Knee joint assist device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a knee joint assist device, comprising a thigh fixing part, a calf fixing part, a support rod, a support rod adjusting part, a knee joint bionic structure and a large deformation superelastic structural part; the thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part have bionic structures, which can fit the leg muscles of the human body and are used to fix the entire device at the position of the human knee to transfer the load; the knee joint bionic structure is a pair, which are respectively located on both sides of the human knee, and the two ends of each knee joint bionic structure are movably connected to the thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part through two upper and lower support rods; the upper and lower support rod ends are movably connected to the knee joint bionic structure by a hinged manner; the support rod adjusting part comprises two groups, which are respectively located on both sides of the thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part, and each group of two support rod adjusting parts are respectively threadedly connected to the support rods connected to the thigh and calf fixing parts; the upper and lower ends of the large deformation superelastic structural part are respectively fixed to the thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of flexible exoskeletons, and in particular relates to a knee joint assisting device. Background Art

[0002] When people walk, the weight borne by the hip, knee and ankle joints is 3 to 5 times the total body weight. The knee and ankle joints are two joints that are extremely vulnerable to injury. According to a survey of 2,500 people by the Peking University School of Medicine, the prevalence of knee arthritis in the elderly over 60 years old is 27.6%, while the prevalence of hip arthritis in the elderly is 0.8%. Obviously, the proportion of knee inflammation and injury is higher. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 500 million people with knee joint injuries in the world. Daily walking will increase the stress on the knee joints of people with knee joint injuries and accelerate knee joint injuries. Therefore, it is urgent to develop new in vitro structures to reduce the load on the knee joints.

[0003] A lower limb exoskeleton is a bionic robot that is worn on the outside of the lower limbs of the human body and assists the wearer's lower limbs in movement. It can enable the wearer to walk with weight, and can also be used to help the elderly and the disabled. According to the driving method of the power assist device, the lower limb exoskeleton can be divided into a pneumatically driven lower limb exoskeleton, a hydraulically driven lower limb exoskeleton, a motor-driven lower limb exoskeleton, and an unpowered exoskeleton. As can be seen from the figure, the existing lower limb exoskeleton has the disadvantages of complex system composition, easy to be disturbed by the outside world, poor comfort, inconvenient to wear, and unable to reduce the knee joint responsibility. This makes the exoskeleton used in weight-bearing work and rehabilitation medicine, but not suitable for patients with knee joint injuries and the elderly. In order to solve the above problems, the development of lower limb exoskeletons in recent years has mainly focused on knee exoskeletons. Similar to the lower limb exoskeleton, the existing knee exoskeletons all use active power assist. This type of knee exoskeleton still has the disadvantages of complex system, heavy weight, easy interference of the power assist device, and insufficient aesthetics, making it difficult for patients with knee joint injuries and the elderly to wear it for a long time. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a compact and lightweight passive knee exoskeleton.

[0004] The knee joint is one of the joints in the human body that bears the greatest load and has the most complex forms of movement. During the flexion and extension of the knee joint, the femur not only rotates on the tibia but also slides, that is, the bionic structure design of the knee joint needs to achieve rotation while the center of rotation also needs to achieve translation. In addition, for patients with knee injuries and the elderly, due to severe wear of the knee joint, they will experience severe pain when walking and climbing stairs. In order to relieve this pain, an exoskeleton must be used to assist in force transmission, so that the femur and tibia maintain a certain gap and reduce wear, that is, the knee exoskeleton must bear a load of 3 to 5 times the weight of the human body. On this basis, the knee exoskeleton is still lightweight to reduce the burden on the user. Finally, for patients with knee injuries and the elderly, this group of people has a certain degree of athletic ability, but due to knee injuries and aging, their athletic ability is insufficient and it is difficult for them to afford a passive knee exoskeleton. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a knee joint assist device in view of the problems that the existing knee joint exoskeleton has a complex structure, a heavy weight and cannot reduce the load on the knee joint.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A knee joint booster device, comprising a thigh fixing part, a calf fixing part, a support rod, a support rod adjusting part, a knee joint bionic structure and a large deformation superelastic structural part;

[0008] The thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part have a bionic structure, and can adjust the tightness according to the muscle structure of the human body, fit the leg muscles of the human body, and are used to fix the entire device at the knee position of the human body;

[0009] The knee joint bionic structure is a pair, which is located on both sides of the human knee, and the two ends of each knee joint bionic structure are movably connected to the thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part through two upper and lower support rods; the ends of the upper and lower support rods are movably connected to the knee joint bionic structure in a hinged manner;

[0010] The support rod adjustment pieces include two groups, which are respectively located on both sides of the thigh fixing piece and the calf fixing piece, and each group of two support rod adjustment pieces are respectively threadedly connected to the support rods connected to the thigh fixing piece and the calf fixing piece;

[0011] The upper and lower ends of the large deformation superelastic structural member are respectively fixed on the thigh fixing member and the calf fixing member.

[0012] Furthermore, the upper and lower support rods hinged to the knee joint bionic structure are connected by an arc-shaped elastic member; the two ends of the arc-shaped elastic member are respectively fixed to the upper and lower support rods by threaded connection, and are arranged around the knee joint bionic structure.

[0013] Specifically, the support rod is a tubular structure filled with a gradient porous structure, including a thin section connected to the support rod adjusting piece and a thick section connected to the knee joint bionic structure; the end of the thin section is adjustably connected to the support rod adjusting piece through a thread; the thick section is movably hinged to the knee joint bionic structure.

[0014] Specifically, the knee joint bionic structure includes a circular shell and an eccentric shaft installed in the middle of the shell. An elliptical slide groove for limiting the movement of the eccentric shaft is provided at the center of the shell; the ends of the upper and lower support rods are hinged to the eccentric shaft.

[0015] Specifically, the large deformation superelastic structural component is composed of a group of chiral structural connectors connected in sequence up and down, and two adjacent chiral structural connectors are connected through the circular ring corner point between them. The chiral structural connector has a negative Poisson's ratio. When the large deformation superelastic structural component is deformed by external force, the wall of the chiral structural connector bends around the circular ring corner point. Beneficial Effects

[0016] The entire exoskeleton of the knee joint assist device of the present invention does not use any power source. In order to reduce the wear of the user's knee joint and reduce the pain caused by exercise, a sliding hinge structure is used to realize the bionics of the knee joint, and the rotation and sliding coupling deformation during the varicose knee movement is realized. The overall structure is compact, the use is flexible and convenient, and the aesthetics is good. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, and the above and / or other advantages of the present invention will become more clear.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the knee joint power-assisting device.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the knee joint assist device.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a side structural schematic diagram of the knee joint power-assisting device.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the support rod in the knee joint assist device.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a partial enlarged view of the knee joint bionic structure in the knee joint assist device.

[0023] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the large deformation superelastic structural component in the knee joint assist device.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a diagram of the knee joint assist device in use.

[0025] Among them, the figure marks represent respectively: 1 thigh fixing part; 2 calf fixing part; 3 support rod; 31 thin section; 32 thick section; 4 support rod adjustment part; 5 knee joint bionic structure; 6 large deformation super elastic structural part; 61 chiral structure connecting part; 62 circular ring corner point; 7 eccentric rotating shaft; 8 arc elastic part; 9 outer shell; 10 elliptical slide groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention can be better understood with reference to the following examples.

[0027] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the drawings of the specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present invention, so they have no substantial technical significance. Any modification of the structure, change of the proportion relationship or adjustment of the size, without affecting the effects and purposes that can be achieved by the present invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical contents disclosed by the present invention. At the same time, the terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "middle" and so on quoted in this specification are only for the convenience of description, and are not used to limit the scope of the implementation of the present invention. The change or adjustment of their relative relationship should also be regarded as the scope of the implementation of the present invention without substantially changing the technical contents.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the knee joint assist device includes a thigh fixing part 1, a calf fixing part 2, a support rod 3, a support rod adjusting part 4, a knee joint bionic structure 5 and a large deformation superelastic structural part 6.

[0029] Among them, the thigh fixing part 1 and the calf fixing part 2 have a bionic structure and are made of high-density polyethylene material. The tightness can be adjusted by adjusting the straps according to the muscle structure of the human body, and the tightness can be adjusted by the straps to fix the entire device at the human knee position.

[0030] The knee joint bionic structure 5 is a pair, which is located on both sides of the human knee. The two ends of each knee joint bionic structure 5 are movably connected to the thigh fixing part 1 and the calf fixing part 2 through the upper and lower support rods 3; the ends of the upper and lower support rods 3 are movably connected to the knee joint bionic structure 5 by a hinged manner.

[0031] The support rod adjustment members 4 include two groups, which are respectively located on both sides of the thigh fixing member 1 and the calf fixing member 2, and each group of two support rod adjustment members 4 are respectively threadedly connected to the support rods 3 connected to the thigh and calf fixing members;

[0032] The upper and lower ends of the large deformation superelastic structural member 6 are fixed on the thigh fixing member 1 and the calf fixing member 2 respectively.

[0033] The upper and lower support rods 3 hinged to the knee joint bionic structure 5 are also connected by an arc-shaped elastic member 8; the two ends of the arc-shaped elastic member 8 are respectively fixed to the upper and lower support rods 3 by threaded connection, and are arranged around the knee joint bionic structure 5. The arc-shaped elastic member 8 provides partial resilience to help the knee to extend.

[0034] like Figure 4 As shown, the support rod 3 is a tubular structure filled with a gradient porous structure, including a thin section 31 connected to the support rod adjustment member 4 and a thick section 32 connected to the knee joint bionic structure 5; the end of the thin section 31 is adjustably connected to the support rod adjustment member 4 through a thread, so that the length of the support interval can be adjusted; the thick section 32 is movably hinged to the knee joint bionic structure 5. There are two groups of support rod adjustment members 4, which are respectively installed on both sides of the thigh fixing member 1 and the calf fixing member 2. The elongation of the threaded section of the support rod 3 is adjusted by the self-locking threaded knob to achieve the purpose of controlling the distance between the thigh fixing member 1, the calf fixing member 2 and the knee joint bionic structure 5.

[0035] The knee joint bionic structure 5 includes a circular shell 9 and an eccentric shaft 7 installed in the middle of the shell 9. An elliptical slide 10 is provided at the center of the shell 9 to limit the movement of the eccentric shaft 7. The ends of the upper and lower support rods 3 are hinged to the eccentric shaft 7. The eccentric shaft 7 can not only rotate on the knee joint bionic structure 5, but also slide. The self-locking structure of the elliptical slide 10 is designed in the middle of the shell 9 to prevent the knee joint bionic structure 5 from swinging forward, effectively protecting the user's knee joint.

[0036] The large deformation superelastic structural member 6 is composed of a group of chiral structural connectors 61 connected in sequence from top to bottom. Two adjacent chiral structural connectors 61 are connected through the circular corner point 62 between them. The chiral structural connector 61 has a negative Poisson's ratio. When the large deformation superelastic structural member 6 is deformed by external force, the wall of the chiral structural connector 61 bends around the circular corner point 62. When the knee joint exoskeleton bends, the large deformation superelastic structural member 6 bends, and the chiral structural connector 61 bends around the circular corner point 62, so that the large deformation superelastic structural member 6 and the human knee joint area bend synchronously; when the leg needs to be straightened, the chiral structural connector 61 is reversely bent and deformed around the circular corner point 62, and the large deformation superelastic structural member 6 is rebounded and deformed, pushing the human knee joint to straighten.

[0037] The present invention provides a concept and method for a knee joint assist device. There are many methods and ways to implement the technical solution. The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be considered as the protection scope of the present invention. All components not specified in this embodiment can be implemented using existing technologies.

Claims

1. A knee joint assist device, characterized in that: It comprises a thigh fixing part (1), a calf fixing part (2), a support rod (3), a support rod adjusting part (4), a knee joint bionic structure (5) and a large deformation superelastic structural part (6); The thigh fixing member (1) and the calf fixing member (2) can be adjusted in tightness according to the muscle structure of the human body and fit the leg muscles of the human body, so as to fix the entire device at the knee position of the human body; The knee joint bionic structure (5) is a pair, located on both sides of the human knee, respectively; the two ends of each knee joint bionic structure (5) are movably connected to the thigh fixing part (1) and the calf fixing part (2) via two upper and lower support rods (3); the ends of the upper and lower support rods (3) are movably connected to the knee joint bionic structure (5) in a hinged manner; The support rod adjustment members (4) include two groups, which are respectively located on both sides of the thigh fixing member (1) and the calf fixing member (2), and each group of two support rod adjustment members (4) are respectively threadedly connected to the support rods (3) connected to the thigh and calf fixing members; The upper and lower ends of the large deformation superelastic structural member (6) are respectively fixed to the thigh fixing member (1) and the calf fixing member (2); The upper and lower support rods (3) hinged to the knee joint bionic structure (5) are also connected via an arc-shaped elastic member (8); the two ends of the arc-shaped elastic member (8) are respectively fixed to the upper and lower support rods (3) by means of threaded connection, and are arranged around the knee joint bionic structure (5); The support rod (3) is a tubular structure filled with a gradient porous structure, comprising a thin section (31) connected to the support rod adjustment member (4) and a thick section (32) connected to the knee joint bionic structure (5); the end of the thin section (31) is adjustably connected to the support rod adjustment member (4) via a thread; the thick section (32) is movably hinged to the knee joint bionic structure (5); The knee joint bionic structure (5) comprises a circular shell (9) and an eccentric rotating shaft (7) installed in the middle of the shell (9); an elliptical sliding groove (10) for limiting the movement of the eccentric rotating shaft (7) is provided at the center of the shell (9); the ends of the upper and lower support rods (3) are both hinged to the eccentric rotating shaft (7); The large deformation superelastic structural member (6) is composed of a group of chiral structural connecting members (61) connected in sequence from top to bottom, and two adjacent chiral structural connecting members (61) are connected via a circular ring corner point (62) therebetween. The chiral structural connecting member (61) has a negative Poisson's ratio. When the large deformation superelastic structural member (6) is deformed by an external force, the wall of the chiral structural connecting member (61) bends around the circular ring corner point (62).

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