Support moment control method for leg motion support orthosis

A support moment control method for a leg motion support orthosis, which controls torques generated by a torque generation unit for the leg motion support orthosis having at least a waist attachment portion fixed to the waist of a person, a pair of foot attachment portions fixed to the feet of the person and provided in such a way as to be put in contact with the ground with bearing the weight of the person during a landing period of the feet, and a pair of leg link portions extending substantially along the legs of the person between the waist attachment portion and the foot attachment portions by coupling the waist attachment portion and each of the foot attachment portions, wherein each of the leg link portions has a plurality of joint regions including at least three joint regions corresponding to the person's hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint, respectively, and the torque generation unit capable of generating torques at the joint regions corresponding to at least the hip joint and the knee joint of the plurality of joint regions, the method comprising:

• during the motion of both legs of the person wearing the leg motion support orthosis,
• a first step of sequentially estimating human-side joint moments, which are moments to be generated at the knee joint and the hip joint of the each leg, respectively, supposing that the person is making the motion of the both legs with the leg motion support orthosis removed from the person;
• a second step of sequentially estimating floor reaction forces acting on the foot attachment portions of the leg motion support orthosis, supporting that the leg motion support orthosis is independently making a motion of the leg motion support orthosis following the motion of the person's legs;
• a third step of sequentially measuring reaction forces each of a resultant force between a force applied from the person via the foot attachment portion coupled to the leg link portion of each leg link portion of the leg motion support orthosis and the floor reaction force applied to the foot attachment portion, supposing that the leg motion support orthosis is independently making the motion of the leg motion support orthosis following the motion of the person's legs, on the basis of an output of a force sensor provided in the leg link portion in the area closer to the foot attachment portion than to the knee joint region of the each leg link portion so that the resultant force can be detected;
• a fourth step of measuring at least the amount of rotation of the knee joint of the joints of the person's each leg;
• a fifth step of sequentially calculating estimated values of actual joint support moments, which are support moments actually generated at the knee joint and the hip joint of the person's each leg due to the torques generated by the torque generation unit by using at least the amount of rotation of the knee joint measured in the fourth step, the reaction forces of the resultant forces measured in the third step, and the floor reaction forces estimated in the second step;
• a sixth step of sequentially determining target joint support moments, each of which is a target support moment to be generated at each of the knee joint and the hip joint of the person's each leg by means of the torque generated by the torque generation unit according to at least the human-side joint moments of the knee joint and the hip joint of the each leg estimated in the first step;
• and
• a seventh step of controlling the torques generated by the torque generation unit in such a way that the estimated values of the actual joint support moments of the knee joint and the hip joint of the person's each leg calculated in the fifth step are substantially coincident with the respective target joint support moments of the knee joint and the hip joint determined in the sixth step.