# US 10,478,369 B2 · Motion assist device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,369 B2 - Document ID: US10478369B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/718,503 - Filed: 2017-09-28 - Published: 2018-05-03 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-02 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yasushi Ikeuchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478369B2 ## CPC - A61H 1/0255: {Both knee and hip of a patient, e.g. in supine or sitting position, the feet being moved together in a plane substantially parallel to the body-symmetrical plane (A61H1/0214 takes precedence)} - A61H 1/024: {Knee (A61H1/0255 takes precedence)} - A61H 1/0244: {Hip (A61H1/0255 takes precedence)} - A61H 3/00: Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about (apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04 {; applying electrical currents by contact electrodes for stimulating motor muscles, e.g. walking assistance A61N1/36003}) - A63B 21/00181: {comprising additional means assisting the user to overcome part of the resisting force, i.e. assisted-active exercising} - B25J 9/0006: {Exoskeletons, i.e. resembling a human figure} - G05B 15/02: electric - A61H 2201/1223: Frequency controlled AC motor - A61H 2201/1261: combined with active exercising of the patient - A61H 2201/1642: Holding means therefor - A61H 2201/165: Wearable interfaces - A61H 2201/1671: rotational - A61H 2201/50: Control means thereof - A61H 2201/5038: freely programmable by the user - A61H 2201/5064: Position sensors - A61H 2201/5069: Angle sensors - A61H 2205/108: for the upper legs - A63B 2220/44: Angular acceleration - A63B 2220/56: Pressure - A63B 2220/80: Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor - A63B 2220/803: Motion sensors - A63B 2220/836: Sensors arranged on the body of the user - A61H: PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY (electrotherapy, magnetotherapy, radiation therapy or ultrasound therapy A61N) - A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract A motion assist device, comprises a brace (2, 3, 5, 6, 11; 23, 24, 32, 35) configured to be worn by a user, an assist motor (4, 34) provided in association with the brace to assist a prescribed motion of the user, a control unit (10; 40) for controlling an operation of the assist motor, and an attitude detection sensor (8, 18; 38) connected to the control unit for detecting an attitude of the user. The control unit is configured to activate the assist motor when a prescribed attitude of the user is detected by the attitude detection sensor so that loads on parts of the user's body other than the part which is directly assisted can be minimized. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A motion assist device configured to assist an extending motion of a knee joint of a user when the user lifts an object, the motion assist device comprising: a brace configured to be worn by the user and including an upper member secured to a body part located above the knee joint and a lower member secured to a body part located below the knee joint; an assist motor provided in association with the brace and connected between the upper member and the lower member for effecting an assist torque to the upper member and the lower member to assist the extending motion of the knee joint; a control unit configured to control the assist torque of the assist motor; and an attitude detection sensor connected to the control unit for detecting a prescribed attitude of the user in which an elbow of the user has come into contact with an upper surface of a knee or upper leg part of the user; wherein the control unit is configured to activate the assist motor to assist the extending motion of the knee joint when the prescribed attitude of the user is detected by the attitude detection sensor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The motion assist device according to claim 1, wherein the assist motor is configured to assist the extending motion of the knee joint when the attitude detection sensor has detected that the elbows of the user have both come into contact with the upper surfaces of the respective knees or upper leg parts of the user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The motion assist device according to claim 1, wherein the attitude detection sensor is configured to detect a pressure or a force acting between the elbow and the upper surface of the knee or the upper leg part. ### Claim 4 A motion assist device configured to assist an extending motion of a hip joint of a user when the user lifts an object, the motion assist device comprising: a brace configured to be worn by the user and including an upper member secured to a body part located above the hip joint and a lower member secured to a body part located below the hip joint; an assist motor provided in association with the brace and connected between the upper member and the lower member for effecting an assist torque to the upper member and the lower member to assist the extending motion of the hip joint; a control unit configured to control the assist torque of the assist motor; and an attitude detection sensor connected to the control unit for detecting a prescribed attitude of the user in which a bend angle of a knee joint of the user is smaller than a prescribed value, and a bend angle of the hip joint is greater than a prescribed angle, wherein the control unit is configured to activate the assist motor to assist the extending motion of the hip joint when the prescribed attitude of the user is detected by the attitude detection sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The motion assist device according to claim 4, wherein the assist motor is configured to assist an extending motion of the hip joint when the attitude detection sensor has detected that the bend angles of the knee joints of the user are both smaller than a prescribed value, and the bend angles of the hip joints are both greater than a prescribed angle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The motion assist device according to claim 5, wherein the attitude detection sensor is configured to detect an absolute angle of an upper leg. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The motion assist device according to claim 5, wherein the attitude detection sensor is configured to detect an angle of the upper leg relative to a lower leg.