WO2024121924A1 - Work assistance suit and traction device used for same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a work assistance suit configured to realize an efficient power assistance function and also be able to adjust assistance force in accordance with the physical strength of a wearer, work content, and the like. This work assistance suit 1 includes an upper worn part 10 worn by passing both arms of the wearer therethrough; a lower worn part 20 worn by being wrapped from outside on each of the thighs of the wearer; and a traction device 30 that applies tension between the upper worn part 10 and the lower worn part 20. The traction device 30 includes a tension spring 310 that connects to the upper worn part 10 and the lower worn part 20, and is configured such that an initial length of the tension spring 310 is changeable.

Description

Work support suit and traction device used therein

The present invention relates to a work support suit and a traction device used in the work support suit, which are used to support the wearer's movements, for example when performing loading and unloading work or nursing care work, thereby reducing the physical burden on the wearer.

　Work support suits have been developed to correct the body posture of workers and to assist bending movements when carrying luggage and other tasks (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). This work support suit is equipped with a back attachment part that is attached to the back of the worker, and a spine member that is in close contact with the back attachment part from the upper back to the buttocks of the worker and has elasticity in the bending direction.

JP 2018-11693 A Patent No. 6412621

　Conventional work support suits can assist the wearer in raising their upper body (bending forward) by using the elastic restoring force in the bending direction of the spine member. However, there was an issue in that they were unable to provide sufficient power (also called "assist force") for heavy movements that use the core, such as bracing one's feet to lift and lower a load. Furthermore, the amount of power required differs depending on the wearer's physical strength and the type of work being done, but conventional passive work support suits that do not use power sources could not adjust the assist force in this way.

The present invention was made in consideration of these conventional problems, and aims to provide a work support suit that realizes an efficient power assist function that takes ergonomics into consideration, and also allows the assist power to be adjusted according to the wearer's physical strength, the type of work, etc.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a work support suit that includes an upper attachment part that is placed against the wearer's back and worn with both arms of the wearer, a lower attachment part that is placed against the wearer's buttocks and worn by wrapping both thighs of the wearer from the outside, and a traction device that is interposed between the upper attachment part and the lower attachment part and applies tension between the upper attachment part and the lower attachment part on the back side of the wearer, the traction device having a tension spring that is connected to the upper attachment part and the lower attachment part.

It is preferable that the traction device of the work support suit is configured so that the initial length of the tension spring is changeable.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the traction device of the work support suit comprises an upper connection member connected to the upper mounting part, a lower connection member engaged with the upper connection member so as to be relatively movable and connected to the lower mounting part, and a winding operation member provided on the upper connection member, and the upper end of the tension spring is connected to the winding operation member and the lower end of the tension spring is connected to the lower connection member.

In addition, the work support suit may be one in which the traction device comprises an upper connection member connected to the upper mounting part, a lower connection member engaged with the upper connection member so as to be movable relative to the upper connection member and connected to the lower mounting part, and a winding operation member provided on the lower connection member, and the upper end of the tension spring is connected to the upper connection member and the lower end of the tension spring is connected to the winding operation member.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the work support suit has a plurality of connection parts on the lower attachment part for connecting to the lower connection member of the traction device.

The work support suit may also have a plurality of connection parts on the upper attachment part for connecting to the upper connection member of the traction device.

The present invention also relates to a traction device of the above configuration for use in the work support suit.

The present invention provides an efficient power assist function for the wearer. It also makes it possible to adjust the assist power according to the wearer's physical strength, the type of work, etc.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a work support suit according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are side and front views for explaining the internal structure of a traction device used in a work support suit. FIG. 2 is a front view of the traction device, particularly for explaining tension adjustment. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which a work support suit is used. FIG.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the work support suit according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a work support suit 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, a person who wears the work support suit on his/her body is referred to as a "wearer." In addition, in FIG. 1, the side of the work support suit 1 that is shown in the drawing will be described as the "front side," and the opposite side that is not shown in the drawing will be described as the "back side" that is placed against the wearer's back.

The work support suit 1 is configured with an upper attachment part 10, a lower attachment part 20, and a traction device 30 interposed between the upper attachment part 10 and the lower attachment part 20. The upper attachment part 10 and the lower attachment part 20 are formed, for example, by covering the insole with a soft foam material such as urethane foam and covering it with non-stretchable fabric.

The upper attachment part 10 has a central part 11 that is placed against the wearer's back, a right shoulder harness part 12 that is connected to the upper and lower right parts of the central part 11 to form an endless loop, and a left shoulder harness part 13 that is connected to the upper and lower left parts of the central part 11 to form a loop. The upper attachment part 10 is attached to the wearer by passing the wearer's right arm through the loop formed by the right shoulder harness part 12 and the central part 11, and the wearer's left arm through the loop formed by the left shoulder harness part 13 and the central part 11. It is preferable that the central part 11, right shoulder harness part 12, and left shoulder harness part 13 are each formed wide and with high cushioning properties in order to distribute pressure on the wearer's shoulders and chest as much as possible.

The chest strap 14 is made of a non-elastic string-like material, one end of which is a loop 14A, and the other end of which is provided with a plug buckle 141. The chest strap 14 is attached by passing the right shoulder harness part 12 through the loop 14A. This allows the chest strap 14 to move freely up and down along the right shoulder harness part 12.

The left chest strap 15 is also made of a non-elastic string-like material, and the left shoulder harness part 13 is passed through a loop part 15A at one end of the left chest strap 15, and is attached so as to be freely movable. A socket buckle 151 is provided at the other end of the chest strap 15, and it can be attached and detached with a single touch to the plug buckle 141 of the right chest strap 14 in a position in front of the wearer's chest. The chest strap 14 and/or chest strap 15 may be provided with an adjuster that allows the length to be adjusted. By shortening and tightening the chest strap 14 and/or chest strap 15 with the adjuster, the fit from the chest to the shoulders is improved, and the assist force can be applied efficiently to the torso.

The lower attachment part 20 has a central part 21, a right thigh pad part 22 extending diagonally downward to the right of the central part 21, a left thigh pad part 23 extending diagonally downward to the left of the central part 21, a right buttock wrapping part 26 extending to the lower right of the central part 21, and a left buttock wrapping part 28 extending to the lower left of the central part 21, all of which are integral with the central part 21. One end of a thigh belt 24 is sewn to the right thigh pad part 22, and one end of a thigh belt 25 is sewn to the left thigh pad part 23. One end of a harness 27 is sewn to the right buttock wrapping part 26. One end of a harness 29 is also sewn to the left buttock wrapping part 28. Buckle rings 271 and 291 are provided on the other ends of the harnesses 27 and 29, respectively.

When the garment is put on by the wearer, the wearer's right buttocks is placed against the abdominal part near the lower right part of the central part 21 where the right thigh part 22 and the right buttock wrapping part 26 branch off. The wearer's left buttocks is placed against the abdominal part near the lower left part of the central part 21 where the left thigh part 23 and the left buttock wrapping part 28 branch off.

Then, the right thigh pad 22 is wrapped around the wearer's right thigh from the outside, and the right buttock wrapping part 26 is wrapped around the inside of the right thigh from the wearer's crotch. By fastening the thigh belt 24 to the buckle ring 271 of the harness 27 at any length, the right thigh pad 22 and right buttock wrapping part 26 are attached to restrain the wearer's right thigh. Similarly, the left thigh pad 23 is wrapped around the wearer's left thigh from the outside, and the left buttock wrapping part 28 is wrapped around the left thigh from the crotch to the inside, and the thigh belt 25 is fastened to the buckle ring 291 of the harness 29, so that the left thigh pad 23 and left buttock wrapping part 28 are attached to the wearer's left thigh.

The work support suit 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a traction device 30 that is interposed between the upper mounting part 10 and the lower mounting part 20 and applies tension T between the upper mounting part 10 and the lower mounting part 20 on the back side of the wearer to perform traction. The traction device 30 has a tension spring 310 that is connected to the upper mounting part 10 and the lower mounting part 20, and is configured so that the initial length of the tension spring 310 can be changed.

Now, referring to Figure 2, an example of a specific embodiment of the towing device 30 will be described. Figure 2(a) is a side view for explaining the internal structure of the towing device 30 according to one embodiment, and Figure 2(b) is a front view thereof. Note that in Figures 2 and 3, the elastic cover 31 is indicated by a dashed line.

The traction device 30 includes an upper connection member 32, a lower connection member 33, a winding operation member 341 provided on the upper connection member 32, and a tension spring 310. The tension spring 310 is connected to the upper mounting part 10 via the upper connection member 32, and is connected to the lower mounting part 20 via the lower connection member 33.

More specifically, the upper connection member 32 has an end member 321 and a back plate 322 fixed to the lower part of the end member 321. The lower connection member 33 has an end member 331 and a back plate 332 fixed to the upper part of the end member 331.

The end members 321, 331 are metal members formed, for example, by machining, pressing, or die casting. To further reduce weight, the end members 321, 331 may be injection molded from hard plastic. The end member 321 of the upper connection member 32 has a through hole 321A through which the bolt portion of the knob bolt 34 passes in order to securely connect to a bolt hole (not shown) in the center portion 11 of the upper mounting part 10. The end member 331 of the lower connection member 33 has a through hole 331A through which the bolt portion of the knob bolt 35 passes in order to securely connect to one of the bolt holes 211 (connection portion; see FIG. 5) in the connection plate 210 of the lower mounting part 20.

The back plates 322, 332 are long plate members having bending elasticity and formed, for example, from cold-rolled steel strips. The elastic restoring force of the back plates 322, 332 assists the wearer in bending forward and loading and unloading movements, and can also correct posture. The back plate 322 of the upper connecting member 32 is preferably provided with two or more engagement parts 323, 323. The engagement parts 323 may be pins screwed or welded to the back plate 322, or rivets crimped to the back plate 322. The back plate 332 of the lower connecting member 33 is formed with a guide slit 333 along its longitudinal direction. The engagement parts 323, 323 are inserted into and engaged with the guide slit 333, whereby the back plate 322 of the upper connecting member 32 and the back plate 332 of the lower connecting member 33 are connected so as to be movable relative to each other in the vertical direction.

A winding operation member 341 is provided on the end member 321 of the upper connecting member 32 so as to be rotatable. The upper ends of the tension springs 310, 310 are connected to the winding operation member 341. More specifically, one end of a wire 342 is secured to and wound around the winding operation member 341, and the other end of the wire 342 is connected to a movable member 343 that engages the upper ends of the tension springs 310, 310. The lower ends of the tension springs 310, 310 are engaged with the end member 331 of the lower connecting member 33.

As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), in the traction device 30 of this embodiment, the initial length (in other words, the maximum length) of the tension springs 310, 310 when the traction device 30 is fully extended in the longitudinal direction can be changed depending on the rotational position of the winding operation member 341. In other words, by operating the winding operation member 341 to an appropriate rotational position, the tension T of the tension springs 310, 310 relative to the amount of extension of the traction device 30 can be changed. This allows the tension T and assist force of the traction device 30 to be optimally adjusted depending on the wearer's physical strength, the type of work, etc.

The winding operation member 341 may be provided on the end member 331 of the lower connection member 33. In that case, the upper ends of the tension springs 310, 310 are engaged with the end member 321 of the upper connection member 32, and their lower ends are connected to the winding operation member 341.

According to the work support suit 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, tension T can be applied from the wearer's shoulders to the buttocks by the traction device 30. In particular, the left and right thigh pads 22, 23 and the wrapping parts 26, 28 are attached to restrain the wearer's thighs, so that when the wearer bends over to lift a load W, for example, an assist force S mainly composed of tension T from the traction device 30 can be applied to the front of both thighs with the left and right thigh pads 22, 23 as fulcrums. Therefore, power can be efficiently assisted in actions that use the trunk, such as lifting and lowering a load W by bracing the feet.

Furthermore, with the towing device 30 of this embodiment, the tension T can be easily adjusted by operating the winding operation member 341 to any rotational position. This allows the assist forces T and S from the towing device 30 to be optimally adjusted according to the wearer's physical strength, the type of work, etc.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the connection plate 210 of the center part 21 of the lower attachment part 20 may be provided with an array of bolt holes 211, 211, ..., which are connection parts for fixedly connecting the lower connection member 33 of the traction device 30. By screwing and connecting the knob bolt 35 for fixing the traction device 30 into one of the bolt holes 211 of the connection plate 210, the size of the work support suit 1 (specifically, the distance between the upper attachment part 10 and the lower attachment part 20 via the traction device 30) can be easily adjusted to suit the height of the wearer. Although not shown, such an array of bolt holes (connection parts) may also be provided in the center part 11 of the upper attachment part 10. This embodiment also allows the size of the work support suit 1 to be adjusted and easily fit to the height of the wearer.

1 Work support suit 10 Upper attachment part 11 Central part 12 Right shoulder harness part 13 Left harness part 14, 15 Chest strap 20 Lower attachment part 21 Central part 22 Right thigh support part 23 Left thigh support part 24, 25 Thigh belt 26 Right buttock wrapping part 27 Harness 28 Left buttock wrapping part 29 Harness 30 Traction device 32 Upper connection member 33 Lower connection member 34, 35 Knob bolt 210 Connection plate 211 Bolt hole 310 Tension spring 321 End member 322 Back plate 323 Engagement part 331 End member 332 Back plate 333 Guide slit 341 Winding operation member 342 Wire 343 Movable member

Claims (7)

A work support suit comprising: an upper attachment part that is placed on the back of a wearer and worn by passing both arms of the wearer; a lower attachment part that is placed on the buttocks of the wearer and worn by wrapping both thighs of the wearer from the outside; and a traction device that is interposed between the upper attachment part and the lower attachment part and applies tension between the upper attachment part and the lower attachment part on the back side of the wearer,
The traction device of the work support suit has a tension spring connected to the upper mounting part and the lower mounting part. The work support suit according to claim 1, wherein the traction device is configured so that the initial length of the tension spring is changeable. The work support suit according to claim 2, wherein the traction device comprises an upper connection member connected to the upper mounting part, a lower connection member engaged with the upper connection member so as to be movable relative to the upper connection member and connected to the lower mounting part, and a winding operation member provided on the upper connection member, and the upper end of the tension spring is connected to the winding operation member and the lower end of the tension spring is connected to the lower connection member. The work support suit according to claim 2, wherein the traction device comprises an upper connection member connected to the upper mounting part, a lower connection member engaged with the upper connection member so as to be movable relative to the upper connection member and connected to the lower mounting part, and a winding operation member provided on the lower connection member, and the upper end of the tension spring is connected to the upper connection member and the lower end of the tension spring is connected to the winding operation member. The work support suit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower attachment part is provided with a plurality of connection parts for connecting to the lower connection member of the traction device. The work support suit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper attachment part is provided with a plurality of connection parts for connecting to the upper connection member of the traction device. A traction device for use in a work support suit according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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