Walking aid system
First Claim
1. A walking aid apparatus for controlling a motion rhythm of a walker as a controlled object having a characteristic of a nonlinear system comprising:
- a sensor section attached to the walker for sensing the motion rhythm of the walker;
a main section including a nonlinear system module having dynamic behavior as a nonlinear system and for establishing a synchronized state through entrainment in interaction between the nonlinear system module and the walker, and further including a feedback system module for performing feedback to the nonlinear system module in the synchronized state; and
a stimulus generating section for generating rhythm stimulus to the walker;
wherein the nonlinear system module generates a timing signal to establish the synchronized state with the motion rhythm of the walker through the entrainment and the rhythm stimulus is generated according to the timing signal and transmitted to the walker through the stimulus generating section, andthe feedback system module, in the synchronized state of the nonlinear system model and the walker, calculates a relative amount for synchronizing, compares the relative amount for synchronizing with a relative amount as a target, calculates an appropriate feedback control amount, and applies feedback so as to adjust a parameter of the nonlinear system module for changing the relative amount for synchronizing to control the motion rhythm of the walker by causing the relative amount for synchronizing to converge to the target relative amount,wherein the relative amount for synchronizing is a phase difference between the motion rhythm of the walker and the rhythm of the rhythm stimulus, the relative amount as a target is a phase difference as a target between the motion rhythm of the walker and the rhythm of the rhythm stimulus, the feedback control amount is a control amount based on these two phase differences, and parameter for changing the synchronized state is a tempo or a phase of the timing signal generating a tempo of the rhythm stimulus or a phase of the rhythm stimulus.
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Abstract
An object of the present invention is to realize mutual adaptation for mutual synchronizing in a man-machine system and make it applicable to the site of walking aid. A walking aid system of the present invention comprises: a sensor section (2) for sensing the motion rhythm of a walker, a recording section (33) for recording values of measurements of the motion rhythm sensed with the sensor section 2, a target setting section (34) for setting a target value for the motion rhythm of the walker, a timing generating section (36) for generating a timing signal according to the difference between the measurement and the target value, and a stimulus generating section (4) for generating rhythm stimulus that is recognizable by the walker, according to the timing signal generated with the timing generating section (36).
28 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A walking aid apparatus for controlling a motion rhythm of a walker as a controlled object having a characteristic of a nonlinear system comprising:
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a sensor section attached to the walker for sensing the motion rhythm of the walker; a main section including a nonlinear system module having dynamic behavior as a nonlinear system and for establishing a synchronized state through entrainment in interaction between the nonlinear system module and the walker, and further including a feedback system module for performing feedback to the nonlinear system module in the synchronized state; and a stimulus generating section for generating rhythm stimulus to the walker; wherein the nonlinear system module generates a timing signal to establish the synchronized state with the motion rhythm of the walker through the entrainment and the rhythm stimulus is generated according to the timing signal and transmitted to the walker through the stimulus generating section, and the feedback system module, in the synchronized state of the nonlinear system model and the walker, calculates a relative amount for synchronizing, compares the relative amount for synchronizing with a relative amount as a target, calculates an appropriate feedback control amount, and applies feedback so as to adjust a parameter of the nonlinear system module for changing the relative amount for synchronizing to control the motion rhythm of the walker by causing the relative amount for synchronizing to converge to the target relative amount, wherein the relative amount for synchronizing is a phase difference between the motion rhythm of the walker and the rhythm of the rhythm stimulus, the relative amount as a target is a phase difference as a target between the motion rhythm of the walker and the rhythm of the rhythm stimulus, the feedback control amount is a control amount based on these two phase differences, and parameter for changing the synchronized state is a tempo or a phase of the timing signal generating a tempo of the rhythm stimulus or a phase of the rhythm stimulus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A gait evaluation apparatus for evaluating a gait of a walker, comprising:
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a sensor section having an acceleration sensor for sensing a walk motion including a motion rhythm of the walker; a recording section for recording the measurement of the walk motion sensed with the sensor section, wherein the gait evaluation apparatus obtains a three dimension walk locus of a waist or an abdomen of the walker from the sensed motion sensed with the sensor section, and evaluates a gait of the walker based on an evaluation index related to the walk locus of the walker; as for the walk motion in vertical, left and right directions, an acceleration information sensed with the sensor section is integrated to obtain a walk speed, an average value of the walk speed for short term having periodical deviation is obtained as baseline of the walk speed, displacement from the baseline of walk speed is obtained as an estimated speed, the estimated speed is integrated to obtain a walking position, the average value of the walking position is obtained as baseline of the walking position, and displacement from the baseline of the walking position is obtained as a locus, and as for the walk motion in advancing direction, an acceleration information is integrated to obtain a walk speed, a walk speed removed offset is obtained by using difference between the walk speed and an average walk speed for short term, an amplitude of the walk speed removed offset is multiplied by a constant to obtain an average walk speed for short term, the amplitude of the walk speed removed offset and the average walk speed for short term are added to obtain an estimated speed, and a motion distance is obtained by integrating the estimated speed. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A gait evaluation method for evaluating a gait of a walker comprising:
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sensing a walk motion including a motion rhythm of the walker with an acceleration sensor, obtaining a three dimension walk locus of a waist or an abdomen of the walker from the sensed motion sensed with the sensor section, and evaluating a gait of the walker based on an evaluation index related to the walk locus of the walker; wherein, as for the walk motion in vertical, left and right directions, an acceleration information sensed with the sensor section is integrated to obtain a walk speed, an average value of the walk speed for short term having periodical deviation is obtained as baseline of the walk speed, displacement from the baseline of speed is obtained as an estimated speed, the estimated speed is integrated to obtain a walking position, the average value of the walking position is obtained as baseline of the walking position, and displacement from the baseline of the walking position is obtained as a locus, and as for the walk motion in advancing direction, an acceleration information is integrated to obtain a walk speed, a walk speed removed offset is obtained by using difference between the walk speed and an average walk speed for short term, an amplitude of the walk speed removed offset is multiplied by a constant to obtain an average walk speed for short term, the amplitude of the walk speed removed offset and the average walk speed for short term are added to obtain an estimated speed, and a motion distance is obtained by integrating the estimated speed. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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Specification