Exoskeleton-based human-machine interaction system

Abstract

The application discloses a human-computer interaction system based on an exoskeleton, which comprises an exoskeleton worn on an operator's arm, a signal sensing module which captures the action of the exoskeleton and converts it into a digital signal, a signal conversion module, and a signal interaction module which is used to send the action instruction to the intelligent robot so that the intelligent robot acts according to the action instruction, thereby repeating the action of the operator's arm and hand. The application has the beneficial effects that the triboelectric sensor is introduced into the exoskeleton sensing system, the motion detection of the multi-joint motion of the human body can be realized, the energy consumption can be reduced, the precision of the interactive motion can be greatly improved by using the gear as the transmission structure, and the application has broad application prospects in the fields of rehabilitation treatment of hemiplegic patients, remote operation of intelligent robots and the like.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of intelligent robots, and in particular to a human-computer interaction system based on an exoskeleton. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, robot technology is becoming an indispensable technology for future intelligent life and human society. High-precision special robots provide important help and even replace human responsibilities in medical operations, industrial automation, tasks in extreme environments, and many other fields. As a key device connecting human and robot systems, human-computer interaction systems show emerging demand for more advanced solutions, thereby achieving more precise control of robots.

[0003] Wearable human-computer interaction systems are currently the mainstream and popular direction of human-computer interaction systems and are highly respected at home and abroad. Existing wearable human-computer interaction carriers are mainly clothes, shoes, gloves, patches, etc. They achieve control of robots through clever structural design, but there is a considerable bottleneck in improving the quality, precision, and other operable physical parameters of the signal.

[0004] As a new technology for deep integration of humans and robots, exoskeletons have shown their unique advantages in patient rehabilitation and surgical auxiliary treatment. Exoskeleton robots are simple robots composed of a rigid main body frame and can be easily worn. In order to further improve the intelligence of exoskeleton robots, human-computer interface technology with various sensors based on exoskeletons is the mainstream technology for realizing a new round of industrialization and intelligentization. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a human-computer interaction system based on an exoskeleton to specifically address the technical deficiencies of existing exoskeleton field perception systems and improve the intelligent level of exoskeleton robots.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical solutions:

[0007] A human-computer interaction system based on an exoskeleton, which includes an intelligent robot that can be controlled by an operator, the intelligent robot including an arm and a hand, which includes:

[0008] An exoskeleton worn on the operator's arm to move with the operator's arm;

[0009] A signal perception module to be arranged on the exoskeleton to capture the movement of the exoskeleton and convert it into a digital signal;

[0010] A signal conversion module to convert the digital signal into a movement instruction for controlling the intelligent robot;

[0011] A signal interaction module is configured to send the action instruction to the intelligent robot, so that the intelligent robot performs the action according to the action instruction, thereby repeating the action of the operator's arm and hand.

[0012] Preferably, the exoskeleton includes a shoulder, a forearm and a rear arm fixed at corresponding positions of the operator's body, and a gear set is arranged between the shoulder and the forearm and between the forearm and the rear arm, and the gear set is rotatable with the shoulder, the forearm or the rear arm.

[0013] Preferably, the gear set includes two spur gears, one of which is fixedly arranged on the shoulder, the forearm or the rear arm, and the other of which is rotatably arranged and coaxially provided with a first bevel gear; the gear set further includes a second bevel gear engaged with the first bevel gear, and the second bevel gear is rotatably arranged on the shoulder, the forearm or the rear arm through a rotating shaft, so that when the shoulder and the forearm or the forearm and the rear arm rotate, the fixed spur gear drives the other spur gear to rotate, and the first bevel gear fixed on the spur gear drives the second bevel gear to rotate.

[0014] Preferably, the sensing device includes a regular hexagonal carrier arranged outside the rotating shaft, and six triboelectric sensors are uniformly arranged on the inner side of the hexagonal carrier; a knob is fixedly arranged on the rotating shaft, and the free end of the knob is capable of contacting the triboelectric sensors when the knob rotates with the rotating shaft, so that the triboelectric sensors generate an electric signal, the electric signal is filtered and amplified through a filter and amplifier circuit, and the digital signal is converted through an AD conversion circuit and sent to the signal conversion module.

[0015] Preferably, the triboelectric sensor includes a sensitive layer, an encapsulation layer and an electrode layer; the sensitive layer is made of hydrogel.

[0016] Preferably, the hydrogel is prepared in the following manner:

[0017] S11) Polyvinyl alcohol is added to deionized water at a mass ratio of 6:94 or 8:92, and stirring is performed under a water bath at 90±2℃ until the polyvinyl alcohol is dissolved, to obtain a polyvinyl alcohol solution;

[0018] S12) Deionized water, calcium chloride and corn starch are mixed at a mass ratio of 12:1:2 to obtain a mixed solution;

[0019] S13) The polyvinyl alcohol solution and the mixed solution are mixed at a mass ratio of 1:15, heated and stirred at a temperature of 60±2℃ for 30 to 40 minutes to form a gel pre-polymer;

[0020] S14) The gel prepolymer is vacuumed in a vacuum drying oven for more than 5 minutes to remove bubbles;

[0021] S15) The prepolymer is heated at 70±2℃ for more than 1.5 hours to obtain the hydrogel.

[0022] Preferably, the triboelectric sensor is prepared by the following steps:

[0023] S21) A substrate layer with a groove is prepared, and the substrate layer is made of copolyester;

[0024] S22) The hydrogel is placed in the groove, and one end of a silver wire is embedded in the hydrogel at a temperature of 80±2℃; the other end of the silver wire is connected to a flexible electrode, and the silver wire is adhered to the surface of the hydrogel with copper tape to fix the silver wire;

[0025] S23) The hydrogel is encapsulated with the encapsulation layer made of copolyester, and the substrate layer and the encapsulation layer are solidified at a temperature of 60±2℃ to obtain the triboelectric sensor.

[0026] Preferably, the end face of the free end of the dial block is provided with a positive triboelectric layer made of a copper-nickel alloy or a copper or nickel sheet to generate an electrical signal when the positive triboelectric layer rubs against the encapsulation layer of the triboelectric sensor.

[0027] Preferably, the direction discrimination device for distinguishing the rotation direction of the gear includes a base, a sliding groove is arranged on the base, a long strip-shaped moving block is movably arranged in the sliding groove, a contact sensor is arranged at each end of the sliding groove, two triangular triangular blocks are symmetrically pivotally arranged on the base, two protruding protruding blocks are arranged on the moving block, the two triangular blocks are arranged between the two protruding blocks, a dial piece is fixedly arranged on the rotating shaft, the dial piece is located between the two triangular blocks, when the dial piece rotates, the triangular blocks are rotated through the contact with the triangular blocks, and the moving block is driven to move along the sliding groove through the contact with the protruding blocks, and then the moving block contacts the contact sensor.

[0028] The application has the advantages that the triboelectric sensor is introduced into the exoskeleton sensing system, the motion of multiple joints of the human body can be detected, the energy consumption can be reduced, the gear transmission structure can greatly improve the precision of interactive motion, and the application has broad application prospects in the fields of rehabilitation treatment of hemiplegic patients, remote operation of intelligent robots and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the flow of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the exoskeleton;

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gear set at the connection between the forearm and the rear arm;

[0032] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sensing device;

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the direction discrimination device;

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the triboelectric sensor;

[0035] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the sensitivity of the triboelectric sensor;

[0036] Figure 8 is a signal diagram of the exoskeleton system when moving 30° / 60° / 90°, respectively. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions of the present application will be further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments.

[0038] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "inner", "outer", "upper", "lower", "horizontal", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0039] As shown in Figures 1 to 8 , the present application provides a human-computer interaction system based on an exoskeleton, which comprises an intelligent robot capable of being controlled by an operator, the intelligent robot comprising an arm and a hand, which comprises:

[0040] an exoskeleton worn on the operator's arm to move with the movement of the operator's arm;

[0041] a signal sensing module arranged on the exoskeleton to capture the movement data of the exoskeleton, especially the joint, and convert it into a digital signal;

[0042] a signal conversion module for converting the digital signal into a movement instruction for controlling the intelligent robot;

[0043] The signal interaction module is used for sending the action instruction to the intelligent robot, so that the intelligent robot acts according to the action instruction, and thus the action of the operator's arm and hand is repeated.

[0044] The exoskeleton comprises a shoulder part 10, a forearm 12 and a rear arm 14 fixed at corresponding positions of the operator's body. The shoulder part 10, the forearm 12 and the rear arm 14 are provided with gear sets 16 which are engaged with each other and rotate with the action of the shoulder part 10, the forearm 12 or the rear arm 14. The signal sensing module comprises a sensing device 18 arranged at the gear set 16 to monitor the rotation of the gear set 16.

[0045] The gear set 16 comprises two spur gears 20 arranged on the shoulder part 10, the forearm 12 and the rear arm 14 respectively, wherein one spur gear 20 is fixedly arranged, and the other spur gear 20 is rotatably arranged and coaxially provided with a first bevel gear 22. The gear set 16 further comprises a second bevel gear 24 engaged with the first bevel gear 22, and the second bevel gear 24 is rotatably arranged on the shoulder part 10, the forearm 12 and the rear arm 14 through a rotating shaft 26. In this way, when the shoulder part 10 and the forearm 12 or the forearm 12 and the rear arm 14 rotate, the fixedly arranged spur gear 20 drives the other spur gear 20 to rotate, and the first bevel gear 22 fixed on the spur gear 20 drives the second bevel gear 24 to rotate. Thus, the mutual movement between the parts of the exoskeleton can be determined by monitoring the rotation of the second bevel gear 24.

[0046] The sensing device 18 comprises a regular hexagonal carrier 28 sleeved on the rotating shaft 26, and six triboelectric sensors 30 are uniformly arranged on the inner side of the hexagonal carrier 28. A knob 32 is fixedly arranged on the rotating shaft 26, and the free end of the knob 32 rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 26 and can contact the triboelectric sensors 30 to generate an electric signal. The electric signal is filtered and amplified through a filter and amplifier circuit and is converted into a digital signal through an AD conversion circuit and is sent to the signal conversion module. The working principle is that when the second bevel gear 24 rotates, the rotating shaft 26 rotates synchronously to drive the knob 32 to rotate, and the knob 32 rotates in turn to contact the triboelectric sensors 30 to generate an electric signal. The movement of the second bevel gear 24, including the speed and the angle, can be determined by analyzing the electric signal.

[0047] The triboelectric sensor 30 comprises a sensitive layer 34, an encapsulating layer 36 and an electrode layer 38, and the sensitive layer 34 is made of hydrogel.

[0048] The hydrogel is prepared in the following manner:

[0049] S11) Polyvinyl alcohol is added to deionized water in a mass ratio of 6:94 or 8:92, and stirring is performed under a water bath at 90±2℃ until the polyvinyl alcohol is dissolved to obtain a polyvinyl alcohol solution;

[0050] S12) mixing deionized water, calcium chloride and corn starch with a mass ratio of 12:1:2 to obtain a mixed solution;

[0051] S13) mixing the polyvinyl alcohol solution and the mixed solution with a mass ratio of 1:15, and heating and stirring at a temperature of 60±2°C for 30 to 40 minutes to form a gel prepolymer;

[0052] S14) placing the gel prepolymer in a vacuum drying box and standing for more than 5 minutes after vacuumizing to remove air bubbles;

[0053] S15) heating the prepolymer at 70±2°C for more than 1.5 hours to obtain a hydrogel.

[0054] The triboelectric sensor 30 is prepared by the following steps:

[0055] S21) preparing a substrate layer with a groove, the substrate layer being made of copolyester;

[0056] S22) placing the hydrogel in the groove, and burying one end of a silver wire inside the hydrogel at a temperature of 80±2°C; the other end of the silver wire is connected to a flexible electrode, and the silver wire is adhered to the surface of the hydrogel with copper tape to fix the silver wire;

[0057] S23) encapsulating the hydrogel with an encapsulation layer 36 made of copolyester, and heating at a temperature of 60±2°C to solidify the substrate layer and the encapsulation layer 36 to obtain the triboelectric sensor 30.

[0058] The end face of the free end of the dial block 32 is provided with a positive polarity rubbing layer 56, which is a thin sheet made of copper-nickel alloy or copper or nickel, to generate an electrical signal when the positive polarity rubbing layer rubs against the encapsulation layer 36 of the triboelectric sensor 30.

[0059] The direction discrimination device 54 for discriminating the rotation direction of the gear is also included, which comprises a base 40 provided with a sliding groove 42, a long strip-shaped moving block 44 movably arranged in the sliding groove 42, a contact sensor 46 arranged at each end of the sliding groove 42, two triangular triangular blocks 48 symmetrically pivotally arranged on the base 40, two protruding protruding blocks 50 arranged on the moving block 44, the two triangular blocks 48 being arranged between the two protruding blocks 50, a dial piece 52 fixedly arranged on the rotating shaft 26, the dial piece 52 being located between the two triangular blocks 48, so that when the dial piece 52 rotates, the triangular blocks 48 rotate through the contact with the triangular blocks 48, and the rotation of the triangular blocks 48 drives the moving block 44 to move along the sliding groove 42 through the contact with the protruding blocks 50, and then the moving block 44 contacts the contact sensor 46, so that the rotation direction of the rotating shaft 26, i.e. the second bevel gear 24, can be known.

[0060] The above merely illustrates the embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process conversion, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, which is made according to the content of the present application, shall be included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A human-computer interaction system based on an exoskeleton, comprising an intelligent robot controllable by an operator, said intelligent robot including an arm and a hand, characterized in that, It includes: An exoskeleton worn on the operator's arm that moves in sync with the operator's arm movements; A signal sensing module is installed on the exoskeleton to capture the movements of the exoskeleton and convert them into digital signals; A signal conversion module is used to convert the digital signal into action commands to control the intelligent robot; The signal interaction module is used to send the action instructions to the intelligent robot, so that it can perform actions according to the action instructions, thereby repeating the actions of the operator's arm and hand; The exoskeleton includes a shoulder, forearm, and hind arm fixed to corresponding positions on the operator's body. Each shoulder and forearm, and each forearm and hind arm, is provided with a gear set that meshes with each other and rotates with the movement of the shoulder, forearm, or hind arm. The signal sensing module includes a sensing device located at the gear set to monitor the rotation of the gears in the gear set. The gear set includes two spur gears, which are respectively mounted on the shoulder, forearm, and rear arm. One spur gear is fixed, while the other is rotatably mounted, with a first bevel gear coaxially mounted on it. It also includes a second bevel gear meshing with the first bevel gear. The second bevel gear is rotatably mounted on the shoulder, forearm, and rear arm via a rotating shaft. This structure allows the fixed spur gear to drive the other spur gear to rotate when the shoulder and forearm or forearm and rear arm rotate, thereby driving the second bevel gear to rotate. The sensing device monitors the rotation of the second bevel gear to determine the relative movement between the various parts of the exoskeleton. The sensing device includes a regular hexagonal carrier sleeved outside the rotating shaft. Six triboelectric sensors are evenly arranged inside the hexagonal carrier. A lever is fixedly mounted on the rotating shaft. When the free end of the lever rotates with the rotating shaft, it can contact the triboelectric sensors, causing the triboelectric sensors to generate electrical signals. The electrical signals are filtered and amplified by a filtering and amplification circuit, and then converted into digital signals by an AD conversion circuit and sent to the signal conversion module. The lever alternately contacts the triboelectric sensors to generate electrical signals. By analyzing the electrical signals, the motion of the second bevel gear, including speed and angle, can be obtained. The triboelectric sensor includes a sensitive layer, an encapsulation layer, and an electrode layer; the sensitive layer is made of hydrogel. The hydrogel was prepared using the following method: S11) Add polyvinyl alcohol to deionized water at a mass ratio of 6:94 or 8:92, and stir in a water bath at 90±2℃ until the polyvinyl alcohol dissolves to obtain a polyvinyl alcohol solution. S12) Deionized water, calcium chloride and corn starch are mixed in a mass ratio of 12:1:2 to obtain a mixed solution; S13) Mix the polyvinyl alcohol solution and the mixed solution at a mass ratio of 1:15, and heat and stir at a temperature of 60±2℃ for 30 to 40 minutes to form a gel prepolymer; S14) After vacuuming the gel prepolymer in a vacuum drying oven, let it stand for more than 5 minutes to remove air bubbles; S15) The prepolymer is heated at 70±2℃ for more than 1.5 hours to obtain the hydrogel; The triboelectric sensor is prepared by the following steps: S21) Prepare a base layer with grooves, the base layer being made of copolyester, the copolyester being Ecoflex silicone A and B, which are prepared as a copolyester prepolymer in a 1:1 volume or weight ratio, wherein the copolyester prepolymer is heated at 60°C for 30 min to prepare the copolyester. S22) The hydrogel is placed in the groove, and one end of a silver wire is buried inside the hydrogel at a temperature of 60±2℃; the other end of the silver wire is connected to a flexible electrode, and the silver wire is fixed by adhering it to the surface of the hydrogel with copper tape. S23) The encapsulation layer is prepared using the copolyester prepolymer to encapsulate the hydrogel, and the base layer and encapsulation layer are solidified at a temperature of 60±2℃ to obtain the triboelectric sensor.

2. The exoskeleton-based human-computer interaction system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A positive polarity friction layer is provided on the end face of the free end of the push block. The positive polarity friction layer is a thin sheet made of copper-nickel alloy or copper or nickel, so as to generate an electrical signal when the positive polarity friction layer rubs against the encapsulation layer of the triboelectric sensor.

3. The exoskeleton-based human-computer interaction system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a direction-discriminating device for distinguishing the rotation direction of the gear. The direction-discriminating device includes a base with a groove on the base. A long strip-shaped moving block is movably disposed in the groove. A contact sensor is disposed at each end of the groove. Two triangular blocks are symmetrically pivoted on the base. Two protruding protrusions are disposed on the moving block. The two triangular blocks are disposed between the two protrusions. A lever is fixedly disposed on the rotating shaft. The lever is located between the two triangular blocks. When the lever rotates, it contacts the triangular blocks, causing the triangular blocks to rotate. The rotation of the triangular blocks, through contact with the protrusions, drives the moving block to move along the groove, thereby causing the moving block to contact the contact sensor.

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