Patent ID: 8298164
Filing Date: 2012-10-30
Classification: A61H,A63B,B25J

Abstract:
1. A motion assisting device for assisting a walking motion of a creature by applying to the creature an assisting force which assists a leg of the creature in moving with respect to a body of the creature, comprising: a hip joint angle sensor configured to measure a hip joint angle of the creature; and a controlling device configured to control the assisting force so that the assisting force increases as a value of an auxiliary coefficient, wherein the controlling device includes: a first processing element configured to use the hip joint angle of the creature measured by the hip joint angle sensor or an acceleration of each leg of the creature in the vertical direction measured by an accelerator or a floor reaction force measured by a floor reaction force sensor subject to each leg of the creature to determine: whether the leg of the creature is at an on-ground state or at an off-ground state; and use the hip joint angle of the creature measured by the hip joint angle sensor to determine a posture of the leg of the creature with respect to the body of the creature; a second processing element configured to adjust the auxiliary coefficient so as to make the auxiliary coefficient greater during a reinforcement duration of the walking motion of the creature than during a duration other than the reinforcement duration of the walking motion of the creature, wherein the reinforcement duration contains at least part of a duration in which the leg is performing a stretch motion at the on-ground state, and a determination of whether the walking motion of the creature is in the reinforcement duration or the duration other than the reinforcement duration is made on the basis of the posture of the leg with respect to the body and whether the leg is at the on-ground state or the off-ground state, as determined by the first processing element; a motion oscillator determination element configured to determine a first motion oscillator which periodically varies according to the walking motion of the creature; and a first oscillator generation element configured to generate a first oscillator as an output oscillation signal from a first model by inputting the first motion oscillator determined by the motion oscillator determination element to the first model as an input oscillation signal, in which the first model is configured to generate an output oscillation signal which periodically varies at an angular velocity defined according to a first intrinsic angular velocity on the basis of an input oscillation signal; and the controlling device is configured to control the assisting force so that the assisting force periodically varies according to an amplitude defined according to the function including the auxiliary coefficient and an angular velocity of the first oscillator generated by the first oscillator generation element.