Exoskeleton rehabilitation assist device

Abstract

The present invention provides an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, comprising: a back support, two single arms, a waist unit and two thighs, wherein the back support comprises a back cross beam, a back support plate with adjustable length and shoulder pneumatic muscles installed on the back support plate, wherein the two single arms are respectively connected to the upper end of the back support through shoulder joint assemblies, the upper end of the back support plate is fixedly connected to the back cross beam, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the waist unit, and the two thighs are respectively connected to the waist unit through hip joint assemblies; wherein the shoulder joint assembly comprises a shoulder joint connecting plate, a shoulder traction wheel, a shoulder traction line, a first hinge mechanism and a second hinge mechanism, one end of the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the single arm through the first hinge mechanism to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the shoulder joint, and the other end of the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the back cross beam through the second hinge mechanism to form an abduction-adduction rotation pair and an internal rotation-external rotation pair of the shoulder joint.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of bionic mechanical technology, and in particular to an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device driven by pneumatic muscles. Background Art

[0002] In social life, humans will encounter various problems such as elderly care, post-disaster rescue, and daily physical labor. Frequent overloaded physical labor will cause physical exhaustion and muscle damage. For example, the number of modern elderly people is increasing, and the demand for elderly care is also increasing. Modern society is in great need of developing a power-assisted exoskeleton device that can provide limb assistance services to caregivers when they carry the elderly or patients. This can greatly reduce the intensity of physical labor of caregivers while ensuring the safety of both parties, so that caregivers can work more easily and effectively. For the elderly with degenerated muscle function, the exoskeleton power-assisted device can also help them complete self-service in their daily lives. For patients with arm injuries, an exoskeleton device is also needed to help them complete daily rehabilitation training functions so that they can quickly restore their body functions.

[0003] The exoskeleton rehabilitation assist device is a typical human-machine integrated system that integrates sensing, control, information acquisition, mobile computing and other technologies, enabling it to complete certain functions and tasks under the control of the wearer. Most existing exoskeletons are driven by traditional motors, hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, etc. This traditional driving method has the disadvantages of high cost, low power / mass ratio, oil leakage, poor flexibility, etc., making the overall weight of the exoskeleton product large and unable to meet the requirements of lightness and flexibility. In addition, it is expensive and cannot be widely used.

[0004] Pneumatic muscle is a new type of actuator that can imitate the contraction of biological muscles. Due to its high flexibility, light weight, easy use, fast response speed and low cost, it is widely used in various driving fields such as bionic machinery.

[0005] Compared with traditional rigid actuators such as motors, hydraulic cylinders, and pneumatic cylinders, pneumatic muscles have the advantages of high power / mass ratio, good flexibility and safety, light weight, flexibility, etc., and are easy to obtain, easy to make, and low cost. Therefore, the pneumatic muscle-driven exoskeleton rehabilitation assist device can achieve good lightness, flexibility, and safety while ensuring a large driving force, and can also significantly reduce costs and be easy to use widely.

[0006] At present, there are relatively few exoskeleton rehabilitation devices for the upper limbs, and there are relatively more studies on rehabilitation assistance devices for the lower limbs. There are also studies on exoskeleton rehabilitation equipment for the whole body, and related designs for assisted rehabilitation have been made for the arms. For example, the EKSO exoskeleton device in the United States is a product designed as a bionic exoskeleton for patients with lower limb paralysis; Japan's HAL exoskeleton rehabilitation device can help patients with lower limb disabilities to complete normal walking. It is equipped with an upper limb structure and can help elderly people with mobility difficulties and muscle weakness to complete their daily self-care; New Zealand's REX rehabilitation device is a lower limb exoskeleton rehabilitation device, the purpose of which is to help patients with leg disabilities complete their daily walking functions. However, there are relatively few inventions similar to the present invention that only assist rehabilitation for the movement of the upper limbs of the human body. The purpose of the present invention is to enable the elderly with degenerated muscle function and patients with arm injuries to complete their daily life assistance and rehabilitation training functions by themselves, so that they can quickly restore their body functions. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, which has the advantages of simple structure, good safety and strong flexibility.

[0008] To this end, the present invention provides an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, which includes: a back support, two single arms, a waist unit and two thighs, the back support includes a back crossbeam, a back support plate with adjustable length and shoulder pneumatic muscles installed on the back support plate, wherein the two single arms are respectively connected to the upper end of the back support through shoulder joint assemblies, the upper end of the back support plate is fixedly connected to the back crossbeam, and the lower end is fixedly connected to the waist unit, and the two thighs are respectively connected to the waist unit through hip joint assemblies; wherein the shoulder joint assembly includes An arc-shaped shoulder joint connecting plate, a shoulder traction wheel, a shoulder traction line, a first hinge mechanism and a second hinge mechanism, one end of the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the upper end of the single arm through the first hinge mechanism to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the shoulder joint, the other end of the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the back cross beam through the second hinge mechanism to form an abduction-adduction rotation pair and an internal rotation-external rotation pair of the shoulder joint, and the shoulder traction wheel is fixed to the upper end of the single arm; one end of the shoulder traction line is connected to the shoulder traction wheel, and the other end is connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscle.

[0009] In a favorable embodiment, the waist unit includes a waist cross plate fixedly connected to the lower end of the back support plate and a waist pneumatic muscle installed on the thigh, and the hip joint assembly includes a waist connecting plate fixedly connected to the waist cross plate, a hinge shaft, a first guide wheel fixed to the waist connecting plate, a second guide wheel fixed to the thigh, and a waist traction line, wherein the hinge shaft connects the waist connecting plate to the thigh to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the hip joint, one end of the waist traction line extends through the second guide wheel and the first guide wheel and is fixed to the waist connecting plate, and the other end is connected to the waist pneumatic muscle.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the thigh includes a thigh plate and a thigh guard, wherein a waist pneumatic muscle bracket is provided on the thigh plate for installing the waist pneumatic muscle, and a belt connecting groove is provided on the thigh guard for connecting the thigh belt.

[0011] In the present invention, each of the single arms includes an upper arm, an elbow joint, a forearm, a wrist joint and a hand, wherein the upper end of the upper arm is connected to the shoulder joint connecting plate through the first hinge mechanism, and the lower end is connected to the forearm through the elbow joint to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the elbow joint, and the forearm is connected to the hand through the wrist joint to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the wrist joint.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, sliding grooves are respectively provided at both ends of the back cross beam, and the second articulated mechanism includes an articulated shaft and an articulated seat. The articulated seat is constructed with one end being cylindrical and the other end being a groove portion suitable for receiving the shoulder joint connecting plate. Openings are provided on both side walls of the groove portion, and the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the articulated seat through the cooperation of the articulated shaft and the openings to form an abduction-adduction rotation pair of the shoulder joint; the cylindrical end of the articulated seat can be rotatably accommodated in the sliding groove and is positioned by a positioning bolt to prevent the articulated seat from moving linearly in the sliding groove to form an internal rotation-external rotation pair of the shoulder joint.

[0013] In a specific embodiment, each of the upper arms includes an outer upper arm plate, an inner upper arm plate and an upper arm guard fixedly connected to each other, each of the forearms includes an outer forearm plate, an inner forearm plate and a forearm guard fixedly connected to each other, and the hand includes an inner support plate and an outer support plate to fix the hand guard fixedly connected to each other; wherein a first elbow pneumatic muscle support is provided on the outer upper arm plate and the inner upper arm plate, a second elbow pneumatic muscle support and a first wrist pneumatic muscle support are provided on the outer forearm plate and the inner forearm plate, a second wrist pneumatic muscle support is provided on the inner support plate and the outer support plate, elbow pneumatic muscles are installed on the first elbow pneumatic muscle support and the second elbow pneumatic muscle support to drive the elbow joint to pivot, and wrist pneumatic muscles are installed on the first wrist pneumatic muscle support and the second wrist pneumatic muscle support to drive the wrist joint to pivot.

[0014] In a favorable scheme, upper arm strap connecting grooves are respectively provided on the outer upper arm plate and the inner upper arm plate for connecting the upper arm strap; forearm strap connecting grooves are respectively provided on the outer forearm plate and the inner forearm plate for connecting the forearm strap; hand strap connecting grooves are respectively provided on the inner support plate and the outer support plate for connecting the hand strap, and grooves suitable for hanging heavy objects are also respectively provided on the inner support plate and the outer support plate.

[0015] In one embodiment, the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device is further provided with a shoulder traction line catheter for guiding the shoulder traction line; and a waist traction line bracket is provided on the waist connecting plate for fixing the waist traction line.

[0016] Advantageously, the back support plate comprises two back support plates, each of which has a first section and a second section that can slide relative to each other, so that the length of the back support plate can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the position of the waist; and positioning grooves are provided on the first section and the second section, and the first section and the second section can be fixed by the positioning grooves in cooperation with locking screws to prevent them from sliding relative to each other.

[0017] The present invention also provides an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting system, including a control system and the above-mentioned exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, the control system including an air source generator, a controller, a pneumatic pressure reducing valve, an electromagnetic valve group respectively connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscles, the waist pneumatic muscles, the elbow pneumatic muscles and the wrist pneumatic muscles, and a driving circuit board arranged between the controller and the electromagnetic valve group, wherein the controller is used to control the pneumatic pressure reducing valve to reduce the pressure of the gas from the air source generator, the signal input end of the electromagnetic valve group is connected to the driving circuit board, and the driving circuit board is used to receive pre-set control instructions from the controller.

[0018] The present invention also provides a control method for the above-mentioned exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, comprising: controlling the pneumatic pressure reducing valve by a controller to reduce the pressure of the gas from the gas source generator; based on the control instructions from the controller, controlling the solenoid valve groups respectively connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscles, the waist pneumatic muscles, the elbow pneumatic muscles and the wrist pneumatic muscles to control the inflation and deflation of the shoulder pneumatic muscles, the waist pneumatic muscles, the elbow pneumatic muscles and the wrist pneumatic muscles.

[0019] The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to the present invention has a total of 12 degrees of freedom. Both shoulder joints have three degrees of freedom: flexion-extension, abduction-adduction, and internal rotation-external rotation. The elbow joint and wrist joint each have one degree of flexion-extension freedom. The back support can slide up and down to adjust the waist position. The waist includes two hip joints with the same structure, each with one degree of rotational freedom, which can enable the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting suit to follow the wearer to bend and stand upright. The present invention has the advantages of simple structure, high power density ratio, good safety, strong flexibility, etc. It can greatly improve the wearer's physical function when lifting heavy objects, and can be widely used in rehabilitation medicine, family services, disaster relief, and material handling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the upper structure of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device shown;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the back structure of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device shown;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the waist and thigh structure of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device shown;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the thigh structure of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device shown;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the partial structure of the outer upper arm of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device shown;

[0027] Figure 7a and Figure 7b for Figure 1A schematic diagram of the structure of the back beam of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device shown;

[0028] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the hinge seat in the shoulder joint assembly of the present invention;

[0029] Fig. 9 The present invention provides a structural intention of a shoulder traction wheel in a shoulder joint assembly;

[0030] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of pneumatic muscle;

[0031] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the pneumatic muscle control system used in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. The exemplary embodiments described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are intended to teach the principles of the present invention and enable those skilled in the art to implement and use the present invention in several different environments and for several different applications.

[0033] Before describing the present invention, the technical principle of pneumatic muscle is first explained. Fig.10 The schematic diagram of the structure of the pneumatic muscle used in the present invention is shown. The pneumatic muscle is a new type of actuator, the main body of which is a rubber tube D, a layer of PET braided mesh C is sheathed on the outside of the rubber tube, and the two ends of the rubber tube D are respectively sheathed on the plugs located at the two ends thereof, one end of which has no air holes, completely blocking the rubber tube to prevent air leakage, and the other end of the plug E has air holes inside, which are used to inflate and deflate the inside of the pneumatic muscle, and then the rubber tube D and the braided mesh C are wrapped around the concave parts of the plugs E and F at both ends with adhesive tape for 2-3 turns, the main purpose of which is to tightly stick the rubber tube and the braided mesh together at the concave part of the plug. Wrap a circle of copper wire A around the concave edges of the plugs at both ends to prevent the braided mesh C from detaching under high pressure. Then fold the braided mesh C and arrange the copper wire at the bend at the end of the braided mesh C. The folded braided mesh extends to the tail of the plug. Use the clamp B to tightly clamp the concave parts of the plugs E and F. On the one hand, it prevents the pneumatic muscles from leaking, and on the other hand, it prevents the pneumatic muscles from collapsing under internal high pressure. The design of the plugs E and F is very flexible, and different connection forms can be designed according to the needs of the connection method.

[0034] The rubber tube D is required to have certain toughness and elasticity, be able to expand and contract when inflated and deflated, and have good anti-fatigue properties. The braided mesh C is required to have high non-ductility, excellent strength and toughness, but no tensile deformation. The plugs E and F can be made of hard non-metallic materials with high density, or metal materials with high strength and low density. The clamp B can be a stainless steel clamp commonly used, or a self-designed aluminum alloy with higher strength.

[0035] During the process of internal inflation, the pneumatic muscle will expand radially and contract axially, and use the axial driving force generated by its axial contraction to drive the external load. Moreover, as the internal pressure of the pneumatic muscle increases, the rigidity continues to increase, and as the internal pressure decreases, the rigidity continues to decrease. According to the characteristics of pneumatic muscles, it can be used as a new type of linear actuator. Compared with traditional hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, motors and other actuators, it is very light in weight, and the length of the pneumatic muscle can be designed according to the needs of the driving stroke and the contraction rate of the pneumatic muscle itself. This can avoid the danger caused by overtravel, and the cost is very cheap. The most important thing is that pneumatic muscles have good flexibility and safety, and can be widely used in the field of rehabilitation medicine.

[0036] The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment, the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device includes two single arms 1 of identical structure, a back support 2, a waist unit 3, and two thighs 4 of identical structure. Each single arm 1 is connected to the back support 2 through a shoulder joint assembly, and has an elbow joint and a wrist joint, wherein each single arm has 5 degrees of freedom, each shoulder joint assembly has 3 degrees of freedom of flexion-extension, abduction-adduction, internal rotation-external rotation, and the elbow joint and wrist joint each have 1 degree of flexion-extension freedom. And each thigh 4 is connected to the waist unit 3 through a hip joint assembly, and has 1 degree of flexion-extension freedom. Therefore, the entire exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device has 12 degrees of freedom.

[0038] Figure 2 and Figure 3The upper structure and back structure schematic diagrams of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device in the above-mentioned embodiment are respectively shown. As can be seen from the figure, each single arm 1 includes an upper arm 11, an elbow joint 12, a forearm 13, a wrist joint 14 and a hand 15. The back support 2 includes a back crossbeam 21 and two back support plates 22, on which two first shoulder pneumatic muscle supports 211 are provided, one end of each back support plate 22 is fixedly connected to the back crossbeam 21, and the other end is provided with a second shoulder pneumatic muscle support 220. A shoulder pneumatic muscle 5 is installed on each back support plate 22, one end of which is fixedly connected to the first shoulder pneumatic muscle support 211, and the other end is fixedly connected to the second shoulder pneumatic muscle support 220, for driving the shoulder joint to pivot. Those skilled in the art should understand that the number of back support plates and shoulder pneumatic muscles here is only exemplary. Other suitable numbers can also be set as needed.

[0039] Advantageously, the length of the back support plate 22 is adjustable to adjust the position of the waist. Figure 3 Each back support plate 22 has a first section 221 and a second section 222 that can slide relative to each other. For example, the first section can be slidably accommodated in the second section, and positioning grooves are provided on the first section 221 and the second section 222. The first section and the second section can be locked by the cooperation of the positioning groove and the locking bolt to prevent them from sliding relative to each other. When the waist position needs to be adjusted, the locking bolt can be released, so that the first section and the second section can slide relative to each other to the required position to adjust the length of the back support plate.

[0040] like Figure 7a and Figure 7b As shown, the back crossbeam 21 is also provided with a shoulder strap connection slot 212, a back support plate positioning hole 213, a connection slide slot 214 and a positioning slot 215. The shoulder strap connection slot 212 is used to connect a back guard belt (not shown) to connect to the back of the wearer.

[0041] In addition, see more specifically Figure 6 Taking the left arm as an example, each upper arm 11 includes an outer upper arm plate 111, an inner upper arm plate 112, and an upper arm guard 113 that is fixedly connected to each other, and an upper arm guard belt connecting groove 114 is provided on the outer upper arm plate 111 and the inner upper arm plate 112 respectively for connecting an upper arm guard belt (not shown) to connect to the upper arm of the wearer. In addition, a first elbow pneumatic muscle bracket 115 is provided on both the outer upper arm plate 111 and the inner upper arm plate 112.

[0042] Each forearm 13 includes an outer forearm plate 131, an inner forearm plate 132, and a forearm guard 133 that is fixedly connected to each other, and a forearm guard belt connecting groove 134 is provided on the outer forearm plate 131 and the inner forearm plate 132, respectively, for connecting a forearm guard belt (not shown) to connect to the wearer's human forearm. In addition, a second elbow pneumatic muscle bracket 135 and a first wrist pneumatic muscle bracket 136 are provided on the outer forearm plate 131 and the inner forearm plate 132.

[0043] In addition, each hand 15 includes an outer support plate 151 and an inner support plate 152, which are fixedly connected to a hand guard frame 153, and a hand guard connection groove 154 is provided on the outer support plate 151 and the inner support plate 152 respectively for connecting a hand guard (not shown) to connect to the wrist of the wearer. In addition, a second wrist pneumatic muscle bracket 155 and a groove 156 suitable for hanging a weight are provided on both the inner support plate and the outer support plate.

[0044] Here, one end of the elbow pneumatic muscle 6 is fixedly connected to the first elbow pneumatic muscle bracket 115, and the other end is fixedly connected to the second elbow pneumatic muscle bracket 135, so as to drive the elbow joint to pivot. One end of the wrist pneumatic muscle 7 is fixedly connected to the first wrist pneumatic muscle bracket 136, and the other end is fixedly connected to the second wrist pneumatic muscle bracket 155, so as to drive the wrist joint to pivot.

[0045] In this embodiment, the shoulder joint assembly includes an arc-shaped shoulder connecting plate 8, a shoulder traction wheel 9, a shoulder traction line 10, a first hinge mechanism and a second hinge mechanism. Here, the first hinge mechanism is a hinge shaft 81, and the second hinge structure includes a hinge shaft 82 and a hinge seat 83 rotatably accommodated in the connecting slot 214 of the back cross beam 12 (see Figure 8 ), the hinge seat is constructed with one end being cylindrical and the other end being a groove portion 84 suitable for receiving the shoulder joint connecting plate 8, and openings 85 are provided on the two side walls of the groove portion. One end of the shoulder connecting plate 8 is pivotally connected to the hinge seat 83 through the cooperation of the hinge shaft 82 and the opening 85 to form an abduction-adduction rotation pair of the shoulder joint, and the other end of the shoulder connecting plate 8 is pivotally connected to the outer upper arm plate 111 of the upper arm 11 through the hinge shaft 81 to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the shoulder joint.

[0046] In addition, it is advantageous to provide a connecting slot 214 in the back crossbeam 21. As required, the width of the shoulder can be adjusted by moving the position of the articulated seat 83 left and right in the connecting slot. When the position of the articulated seat needs to be fixed, the articulated seat 83 can be positioned in the connecting slot 214 in a rotatable but non-linear manner by the cooperation of the locking bolt and the positioning slot 215, thereby fixing the width of the shoulder. In addition, since the articulated seat 83 can rotate in the connecting slot 214 but cannot move linearly along the connecting slot 214, an internal rotation-external rotation pair of the shoulder joint is formed.

[0047] like Fig. 9 As shown, the shoulder traction wheel 9 has a connecting shaft 90 integral with it at the center, and a fixing hole 91 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shoulder traction wheel 9. The shoulder traction wheel 9 is fixed to the outer upper arm plate by the connection shaft 90 and the connection hole of the outer upper arm plate 111, wherein one end of the shoulder traction line 10 is connected to the shoulder traction wheel 9 through the fixing hole 91, and the other end is connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscle 5. Advantageously, a shoulder traction line conduit 101 is also provided to guide the shoulder traction line 10, and a part of the shoulder traction line 10 can be wound around the shoulder traction wheel. In this embodiment, the shoulder traction line conduit 101 is similar to the sleeve of the bicycle brake line, which has both a certain rigidity and a certain flexibility, and can not only complete the guidance well, but also does not hinder the movement of the shoulder joint. When the human arm is naturally drooping, the shoulder pneumatic muscle 5 is kept in a tension-free state. When the shoulder pneumatic muscle 5 is inflated and contracted, the shoulder traction line 10 drives the shoulder traction wheel 9 to rotate, thereby driving the upper arm 11 to pivot.

[0048] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the waist unit 3 includes a waist horizontal plate 31 fixedly connected to the lower end of the back support plate 22 and a waist pneumatic muscle 32. The thigh 4 includes a thigh plate 41 and a thigh guard 42, wherein a waist pneumatic muscle bracket 43 for mounting the waist pneumatic muscle 32 is provided on the thigh plate 41, and a belt connecting groove 44 is provided on the thigh guard 42 for connecting the thigh belt (not shown) to connect with the wearer's human thigh. The hip joint assembly includes a waist connecting plate 38 fixedly connected to the waist horizontal plate 31, a hinge shaft 34, a first guide wheel 35 fixed to the waist connecting plate 33, a second guide wheel 36 fixed to the thigh 4, and a waist traction line 37, wherein the hinge shaft 34 pivotally connects the waist connecting plate 38 to the thigh plate 41 to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the hip joint. A waist traction line fixing part 39 is also provided on the waist connecting plate 38 . One end of the waist traction line 37 extends through the second guide wheel 36 and the first guide wheel 35 and is fixed to the waist traction line fixing part 39 of the waist connecting plate 38 , and the other end is connected to the waist pneumatic muscle 32 .

[0049] Since the two hip joints with the same structure both have one degree of rotational freedom, the exoskeleton rehabilitation assistive suit can follow the wearer to bend and stand up. When the wearer's waist is upright, the waist pneumatic muscle 32 is contracted to the shortest position, and the waist traction line 37 is pre-tightened and installed. When the wearer bends the waist, the waist pneumatic muscle 32 is deflated, so that the hip joint rotates with the human waist to achieve the bending action. In the process of the human body standing upright, the waist pneumatic muscle 32 is inflated to drive the hip joint to rotate, thereby completing the assisting function for the human waist.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device of the present invention is designed based on the principle of bionics and is a bilaterally symmetrical structure. For the sake of convenience, the right half is now taken as an example to illustrate the pneumatic muscle control system for the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device. Fig.11 As shown, the pneumatic muscle control system includes an air source generator 1a, a controller 1b, a pneumatic pressure reducing valve 1c, an electromagnetic valve group 1d respectively connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscles 5, the waist pneumatic muscles 32, the elbow pneumatic muscles 6 and the wrist pneumatic muscles 7, and a driving circuit board 1e arranged between the controller and the electromagnetic valve group, wherein the controller is used to control the pneumatic pressure reducing valve to reduce the pressure of the gas from the air source generator, the signal input end of the electromagnetic valve group is connected to the driving circuit board, and the driving circuit board is used to receive pre-set control instructions from the controller.

[0051] The gas source generator 1a can generate enough gas source, for example, it can be stored in a gas cylinder. The gas source generator can set the maximum gas source pressure value, automatically start and stop, and replenish the gas source. The gas source body comes out of the gas source generator, and the maximum gas pressure entering the pneumatic muscle is controlled by the pneumatic pressure reducing valve 1c. Under normal circumstances, the gas pressure value coming out of the gas source generator is higher than the working pressure value, so the pneumatic pressure reducing valve is required for pressure reduction. The decompressed gas comes out and enters the solenoid valve group 1d. The gas coming out of the solenoid valve group is connected to the inflation connector on the corresponding pneumatic muscle through the gas pipeline. Inside the solenoid valve group, each pneumatic muscle can be controlled by two two-position two-way sub-solenoid valves to control the three states of inflation, deflation, and maintenance of the pneumatic muscle, or a three-position three-way sub-solenoid valve can be used to independently control the three states of inflation, deflation, and maintenance of the pneumatic muscle. The right half branch is divided into wrist pneumatic muscle 7, elbow pneumatic muscle 6, shoulder pneumatic muscle 5, and waist pneumatic muscle 32. For the wrist pneumatic muscle 6, when the controller issues an inflation command, the air inlet of the branch of the solenoid valve group corresponding to the wrist pneumatic muscle will open, and the gas will enter the pneumatic muscle through the gas pipeline. When the wrist reaches the specified bending angle value, the controller issues a power-off command. At this time, the branches corresponding to the solenoid valve group and the wrist pneumatic muscle are all closed, and the gas inside the pneumatic muscle is sealed inside the pneumatic muscle and keeps the original position unchanged. When the controller issues a deflation command, the deflation port corresponding to the solenoid valve group and the wrist pneumatic muscle 7 opens, and the gas inside the wrist pneumatic muscle 7 is released, and the pneumatic muscle returns to its initial state. The working principles of the elbow pneumatic muscles, shoulder pneumatic muscles, and waist pneumatic muscles are the same, and the principle of the left half is the same as that of the right half, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] When the wearer puts on the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to the present invention, a flexible shoulder strap is carried on the shoulders of the human body to realize the flexible connection between the back support and the wearer's back, the upper arm 11, the forearm 13 and the hand 15 are flexibly connected to the wearer's arm through the corresponding straps, and the human arm is placed in the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, and the thigh 4 is flexibly connected to the wearer's legs through the leg guard 42 and the thigh guard; when the wearer lifts heavy objects, the wrist pneumatic muscles 7, the elbow pneumatic muscles 6, and the shoulder pneumatic muscles 5 are inflated, and each pneumatic muscle is inflated and contracted, wherein the wrist pneumatic muscle 7 drives the wrist joint to rotate, the elbow pneumatic muscle 6 drives the elbow joint to rotate, and the shoulder pneumatic muscle 5 passes through the shoulder traction line, bypasses the shoulder traction wheel, and drives the upper arm 11 to rotate. At this time, the forearm guard is tightly attached to the wearer's forearm, and the upper arm guard is tightly attached to the wearer's upper arm, driving the human arm upward Movement to complete the process of lifting heavy objects. When the wearer needs to put down the heavy objects, each pneumatic muscle deflates, and the two arms assisted by the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device move downward under the action of the gravity of the heavy objects to complete the process of putting down the heavy objects. The working process changes the arm movement speed by adjusting the inflation and deflation speeds. When the wearer bends his waist in the process of lifting heavy objects, the waist pneumatic muscles 32 deflate, so that the hip joints of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting suit rotate with the bending of the human waist. When the wearer's waist is upright, the waist pneumatic muscles 32 inflate, driving the hip joints of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device to rotate, further driving the movement of the human back, and realizing the assisting function for the wearer's waist. During the entire working process, the focus of the exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device is concentrated on the wearer's shoulders and legs, so that the force borne by the human arm muscles and waist muscles is converted to be borne by the human skeleton.

[0053] The present invention can not only provide assistance services to people with muscle injuries or elderly people with weakened muscle capabilities, but also help patients with arm injuries or waist injuries to complete daily rehabilitation training, so that they can quickly restore their body functions.

[0054] It should be noted that the above description is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present invention based on the above description, and these modifications and variations are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device, comprising: A back support, comprising a back crossbeam, a back support plate with adjustable length, and shoulder pneumatic muscles mounted on the back support plate, wherein the back support plate comprises two support plates, each of which has a first section and a second section that can slide relative to each other, so that the length of the support plate can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the waist position; two single arms; A shoulder joint assembly, through which the two single arms are respectively connected to the upper end of the back support; a waist unit, the waist unit comprising a waist transverse plate fixedly connected to the lower end of the back support plate and a waist pneumatic muscle installed on the thigh, Two thighs and hip joint components, the two thighs are connected to the waist unit through hip joint components respectively, the hip joint component comprises a waist connecting plate fixedly connected to the waist horizontal plate, a hinge shaft, a first guide wheel fixed to the waist connecting plate, a second guide wheel fixed to the thigh, and a waist traction line, wherein the hinge shaft connects the waist connecting plate to the thigh to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the hip joint, one end of the waist traction line extends through the second guide wheel and the first guide wheel and is fixed to the waist connecting plate, and the other end is connected to the waist pneumatic muscle; The upper end of the back support plate is fixedly connected to the back cross beam, the lower end is fixedly connected to the waist unit, and the two thighs are respectively connected to the waist unit through hip joint components; the shoulder joint component comprises an arc-shaped shoulder joint connecting plate, a shoulder traction wheel, a shoulder traction line, a first hinge mechanism and a second hinge mechanism, one end of the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the upper end of the single arm through the first hinge mechanism to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the shoulder joint, the other end of the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the back cross beam through the second hinge mechanism to form an abduction-adduction rotation pair and an internal rotation-external rotation pair of the shoulder joint, and the shoulder traction wheel is fixed to the upper end of the single arm; one end of the shoulder traction line is connected to the shoulder traction wheel, and the other end is connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscle.

2. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 1, wherein: The thigh part includes a thigh plate and a thigh guard, wherein the thigh plate is provided with a waist pneumatic muscle bracket for installing the waist pneumatic muscle, and the thigh guard is provided with a belt connecting groove for connecting the thigh belt.

3. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Each of the single arms includes an upper arm, an elbow joint, a forearm, a wrist joint and a hand, wherein the upper end of the upper arm is connected to the shoulder joint connecting plate through the first hinge mechanism, and the lower end is connected to the forearm through the elbow joint to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the elbow joint, and the forearm is connected to the hand through the wrist joint to form a flexion-extension rotation pair of the wrist joint.

4. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Slide grooves are respectively provided at both ends of the back crossbeam, and the second hinge mechanism includes a hinge shaft and a hinge seat. The hinge seat is constructed with one end being cylindrical and the other end being a groove portion suitable for receiving the shoulder joint connecting plate. Opening holes are provided on both side walls of the groove portion, and the shoulder joint connecting plate is connected to the hinge seat through the cooperation of the hinge shaft and the opening holes to form an abduction-adduction rotation pair of the shoulder joint; the cylindrical end of the hinge seat can be rotatably accommodated in the slide groove and is positioned by a positioning bolt to prevent the hinge seat from linearly moving in the slide groove to form an internal rotation-external rotation pair of the shoulder joint.

5. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 3, wherein: Each of the upper arms comprises an outer upper arm plate, an inner upper arm plate and an upper arm guard which are fixedly connected to each other, each of the forearms comprises an outer forearm plate, an inner forearm plate and a forearm guard which are fixedly connected to each other, and the hand comprises an inner support plate and an outer support plate which are used to fix the hand guard which are fixedly connected to each other; wherein a first elbow pneumatic muscle support is provided on the outer upper arm plate and the inner upper arm plate, a second elbow pneumatic muscle support and a first wrist pneumatic muscle support are provided on the outer forearm plate and the inner forearm plate, a second wrist pneumatic muscle support is provided on the inner support plate and the outer support plate, elbow pneumatic muscles are installed on the first elbow pneumatic muscle support and the second elbow pneumatic muscle support to drive the elbow joint to pivot, and wrist pneumatic muscles are installed on the first wrist pneumatic muscle support and the second wrist pneumatic muscle support to drive the wrist joint to pivot.

6. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 5, wherein: The outer upper arm plate and the inner upper arm plate are respectively provided with upper arm strap connecting grooves for connecting the upper arm strap; the outer forearm plate and the inner forearm plate are respectively provided with forearm strap connecting grooves for connecting the forearm strap; the inner support plate and the outer support plate are respectively provided with hand strap connecting grooves for connecting the hand strap, and the inner support plate and the outer support plate are also respectively provided with grooves suitable for hanging heavy objects.

7. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 2, wherein: A shoulder traction line conduit is also provided for guiding the shoulder traction line; and a waist traction line fixing piece is provided on the waist connecting plate for fixing the waist traction line.

8. The exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to claim 1, wherein: Positioning slots are provided on both the first section and the second section, and the first section and the second section can be fixed by the cooperation of the positioning slots and locking screws.

9. An exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting system, comprising a control system and an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the control system comprising an air source generator, a controller, a pneumatic pressure reducing valve, an electromagnetic valve group respectively connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscles, the waist pneumatic muscles, the elbow pneumatic muscles and the wrist pneumatic muscles, and a driving circuit board arranged between the controller and the electromagnetic valve group, wherein the controller is used to control the pneumatic pressure reducing valve to reduce the pressure of the gas from the air source generator, the signal input end of the electromagnetic valve group is connected to the driving circuit board, and the driving circuit board is used to receive pre-set control instructions from the controller.

10. A control method for an exoskeleton rehabilitation assisting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: The pneumatic pressure reducing valve is controlled by a controller to reduce the pressure of the gas from the gas source generator; Based on the control instructions from the controller, the solenoid valve groups respectively connected to the shoulder pneumatic muscles, the waist pneumatic muscles, the elbow pneumatic muscles and the wrist pneumatic muscles are controlled to control the inflation and deflation of the shoulder pneumatic muscles, the waist pneumatic muscles, the elbow pneumatic muscles and the wrist pneumatic muscles.

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