A rigid back-bearing exoskeleton with adaptive adjustment of the center of mass of heavy objects

Abstract

The present invention is a rigid back-bearing exoskeleton that can adaptively adjust the center of mass of a heavy object. The exoskeleton comprises an upper body carrying portion, a load-bearing plate, and a driving mechanism. The upper body carrying portion comprises a main frame and an upper body binding portion. Two driving mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main frame. The driving mechanism comprises a thigh binding rod, a connecting rod, a tripod, a sliding rod, and a slider. The front end of the side surface of the main frame is rotatably connected to the upper end of the thigh binding rod, the rear end of the side surface of the main frame is rotatably connected to the first vertex of the tripod, one end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the second vertex of the tripod, the other end of the connecting rod is rotatably connected to the middle part of the thigh binding rod, and the third vertex of the tripod is rotatably connected to the slider. The upper end of the sliding rod is inserted into the rear end of the side surface of the main frame, the upper end of the sliding rod contacts the middle part of the load-bearing plate but is not fixed, and the lower end of the sliding rod is provided with a horizontal slide groove that cooperates with the slider, and the slider can slide back and forth in the horizontal slide groove. During the process of carrying a load and walking, the exoskeleton can reduce the oscillation of the heavy object to relieve fatigue of the upper limbs of the human body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of exoskeletons, and in particular relates to a rigid back-bearing exoskeleton capable of adaptively adjusting the center of gravity. Background Art

[0002] An exoskeleton is a bionic robot that assists the human body in walking. It is primarily used to assist with prolonged weight-bearing walking, enhancing the body's load-bearing capacity and providing assistance during exercise. During weight-bearing walking, the load oscillates vertically with the body's movement. The resulting oscillating force increases stress on the upper limbs, significantly reducing the body's load-bearing capacity and contributing to upper limb fatigue.

[0003] Studies have shown that reducing the oscillation of heavy objects during human walking can effectively relieve fatigue in the human upper limbs. Most existing carrying exoskeletons use springs, pulleys and other mechanisms as weight center adjustment mechanisms to achieve the purpose of buffering and shock absorption. For example, the patent application with application number 202110585438.0 discloses a load-bearing exoskeleton carrying device. When the heavy object reciprocates vertically, the force of the heavy object on the rotating connector changes. A support spring is provided between the two support rods. The change in the force of the heavy object on the rotating connector will cause the support spring to deform. At this time, the support spring will buffer the energy during dynamic load-bearing through deformation, absorb part of the direct force exerted by the heavy object on the exoskeleton and the human body, and achieve the purpose of buffering and shock absorption. However, the elastic force of the spring is uncontrollable. When the weight of the heavy object is too small or too large, and the human body moves at a fast speed, the stability of the mechanism will decrease, and the effect of alleviating the oscillation of the heavy object will be poor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to propose a rigid back-bearing exoskeleton that can adaptively adjust the center of mass of the heavy object.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is:

[0006] A rigid back-bearing exoskeleton capable of adaptively adjusting the center of mass of a load, comprising an upper body back-bearing portion, a load-bearing plate, and a drive mechanism. The upper body back-bearing portion comprises a main frame and an upper body binding portion. Two drive mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on either side of the main frame, and the load-bearing plate is located at the rear side of the main frame.

[0007] The cam is connected to the front end of the main frame by a first end and a second end of the main frame by a second end, and the cam is connected to the cam by a second end.

[0008] Furthermore, for the supporting leg, at the end of the double support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod rotates to the front of the human body, and the slider is located at the front end of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod. At this time, the sliding rod is at the upper dead center and the weight is at the highest point; in the middle of the single support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod is upright, and the slider is located in the middle position of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod. At this time, the sliding rod is at the lower dead center and the weight is at the lowest point; at the beginning of the double support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod rotates to the back of the human body, and the slider is located at the rear end of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod. At this time, the sliding rod returns to the upper dead center and the weight returns to the highest point.

[0009] Furthermore, the first, second, and third vertices of the tripod are denoted as points D, C, and E, respectively. The angle between the DC rod and the DE rod of the tripod is 76°, and the angle between the DE rod and the EC rod is 44°; the length of the DE rod is 140 mm; and the length of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod is 215 mm.

[0010] Furthermore, the main frame is L-shaped, including a bottom bracket and an arc-shaped back panel located above the bottom bracket; a load-bearing plate guide rod is provided on the bottom bracket, and the load-bearing plate is mounted on the load-bearing plate guide rod, and the load-bearing plate can move up and down reciprocatingly along the load-bearing plate guide rod.

[0011] Furthermore, a sponge layer is provided at the upper end of the sliding rod, and flexible contact between the sliding rod and the load-bearing plate is achieved through the sponge layer.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] 1. The thigh binding rod, the part between the main frame and the two connection points of the thigh binding rod and the tripod, the part between the first vertex and the second vertex of the tripod, and the connecting rod together constitute a four-bar mechanism, the sliding rod and the slider constitute a sine mechanism, and the tripod serves as the power source of the sine mechanism; under the action of the four-bar mechanism and the sine mechanism, from the end of the double support phase of the gait cycle to the beginning of the next double support phase, the weight moves down from the highest point to the lowest point, and then moves up to the highest point, so that the moving direction of the weight is opposite to the changing direction of the center of gravity of the human body, that is, in the process of the center of gravity of the human body moving from the lowest point to the highest point, the weight moves from the highest point to the lowest point, and in the process of the center of gravity of the human body moving from the lowest point to the highest point, the weight moves from the lowest point to the highest point, thereby realizing adaptive adjustment of the center of gravity of the weight; by controlling the moving direction of the weight, the oscillation of the weight is reduced, so as to reduce the force on the upper limbs of the human body, relieve upper limb fatigue, and improve the load-bearing capacity.

[0014] 2. The present invention uses a purely mechanical rigid structure, which has a wide range of weights for carrying heavy objects, a simple structure, and is stable and controllable. It can reduce the oscillation caused by the heavy objects following the movement of the human body; it can be used normally without external drive, and reduces the pressure on the shoulders and back from the heavy objects and the peak torque of the lower limb hip joints. Experiments show that when carrying a 30kg weight, the pressure on the shoulders is reduced by 53.68%; the pressure on the back is reduced by 53.65%; the lumbar joint torque is reduced by 51.23%; and the hip joint torque is reduced by 20.10%. The present invention can be used as a modular structure and assembled with other existing hip-driven lower limb exoskeletons. It can be used in workplaces such as carrying and carrying, where workers need to carry heavy objects and walk for long periods of time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 It is a right side view of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the connection between the driving mechanism and the main frame of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Exploded view of the middle part c;

[0019] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Exploded view of the middle part a;

[0020] Figure 6 for Figure 3 Exploded view of the middle part b;

[0021] Figure 7 This is the dimensional drawing of the tripod;

[0022] Figure 8 This is the dimension drawing of the sliding rod;

[0023] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the upper body carrying part;

[0024] FIG10( a ) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the driving mechanism on the supporting leg side at the end of the double support phase of the gait cycle;

[0025] FIG10( b ) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the driving mechanism on the supporting leg side during the single support phase of the gait cycle;

[0026] Figure 10(c) is a schematic diagram of the position of the driving mechanism on the supporting leg side in the early stage of the double support phase of the gait cycle;

[0027] Figure 11 This is the trajectory diagram of the center of gravity changes during normal walking;

[0028] Figure 12 A comparison of the trajectory of the center of mass of a person walking with and without an exoskeleton.

[0029] In the figure: 1. Drive mechanism; 2. Weight; 3. Upper body binding part; 4. Load-bearing plate; 5. Main frame;

[0030] 100, thigh tie rod; 101, connecting rod; 102, tripod; 103, sliding rod; 104, slider; 105, pin; 106, pin washer; 107, first locating pin; 108, stepped shaft; 109, second locating pin; 110, stepped shaft washer; 111, third locating pin; 112, slider washer; 113, connecting shaft; 300, first shoulder strap; 301, second shoulder strap; 302, waist and abdomen transverse strap; 401, load-bearing plate guide rod; 501, bottom bracket; 502, curved back panel;

[0031] 100-1, thigh strap; 103-1, horizontal slide; 103-2, sponge layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods and drawings, which is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] The present invention is a rigid back-bearing exoskeleton (abbreviated as back-bearing exoskeleton, see Figures 1 to 12 ), including an upper body carrying portion, a load-bearing plate 4, and two drive mechanisms 1. The upper body carrying portion includes a main frame 5 and an upper body binding portion 3. The two drive mechanisms 1 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main frame 5. The load-bearing plate 4 is connected to the rear side of the main frame 5 and is used to place heavy objects 2.

[0034] The driving mechanism 1 includes a thigh binding rod 100, a connecting rod 101, a tripod 102, a sliding rod 103 and a slider 104; the front end of the side of the main frame 5 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the thigh binding rod 100, the rear end of the side of the main frame 5 is rotatably connected to the first vertex D of the tripod 102, one end of the connecting rod 101 is rotatably connected to the second vertex C of the tripod 102, the other end of the connecting rod 101 is rotatably connected to the middle of the thigh binding rod 100, and the third vertex E of the tripod 102 is rotatably connected to the slider 104; the sliding rod 103 is a T-shaped structure, the upper end of the sliding rod 103 is inserted into the rear end of the side of the main frame 5, and the upper end of the sliding rod 103 is in contact with the middle of the load-bearing plate 4 without being fixed, and the sliding rod The lower end of 103 is provided with a horizontal slide groove 103-1 that cooperates with the slider 104, and the slider 104 can slide back and forth in the horizontal slide groove 103-1; the thigh binding rod 100, the part between the two connection points of the main frame 5 and the thigh binding rod 100 and the tripod 102, the part between the first vertex D and the second vertex C of the tripod 102, and the connecting rod 101 together constitute a four-bar mechanism, the sliding rod 103 and the slider 104 constitute a sinusoidal mechanism, and the tripod 102 serves as the power source of the sinusoidal mechanism; during the human body's weighted walking process, under the action of the four-bar mechanism, the sliding rod 103 can move back and forth up and down in the connection hole with the main frame 5, causing the load-bearing plate 4 to move back and forth up and down, reducing the oscillation of the center of gravity.

[0035] like Figure 4 As shown, a connecting shaft 113 is provided at the third vertex of the tripod 102, and the slider 104 is rotatably mounted on the connecting shaft 113. A third positioning pin 111 is inserted into the connecting shaft 113 to limit the axial position of the slider 104. A slider washer 112 is also provided on the connecting shaft 113 to prevent the slider 104 from forming surface contact with the tripod 102 and reduce friction. Figure 5 As shown, the upper end of the thigh binding rod 100 and the first vertex D of the tripod 102 are respectively connected to the main frame 5 through a pin 105 for rotation. The first positioning pin 107 is inserted into the pin 105 for axial positioning. The pin 105 is also provided with a pin washer 106 to prevent the thigh binding rod 100 from forming surface contact with the main frame 5 and reduce friction. Figure 6 As shown, the two ends of the connecting rod 101 are rotatably connected to the middle part of the thigh binding rod 100 and the second vertex C of the tripod 102 through the stepped shaft 108 respectively. A second positioning pin 109 and a stepped shaft washer 110 are inserted at both ends of each stepped shaft 108. The stepped shaft 108 is axially limited by the second positioning pin 109, and the friction is reduced by the stepped shaft washer 110.

[0036] like Figures 7-8As shown, points D, C, and E are respectively recorded as the first vertex, the second vertex, and the third vertex of the tripod 102. The angle between the DC rod and the DE rod of the tripod 102 is 76°, the angle between the DE rod and the EC rod is 44°, and the length of the DE rod is 140 mm. The length of the horizontal sliding groove 103-1 of the sliding rod 103 is 215 mm.

[0037] like Figure 9 As shown, the main frame 5 is L-shaped, including a bottom bracket 501 and an arc-shaped back panel 502 located above the bottom bracket 501; the thigh binding rod 100 and the tripod 102 are both connected to the bottom bracket 501, and a load-bearing plate guide rod 401 is provided on the bottom bracket 501. The load-bearing plate 4 is mounted on the load-bearing plate guide rod 401 and is not fixedly connected to the load-bearing plate guide rod 401. The upper ends of the two sliding rods 103 are in contact with the middle part of the load-bearing plate 4. During the walking process of the human body, under the action of the two sliding rods 103, the load-bearing plate 4 can move back and forth up and down along the load-bearing plate guide rod 401.

[0038] The upper body binding part 3 includes a first shoulder strap 300, a second shoulder strap 301 and a waist and abdomen transverse strap 302; the first shoulder strap 300 and the second shoulder strap 301 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the curved back panel 502, and the two ends of the waist and abdomen transverse strap 32 are respectively connected to the lower ends of both sides of the curved back panel 502, and the length of each strap is adjustable.

[0039] The upper end of the sliding rod 103 is provided with a sponge layer 103 - 2 , and the sponge layer 103 - 2 enables flexible contact between the sliding rod 103 and the load-bearing plate 4 to compensate for possible displacement deviation of the driving mechanism 1 during movement.

[0040] The lower end of the thigh binding rod 100 is provided with a thigh strap 100-1 for wearing the thigh binding rod 100 on a person.

[0041] As shown in Figures 10(a) to (c), for the supporting leg, at the end of the double support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod 100 rotates to the front of the human body, and the slider 104 is located at the front end of the horizontal slot 103-1 of the sliding rod 103. At this time, the sliding rod 103 is at the upper dead center, and the weight 2 is at the highest point; in the middle of the single support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod 100 is upright, and the slider 104 is located in the middle position of the horizontal slot 103-1 of the sliding rod 103. At this time, the sliding rod 103 is at the lower dead center, and the weight 2 is at the lowest point; at the beginning of the double support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod 100 rotates to the back of the human body, and the slider 104 is located at the rear end of the horizontal slot 103-1 of the sliding rod 103. At this time, the sliding rod 103 returns to the upper dead center, and the weight 2 returns to the highest point.

[0042] The working principle and workflow of the present invention are:

[0043] The back-carrying exoskeleton of the present invention is worn on a person, and the two thighs of the person serve as the power source of the back-carrying exoskeleton. From a unilateral perspective, the back-carrying exoskeleton is a one-degree-of-freedom open-chain mechanism, and from an overall perspective, it is a two-degree-of-freedom closed-chain mechanism, including the rotational movement of the left hip joint and the rotational movement of the right hip joint. As shown in Figure 11, during normal walking of a human body, the trajectory of the change of the human body's center of gravity presents a sinusoidal change due to the movement of the two legs; in the double-support phase of the gait cycle, the human body's center of gravity is at the lowest point; as the swing leg is lifted off the ground, the human body's center of gravity gradually moves upward, and in the middle of the single-support phase of the gait cycle, the human body's center of gravity is at the highest point; then, the swing leg descends to prepare for landing, and the human body's center of gravity gradually moves downward, and at the end of the single-support phase, the human body's center of gravity returns to the lowest point; therefore, during walking of a human body, the human body's center of gravity continuously changes from the lowest point to the highest point, and then from the highest point back to the lowest point. In order to reduce the oscillation of the weight caused by the movement of the human body and reduce the pressure on the upper limbs of the human body during the process of walking with a load, the present invention uses a driving mechanism 1 to make the weight 2 move up and down reciprocatingly with the movement of the human body, thereby reducing the pressure on the upper limbs of the human body by reducing the oscillation of the center of gravity of the weight, thereby alleviating the upper limb fatigue caused by long-term walking with a load.

[0044] 103-1, the weight 2 is at the highest point; As the swinging leg continues to move, the thigh binding rod 100 continues to rotate clockwise, and the slider 104 continues to slide toward the rear end of the horizontal slide groove 103-1, causing the sliding rod 103 to move upward from the lower dead center. At the beginning of the next double support phase of the gait cycle, the swinging leg touches the ground, the thigh binding rod 100 rotates clockwise to the back of the human body, the slider 104 slides to the rear end of the horizontal slide groove 103-1, and the sliding rod 103 moves upward to the upper dead center, and the weight 2 returns to the highest point; at the end of the double support phase to the beginning of the next double support phase, the weight 2 moves down from the highest point to the lowest point, and then moves up to the highest point, so that the moving direction of the weight 2 is opposite to the changing direction of the center of gravity of the human body, that is, in the process of the center of gravity of the human body moving from the lowest point to the highest point, the weight 2 moves from the highest point to the lowest point, and in the process of the center of gravity of the human body moving from the lowest point to the highest point, the weight 2 moves from the lowest point to the highest point, thereby realizing adaptive adjustment of the center of gravity of the weight; the oscillation of the weight is reduced by controlling the moving direction of the weight.

[0045] Figure 12 The following chart compares the trajectory of the weight's center of mass during weighted walking with and without an exoskeleton. As can be seen from the figure, without an exoskeleton, the weight moves synchronously with the body—that is, the weight's direction of motion coincides with the direction of change of the body's center of mass. This human motion exacerbates the weight's oscillation amplitude, which is approximately 5.5 cm. With the exoskeleton, the weight's center of mass oscillates to approximately 1.5 cm. This is because the weight, under the action of the exoskeleton, resists the body's motion. During weighted walking, the exoskeleton adaptively adjusts the weight's center of mass, shifting it in the opposite direction of the body's center of mass. This reduces the weight's center of mass oscillation amplitude, thereby alleviating upper limb fatigue and reducing the weight's pressure on the upper limbs.

[0046] Any matters not described in the present invention are applicable to the prior art.

Claims

1. A rigid back-bearing exoskeleton with adaptively adjustable center of mass, comprising an upper body back-bearing portion, a load-bearing plate, and a drive mechanism, wherein the upper body back-bearing portion comprises a main frame and an upper body binding portion; two drive mechanisms are symmetrically arranged on either side of the main frame, and the load-bearing plate is located at the rear side of the main frame; characterized in that: The axle up and down groove at two ends embeds respectively in two guide rails up and down of being made up of the groove on the attachment piece, and the tooth on the attachment piece is meshed with tooth on upper sprocket wheel, the lower sprocket. The lower sprocket. The lower sprocket. The lower sprocket. The lower sprocket. The two guide rails are connected by a rubber cushion, and the two guide rails are connected by a rubber cushion, and the two guide rails are connected by a rubber cushion, and the two guide rails are connected by a rubber cushion. For the supporting leg, at the end of the double support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod rotates to the front of the human body, and the slider is located at the front end of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod. At this time, the sliding rod is at the top dead center and the weight is at the highest point; in the middle of the single support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod is upright, and the slider is located in the middle position of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod. At this time, the sliding rod is at the bottom dead center and the weight is at the lowest point; at the beginning of the double support phase of the gait cycle, the thigh binding rod rotates to the back of the human body, and the slider is located at the rear end of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod. At this time, the sliding rod returns to the top dead center and the weight returns to the highest point; The main frame is L-shaped and includes a bottom bracket and an arc-shaped back plate located above the bottom bracket; a load-bearing plate guide rod is provided on the bottom bracket, and the load-bearing plate is sleeved on the load-bearing plate guide rod, and the load-bearing plate can move up and down reciprocatingly along the load-bearing plate guide rod.

2. The rigid back-bearing exoskeleton with adaptive adjustment of the center of mass of a heavy object according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first, second, and third vertices of the tripod are marked as points D, C, and E, respectively. The angle between the DC and DE rods of the tripod is 76°, and the angle between the DE and EC rods is 44°; the length of the DE rod is 140 mm; and the length of the horizontal slot of the sliding rod is 215 mm.

3. The rigid back-bearing exoskeleton with adaptive adjustment of the center of mass of a heavy object according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the sliding rod is provided with a sponge layer, and the flexible contact between the sliding rod and the load-bearing plate is achieved through the sponge layer.

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