Patent ID: 8048008
Filing Date: 2011-11-01
Classification: A61H,A63B

Abstract:
1. A motion assist device configured to assist a motion of a user according to an auxiliary oscillator serving as a parameter which varies temporally for determining an assist force which varies temporally applied to the user in order to assist the motion of the user, comprising: a motion oscillator determination element configured to determine a first and a second motion oscillators serving as parameters which vary temporally according to physical motions of the user, and a third motion oscillator serving as a parameter which varies temporally according to physical motions of the user and denotes a motion scale of the user; 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 as an input oscillation signal to the first model, the first model generates the output oscillation signal varying temporally at a specific angular velocity defined on the basis of a first intrinsic angular velocity by entraining to the input oscillation signal; an intrinsic angular velocity setting element configured to set an angular velocity of a second virtual oscillator as a second intrinsic angular velocity on the basis of a virtual model denoting a first virtual oscillator and a second virtual oscillator which interact with each other and vary periodically with a second phase difference and a first phase difference between the first motion oscillator determined by the motion oscillator determination element and the first oscillator generated by the first oscillator generation element so as to approximate the second phase difference to a desired phase difference; a second oscillator generation element configured to generate a second oscillator as an output oscillation signal from a second model by inputting the second motion oscillator determined by the motion oscillator determination element as an input oscillation signal to the second model, the second model generates the output oscillation signal varying temporally at a specific angular velocity defined on the basis of the second intrinsic angular velocity set by the intrinsic angular velocity setting element according to the input oscillation signal; an auxiliary oscillator generation element configured to generate an auxiliary oscillator on the basis of the second oscillator generated by the second oscillator generation element and the second intrinsic angular velocity set by the intrinsic angular velocity setting element, the auxiliary oscillator includes therein a first auxiliary oscillator denoting an elastic force originated from a virtual elastic element for assisting the motion of the user so as to approximate a value of the third motion oscillator determined by the motion oscillator determination element to a desired value related to a desired motion scale of the user; a motion index value acquiring element configured to acquire a motion index value related to a balance between a motion rhythm and a motion scale of the user; and an auxiliary oscillator regulation element configured to sequentially regulate the first auxiliary oscillator generated by the auxiliary oscillator generation element so as to approximate the motion index value acquired by the motion index value acquiring element to a reference value.