Living support system and living support method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016199238-A1
Application number	US-201514977338-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A living support system connected to a chair including a movable seat through a communication network includes a robot including a main body, a moving device that moves the main body in a freestanding state, a handle provided at the main body and gripped by a user, and a handle load detector that detects a handle load applied to the handle by the user; a support control device that controls seat movement for a stand-up motion of the sitting user, using the detected handle load; and a communicator that transmits support control information including a movement speed at which the chair moves the movable seat, to the chair through the communication network. The support control device includes a seat speed calculator that calculates a speed at which the movable seat is inclined with respect to a floor on which the chair is placed, as the movement speed using the detected handle load.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A living support system connected to a chair including a movable seat through a communication network, comprising:
a robot including
a main body,
a moving device that moves the main body in a freestanding state,
a handle provided at the main body and configured to be gripped by a user, and
a handle load detector that detects a handle load applied to the handle by the user;
a support control device that controls movement of the movable seat for a stand-up motion of the user sitting on the chair, on the basis of the detected handle load; and a communicator that transmits support control information including a movement speed at which the chair moves the movable seat, to the chair through the communication network, wherein the support control device includes a seat speed calculator that calculates a speed at which the movable seat is inclined with respect to a floor on which the chair is placed, as the movement speed on the basis of the detected handle load.

2 . The living support system according to claim 1 ,
the support control device further includes:
a relative position calculator that calculates a relative position of the robot with respect to the chair; and
a support availability determiner that determines that stand-up support is available if the relative position calculated by the relative position calculator is located at a previously set support position,
wherein, if the support availability determiner determines that the robot is located at the support position, the communicator transmits the support control information including the movement speed calculated by the seat speed calculator to the chair.

3 . The living support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein, if the support availability determiner determines that the robot is located at the support position, the communicator receives seat load information, from the chair, which includes a seat load which is applied to the movable seat by the user and detected by the chair, and wherein the support control device locks movement of the moving device if the seat load included in the received seat load information is larger than the previously set seat load, and the support control device unlocks the movement of the moving device if the seat load included in the seat load information becomes equal to or smaller than the previously set seat load.

4 . The living support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein, if the support availability determiner determines that the robot is located at the support position, the communicator receives seat load information, from the chair, which includes a seat load which is applied to the movable seat by the user and detected by the chair, and wherein the support control device locks movement of the moving device at the support position, calculates a gravity center position of the user on the basis of the handle load detected by the handle load detector and the seat load included in the seat load information, and the support control device unlocks the movement of the moving device if the gravity center position satisfies a previously set first set condition.

5 . The living support system according to claim 4 , wherein the support control device causes the moving device to move the main body in a direction away from the chair in accordance with the gravity center position after the movement is unlocked.

6 . The living support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the robot further includes
a posture information acquirer that acquires posture information of the user sitting on the chair,
wherein the support control device corrects the support position on the basis of the posture information of the user input from the posture information acquirer.

7 . The living support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein, if the support availability determiner determines that the robot is located at the support position, the communicator receives seat load information, from the chair, which includes a seat load which is applied to the movable seat by the user and which is detected by the chair, and wherein the seat speed calculator calculates the movement speed of the sheet on the basis of the handle load and the seat load included in the received seat load information.

8 . The living support system according to claim 1 , wherein the seat speed calculator calculates a value that is proportional to the handle load, as the movement speed.

9 . The living support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein, if the support availability determiner determines that the robot is located at the support position, the communicator receives seat load information, from the chair, which includes a seat load which is applied to the movable seat by the user and which is detected by the chair, wherein the seat control device calculates a gravity center position of the user on the basis of information on the handle load and the seat load included in the received seat load information, and wherein the seat speed calculator calculates the movement speed of the movable seat of the chair so that a movement speed at the gravity center position of the user satisfies a previously set second set condition.

10 . The living support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the chair includes a seat moving device that inclines the movable seat forward of the chair, and inclines the movable seat leftward or rightward of the chair, wherein the handle load detector detects a left handle load applied to a left portion with respect to the center of the handle by the user, and a right handle load applied to a right portion with respect to the center of the handle by the user, wherein the support control device calculates a gravity center position of the user in a left-right direction of the chair on the basis of the left handle load and the right handle load, and adds control information on a seat gradient by which the movable seat is inclined leftward or rightward of the chair so that the gravity center position of the user approaches the center of the robot, to the support control information, and wherein the support control device causes the seat moving device of the chair to control the seat gradient on the basis of the control information on the seat gradient included in the support control information.

11 . The living support system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the chair includes a seat moving device that inclines the movable seat forward of the chair, and inclines the movable seat leftward or rightward of the chair, wherein the support control device adds control information on a seat gradient by which the movable seat is inclined leftward or rightward of the chair, to the support control information on the basis of previously set user information, and
wherein the support control device causes the seat moving device of the chair to control the seat gradient on the basis of the control information on the seat gradient in the support control information.

12 . The living support system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the chair includes a seat moving device that inclines the movable seat forward of the chair, and inclines the movable seat leftward or rightward of the chair, wherein, if the support availability determiner determines that the robot is located at the support position, the communicator receives information, from the chair, on a left-right load balance relating to a load balance of the seat in a left-right direction of the chair detected by the chair, wherein the support control device calculates a gravity center position of the user in the left-right direction on the basis of the received information on the left-right load balance, and adds

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Kazunori
• Yamada Yoji
• Di Pei

Classifications

• Y10S901/46

  Sensing device · CPC title

• A61G7/1059 Primary

  Seats · CPC title

• A61G2203/70

  with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort · CPC title

• A61G5/14 Primary

  Standing-up or sitting-down aids · CPC title

• A61G2203/42

  for inclination · CPC title