JP7121939B2 - Mobile cart and mobile cart control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile trolley and a control program for the mobile trolley.

Mobile trolleys are known for assisting the walking of patients who have temporary difficulty walking due to injuries, etc., and elderly people who have chronic difficulty walking due to a decline in physical ability (for example, patent Reference 1).

JP 2007-202924 A

If the user approaches the mobile cart or if the user grips the grip of the mobile cart and the mobile cart starts to move, the user who is not ready for walking will panic. That is, it was difficult to start moving the mobile trolley in accordance with the user's intention of "wanting to walk".
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a mobile carriage that starts to move according to the user's intention.

A mobile trolley according to a first aspect of the present invention is a trolley that assists the walking of a user, and includes a grip portion that receives a load from the user and a grip portion that detects a gripping motion of the user gripping the grip portion. When the detection unit, the motion detection unit that detects the user's walking motion, and the grip detection unit detects the grip motion, and the motion detection unit detects the start of the walking motion, movement for starting the movement of the mobile trolley. and a control unit.

With the mobile trolley configured in this way, even if the grip portion is gripped, the trolley does not start moving unless the user starts walking. Similarly, even if the user makes a swing similar to starting walking, the robot does not start moving unless the grip is gripped. In other words, the mobile carriage starts to move while reflecting the intention of the user.

The moving trolley described above may have a constant target speed after the start of movement. For example, when the mobile cart is used for rehabilitation training, after confirming that the user has started moving, it is better to move at a constant speed set for training to lead the user and correct the gait. It is preferable from the point of view.

On the other hand, the mobile trolley described above may change the target speed after the start of movement based on the walking motion detected by the motion detection unit. For example, when the mobile trolley is used to assist the walking of the elderly, it may be used for long-distance movement, and the user's walking speed may change depending on fatigue and the environment. In such a case, it is preferable to change the target speed according to the user's walking motion detected by the motion detection unit.

In the mobile trolley described above, the grip detection unit is configured to detect a load including a component in the direction of gravity received from the user, and the movement control unit detects grip when the load exceeds a predetermined reference load. It may be determined that the unit has detected a grasping motion. A user tends to press the grip part with a greater force when starting to walk, and if the carriage is configured in this way, even the grip detecting part can accurately grasp the user's start to walk. In particular, when used for rehabilitation training, the user grasps the grip with the hand on the side of the healthy leg that does not suffer from paralysis, and starts walking from the side of the affected leg that suffers from paralysis. A large directional force is applied. By detecting this force, the mobile trolley can more accurately grasp the user's start of walking.

In the mobile trolley described above, when the grip detection unit detects release of the gripping motion, or when the motion detection unit detects a predetermined delay in the walking motion with respect to the movement of the mobile trolley, It is possible to stop the movement of the mobile cart. When stopping the movement of the mobile cart, unlike the case of starting the movement, stopping the mobile cart when at least one of the gripping condition and the walking motion condition is satisfied is more consistent with the user's intention to "stop". follow. It is also preferable for avoiding overturning of pedestrians. In this case, the movement detection section may be configured as separate sensors for the first detection section for detecting the start of the walking movement and the second detection section for detecting the delay of the walking movement. If configured as separate sensors, each operation can be detected with a simpler sensor.

The mobile carriage is used to move on one side of the user, and has an adjustment unit that adjusts the detection range of the motion detection unit according to which side the user is positioned with respect to the mobile carriage. You can prepare. With such an adjustment unit, the detection range can be limited, so that the user's walking motion can be detected with higher accuracy.

Alternatively, the mobile carriage has a right-hand grip on the right side of the user that receives the load from the user and a left-hand grip on the left side of the user that receives the load from the user. However, the motion detector may be configured to be installed either on the right side of the user or on the left side of the user. With such a configuration, both the user who wants to grip the grip with the right hand and the user who wants to grip the grip with the left hand are in the same standing position with respect to the mobile carriage. Can be installed together.

A control program for a mobile cart according to a second aspect of the present invention is a control program for a mobile cart that assists walking of a user, and detects a gripping motion of the user gripping a grip portion that receives a load from the user. a motion detection step of detecting the start of a walking motion by the user; and when the gripping motion is detected in the grip detection step and when the start of the walking motion is detected in the motion detection step, the mobile cart moves. causes the computer to perform a movement control step that initiates

With the mobile carriage controlled in this way, even if the grip portion is gripped, it does not start moving unless the user starts walking. Similarly, even if the user makes a swing similar to starting walking, the robot does not start moving unless the grip is gripped. In other words, the mobile carriage starts to move while reflecting the intention of the user.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION By this invention, the mobile trolley which starts a movement along a user's intention can be provided.

1 is a schematic side view of a mobile carriage according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the mobile carriage of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the mobile trolley according to the first embodiment; It is a figure explaining the movement start conditions of the movable cart which concerns on a 1st Example. It is a figure explaining the 1st movement stop condition of the mobile trolley|bogie based on a 1st Example. It is a figure explaining the 2nd movement stop condition of the mobile trolley|bogie based on a 1st Example. It is a movement control flow chart of the mobile trolley which concerns on a 1st Example. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a mobile carriage according to a second embodiment; It is a figure explaining the movement start conditions of the mobile trolley|bogie based on a 2nd Example. FIG. 11 is a schematic top view of a mobile carriage according to a third embodiment; It is a figure explaining the movement start conditions of the mobile truck which concerns on a 3rd Example. It is a figure explaining the 2nd movement stop condition of the movable truck which concerns on a 3rd Example. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a mobile carriage according to a fourth embodiment; It is a figure explaining the setting of the target speed of the mobile cart which concerns on a 4th Example.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the invention according to the scope of claims is not limited to the following embodiments. Moreover, not all the configurations described in the embodiments are essential as means for solving the problems.

The mobile trolley according to the present embodiment is a device for assisting walking of the user, and runs alongside the walking of the user while supporting the load from the user. Mobile trolleys are used for rehabilitation training for patients who have temporary difficulty in walking due to injuries, etc., and to support the walking of elderly people who have chronic difficulty walking due to declining physical ability. I get hit. Several examples according to the present embodiment will be described below, but common elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant descriptions unless otherwise specified.

A first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a mobile carriage 100 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a top schematic view of the mobile carriage 100 in the state of FIG. 1 as viewed from above. The mobile trolley 100 is mainly used for rehabilitation training.

The carriage 100 has two front wheels 111 and one rear wheel 113 along the moving direction. The front wheels 111 are arranged on the carriage base 110 and driven by a motor and a speed reduction mechanism (not shown) housed in the carriage base 110 to function as drive wheels. The rear wheels 113 are arranged near the rear end of the carriage frame 112 extending rearward from the carriage base 110 and function as driven wheels that follow the moving direction of the mobile carriage 100 . The mobile trolley 100 is grounded at three points by three wheels, and is a statically stable vehicle that stands on its own even in a standby state when the user 900 does not use it.

The strut 114 is a support member erected with respect to the carriage base 110 and for transmitting the load from the user 900 to the carriage base 110 . The strut 114 supports a horizontally projecting handle 115 in the vicinity of the other end opposite to the one end supported by the carriage base 110 . For example, a urethane grip 116 is provided at the tip of the handle 115 so that the user 900 can easily grip it. The grip 116 is a grip held by the user 900 , receives a load from the user 900 , and transmits the load to the handle 115 and further to the strut 114 .

The arm 117 is supported by the column 114 at one end and supports the display 122 at the other end. The arm 117 has a plurality of links and can maintain the posture adjusted by the user 900 or the like. Thus, the display 122 can be placed in front of the user's 900 face, for example, as shown. The display 122 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and displays various information regarding the surrounding environment and rehabilitation training.

The control unit 120 includes a movement control section, a memory, and the like, which will be described later. The control unit 120 is electrically connected to various elements to be controlled in addition to the display 122 and the motor that drives the front wheels 111 . These elements include various sensors for observing the state of the mobile trolley 100 , the surrounding environment, and the motion of the user 900 .

Various sensors in this embodiment include a range sensor 130 , a front camera 131 , a foot camera 132 and a grip switch 133 . Distance measuring sensor 130 is fixed to support 114 and measures the distance to the legs of user 900 . More specifically, the distance measuring sensor 130 is, for example, a laser range finder, and continuously acquires the detected distance in each direction by scanning the range R within the horizontal plane surrounded by the dashed line shown in FIG. , to detect the walking motion of the user 900 . 1 and 2, the mobile cart 100 is used to move on the right side of the user 900, but it can also be used to move on the left side of the user. Therefore, the range R is set symmetrical with respect to the movement direction so that the walking motion of the user can be detected regardless of which side of the mobile cart 100 the user stands on.

The front camera 131 is fixed to the pillar 114 so as to face forward in the moving direction of the mobile cart 100 . The front camera 131 includes an imaging element such as a CMOS image sensor and an image data generation unit, and outputs image data generated by imaging the space in the moving direction. The image captured by front camera 131 has an angle of view similar to the field of view of user 900, and is displayed on display 122 as necessary.

Foot camera 132 is fixed to post 114 so that the entire foot of user 900 can be observed. The foot camera 132 includes an imaging device such as a CMOS image sensor and an image data generation unit, and outputs image data generated by imaging the feet of the user 900 . The image captured by foot camera 132 has an angle of view such that the user's feet can be observed regardless of whether the user stands on the right side or the left side of mobile trolley 100, and is displayed on display 122 as necessary. be.

The grip switch 133 is an on/off switch arranged inside the grip 116 and outputs an ON signal while the user 900 is gripping the grip 116 . The grip switch 133 may be an element whose electrical contacts are physically in contact or non-contact, or may be an element that detects pressure.

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the mobile trolley 100. As shown in FIG. The movement control section 200 is a CPU, for example, and is housed in the control unit 120 . The movement control unit 200 controls the entire movable carriage 100 in an integrated manner.

The display 122 receives the image signal adjusted for the display 122 by the movement control unit 200 and displays it in a visible manner. The drive wheel unit 210 includes a drive circuit and a motor for driving the front wheels 111 that are the drive wheels, and is accommodated in the carriage base 110 . Movement control section 200 executes rotation control of front wheels 111 by sending a drive signal to drive wheel unit 210 . The vehicle speed sensor 220 monitors the amount of rotation of the front wheels 111 to detect the speed of the mobile trolley 100 . Vehicle speed sensor 220 transmits the detection result to movement control section 200 as a speed signal in response to a request from movement control section 200 .

The memory 230 is a nonvolatile storage medium such as a solid state drive. The memory 230 stores various parameter values, functions, lookup tables, etc. used for control in addition to the control program for controlling the mobile trolley 100 .

Ranging sensor 130 detects the distance to the legs of user 900 as described above. Distance measurement sensor 130 transmits the detection result to movement control section 200 as a distance measurement signal in response to a request from movement control section 200 . The front camera 131 images the front space of the mobile trolley 100 and outputs image data, as described above. Front camera 131 performs imaging in response to a request from movement control section 200 and transmits generated image data to movement control section 200 . The foot camera 132 images the feet of the user 900 and outputs image data as described above. Foot camera 132 performs image capturing in response to a request from movement control section 200 and transmits generated image data to movement control section 200 . Grip switch 133 transmits an ON signal to movement control unit 200 when grip 116 is gripped by user 900 . Note that the grip switch 133 continuously transmits the ON signal to the movement control unit 200 while the user 900 is gripping the grip 116 .

Next, conditions for starting movement of the mobile trolley 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining conditions for starting movement of the mobile trolley 100. As shown in FIG. The upper graph represents the ON/OFF state (vertical axis) of the grip switch 133 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The middle graph represents the leg speed v (vertical axis) of the user 900 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The lower graph represents the target speed V (vertical axis) of the mobile trolley 100 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

The mobile trolley 100 is self-supporting in the standby state as described above. In the standby state, since the user 900 is not gripping the grip 116, the output of the gripping switch 133 is off. When the user 900 grips the grip 116 from time t1, the grip switch ₁₃₃ continuously outputs _an ON signal from time t1. The movement control unit 200 detects a grasping action of the user 900 grasping the grip 116 by receiving an ON signal from the grasping switch 133 . That is, the gripping switch 133 and the movement control section 200 cooperate to function as a gripping detection section that detects a gripping motion.

When the movement control unit 200 receives an ON signal from the grip switch ₁₃₃ at time t1, the movement control unit 200 shifts the entire system from the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed to the active state in which suppression is released. Also, the distance measuring sensor 130 is caused to start sensing.

The movement control unit 200 receives a ranging signal from the ranging sensor 130 and calculates the leg speed of the leg to be observed. That is, the distance measuring sensor 130 and the movement control section 200 cooperate to function as a motion detection section that detects the walking motion of the user 900 . Specifically, the movement control unit 200 continuously acquires a set of the scan angle and the detected distance at the time of sensing as a ranging signal from the ranging sensor 130 . The scan angle represents the azimuth within the range R with the ranging sensor 130 as a base point. The detection distance represents the distance from the distance measurement sensor 130 to the detection point of the leg. The range sensor 130 does not output the detected distance unless the leg exists within the range R. The movement control unit 200 can grasp the positions of both legs existing within the range R by acquiring one cycle of the distance measurement signal.

The movement control unit 200 makes the leg farthest from the mobile carriage 100 an object of observation among the grasped legs. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the user 900 is positioned on the left side of the carriage 100 (when the user 900 holds the grip 116 with the right hand), the movement control unit 200 observes the left leg. set to target. The movement control unit 200 determines, for example, the farthest point of the leg to be observed (hereinafter referred to as the observation leg) as an observation point, and observes the change over time. The movement control unit 200 calculates the differential value of the acquired detection distance as the leg speed of the observation leg with respect to the mobile carriage 100 . The movement control unit 200 uses this leg speed v as a material for determining the start of movement.

After time t1, the movement control unit 200 detects when the _leg speed v of the user 900 exceeds the reference leg speed _v0 at which it can be recognized that the user 900 has started walking. In the figure, since the leg speed v exceeds the reference leg speed _v0 at time t2, movement control unit ₂₀₀ detects that user 900 has started walking at _time t2.

Since the movement control unit 200 detects the start of both the gripping motion and the walking motion, it transmits a drive signal for driving the front wheels 111 to the drive wheel unit 210 from _time t2 when the start of the walking motion is detected. Then, the speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 220 is monitored, and after reaching the target speed _VT , the mobile carriage 100 is moved at a constant speed _VT . In this way, if the movement of the mobile cart 100 is not started only by the detection of the gripping motion, and the movement of the mobile cart 100 is started when the start of the walking motion is also detected, the pedestrian's intention to "walk" is detected. can be reflected. In particular, it is possible to prevent the carriage from starting to move even though it has been gripped, before the carriage is ready to start walking.

Further, since the mobile cart 100 in the present embodiment is assumed to be mainly used for rehabilitation training, it is preferable to set the target speed to a constant speed after starting movement. That is, in rehabilitation training, a training effect can be obtained by applying a slight force, so setting the target speed to a constant speed is preferable from the viewpoint of leading the walking of the user.

Next, conditions for stopping movement of the mobile trolley 100 will be described. There are two conditions for stopping, and the mobile trolley 100 stops when one of the conditions is satisfied. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the first movement stop condition of the mobile trolley 100. As shown in FIG. The upper graph represents the ON/OFF state (vertical axis) of the grip switch 133 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The lower graph represents the target speed V (vertical axis) of the mobile trolley 100 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

When the movement control unit 200 detects that the user 900 has released the grip 116 by not receiving the ON signal of the grip switch 133 at time t3 _, the speed is gradually reduced from this time point to stop the movement carriage 100. Let That is, the action of releasing the grip 116 by the user 900 is regarded as representing the intention of "wanting to stop walking", and the mobile carriage 100 is stopped. In addition, since the mobile cart 100 stands on its own, there is no risk of it falling over even if the user 900 releases the grip 116 .

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the second movement stop condition of the mobile trolley 100. As shown in FIG. The upper graph represents leg distance D (vertical axis) against elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

As described above, the movement control unit 200 continuously observes the leg distance D from the range sensor 130 to the observation leg in the course of tracking the leg speed. The movement control unit 200 uses this leg distance D as a basis for determining whether to stop movement.

When the movement control unit 200 detects that the leg distance _D has exceeded the reference distance _D0 at time t4, the movement control unit 200 gradually reduces the speed from this time point and stops the movement trolley 100. FIG. In other words, the action of the user 900 falling far behind the mobile carriage 100 is regarded as representing the intention of "wanting to stop walking", and the mobile carriage 100 is stopped. For example, even in a situation where the vehicle stumbles over an uneven road surface, the mobile cart 100 stops appropriately.

Next, a processing procedure for movement control of the mobile trolley 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a movement control flowchart of the mobile trolley 100. As shown in FIG. Flow starts from the wait state described above.

The movement control unit 200 confirms whether an ON signal has been sent from the grip switch 133 in step S101. If it has been sent, the process proceeds to step S102, and if it has not been sent, the standby state continues. The movement control unit 200 determines whether or not the leg speed v exceeds the reference leg speed _v0 in step S102. If it is determined that it has exceeded, the process proceeds to step S103, and if it is determined that it has not exceeded, the process returns to step S101.

In step S103, the movement control section 200 sends a drive signal to the driving wheel unit 210 while monitoring the speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 220 so that the movement speed V becomes the target speed _V0 . Subsequently, in step S104, the movement control unit 200 confirms whether or not the ON signal of the grip switch 133 has been received. If the ON signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S105; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S105, it is checked whether or not the leg distance D has exceeded the reference distance _D0 . If exceeding is not detected, the process returns to step S103 to continue movement. If exceeding is detected, the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the movement control unit 200 gradually decreases the movement speed, stops the mobile trolley 100, and ends the series of processes.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of the mobile carriage 101 according to the second embodiment. The mobile cart 101 is mainly used for rehabilitation training. While the carriage 100 according to the first embodiment has the grip switch 133 , the carriage 101 has a load sensor 134 instead of the grip switch 133 .

In this embodiment, a strain sensor is used as the load sensor 134 . The handle 115 has a narrowed portion 115a with a narrowed cross-sectional diameter between the end supported by the post 114 and the location where the grip 116 is arranged. affixed. Therefore, when the user 900 grips the grip 116, the narrow portion 115a is distorted according to the load applied to the grip 116 from the user 900 in the gravitational direction or the traveling direction, and the load sensor 134 outputs a load signal corresponding to the amount of distortion. to output Movement control unit 200 detects the load applied to grip 116 by user 900 by acquiring the load signal. The load sensor 134 and the movement control section 200 work together to function as a gripping detection section that detects a gripping motion including a load.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining conditions for starting movement of the mobile trolley 101. As shown in FIG. The upper graph represents the load b (vertical axis) in the direction of gravity with respect to elapsed time (horizontal axis). The middle graph represents the leg speed v (vertical axis) of the user 900 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The lower graph represents the target speed V (vertical axis) of the mobile trolley 101 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

When the user 900 grips the grip 116 at time _t0 , the load sensor 134 detects a slight load corresponding to the action. However, since there is a high possibility that the walking motion is still being prepared at this point, the movement control unit 200 does not recognize the gripping motion yet in this embodiment.

Usually, a user whose left leg is the affected leg stands on the left side of the carriage 101 and holds the grip 116 with his right hand, and a user whose right leg is the affected leg stands on the right side of the carriage 101. Stand and hold the grip 116 with your left hand. As shown in FIG. 8, if the user holds the grip 116 with the right hand, the right leg is usually the healthy leg, and the walking action starts with swinging the left leg. That is, the first step of walking motion is often the outer leg with respect to the mobile carriage 101 . At this time, the user tends to lean on the grip 116 in an attempt to stabilize the posture using the grip 116 and the strong leg as supporting points because it is difficult to move the user's outer leg forward due to paralysis or the like. Therefore, the load sensor 134 outputs a large value at the time when the motion of the first step is started.

In this embodiment, the movement control unit 200 utilizes this phenomenon to detect the point in time at which it can be recognized that the object has been reliably grasped. That is, the movement control unit 200 detects the time when the load b output by the load sensor ₁₃₄ exceeds the predetermined reference load b0 as the time when the user 900 securely grips the grip 116 . In the figure, the _point at which the load b exceeds the reference load _b0 is time t1. As the walking ability of the user 900 recovers, the component that pushes the grip 116 in the direction of travel increases. , the point in time at which it can be recognized that the object has been securely gripped may be detected. In this case, reference loads may be set in two directions, ie, the direction of gravity and the direction of travel, and it may be recognized that the grip 116 has been securely gripped when either of the reference loads is exceeded.

When the movement control unit 200 detects the grip at time t1, the movement control unit 200 shifts the _entire system from the sleep state in which power consumption is suppressed to the active state in which suppression is released. Also, the distance measuring sensor 130 is caused to start sensing. In this embodiment, since the distance measurement sensor 130 observes the inner leg with respect to the carriage 101, the movement control unit 200 determines that the _leg speed v of the user 900 is equal to the walking motion after time t1. is detected when the reference leg speed v exceeds ₀ at which it can be recognized that the

Since the movement control unit 200 has detected the start of both the gripping motion and the walking motion, the drive signal for driving the front wheels 111 is transmitted to the drive wheel unit 210 from _time t2. Then, the speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 220 is monitored, and after reaching the target speed _VT , the mobile carriage 101 is moved at a constant speed _VT . In this way, by detecting that the load applied to the grip 116 exceeds a certain value and processing this as one trigger, the pedestrian's intention to "walk" can be more faithfully reflected.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of the mobile carriage 102 according to the third embodiment. The mobile cart 102 is mainly used for rehabilitation training. The mobile trolley 100 according to the first embodiment can be used by a user whose left leg is the affected leg, who stands on the left side of the mobile trolley 100 and holds the grip 116 with his right hand, and whose right leg is the affected leg. For example, it was assumed that the user would stand on the right side of the carriage 100 and hold the grip 116 with the left hand. However, the movable carriage 102 has a structure in which two movable carriages 100 are arranged side by side with respect to the moving direction and connected by a connecting bar 118 . The control unit 120 , the display 122 , the front camera 131 , the foot camera 132 , etc., which do not need to be provided independently on the left and right sides, are arranged on either side or on the connecting bar 118 .

With such a structure, the user 900 can stand in the center of the carriage 102 regardless of whether the user 900 is a right leg patient or a left leg patient. The user 900 may grip the right hand grip 116R or the left hand grip 116L depending on his or her own condition. Moreover, you may change holdings in the middle of walking. A right grip switch 133R is arranged on the right hand grip 116R, and a left hand grip switch 133L is arranged on the left hand grip 116L. When the movement control unit 200 receives an ON signal from at least one of the right hand grip switch 133R and the left hand grip switch 133L, it processes it as having received an ON signal from the grip switch.

In addition, the movable carriage 102 is provided with a swing sensor 135 and a delay detection sensor 136 instead of the distance measurement sensor 130 . The swing sensor 135 is provided in front of the carriage frame 112 on the right side of the user 900 (near the connection with the carriage base 110), and the delay detection sensor 136 is provided behind the carriage frame 112 on the right side of the user 900. It is

The swing sensor 135 is, for example, a reflective photosensor, and is arranged toward the inside where the user 900 stands so as to output an ON signal when either the left or right leg reaches the swing position. The delay detection sensor 136 is, for example, a reflective photosensor similar to the swing sensor 135, and outputs an ON signal when either the left or right leg reaches a position where it is determined that it is behind the carriage 102. , so that the user 900 stands inward. That is, the swing sensor 135, the delay detection sensor 136, and the movement control section 200 cooperate to function as a motion detection section that detects the walking motion of the user 900. FIG. Note that the swing sensor 135 and the delay detection sensor 136 may be provided on the carriage frame 112 on the left side of the user 900 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining conditions for starting movement of the mobile carriage 102. As shown in FIG. The upper graph represents the ON/OFF state (vertical axis) of the grip switch 133 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The middle graph represents the ON/OFF state (vertical axis) of the swing sensor 135 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The lower graph represents the target speed V (vertical axis) of the mobile trolley 102 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

When user 900 grips right hand grip 116R or left hand grip _116L at time t1, movement control unit 200 receives an ON signal from the corresponding grip switch and detects that user 900 has performed a gripping motion.

Subsequently, when the user 900 starts walking and one of the legs reaches the detection position of the swing sensor 135 at time t2, the movement control unit ₂₀₀ receives an ON signal from the swing sensor 135, and the user 900 Detect the start of walking motion.

Since the movement control unit 200 detects the start of both the gripping motion and the walking motion, it transmits a drive signal for driving the front wheels 111 to the drive wheel unit 210 from _time t2 when the start of the walking motion is detected. Then, the speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 220 is monitored, and after reaching the target speed _VT , the mobile carriage 102 is moved at a constant speed _VT .

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the second movement stop condition for the mobile carriage 102, which corresponds to the second movement stop condition for the mobile carriage 100 explained using FIG. The first movement stop condition described with reference to FIG. 5 is also applied to this embodiment.

The upper graph represents the ON/OFF state (vertical axis) of the delay detection sensor 136 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The lower graph represents the target speed V (vertical axis) of the mobile trolley 102 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

When one of the legs reaches the detection position of the delay detection sensor 136 at time _t4 while the user 900 is walking, the movement control unit 200 receives an ON signal from the delay detection sensor 136, and the user 900 moves to the moving cart. It is detected that it lags far behind 100. The movement control unit 200 gradually decreases the speed from this point on and stops the movable carriage 102 . In other words, the action of the user 900 falling far behind the movable cart 102 is regarded as representing the intention of "wanting to stop walking", and the movable cart 102 is stopped.

Even if such a simple sensor is used, the mobile cart 102 can start moving in accordance with the pedestrian's intention to "walk", and the mobile cart can start moving in accordance with the pedestrian's intention to "stop walking". Movement of 102 can be stopped. Instead of the reflective photosensor, a pair of photosensors may be used in which one of the carriage frames 112 is provided with a light-projecting portion and the opposing carriage frame 112 is provided with a light-receiving portion. Further, even in the case of adopting the structure of the movable cart 102 in which the movable carts are arranged on the left and right sides, the range sensor 130 may be adopted similarly to the movable cart 100, or the load sensor 134 may be adopted similarly to the movable cart 101. may be adopted. For the movement start condition and the movement stop condition in that case, the examples described in the respective embodiments can be applied.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic side view of the mobile carriage 103 according to the fourth embodiment. The mobile trolley 103 is mainly used to assist the walking of elderly people, etc., who have chronic difficulty in walking due to a decline in physical ability. The mobile cart 103 is the mobile cart 100 according to the first embodiment from which the front camera 131, foot camera 132, arm 117, display 122, and other devices mainly used for rehabilitation training are omitted. If pedestrian support is the main application, the entire device can be simplified, making it easier to handle.

The mobile trolley 103 has the same movement start condition and movement stop condition as the mobile trolley 100, but the setting of the target speed is different. 14A and 14B are diagrams for explaining the setting of the target speed in the mobile trolley 103. FIG. The upper graph represents the ON/OFF state (vertical axis) of the grip switch 133 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The middle graph represents the leg speed v (vertical axis) of the user 900 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The lower graph represents the target speed V (vertical axis) of the mobile trolley 100 with respect to the elapsed time (horizontal axis). The horizontal axes of the respective graphs are displayed in synchronization with each other.

The movable carriage 103 starts moving under the same condition as the movement start condition described with reference to FIG. When the movement is started at time t2, the movement control unit ₂₀₀ continuously monitors the leg speed v and increases or decreases the target speed V in conjunction with the leg speed v. That is, the movement control unit 200 increases the target speed when the user 900 is walking fast, and decreases the target speed when the user 900 is walking slowly. The target speed is set in advance according to, for example, the amplitude of the leg speed v, the integral value per unit time, and the period. By changing the target speed in accordance with the leg speed in this manner, it is possible to cause the mobile cart to appropriately follow the use environment such as a slope and the degree of fatigue of the user.

Although the present embodiment has been described through each example above, elements may be exchanged or added to each other in the configuration of the carriage described above. The movement start condition and the movement stop condition can be modified as appropriate according to the adopted configuration. For example, when the configuration of the carriage 100 and the configuration of the carriage 101 are combined and both the gripping switch 133 and the load sensor 134 are employed, the gripping switch 133 detects gripping and the load sensor 134 detects the reference load b ₀ When the above is detected, it may be determined that the user 900 has completed the gripping motion.

Further, D ₀ , V _T , v ₀ , and b ₀ as reference constants in each embodiment have been described as being predetermined, but more specifically, they are determined according to the assumed user, environment, etc. Before using the mobile trolley, the user or an assistant may be allowed to make adjustments. In addition, the movement control unit 200 may learn the usage status and make appropriate adjustments as the usage is accumulated.

Further, various sensors used for control have been described with typical examples, but the sensors are not limited to the described examples as long as they exhibit similar functions. For example, the ranging sensor may be a stereo camera instead of a laser range finder.

In each of the above embodiments using a laser range finder, the observation leg is the outer leg with respect to the movable carriage, but the inner leg can also be the observation leg depending on the performance of the distance measuring sensor to be applied. . As mentioned above, the inner leg is often the healthy leg, and the outer leg is usually the first step. Therefore, when the outer leg is used as the observation leg, the walking start timing of the user can be accurately detected. When the inner leg is used as the observation leg, an inexpensive distance measuring sensor with a narrow measurement range can be used, although the start timing of walking is delayed by half a step. Which leg is used as the observation leg may be adjusted according to the purpose of use of the mobile carriage 100 or the like.

In addition, in each of the above examples using a laser range finder, the range R was used as an observation object, but the movement control unit 200 detects which side of the movable carriage the user stands on, and only that side is detected. The observation range may be limited to . In addition, a distance measuring sensor whose observable range is about half of the range R is applied, and an adjustment mechanism is provided to adjust the direction so that the observation range of the distance measuring sensor can be directed to the side where the user stands before use. can be

100, 101, 102, 103 mobile truck, 110 truck base, 111 front wheel, 112 truck frame, 113 rear wheel, 114 strut, 115 handle, 115a narrow portion, 116 grip, 116R right hand grip, 116L left hand grip, 117 arm, 118 connecting bar, 120 control unit, 122 display, 130 ranging sensor, 131 front camera, 132 foot camera, 133 gripping switch, 133R right hand gripping switch, 133L left hand gripping switch, 134 load sensor, 135 swing sensor, 136 delay detection sensor , 200 movement control unit, 210 driving wheel unit, 220 vehicle speed sensor, 230 memory, 900 user

Claims (8)

A mobile trolley that assists the walking of a user,
a grip portion that receives a load from the user;
a gripping detection unit that detects a gripping motion of the user gripping the gripping unit;
a motion detection unit that detects a walking motion of the user;
a movement control unit for starting movement of the mobile cart when the movement detection unit detects the start of the walking movement after the grasping detection unit detects the grasping movement ,
The grip detection unit detects a load including a component in the direction of gravity received from the user,
The movement control unit determines that the gripping detection unit has detected the gripping motion when the load exceeds a predetermined reference load.
mobile trolley. The mobile trolley according to claim 1, wherein the movement control unit sets the target speed after the start of movement to be a constant speed. The mobile trolley according to claim 1, wherein the movement control unit changes the target speed after the start of movement based on the walking motion detected by the motion detection unit. When the gripping detection unit detects the release of the gripping motion, or when the motion detection unit detects a predetermined delay in the walking motion with respect to the movement of the mobile cart, the movement control unit is configured to: The movable cart according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the movement of the movable cart is stopped. 5. The mobile trolley according to claim 4 , wherein the movement detection section includes a first detection section for detecting the start of the walking movement and a second detection section for detecting a delay in the walking movement, which are configured as separate sensors. The mobile carriage is used to move on one side of the user,
The movable carriage according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising an adjustment section that adjusts the detection range of the motion detection section according to which side the user is positioned with respect to the movable carriage. The grip part has a right hand grip part that receives the load from the user on the right side of the user and a left hand grip part that receives the load from the user on the left side of the user,
The movable carriage according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the motion detection unit is installed either on the right side of the user or on the left side of the user. A control program for a mobile cart that assists walking of a user,
a gripping detection step of detecting a gripping action of the user gripping a gripping portion that receives a load from the user;
a motion detection step of detecting the start of a walking motion by the user;
causing a computer to execute a movement control step of starting movement of the movable cart when the start of the walking movement is detected in the movement detection step after the grasping movement is detected in the grasping detection step ,
The grip detection step detects a load including a component in the direction of gravity received from the user,
The movement control step determines that the grasping detection step has detected the grasping motion when the load exceeds a predetermined reference load.
A control program for a mobile trolley.

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