A semi-active firefighting assistive exoskeleton

Abstract

The purpose of this invention is to provide a semi-active firefighting assistive exoskeleton, comprising a central bone, a back plate, a back plate drive section, and an upper arm drive section. A waist belt is provided at the lower end of the central bone, and the upper end of the central bone is fixedly connected to the back plate. A chest belt is also provided on the back plate. Its structure is relatively lightweight to meet the requirements of suddenness and flexibility in firefighting operations, while providing firefighters with a significant degree of upper limb assistance, thus helping to improve the endurance of upper limb muscles, reduce tissue damage, and improve work efficiency during firefighting operations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of exoskeleton robots, specifically to a semi-active firefighting assistive exoskeleton. Background Technology

[0002] Exoskeletons can be categorized into active and passive types based on their power source. Active exoskeletons are typically equipped with external power drive components such as motors, hydraulic cylinders, and pneumatic cylinders, providing greater assistance to the human body. However, the presence of the power unit also makes active exoskeletons generally quite heavy. Passive exoskeletons, on the other hand, typically utilize springs as energy storage elements. They provide less assistance to the human body but are also lighter. Different types of exoskeletons are suitable for different work conditions. Currently, exoskeletons have been widely used in various sectors of society to assist humans in heavy lifting and other tasks, saving labor costs and protecting human health. However, there has been no effective application of exoskeletons in the field of firefighting.

[0003] In firefighting operations, firefighters often need to hold water hoses for extended periods to extinguish fires. During this process, their upper limbs not only bear the weight of the pipes and the fluid inside, but also the recoil force generated by the fluid spraying from the pipes. They also need to adjust their position and posture in real time, placing immense pressure on their muscles during these adjustments. Exposure to this continuous load or using inappropriate postures significantly increases the risk of muscle strain or injury. Even under low-intensity conditions, prolonged holding of a water hose can lead to rapid muscle fatigue, and long-term fatigue can cause permanent damage to a firefighter's body.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a fire-fighting assistive exoskeleton that is relatively lightweight yet can provide significant assistance to firefighters, taking into account the suddenness, urgency, and duration of fire-fighting operations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on the above objectives, the present invention aims to provide a semi-active firefighting assistive exoskeleton with a lightweight structure to meet the requirements of suddenness and flexibility in firefighting operations, while providing firefighters with a significant degree of upper limb assistance, thereby helping to improve the endurance of upper limb muscles, reduce tissue damage, and increase work efficiency during firefighting operations.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows: a semi-active fire-fighting assistive exoskeleton, including a central bone, a back plate, a back plate driving part and an upper arm driving part, a waist belt is provided at the lower end of the central bone, the upper end of the central bone is fixedly connected to the back plate, and a chest belt is also provided on the back plate.

[0007] The backplate includes a backplate, the central bone is fixedly connected to the backplate, the chest strap is fixedly connected to the backplate, and two connecting sliding posts are also fixedly connected to the backplate. The connecting sliding posts are provided with multiple rows of bolt holes, and a back drive connecting plate is fixedly connected to each connecting sliding post by bolts. By selecting bolt holes at different positions, the relative height between the back drive connecting plate and the connecting sliding posts can be adjusted. The back drive connecting plate is used to fix and connect the back drive part.

[0008] The back drive section includes a support member, a load-bearing frame, a hydraulic cylinder one, and a hydraulic cylinder two. The support member is located at the center of the back and is fixedly connected to two connecting sliding columns by two back drive connecting plates. Two hinged rods extend from the support member to both sides of the back, and the two hinged rods on each side are respectively hinged to hydraulic cylinder one and hydraulic cylinder two. One side of the load-bearing frame is hinged to the support member, and the other side is hinged to the shoulder connecting frame. Two more hinged rods extend from the shoulder connecting frame and are respectively hinged to the ends of hydraulic cylinder one and hydraulic cylinder two away from the support member. The support member, load-bearing frame, hydraulic cylinder one and hydraulic cylinder two, and shoulder connecting frame together form a back drive section similar to a four-bar linkage, which can drive the shoulder connecting member to perform opening and closing movements.

[0009] The upper arm drive unit includes a shoulder frame, a connecting rod, a forearm frame, a hydraulic cylinder three, and a hydraulic cylinder four. The shoulder frame has hinge points one and two at each end, and a hinge point three in the middle. Hinge point one is hinged to one end of the connecting rod, and the other end of the connecting rod is hinged to one end of the forearm frame. Hinge point two is hinged to hydraulic cylinder four, and the other end of hydraulic cylinder four is hinged to the forearm frame. Hinge point three is hinged to hydraulic cylinder three, and the other end of hydraulic cylinder three is hinged to the forearm frame. The hinge points of hydraulic cylinder three and hydraulic cylinder four with the forearm frame are located on the left and right sides of the hinge point between the connecting rod and the forearm frame, respectively. The shoulder connecting frame is hinged to the middle of the shoulder frame on the side furthest from the load-bearing frame. When the shoulder connecting frame performs an opening and closing motion, it can drive the forearm drive unit to perform a closing motion.

[0010] Specifically, the forearm frame is designed with a U-shaped fork structure at the end near the elbow joint. The U-shaped fork has three hinge points at the bottom, middle and top. The forearm frame is also equipped with a wrist strap and arm strap to connect to the human arm.

[0011] Hydraulic cylinders one, two, three, and four adopt the same structure, each including a hydraulic cylinder, a piston, and a piston rod. Both ends of the hydraulic cylinder are closed by end caps. The piston is located inside the hydraulic cylinder and can slide along it. One end of the piston rod is connected to the piston, and the other end extends out of the hydraulic cylinder end cap and is provided with a hinge point. A first liquid inlet / outlet is provided on one end cap of the hydraulic cylinder body, and a second liquid inlet / outlet is provided on the other end cap of the hydraulic cylinder body. The hydraulic cylinders of this exoskeleton use the pressure of water inside a fire hose as their power source. The hydraulic cylinder cavity without a piston rod obtains water from the fire hose as the pressure medium. Water intake from the fire hose can be achieved by modifying the fire hose or adding a water intake device at the connection between the fire hose and the water pipe. For example, a throttling structure can be installed in parallel or in series inside the water pipe, with the high-pressure end of the throttling structure serving as the power inlet of the hydraulic cylinder and the low-pressure end serving as the power outlet of the hydraulic cylinder.

[0012] The advantages of this invention are:

[0013] 1. A hydraulic cylinder is configured, but the hydraulic pressure of the water inside the fire hose is used as the power source for the hydraulic cylinder. There is no need to add a complete external power component to the exoskeleton of this invention, so that the exoskeleton of this invention can maintain a lighter total weight and adapt to the sudden and flexible operation of fire fighting.

[0014] 2. Compared to fully passive exoskeletons, the power assistance effect of hydraulic cylinders is far greater than that of springs in passive exoskeletons. Compared to fully active exoskeletons, the total weight is far lower than that of active exoskeletons, and the application range is less restricted.

[0015] 3. Compared to other exoskeletons, it features a back drive section, which can greatly enhance the exoskeleton's assistance to the human body and prevent injury caused by the entire spine bearing the force. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the back plate structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the back drive section of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the back drive section of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the upper arm drive section of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the shoulder skeleton structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the forearm skeleton structure of the exoskeleton of this invention;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic cylinder structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic assist principle of the exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Backplate, 2. Central bone, 3. Chest belt, 4. Waist belt, 5. Connecting sliding column, 6. Back drive connecting plate, 7. Support component, 8. Load-bearing frame, 9. Piston 1, 10. Piston 2, 11. Shoulder connecting frame, 12. Shoulder skeleton, 13. Connecting rod, 14. Piston 3, 15. Piston 4, 16. Forearm skeleton, 17. Piston, 18. Piston rod. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0027] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation method of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0028] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein. They are not intended to limit the conditions under which the invention can be implemented and therefore have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives achieved by the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, the positional limitations used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention's implementation.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention. The semi-active fire-fighting assistive exoskeleton of the present invention includes a central bone 2, a back plate part, a back plate driving part and an upper arm driving part. A waist belt 4 is provided at the lower end of the central bone 2, and the upper end of the central bone 2 is fixedly connected to the back plate part. A chest belt 3 is also provided on the back plate part.

[0030] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the backplate structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the backplate includes a backplate 1, a central bone 2 fixedly connected to the backplate 1, a chest strap 3 fixedly connected to the backplate 1, and two connecting sliding posts 5 fixedly connected to the backplate 1. The connecting sliding posts 5 are provided with multiple rows of bolt holes, and a back drive connecting plate 6 is fixedly connected to each connecting sliding post 5 by bolts. By selecting bolt holes at different positions, the relative height between the back drive connecting plate 6 and the connecting sliding posts 5 can be adjusted. The back drive connecting plate 6 is used to fix and connect the back drive part.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the back drive portion of the exoskeleton of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the back drive section of the exoskeleton of the present invention. The back drive section includes a support member 7, a load-bearing frame 8, a hydraulic cylinder 9, and a hydraulic cylinder 10. The support member 7 is located at the center of the back and is fixedly connected to two connecting sliding columns 5 by two back drive connecting plates 6. The support member 7 extends two hinge rods to both sides of the back, and the two hinge rods on each side are respectively hinged to the hydraulic cylinder 9 and the hydraulic cylinder 10. One side of the load-bearing frame 8 is hinged to the support member 7, and the other side is hinged to the shoulder connecting frame 11. Two hinge rods also extend from the shoulder connecting frame 11, which are respectively hinged to the ends of the hydraulic cylinders 9 and 10 away from the support member 7. The support member 7, the load-bearing frame 8, the hydraulic cylinders 9 and 10, and the shoulder connecting frame 11 together form a back drive section similar to a four-bar linkage, which can drive the shoulder connecting member 11 to perform opening and closing movements.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the upper arm drive section of the exoskeleton of the present invention. The upper arm drive section includes a shoulder frame 12, a connecting rod 13, a forearm frame 16, a third hydraulic cylinder 14, and a fourth hydraulic cylinder 15, as shown below. Figure 6 The diagram shows a schematic of the shoulder skeleton structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention. The shoulder skeleton 12 has hinge points 1 and 2 at each end, and hinge point 3 at the middle position. Hinge point 1 is hinged to one end of connecting rod 13, and the other end of connecting rod 13 is hinged to one end of forearm skeleton 16. Hinge point 2 is hinged to hydraulic cylinder 4 15, and the other end of hydraulic cylinder 4 15 is hinged to forearm skeleton 16. Hinge point 3 is hinged to hydraulic cylinder 3 14, and the other end of hydraulic cylinder 3 14 is hinged to forearm skeleton 16. The hinge points of hydraulic cylinder 3 14 and hydraulic cylinder 4 15 with forearm skeleton 16 are located on the left and right sides of the hinge point between connecting rod 13 and forearm skeleton 16, respectively. The shoulder connecting frame 11 is hinged to the middle position of the shoulder skeleton 12 on the side away from the load-bearing frame 8. When the shoulder connecting frame 11 performs opening and closing movements, it can drive the forearm driving part to perform a closing movement.

[0033] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the forearm skeleton structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the end of the forearm skeleton 16 near the elbow joint is set as a U-shaped fork structure. The bottom, middle and top of the U-shaped fork are provided with a total of three hinge points. The forearm skeleton 16 is also provided with a wrist strap and arm strap to connect the human arm.

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic cylinder structure of the exoskeleton of the present invention. Hydraulic cylinder one, hydraulic cylinder two, hydraulic cylinder three and hydraulic cylinder four adopt the same structure, as shown in the figure. They all include a hydraulic cylinder, a piston 17 and a piston rod 18. The two ends of the hydraulic cylinder are closed by end caps. The piston 17 is located inside the hydraulic cylinder and can slide along the hydraulic cylinder. One end of the piston rod 18 is connected to the piston 17, and the other end extends out of the hydraulic cylinder end cap and is provided with a hinge point. A first liquid inlet and outlet is provided on the hydraulic cylinder body near one end cap, and a second liquid inlet and outlet is provided on the other end cap of the hydraulic cylinder body. Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic assist principle of the exoskeleton of the present invention. The hydraulic cylinder without a piston rod obtains water from the fire hose as a pressure medium. The water intake method can be achieved by modifying the fire hose or adding a water intake device at the connection between the fire hose and the water pipe. As shown in the figure, a throttling structure is set in the water pipe. The high-pressure end of the throttling structure serves as the inlet of the hydraulic cylinder power end, and the low-pressure end of the throttling structure serves as the outlet of the hydraulic cylinder power end.

[0035] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed invention. The scope of protection claimed by the appended claims and their equivalents is defined.

Claims

1. A semi-active firefighting power-assisted exoskeleton, comprising a central bone, a back plate part, a back plate driving part and an upper arm driving part, a waist belt is arranged at the lower end of the central bone, the upper end of the central bone is fixedly connected with the back plate part, and a chest belt is further arranged on the back plate part; The back plate part comprises a back plate, the central bone is fixedly connected with the back plate, the chest belt is fixedly connected on the back plate, and two connecting sliding columns are further fixedly connected on the back plate, a plurality of bolt holes are arranged on the connecting sliding columns, a back driving connecting plate is fixedly connected on each connecting sliding column through a bolt, the relative height position between the back driving connecting plate and the connecting sliding column can be adjusted by selecting the bolt holes at different positions, and the back driving connecting plate is used for fixedly connecting the back plate driving part. The back plate driving part comprises a support, a force bearing frame, a hydraulic cylinder one and a hydraulic cylinder two, the support is located at the central position of the back, is fixedly connected on the two connecting sliding columns through the two back driving connecting plates, and extends two hinged rods to both sides of the back, the two hinged rods on each side are respectively hinged with the hydraulic cylinder one and the hydraulic cylinder two, one side of the force bearing frame is hinged with the support, and the other side is hinged with a shoulder connecting frame, two hinged rods are further extended from the shoulder connecting frame and are respectively hinged with one ends of the hydraulic cylinder one and the hydraulic cylinder two away from the support. The upper arm driving part comprises a shoulder frame, a connecting rod, a small arm frame, a hydraulic cylinder three and a hydraulic cylinder four, two hinged points one and two are arranged at the two ends of the shoulder frame, a hinged point three is arranged at the middle position of the shoulder frame, the hinged point one is hinged with one end of the connecting rod, the other end of the connecting rod is hinged with one end of the small arm frame, the hinged point two is hinged with the hydraulic cylinder four, the other end of the hydraulic cylinder four is hinged with the small arm frame, the hinged point three is hinged with the hydraulic cylinder three, the other end of the hydraulic cylinder three is hinged with the small arm frame, and the hinged points of the hydraulic cylinder three and the hydraulic cylinder four with the small arm frame are respectively located on the left and right sides of the hinged points of the connecting rod and the small arm frame; and one side of the shoulder connecting frame away from the force bearing frame is hinged with the middle position of the shoulder frame.

2. The semi-active firefighting assist exoskeleton according to claim 1, further characterized by, The end of the small arm frame close to the elbow joint is provided with a U-shaped fork structure, and three hinged points are arranged at the bottom, the middle and the top of the U-shaped fork structure.

3. The semi-active firefighting assist exoskeleton according to claim 2, further characterized by, A wrist belt and an arm belt for connecting the human arm are further arranged on the small arm frame.

4. The semi-active firefighting assist exoskeleton according to any one of claims 1-3, further characterized by, The hydraulic cylinder one, the hydraulic cylinder two, the hydraulic cylinder three and the hydraulic cylinder four adopt the same structure, each of which comprises a hydraulic cylinder, a piston and a piston rod, the two ends of the hydraulic cylinder are closed by end covers, the piston is located in the hydraulic cylinder and can slide along the hydraulic cylinder, one end of the piston rod is connected with the piston, the other end of the piston rod extends out of the end cover of the hydraulic cylinder and is provided with a hinged point, a first liquid inlet and outlet are arranged on the hydraulic cylinder body close to the position of one side end cover, and a second liquid inlet and outlet are arranged on the other side end cover.

5. The semi-active firefighting assist exoskeleton according to claim 4, further characterized by, The first liquid inlet and outlet and the second liquid inlet and outlet are both communicated with the water pipe of the fire water gun, and water is obtained from the fire water gun as a pressure medium to drive the piston to move.

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