Novel modularized rigid-flexible combined hip joint system

Abstract

According to the novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system, a quick disassembly unit is used for achieving quick disassembly and assembly of the hip joint system and an external exoskeleton system, one end of a flexible adjusting unit is connected with the quick disassembly unit, the other end of the flexible adjusting unit is connected with a rotating unit, and the flexible adjusting unit is used for being attached to a hip joint and adapting to movement of the hip joint; the flexible adjusting unit is connected with the leg unit through the rotating unit, and the rotating unit is used for achieving connection with the leg unit and providing trend restoring force of the hip joint; the leg unit is used for being connected with the thigh part. According to the scheme, through simple structural design, rapid adjustment of exoskeleton legs is achieved through positioning and locking, the high reliability of adjustment is improved, the load force transmission capacity of hip joints is enhanced, local concentration of loads on upper limbs is reduced, decoupling of the freedom degree of the hip joints is achieved, the adaptability of human body movement is enhanced, human body movement is not interfered when the human body moves, and the human body is more comfortable. And the wearing comfort is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of exoskeletons, and particularly relates to a novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system. Background Art

[0002] At present, the following problems mainly exist in the hip joints of exoskeletons: During human movement, the exoskeleton hip joint will restrict human movement. For example, Patent CN118456392A discloses a lasso-driven exoskeleton hip joint with a parallel gravity compensation mechanism. However, when the hip joint of this solution abducts / adducts, its rotation center is not in the same position as the rotation center of the exoskeleton hip joint, which will cause the exoskeleton to press against the human body, restrict movement, and cause discomfort. At the same time, when the human body bends sideways, due to the overall length of the exoskeleton hip joint remaining unchanged and its position being relatively fixed with respect to the human body, the human body will be restricted when bending sideways. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Aiming at the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system.

[0004] The specific technical solution for achieving the purpose of the present invention is as follows: A novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system includes a quick-release unit, a flexible adjustment unit, a rotation unit, and a leg unit; Wherein, the quick-release unit is used to realize the quick disassembly and assembly of the hip joint system and the external exoskeleton system. One end of the flexible adjustment unit is connected to the quick-release unit, and the other end is connected to the rotation unit, and is used to fit with the hip joint to adapt to the activities of the hip joint; The flexible adjustment unit is connected to the leg unit through the rotation unit, wherein the rotation unit is used to realize the connection with the leg unit and provide the tendency restoring force of the hip joint; The leg unit is used to connect with the thigh part.

[0005] Further, the quick-release unit includes a quick-release rod, a quick-release seat, a buckle, and a spring; One side of the quick-release rod is fixed to the quick-release seat. A buckle is arranged between the quick-release rod and the quick-release seat, and a spring is arranged between the buckle and the quick-release seat; A protrusion is arranged at the contact position between the quick-release rod and the buckle. When the quick-release rod is pressed tightly, the protrusion drives the buckle to press the spring tightly to form a locking force; when the quick-release rod is loosened, the spring provides a restoring force to realize quick disassembly and assembly.

[0006] Further, the flexible adjustment unit includes a limit sleeve and an elastic body; One end of the elastic body is connected to the quick-release unit, and the other end is connected to the rotation unit. The elastic body is made of a flexible material; A plurality of limiting sleeves are arranged on the elastomer to achieve the limitation of the elastomer.

[0007] Further, the rotating unit includes a rotating seat, an adjusting bar, a rotating shaft seat, a torsion spring, and a bushing; One end of the rotating seat is connected to the flexible adjusting unit, and the other end is connected to the adjusting bar through the rotating shaft seat; A torsion spring is arranged between the rotating shaft seat and the rotating seat to provide a restoring force; A bushing is additionally arranged between the rotating shaft seat and the rotating seat.

[0008] Further, the leg unit includes a leg guard, a snap rod, a pressing cam, a pressing gasket, a limit pin, a copper sleeve, and a return torsion spring; The leg guard is connected to the other end of the adjusting bar; A pressing cam is arranged on one side of the leg guard, and a pressing gasket is arranged between the pressing cam and the leg guard; A snap rod is further arranged on the other side of the leg guard, and the snap rod is connected to the leg guard through a limit pin; A copper sleeve is arranged in the snap rod, and a return torsion spring is arranged on the copper sleeve. The return torsion spring is used to provide a restoring force for the limit pin; The limit pin extends into the leg guard and is inserted into a plurality of positioning holes arranged on the side of the adjusting bar. When the snap rod is pressed, the limit pin is lifted. When the snap rod is released, the limit pin returns to its original position under the action of the return torsion spring.

[0009] Further, leg guard grooves, leg guard limit holes, and adjusting holes are arranged on the leg guard; The pressing gasket is arranged in the leg guard groove; The leg guard limit holes are arranged inside the leg guard; The adjusting holes are arranged at the top of the leg guard and cooperate with the adjusting bar to achieve the limit adjustment of the leg guard.

[0010] Further, the leg unit includes a leg guard, a snap rod, a pressing cam, a pressing gasket, a limit pin, a copper sleeve, and a return torsion spring; The leg guard is connected to the other end of the adjusting bar; A pressing cam is arranged on one side of the leg guard, and a pressing gasket is arranged between the pressing cam and the leg guard; A snap rod is further arranged on the other side of the leg guard, and the snap rod is connected to the leg guard through a limit pin; A copper sleeve is arranged in the snap rod, and a return torsion spring is arranged on the copper sleeve. The return torsion spring is used to provide a restoring force for the limit pin; The limit pin extends into the leg protector. A groove is provided on the limit pin, and the groove cooperates with a plurality of bumps provided on the side of the adjustment bar to achieve the positioning and adjustment of the leg protector. When the snap rod is pressed, the limit pin is lifted, and when the snap rod is released, the limit pin returns to its original position under the action of the return torsion spring.

[0011] Furthermore, the pressing gasket is made of an elastic material, and the pressing of the pressing gasket is achieved through the cam shape on the surface of the pressing cam to lock the adjustment bar. When the pressing cam is released, the pressing gasket returns to its original position under the action of its own elastic deformation force, thereby releasing the adjustment bar.

[0012] Furthermore, the leg protector and the pressing cam are connected by a pin shaft. A self-locking hole is provided on the pressing cam, and the pin shaft for connecting the pressing cam and the quick-release seat is penetrated through the self-locking hole; When the pressing cam is pressed to a certain position and the pressing cam is pushed horizontally, the pin shaft enters the locked state, thereby locking the pressing cam.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) An elastomer is provided in the hip joint system of the present invention, which will not shrink under pressure and will elongate under tension. This characteristic enables the rigid-flexible combined hip joint to fit the movement of the human body with length changes during actual wearing, further releasing the degree of freedom and not restricting the degree of freedom of the human body during use, greatly improving the wearing comfort. At the same time, through the cooperation of the quick-release seat, the limit sleeve and the swivel base, the degree of freedom of the hip joint is limited within a reasonable range, improving its own stiffness and enhancing the force transmission efficiency; (2) The present invention can achieve the rapid assembly and disassembly with a specific interface through the quick-release rod, the quick-release seat, the snap button and the spring, can be quickly assembled during use, and can be quickly disassembled and stored when not in use, realizing the rapid assembly and disassembly of the hip joint and increasing the portability; (3) The leg unit of the present invention can quickly adjust the leg to a suitable length according to the height of a person by pressing the snap rod to ensure the wearing comfort; when the leg is under load, the pressing mechanism presses the adjustment bar, and the relative positions of the limit pin and the positioning hole of the adjustment rod are relatively stable, ensuring the stability of the force transmission efficiency and avoiding damage to the parts; (4) The present invention decomposes the leg adjustment into two steps of positioning and pressing, and realizes the high reliability and force transmission stability of the human body when wearing the exoskeleton through a simple structural design.

[0014] The following further describes the present invention in conjunction with specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the hip joint structure in the prior art.

[0016] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the new modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system of this solution.

[0017] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the leg brace structure of this solution.

[0018] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the adjusting bar of this solution.

[0019] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the pressing cam structure of this solution. Detailed implementation manners

[0020] Embodiment In order to clearly describe the technical solution of the present invention and the achieved effects, the following combines the drawings of the present invention and specific embodiments to clearly explain the technical solution of the present invention, so that those skilled in the art can implement the invention without creative labor. The structures shown in the drawings are not all of the actual structures but only a part of the actual structures. It should be noted that all other embodiments made by those skilled in the art on the basis of the embodiments of the present invention without creative labor should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0021] The following listed partial embodiments are only for better explaining the present invention, but the content of the present invention is not limited to the applied embodiments. Therefore, those skilled in the art still fall within the protection scope of the present invention when making non-essential modifications to the implementation solutions based on the above invention content and applying them to other embodiments. In addition, for the experimental methods without specifying specific conditions in the following embodiments, they should be carried out according to the conventional or the conditions recommended by the manufacturer. In the text expressions, if not otherwise specified, they are only used for distinction and do not have other meanings.

[0022] Combined with Figure 2 , a new modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system includes a quick-release unit, a flexible adjustment unit, a rotation unit, and a leg unit; Among them, the quick-release unit is used to achieve the quick disassembly and assembly of the hip joint system and the external exoskeleton system. One end of the flexible adjustment unit is connected to the quick-release unit, and the other end is connected to the rotation unit, and is used to fit the hip joint and adapt to the activities of the hip joint; The flexible adjustment unit is connected to the leg unit through the rotation unit, and the rotation unit is used to realize the connection with the leg unit and provide the tendency restoring force of the hip joint; The leg unit is used to connect to the thigh part.

[0023] The quick-release unit includes a quick-release rod 1, a quick-release seat 2, a buckle 9, and a spring 10; One side of the quick-release rod 1 is fixed to the quick-release seat 2. A snap fastener 9 is arranged between the quick-release rod 1 and the quick-release seat 2, and a spring 10 is arranged between the snap fastener 9 and the quick-release seat 2; A protrusion is arranged at the contact position between the quick-release rod 1 and the snap fastener 9. When the quick-release rod 1 is pressed tightly, the protrusion drives the snap fastener 9 to compress the spring 10 to form a locking force, so as to connect with the external exoskeleton mechanism. Generally, the hip joint module is connected to the waist module; when the quick-release rod 1 is loosened, the spring 10 provides a restoring force to achieve quick disassembly and assembly. The locking mechanism of this solution can be conveniently and quickly connected to various types of external mechanisms, and the connection is reliable.

[0024] The flexible adjustment unit includes a limit sleeve 3 and an elastic body 14; One end of the elastic body 14 is connected to the quick-release unit, and the other end is connected to the rotation unit. The elastic body 14 is made of a flexible material; A plurality of limit sleeves 3 are arranged on the elastic body 14 to realize the limitation of the elastic body 14. Due to the stretching characteristic of the elastic body 14, it is ensured that the hip joint can stretch to adapt to human movement when the human hip joint bends laterally, and can adapt to human deformation when the human hip joint abducts, without restricting human movement. The limit sleeve 3 is designed at a specific angle. The limit angle between two limit sleeves 3 is about 3°, and the overall limit angle of the limit sleeve 3 and the swivel base 4 is 10°. There are teeth inside the limit sleeve 3, which can be screwed into the elastic body 14. Cooperating with the rotation unit can ensure that the elastic body 14 deforms under force within a suitable range without affecting the freedom of the human hip joint.

[0025] Generally, in implementation, the elastic body can select elastic materials such as springs or elastic rods.

[0026] The rotation unit includes a swivel base 4, an adjustment bar 5, a shaft seat 11, a torsion spring 12, and a bushing 13; One end of the swivel base 4 is connected to the flexible adjustment unit, and the other end is connected to the adjustment bar 5 through the shaft seat 11; A torsion spring 12 is arranged between the shaft seat 11 and the swivel base 4 to provide a restoring force; A bushing 13 is additionally arranged between the shaft seat 11 and the swivel base 4 to reduce friction and avoid part damage; The leg unit includes a leg guard 6, a snap rod 7, a pressing cam 8, a pressing gasket 15, a limit pin 16, a copper sleeve 17, and a return torsion spring 18; The leg guard 6 is connected to the other end of the adjustment bar 5; A pressing cam 8 is arranged on one side of the leg guard 6, and a pressing gasket 15 is arranged between the pressing cam 8 and the leg guard 6; A snap rod 7 is also arranged on the other side of the leg guard 6, and the snap rod 7 is connected to the leg guard 6 through a limit pin 16; A copper sleeve 17 is disposed in the button rod 7, and a return torsion spring 18 is disposed on the copper sleeve 17. The return torsion spring 18 is used to provide a restoring force for the limit pin 16; The limit pin 16 extends into the leg protector 6 and is inserted into a plurality of positioning holes 501 provided on the side of the adjustment bar 5. When the button rod 7 is pressed, the limit pin 16 is lifted. When the button rod 7 is released, the limit pin 16 returns to its original position under the action of the return torsion spring 18.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the leg protector 6 is provided with a leg protector groove 601, a leg protector limiting hole 602 and an adjustment hole 603; The compression gasket 15 is arranged in the groove 601 of the leg protector; The leg protector limiting hole 602 is arranged inside the leg protector 6; The adjustment hole 603 is arranged at the top of the leg protector 6 , and cooperates with the adjustment bar 5 to achieve the limit adjustment of the leg protector 6 .

[0028] The return torsion spring 18 is mounted on the copper sleeve 17, and then mounted in the snap rod 7 through a knurled pin; a mounting hole is provided on one side of the positioning pin 16, which is mounted on the front section of the snap rod 7 through a cylindrical pin, and the snap rod 7 is mounted on the leg protector 6 as a whole, and the positioning pin 16 can be inserted into the positioning hole 501 of the adjustment bar through the hole 602; When the button rod 7 is pressed, the positioning pin 16 will move upward and disengage from the positioning hole of the adjustment bar. At this time, the adjustment bar can move to the appropriate position. The button rod is released, and under the action of the reset torsion spring 18, the positioning pin 16 will return to its original position, that is, enter the positioning hole 501 of the adjustment bar 5 to achieve restriction, so that the adjustment bar remains in a fixed position.

[0029] When in use, the pressing cam 8 can be loosened, the button rod 7 can be pressed, and the adjustment bar 5 can be inserted into the adjustment hole 603 of the leg protector 6. When the adjustment is made to a specified position, the button rod 7 can be loosened, and the limit pin 16 can be inserted into the positioning hole 501 of the adjustment rod under the restoring action of the reset torsion spring 18. Figure 3 As shown; The pressing cam 8 is rotated, and the adjusting bar 5 is pressed by the pressing gasket 15 under the action of the surface cam, so as to ensure that the adjusting rod 8 will not move up and down and hit the limit pin 16 when under load, thereby enhancing the force transmission stability and avoiding damage to parts; In addition, in some embodiments, the leg unit includes a leg protector 6, a snap rod 7, a pressing cam 8, a pressing gasket 15, a stop pin 16, a copper sleeve 17 and a return torsion spring 18; The leg protector 6 is connected to the other end of the adjustment bar 5; A compression cam 8 is provided on one side of the leg protector 6, and a compression gasket 15 is provided between the compression cam 8 and the leg protector 6; On the other side of the leg brace 6, a snap rod 7 is also provided. The snap rod 7 is connected to the leg brace 6 through a limit pin 16; A copper sleeve 17 is provided in the snap rod 7, and a return torsion spring 18 is provided on the copper sleeve 17. The return torsion spring 18 is used to provide a restoring force for the limit pin 16; The limit pin 16 extends into the leg brace 6, and a groove is provided on the limit pin 16. The groove cooperates with a plurality of bumps provided on the side of the adjusting strip 5 to realize the positioning adjustment of the leg brace 6. When the snap rod 7 is pressed, the limit pin 16 is lifted. When the snap rod 7 is released, the limit pin 16 returns to its original position under the action of the return torsion spring 18.

[0030] In addition, in some embodiments, the pressing gasket 15 is made of an elastic material, and the pressing of the pressing gasket 15 is realized through the cam shape on the surface of the pressing cam 8 to realize the locking of the adjusting strip 5. When the pressing cam 8 is released, the pressing gasket 15 returns to its original position under the action of its own elastic deformation force, thereby releasing the adjusting strip 5.

[0031] As Figure 4 shown, the leg brace 6 and the pressing cam 8 are connected by a pin shaft. A "type 1 hole" self-locking hole 801 is provided on the pressing cam 8, and the pin shaft for connecting the pressing cam 8 and the quick-release seat 304 is arranged through the self-locking hole 3011; When the pressing cam 8 is pressed to a certain position, the pressing cam 8 is laterally pushed so that the pin shaft enters the locking state, thereby locking the pressing cam 8.

[0032] Through a simple structural design, this solution realizes the rapid adjustment of the exoskeleton leg by positioning and locking, increases the high reliability of the adjustment, enhances the hip joint load transfer ability, reduces the local concentration of the load on the upper limb, realizes the decoupling of the hip joint degrees of freedom, enhances the motion adaptability with the human body, does not interfere with the human body movement during human movement, and improves the wearing comfort; This solution can enhance the stability and efficiency of the leg force transmission structure of the exoskeleton under the condition of continuous human movement, and ensure the force transmission performance of the exoskeleton system.

[0033] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system, characterized in that, It includes a quick-release unit, a flexible adjustment unit, a rotating unit, and a leg unit; Among them, the quick-release unit is used to achieve the quick disassembly and assembly of the hip joint system and the external exoskeleton system. One end of the flexible adjustment unit is connected to the quick-release unit, and the other end is connected to the rotating unit, and is used to fit the hip joint to adapt to the movement of the hip joint; The flexible adjustment unit is connected to the leg unit through the rotating unit, where the rotating unit is used to connect to the leg unit and provide a tendency restoring force for the hip joint; The leg unit is used to connect to the thigh part.

2. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 1, wherein, The quick-release unit includes a quick-release rod (1), a quick-release seat (2), a buckle (9), and a spring (10); One side of the quick-release rod (1) is fixed to the quick-release seat (2). A buckle (9) is arranged between the quick-release rod (1) and the quick-release seat (2), and a spring (10) is arranged between the buckle (9) and the quick-release seat (2); A protrusion is arranged at the contact position between the quick-release rod (1) and the buckle (9). When the quick-release rod (1) is tightened, the protrusion drives the buckle (9) to compress the spring (10) to form a locking force; when the quick-release rod (1) is loosened, the spring (10) provides a restoring force to achieve quick disassembly and assembly.

3. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 1, wherein, The flexible adjustment unit includes a limit sleeve (3) and an elastic body (14); One end of the elastic body (14) is connected to the quick-release unit, and the other end is connected to the rotating unit. The elastic body (14) is made of a flexible material; A plurality of limit sleeves (3) are arranged on the elastic body (14) to achieve the limitation of the elastic body (14).

4. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating unit includes a rotating seat (4), an adjusting strip (5), a rotating shaft seat (11), a torsion spring (12), and a bushing (13); One end of the rotating seat (4) is connected to the flexible adjustment unit, and the other end is connected to the adjusting strip (5) through the rotating shaft seat (11); A torsion spring is arranged between the rotating shaft seat (11) and the rotating seat (4) to provide a restoring force; A bushing (13) is additionally arranged between the rotating shaft seat (11) and the rotating seat (4).

5. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The leg unit includes a leg guard (6), a snap rod (7), a pressing cam (8), a pressing gasket (15), a limit pin (16), a copper sleeve (17), and a return torsion spring (18); The leg guard (6) is connected to the other end of the adjusting strip (5); A pressing cam (8) is arranged on one side of the leg guard (6), and a pressing gasket (15) is arranged between the pressing cam (8) and the leg guard (6); A snap rod (7) is also arranged on the other side of the leg guard (6), and the snap rod (7) is connected to the leg guard (6) through a limit pin (16); A copper sleeve (17) is arranged in the snap rod (7), and a return torsion spring (18) is arranged on the copper sleeve (17). The return torsion spring (18) is used to provide a restoring force for the limit pin (16); The limit pin (16) extends into the leg guard (6) and is inserted into a plurality of positioning holes (501) arranged on the side of the adjusting strip (5). When the snap rod (7) is pressed, the limit pin (16) is lifted. When the snap rod (7) is released, the limit pin (16) returns to its original position under the action of the return torsion spring (18).

6. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The leg protector (6) is provided with a leg protector groove (601), a leg protector limiting hole (602) and an adjustment hole (603); The pressing gasket (15) is arranged in the leg protector groove (601); The leg protector limiting hole (602) is arranged inside the leg protector (6); The adjustment hole (603) is arranged at the top of the leg protector (6) and cooperates with the adjustment bar (5) to realize the limiting adjustment of the leg protector (6).

7. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The leg unit includes a leg protector (6), a snap rod (7), a pressing cam (8), a pressing gasket (15), a limiting pin (16), a copper sleeve (17) and a return torsion spring (18); The other end of the leg protector (6) is connected to the adjustment bar (5); A pressing cam (8) is arranged on one side of the leg protector (6), and a pressing gasket (15) is arranged between the pressing cam (8) and the leg protector (6); A snap rod (7) is further arranged on the other side of the leg protector (6), and the snap rod (7) is connected to the leg protector (6) through a limiting pin (16); A copper sleeve (17) is arranged in the snap rod (7), and a return torsion spring (18) is arranged on the copper sleeve (17), and the return torsion spring (18) is used to provide a restoring force for the limiting pin (16); The limiting pin (16) extends into the leg protector (6), and a groove is arranged on the limiting pin (16), and the groove cooperates with a plurality of bumps arranged on the side surface of the adjustment bar (5) to realize the positioning adjustment of the leg protector (6). When the snap rod (7) is pressed, the limiting pin (16) is lifted, and when the snap rod (7) is released, the limiting pin (16) returns to its original position under the action of the return torsion spring (18).

8. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The pressing gasket (15) is made of an elastic material, and the pressing of the pressing gasket (15) is realized through the cam shape on the surface of the pressing cam (8) to realize the locking of the adjustment bar (5). When the pressing cam (8) is released, the pressing gasket (15) returns to its original position under the action of its own elastic deformation force, thereby releasing the adjustment bar (5).

9. The novel modular rigid-flexible combined hip joint system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The leg protector (6) and the pressing cam (8) are connected by a pin shaft. A self-locking hole (801) is arranged on the pressing cam (8), and the pin shaft for connecting the pressing cam (8) and the quick-release seat (304) is arranged through the self-locking hole (3011); When the pressing cam (8) is pressed to a certain position, the pressing cam (8) is pushed horizontally to make the pin shaft enter the locked state, thereby locking the pressing cam (8).

Images