisting an action of an orthotics user is worn on bodies of a plurality of people; and
calculating, by an optimization problem processing unit, an optimum elastic strength of the elastic orthotic device based on a predetermined evaluation index using a kinematic constraint condition of the orthotics user and the elastic strength and kinematic property,
wherein the elastic strength and kinematic property comprises a predictive value of a walking speed, a predictive value of a maximum bending angle of a joint, a predictive value of a maximum extension angle of the joint, a predictive value of a maximum joint moment of the joint, and a predictive value of a maximum muscle activity amount of a muscle which are obtained through the experiments in the state where the elastic orthotic device is worn on the bodies of the plurality of people.

7. The optimum elastic strength calculation method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the kinematic constraint condition comprises a kinematic condition to be satisfied by a pedestrian as the orthotics user during the action.

8. The optimum elastic strength calculation method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the predetermined evaluation index comprises one selected from the group consisting of a first index for maximizing the walking speed of the orthotics user, a second index for maximizing a range of joint motion, a third index for minimizing the maximum joint moment, and a fourth index obtained as a weighted average of the first through the third indexes.

9. A non-transitory optimum elastic strength calculation program recording medium for recording an optimum elastic strength calculation program to cause a computer to calculate an optimum elastic strength of an elastic orthotic device which is worn on a body of an orthotics user to assist an action of the orthotics user, wherein the optimum elastic strength calculation program causes the computer to execute:
an operation of preliminarily storing, in a storage unit, an elastic strength and kinematic property which is obtained through experiments in a state where the elastic orthotic device for assisting the action of the orthotics user is worn on bodies of a plurality of people; and
an optimization problem processing operation of calculating the optimum elastic strength of the elastic orthotic device based on a predetermined evaluation index using a kinematic constraint condition of the orthotics user and the elastic strength and kinematic property,
wherein the elastic strength and kinematic property comprises a predictive value of a walking speed, a predictive value of a maximum bending angle of a joint, a predictive value of a maximum extension angle of the joint, a predictive value of a maximum joint moment of the joint, and a predictive value of a maximum muscle activity amount of a muscle which are obtained through the experiments in the state where the elastic orthotic device is worn on the bodies of the plurality of people.

10. The non-transitory optimum elastic strength calculation program recording medium as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the kinematic constraint condition comprises a kinematic condition to be satisfied by a pedestrian as the orthotics user during the action.

11. The non-transitory optimum elastic strength calculation program recording medium as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the predetermined evaluation index comprises one selected from the group consisting of a first index for maximizing the walking speed of the orthotics user, a second index for maximizing a range of joint motion, a third index for minimizing the maximum joint moment, and a fourth index obtained as a weighted average of the first through the third indexes.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Fukushi Kenichiro
• Sekiguchi Yusuke
• Owaki Dai
• Honda Keita
• Izumi Shinichi

Classifications

• 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

• G16H10/60

  for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records · CPC title

• G16H20/30

  relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising · CPC title

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• G16H50/30

  for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment · CPC title