Soft pneumatic joint assist device

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of human body power-assisting machinery, and discloses a soft pneumatic joint power-assisting device, comprising: a limb attachment and at least one group of airbags arranged on the surface of the limb attachment; wherein the limb attachment is used to fix the joint power-assisting device on the surface of the limb; each group of airbags is arranged corresponding to a joint of the limb, and each group of airbags includes at least one airbag, and the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the at least one airbag decreases from the joint to both sides. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application adopts an airbag setting method that decreases to both sides of the joint, so that the deformation that can be produced by the airbag is reduced from the center of the joint to both sides, so that the power provided by the device and the overall deformation are more consistent with the movement form of the joint, while providing more power to meet the needs of joint movement, it also makes the device as a whole fit the limb better in any state, and fully meets the user's needs for equipment performance and comfort.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of human body power-assisting machinery, and in particular to a soft pneumatic joint power-assisting device. Background Art

[0002] Human-assisted machines are usually used for auxiliary or enhancement purposes, to provide additional mechanical power to the human body, and to assist the human body in completing actions that are difficult to achieve normally. Typical human-assisted machines are generally attached to relevant parts of the human body in the form of exoskeletons. As a device that is close to the human body, whether it is for civilian or military use, the ultimate goal of human-assisted machines should be to maximize operating efficiency and user comfort while meeting safety and practicality.

[0003] Early human-assist machines were all made of rigid components. This design is easier to implement and easier to control linear force transmission and provide strong body support. However, due to the heavy and cold rigid components, users are also very likely to feel uncomfortable when wearing them. At the same time, when performing some gentle and skillful movements, such as joint movements, the rigid components are also difficult to perfectly match the needs of the human body. For this reason, some pneumatically driven flexible components have further appeared in the prior art, which are mainly used to assist joint movements.

[0004] Further, the prior art provides Figure 1 The soft robotic gloves shown in the figure assist the fingers in bending and stretching by providing a series of air bags (pneumatic network) at the finger positions. Figure 2 As shown, when air is inflated into the airbag of the pneumatic network, the non-restricted side of the airbag will expand in volume, and the unilateral expansion causes the overall bending deformation, thereby providing auxiliary power for the bending of the finger.

[0005] However, the inventors found in the process of implementing the present invention that the multiple airbags of the pneumatic network in the prior art are indiscriminately arranged on the entire limb (fingers), and the inflation expansion and inhalation contraction of each airbag are also indiscriminate. Figure 2 As shown. Figure 2 It can be seen that the actual force transmission and deformation of the pneumatically driven flexible components in the prior art are still quite different from the limb structure of the human body. Figure 1 , 2Due to the design of the power-assisting device, which is evenly bent into a semicircle, can drive the fingers to bend to a certain extent. However, since the bending condition is quite different from the bending condition of human limbs (human limbs are more like a series of connecting rod structures, which only bend at the joints and remain a straight structure outside the joints), the fingers will arch at the joints and fail to fit the limbs during actual use. If a tighter restraint is used to prevent the arch from detaching from the limb, excessive restraint force (pulling or friction, etc.) will be applied to the local limb, causing discomfort to the user and possibly even damaging the user's limbs.

[0006] also, Figure 1 , 2 The design can provide assistance for joint bending, but when the joint is extended, if the airbag is only compressed (it can be pumped into a negative pressure state) to cause it to deform in the opposite direction and thus drive the limbs to open, based on the current material and process levels, the reverse deformation of the airbag can be relatively small due to compression, and it is difficult to provide sufficient assistance, and the effect of assisting limb extension is not ideal. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of this, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a soft pneumatic joint assisting device that is better matched with the joint movement and is more comfortable for users to wear, so as to improve the efficiency, effect and comfort of the joint assisting device.

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a soft pneumatic joint assisting device, comprising: a limb attachment and at least one group of air bags arranged on the surface of the limb attachment; wherein the limb attachment is used to fix the joint assisting device on the surface of the limb; each group of air bags is arranged corresponding to a joint of the limb, and each group of air bags includes at least one air bag, and the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the at least one air bag decreases from the joint to both sides.

[0009] Optionally, in each group of airbags, at least one airbag is arranged corresponding to at least one surface of the joint.

[0010] Optionally, multiple airbags arranged on the same surface are connected through at least one air passage.

[0011] Optionally, at least one rotating shaft is arranged on the side of the joint, and the bottoms of the multiple airbags arranged on the same surface are connected to the rotating shaft.

[0012] Optionally, a rigid and / or tough bracket is provided on the outer side of the airbag, and the airbag is connected to the rotating shaft through the bracket.

[0013] Optionally, the bottom of the airbag extends along the side of the joint toward another opposite surface, surrounding the limb and wrapping the joint.

[0014] Optionally, each group of airbags includes one airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint and / or multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint.

[0015] Optionally, the airbag disposed on the inner surface of the joint remains flexible in a non-inflated state and hardens into a specific shape after being inflated.

[0016] Optionally, the airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint is made of high-toughness plastic film, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber or high-strength composite cloth.

[0017] Optionally, the cross-section of the airbag is arc-shaped, arch-shaped, teardrop-shaped or crescent-shaped.

[0018] Optionally, the at least one air passage is connected to at least one group of airbags.

[0019] Optionally, the at least one air passage is arranged at the bottom and / or side of the airbag.

[0020] Optionally, the limb attachment is a cloth-like and / or belt-like material fixed to the surface of the limb by wrapping and / or binding.

[0021] Optionally, the at least one air path channel connected to the same airbag is parallel to each other.

[0022] Optionally, the at least one air passage separates each airbag into a plurality of areas.

[0023] Optionally, each of the air passages is connected to an inflation tube.

[0024] Optionally, each group of airbags is symmetrically arranged relative to the center of the joint.

[0025] Optionally, in each group of airbags, the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbags located at the first end of the joint is slightly larger than that at the other end as a whole.

[0026] Optionally, the length of the one airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint is greater than the length of each airbag of the multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint; at the same time, the length of the one airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint is close to the total length of the multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint.

[0027] Optionally, the total length of each group of airbags does not exceed twice the total length of the joint activity area.

[0028] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application adopts an airbag setting method that decreases towards the two sides of the joint, so that the deformation that can be produced by the airbag is reduced from the center of the joint to the two sides, so that the assistance provided by the device and the overall deformation are more consistent with the movement form of the joint. While providing assistance that better meets the needs of joint movements, it also makes the overall device fit the limb better in any state, fully meeting the user's needs in terms of device performance, comfort and other aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a typical example of a soft robotic glove in the prior art;

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A typical example of a pneumatic network at one finger of a soft robotic glove is shown;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a soft pneumatic joint assist device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of a soft pneumatic joint assist device in another embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 5 For this application Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the soft pneumatic joint assisting device in another direction in the embodiment shown;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of a soft pneumatic joint assist device in yet another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided in order to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0036] The essence of human body assisting machinery is to provide auxiliary power for human activities, so the user experience of the human body is a crucial performance indicator for assisting equipment. In the prior art, pneumatically driven flexible components have appeared to improve the user experience, but the existing flexible components still have certain defects when dealing with the bending and extension of the joints. In order to further improve the performance of the assisting equipment, the embodiments of the present application provide a soft pneumatic joint assisting device, such as Figure 3As shown, it includes: a limb attachment and at least one group of air bags arranged on the surface of the limb attachment; wherein the limb attachment is used to fix the joint assist device on the surface of the limb; each group of air bags is arranged corresponding to a joint of the limb, and each group of air bags includes at least one air bag, and the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the at least one air bag decreases from the joint to both sides.

[0037] Among them, the two sides refer to the directions away from the joint with the joint as the center. Through this airbag setting method that decreases to the two sides, in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, the deformation that can be produced by the airbag decreases from the center of the joint to the two sides, so that the assistance provided by the device and the overall deformation are more consistent with the movement form of the joint. Therefore, the power-assisting device provided by the present application can, on the one hand, make the assistance provided by the device better meet the needs of joint movements, and on the other hand, make the device as a whole fit the limbs better in any state, while improving the efficiency and effect of auxiliary movements, it also improves the comfort level of users when using it, and fully meets the needs of users in all aspects.

[0038] Optionally, the airbag is made of a flexible material such as silicone; the limb attachment is usually a cloth and / or belt-like material fixed to the surface of the limb by wrapping and / or binding, such as an elastic fabric that can be wrapped around the limb, or a component group that is connected by buckles / adhesion and then wrapped around the limb. The limb attachment is similar to an appliance worn on a joint or limb, such as a knee pad, elbow pad, wrist guard, ankle pad, blood pressure monitor, belt, waist bag, backpack, arm bag, watch, bracelet or Figure 1 The gloves shown, etc., various limb attachment means existing in the prior art can be used in the technical solution of the present application, and they are not listed one by one here. The specific form of the limb attachment should not be regarded as a limitation on the specific implementation method of the present application.

[0039] Embodiment 1

[0040] Furthermore, the at least one airbag is arranged corresponding to at least one surface of the joint, and multiple airbags on the same surface are connected through an air channel; the air channel can only connect multiple airbags in this group, or can connect multiple groups of airbags at the same time.

[0041] The surface of the joint generally includes an inner surface, an outer surface and a side surface, wherein the inner surface refers to the surface corresponding to the folded part when the joint is bent, the outer surface refers to the surface corresponding to the protruding part when the joint is bent, and the side surface refers to other surfaces other than the inner and outer surfaces. The airbag is preferably arranged on the outer surface and / or the inner surface of the joint.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment of the present application, Figure 3As shown, the soft pneumatic joint assist device preferably arranges multiple airbags on the outer surface of the joint, the multiple airbags are multiple continuous arches, the cross-sectional area / volume of the multiple airbags decreases from the joint to both sides (i.e., the airbag at the center of the joint is the largest, and the airbags on both sides gradually become smaller), and the multiple airbags are connected by at least one air path channel.

[0043] The air passage is preferably arranged at the center of the bottom of the airbag, but the position and / or number of the air passage may also be adjusted according to the use of the device. For example, an air passage may be arranged on one or both sides of the airbag to facilitate the arrangement of the inflation tube along the side of the limb according to the shape of the limb; or a plurality of air passages may be arranged in parallel at the bottom of the airbag to enhance the efficiency and effect of inflation and deflation. Each airbag may be further isolated into a plurality of areas by a plurality of air passages, and even each air passage may be connected to an inflation tube, etc. The above preferred arrangements may improve the effect of the expansion and / or contraction of the airbag to a certain extent, and the number and / or arrangement of the air passages herein shall not be regarded as a limitation on the specific implementation manner of the present application.

[0044] Embodiment 2

[0045] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, the bottoms of the multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint further extend toward the side of the joint, a rotating shaft is arranged at the corresponding position of the side of the joint, and the bottoms of the multiple airbags are connected to the rotating shaft. By limiting and fixing the rotating shaft, the deformation form and force direction of the airbags can be further limited, so that the expansion force generated by the expansion of the airbags can be better converted into the bending force of the joint.

[0046] Furthermore, a rigid and / or tough bracket can be added outside the airbag, and the airbag is connected to the rotating shaft through the bracket. Compared with a flexible airbag, the bracket has a more obvious limiting and fixing effect, so that deformation and force transmission can be better controlled, further improving the working efficiency and effect of the device.

[0047] Embodiment 3

[0048] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 , 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the shape and arrangement of the airbag are further modified. Specifically, Figure 4 The bottom of the airbag further extends along the side of the joint toward the other opposite surface ( Figure 4 ), eventually forming a form that wraps around the limb and joint. Figure 4 , 5In a preferred embodiment, the cross section of the airbag parallel to the limb is teardrop-shaped, and the cross section perpendicular to the limb is crescent-shaped. In this preferred embodiment, the airbag wraps around the limb, which can increase the volume of the airbag and increase the power output during expansion, and also improve the wearing comfort.

[0049] Embodiment 4

[0050] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, the number of airbags is not limited to Figure 3-5 The form and position of the multiple air bags shown are not limited to being arranged Figure 3-5 Specifically, in the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, each group of airbags includes at least one airbag, and each group of airbags can be arranged on the outer surface and / or inner surface of the joint. Figure 3-5 As shown, multiple airbags are arranged on the inner or outer surface of the joint, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​each airbag gradually decreases smoothly from the center to both sides, and the maximum cross-sectional area of ​​the multiple airbags (i.e., the cross-sectional area at the center of each airbag) decreases from the joint to both sides. Of course, only one airbag can be arranged on the inner or outer surface of the joint, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the airbag gradually decreases smoothly from the joint to both sides. The arrangement of the multiple airbags is preferably as follows Figure 3 As shown, more preferably, the plurality of airbags are mainly arranged on the outer surface of the joint; the arrangement of a single airbag is preferably as follows Figure 6 As shown, more preferably, a single air bag is mainly arranged at the inner surface of the joint; Figure 6 The cross-section of a single airbag is arc-shaped, with the highest point corresponding to the center of the joint, and then gradually decreasing toward both sides.

[0051] In addition, Figure 3-5In the illustrated embodiment, the implementation of multiple airbags is shown in the form of an odd number of airbags. When the number of airbags is an odd number, the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag at the center of the joint is the largest, and the cross-sectional areas and / or volumes of the airbags on both sides of the center decrease in sequence; of course, the implementation of an even number of airbags can also be adopted in the embodiment of the present application. When the number of airbags is an even number, the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag closest to the center of the joint is the largest, and then the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag decreases in sequence to both sides. Of course, an asymmetric airbag setting method is also an optional implementation method. For example, while maintaining the trend of decreasing to both sides, according to the shape of the limb or the specific situation of the force required for the joint movement, the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag at the first end of the joint can be made slightly larger than the other end as a whole. Typically, because the front end of the joint usually has a larger range of motion, the volume of the front airbag can be set larger; or because the rear end of the joint usually needs to provide sufficient support, the area of ​​the bottom of the rear airbag can be set larger. Here, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application only requires that the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag as a whole decreases from the joint to both sides, and the number and arrangement of the airbags should not be regarded as limitations on the specific implementation methods of the present application.

[0052] Since the volume of the airbag is smaller after it is deflated, the difference in cross-sectional area and / or volume is not obvious, and the comparison of the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag preferably refers to the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbag in the inflated state.

[0053] In other preferred embodiments of the technical solution of the present application, the size, number and total length of the airbags depend on the size of the joints, but usually each group of airbags is only arranged near the joints and does not extend too much to both sides. The total length of each group of airbags does not exceed twice the total length of the joint activity area; the joint activity area mainly refers to the main limb area that will deform when the joint moves; usually the bones, muscles and skin on the surface of the body will deform when the joint moves, but in view of the fact that the deformation is mainly the skin that can be directly observed, the deformation of the limb skin is preferably used here. In addition, in the arrangement of a single airbag, the length of the single airbag is greater than the length of each airbag in the arrangement of multiple airbags; or in other words, in the arrangement of a single airbag, the length of the single airbag is close to the total length of the multiple airbags in the arrangement of multiple airbags. More preferably, in Figure 6 In the embodiment shown, the single airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint does not always remain flexible. For example, it can be made of high-toughness plastic film, TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethanes) or high-strength composite cloth, etc. It remains soft in the non-inflated state, and once inflated it will harden into a specific shape to provide auxiliary support force for the opening of the joint after inflation.

[0054] The embodiment of the present application provides a soft pneumatic joint assisting device, which adopts an airbag setting method that decreases toward both sides of the joint, so that the deformation that can be produced by the airbag decreases from the center of the joint to both sides, so that the assist provided by the device and the overall deformation are more consistent with the movement form of the joint. Therefore, the technical solution of the present application can, on the one hand, make the assist provided by the device better meet the needs of joint movement, and on the other hand, make the device as a whole fit the limb better in any state, while improving the efficiency and effect of the auxiliary action, it also improves the comfort level of the user when using it, and fully meets the needs of the user in all aspects.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A soft pneumatic finger joint assist device, characterized in that: The joint assisting device comprises: a limb attachment and at least one group of air bags arranged on the surface of the limb attachment; wherein, The limb attachment is used to fix the joint assisting device on the surface of the limb; Each group of airbags is arranged corresponding to a finger joint of the limb, and each group of airbags includes at least one airbag. The cross-sectional area and / or volume of the at least one airbag gradually decreases from the joint to both sides. The at least one airbag is arranged corresponding to the outer surface of the finger joint, and the bottom of the airbag extends along the side of the joint to the other opposite surface, surrounding the limb and wrapping the joint.

2. The joint assisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of air bags arranged on the same surface are connected through at least one air passage.

3. The joint assisting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least one rotating shaft is arranged on the side of the joint, and the bottoms of a plurality of airbags arranged on the same surface are connected to the rotating shaft.

4. The joint assisting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A rigid and / or tough bracket is arranged on the outer side of the airbag, and the airbag is connected to the rotating shaft through the bracket.

5. The joint assisting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each group of airbags includes one airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint and / or multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint.

6. The joint assisting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The airbag disposed on the inner surface of the joint remains flexible in a non-inflated state and hardens into a specific shape after being inflated.

7. The joint assisting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The air bag arranged on the inner surface of the joint is made of high-toughness plastic film, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber or high-strength composite cloth.

8. The joint assisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cross section of the airbag is arranged in an arc shape, an arch shape, a teardrop shape or a crescent shape.

9. The joint assisting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least one air passage is connected to at least one group of air bags.

10. The joint assisting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least one air passage is arranged at the bottom and / or the side of the airbag.

11. The joint assisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limb attachment is a cloth-like and / or belt-like material fixed to the surface of the limb by wrapping and / or binding.

12. The joint assisting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least one air passage connecting the same airbag is parallel to each other.

13. The joint assisting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The at least one air passage separates each airbag into a plurality of areas.

14. The joint assisting device according to claim 2 or 13, characterized in that: Each of the air passages is connected to an air filling tube.

15. The joint assisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each group of airbags is symmetrically arranged relative to the center of the joint.

16. The joint assisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In each group of airbags, the cross-sectional area and / or volume of the airbags located at the first end of the joint is slightly larger than that of the other end.

17. The joint assisting device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The length of the one airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint is greater than the length of each airbag among the multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint; at the same time, the length of the one airbag arranged on the inner surface of the joint is close to the total length of the multiple airbags arranged on the outer surface of the joint.

18. The joint assisting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The total length of each group of airbags shall not exceed twice the total length of the joint activity area.

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