Assist wear item, control method for controller of assist wear item, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016242986-A1
Application number	US-201615006231-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 26, 2016
Priority date	Feb 19, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An assist wear item is worn on a portion of a living body and has an inner surface brought into contact with the portion. The assist wear item includes assisting actuators, contact sensors, and a controller. Each assisting actuator is driven to expand and contract. The assisting actuators are linearly arranged along an expansion/contraction direction of a muscle at the portion. Each contact sensor detects a contact with an outer surface of the assist wear item. The contact sensors include a first contact sensor and a second contact sensor. The controller increases or decreases a driving power of expansion/contraction driving of an assisting actuator corresponding to a region ranging from the first contact sensor to the second contact sensor if the controller continuously receives a detection result indicating a contact from at least one contact sensor between the first and second contact sensors during a certain time period.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An assist wear item that is worn on a portion of a living body and that has an inner surface which is brought into contact with the portion, comprising:
a plurality of assisting actuators each of which is driven to expand and contract, the plurality of assisting actuators being linearly arranged along an expansion/contraction direction of a muscle at the portion in a case where the assist wear item is worn on the portion; a plurality of contact sensors each of which detects a contact with an outer surface of the assist wear item, the plurality of contact sensors including a first contact sensor and a second contact sensor that is arranged at a certain distance or more from the first contact sensor; and a controller that increases or decreases a driving power of expansion/contraction driving of an assisting actuator corresponding to a region ranging from the first contact sensor to the second contact sensor among the plurality of assisting actuators if the controller continuously receives a detection result indicating a contact from at least one contact sensor arranged between the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor during an entire time period after the controller receives a detection result indicating a first contact from the first contact sensor until the controller receives a detection result indicating a second contact from the second contact sensor, wherein, if the controller receives a detection result indicating a contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item from the first contact sensor during expansion/contraction driving of the assisting actuator, the controller determines that the contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item is the first contact.

2 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein, if the controller receives a detection result indicating a contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item from the first contact sensor within a first time period after the controller receives a detection result indicating a third contact from a third contact sensor among the plurality of contact sensors, the controller determines that the contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item is the first contact.

3 . The assist wear item according to claim 2 , wherein the third contact sensor is identical to the first contact sensor.

4 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein the controller increases the driving power of the expansion/contraction driving of the corresponding assisting actuator as the distance between the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor increases.

5 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein, if the controller receives a detection result indicating a contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item from the first contact sensor during expansion driving of the corresponding assisting actuator, the controller increases a driving power of the expansion driving of the corresponding assisting actuator.

6 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein, if the controller receives a detection result indicating a contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item from the first contact sensor during contraction driving of the corresponding assisting actuator, the controller increases a driving power of the contraction driving of the corresponding assisting actuator.

7 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein an increase or decrease in the driving power of the expansion/contraction driving of the corresponding assisting actuator is controlled by changing an expansion/contraction length of the corresponding assisting actuator.

8 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein an increase or decrease in the driving power of the expansion/contraction driving of the corresponding assisting actuator is controlled by changing a spring constant of the corresponding assisting actuator.

9 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of contact sensors are a plurality of pressure sensors each of which detects a pressure value of a pressure applied to the outer surface of the assist wear item, and if the controller receives a detection result indicating a pressure value which is a first threshold or larger from each of the plurality of pressure sensors, the controller determines that there has been a contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item.

10 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of myoelectric sensors each of which detects a voltage value of a voltage generated when the muscle at the portion is moved, the plurality of myoelectric sensors being arranged at positions where the plurality of assisting actuators are arranged or around the positions, wherein the controller causes the plurality of assisting actuators to be driven to expand and contract in accordance with the individual voltage values detected by the plurality of myoelectric sensors.

11 . The assist wear item according to claim 10 , wherein, if an amount of change in the voltage value per unit time detected by a first myoelectric sensor among the plurality of myoelectric sensors is equal to or larger than a second threshold, the controller increases a first threshold that is used by a pressure sensor corresponding to the first myoelectric sensor to detect a pressure value.

12 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of contact sensors are a plurality of touch sensors each of which detects an amount of change in capacitance, the plurality of touch sensors being arranged on the outer surface of the assist wear item, and if the controller receives a detection result indicating an amount of change in capacitance that is equal to or larger than a third threshold from each of the plurality of touch sensors, the controller determines that there has been a contact with the outer surface of the assist wear item.

13 . The assist wear item according to claim 1 , wherein
the assist wear item includes a pair of attachments that are respectively worn on two symmetrical portions of the living body, each of a plurality of assisting actuators arranged on a first attachment in the pair of attachments is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of assisting actuators arranged on a second attachment in the pair of attachments, and if a driving power of expansion/contraction driving of a first assisting actuator arranged on the first attachment is increased or decreased, the controller increases or decreases, in conjunction with the increase or decrease in the first assisting actuator, a driving power of expansion/contraction driving of a second assisting actuator arranged on the second attachment and corresponding to the first assisting actuator.

14 . A control method for a controller of an assist wear item that is worn on a portion of a living body and that has an inner surface which is brought into contact with the portion, the assist wear item including
a plurality of assisting actuators each of which is driven to expand and contract, the plurality of assisting actuators being linearly arranged along an expansion/contraction direction of a muscle at the portion in a case where the assist wear item is worn on the portion, a plurality of contact sensors each of which detects a contact with an outer surface of the assist wear item, and the controller, the control method comprising: receiving a detection result indicating a first contact from a first contact sensor among the plurality of contact sensors; if a detection result indicating a contact is continuously received from a contact sensor arra

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nagata Takayuki
• John Stephen William
• Asai Katsuhiko

Classifications

• A61F2005/0155

  with actuating means · CPC title

• A61F2/72

  Bioelectric control, e.g. myoelectric · 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

• A61F5/01 Primary

  Orthopaedic devices, e.g. long-term immobilising or pressure directing devices for treating broken or deformed bones such as splints, casts or braces · CPC title

• A61B5/112

  Gait analysis · CPC title