An exoskeleton device for a human lower limb

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of human body wearing lower limb exoskeleton device for carrying, utilize the symmetrical arrangement of two power devices of wearing device, each power device is connected with one support device by power transmission device, adopt power transmission device to change the bending rotation of support device fixed with human thigh into the power storage of power device, when the bending rotation of support device is completed, complete the process of storage;At this time, elastic element drags movable lock, drives transmission rope wound on fixed pulley set, transmits tension to leg hip connecting rod, leg hip connecting rod passes through hinge to thigh connecting rod, realizes the auxiliary carrying force to human body, the application simple structure, auxiliary worker carries heavy object, utilize elastic element as power source, can provide power for the carrying of worker under the premise of reducing equipment quality and manufacturing cost, the application can realize continuous carrying, need not external power supply drive.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of carrying structure engineering manufacturing, and particularly relates to a human-worn lower limb exoskeleton device for carrying. BACKGROUND

[0002] In some special working places, heavy objects need to be lifted, held, carried or moved, which can easily cause musculoskeletal injuries such as lumbar muscle strain and lumbar disc herniation. Epidemiological studies have shown that when frequently lifting large and heavy objects from the ground, the frequency and severity of lower back diseases significantly increase, and the research on exoskeleton devices is to reduce the burden of carrying heavy objects while meeting the characteristics of high flexibility. According to the role of people and exoskeletons in the control loop, the current structure is mainly divided into: people-dominated, man-machine cooperative-dominated or exoskeleton-dominated.

[0003] People-dominated means that the exoskeleton is controlled by people, and the exoskeleton recognizes the muscle signals emitted by the human body to understand the next action, which provides assistance to help the wearer carry heavy objects, but the structure is complex and the detection of human signals is difficult.

[0004] Man-machine cooperative-dominated means that in the case of weak human body movement ability, artificial intelligence or machine learning methods are used to create a machine learning model by training, adjusting and testing specific algorithms to assist the human body to complete the desired action, but a complex mathematical model is required, and the design cost is high.

[0005] The current exoskeleton-dominated is mainly suitable for the case where the wearer has subjective movement intention but loses movement ability, and cannot be flexibly applied to the environment of carrying heavy objects. SUMMARY

[0006] The purpose of the present application is to provide a human-worn lower limb exoskeleton device for carrying to overcome the problem of low flexibility in the prior art that cannot be applied to carrying heavy objects.

[0007] A human-worn lower limb exoskeleton device for carrying, comprising a power device, a power transmission device, a support device and a wearing device;

[0008] The wearing device comprises a wearing back plate and longitudinal straps fixed on both sides of the wearing back plate, and one power device is arranged at each end of the wearing back plate, and each power device is connected to one support device through the power transmission device;

[0009] The power device comprises a spring groove, the upper end of the spring groove is fixedly connected to one end of the wearing back plate, an elastic element is arranged in the spring groove, one end of the elastic element is fixed to the upper end of the spring groove, a spring sliding block is fixed to the other end of the spring groove, and a first pulley is installed at the lower end of the spring groove;

[0010] The power transmission device comprises a leg-hip connecting rod, one end of which is hingedly connected to the lower end of the spring groove, and a second pulley is arranged on the leg-hip connecting rod;

[0011] The support device comprises a thigh-hip connecting rod rotatably connected to the lower end of the leg-hip connecting rod, a third pulley is arranged on the thigh-hip connecting rod, the thigh-hip connecting rod is provided with a thigh connecting rod, a thigh wrapping device is arranged on the thigh connecting rod, a transmission rope is fixed on the thigh-hip connecting rod, one end of the transmission rope is fixed on the thigh-hip connecting rod, the other end of the transmission rope is sequentially wound around the third pulley, the second pulley and the first pulley, and then fixedly connected to the spring sliding block, and the direction in which the transmission rope is wound around the third pulley is opposite to the rotating direction of the thigh-hip connecting rod relative to the leg-hip connecting rod.

[0012] Preferably, the two power devices are symmetrically arranged at the two ends of the wearing back plate.

[0013] Preferably, a plurality of spring sliding blocks are fixed on the elastic element.

[0014] Preferably, one end of the transmission rope is fixed on the thigh-hip connecting rod through a buckle; the other end of the transmission rope is sequentially wound around the third pulley, the second pulley and the first pulley, and then connected to the spring sliding block through a movable buckle.

[0015] Preferably, a back strap is arranged between the two power devices.

[0016] Preferably, the second pulley is arranged at the hinged joint between the leg-hip connecting rod and the spring groove.

[0017] Preferably, the third pulley is arranged at the rotatable joint between the leg-hip connecting rod and the thigh-hip connecting rod.

[0018] Preferably, the thigh-hip connecting rod and the thigh connecting rod are connected through a hinge.

[0019] Preferably, the thigh wrapping device adopts a bandage structure or a belt ring.

[0020] Preferably, the elastic element adopts a tension spring.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0022] The application discloses a lower limb exoskeleton device for carrying, which is characterized in that two power devices are symmetrically arranged on the device, each power device is connected with a supporting device through a power transmission device, the bending and rotating of the supporting device fixed on the thigh of a human body is changed into power storage of the power device through the power transmission device, and the power storage process is completed after the bending and rotating of the supporting device is completed; at this time, the elastic element drags a movable buckle, drives transmission rope wound on a fixed pulley set, and transmits the pulling force to a leg and hip connecting rod, the leg and hip connecting rod transmits the force to a thigh connecting rod through a hinge, and the auxiliary carrying of the human body is realized; the application provides auxiliary power for the crotch of the human body, has simple structure, can assist workers in carrying heavy objects, can avoid lower back diseases such as lumbar muscle strain and lumbar disc herniation caused by long-term bending and heavy work, and adopts ergonomic design of the exoskeleton to meet the flexibility of human body movement, uses the elastic element as a power source, can provide power assistance for the carrying of the workers under the premise of reducing the equipment quality and manufacturing cost, can not bring new burden to the carrying of the human body, and can provide different degrees of auxiliary effect to the human body, and the application has simple structure, can realize continuous carrying, and does not need external power supply driving.

[0023] Preferably, the elastic force of the elastic element is transmitted to the leg and hip connecting rod, the leg and hip connecting rod is connected with the thigh connecting rod through a hinge, the action of lower limb abduction and adduction of the human body in the carrying process is realized, and the force provided by the leg and hip connecting rod can be transmitted to the thigh connecting rod. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the lower limb exoskeleton device in the embodiment of the application.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the partial enlarged structure of the spring groove in the embodiment of the application.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the wearing back plate structure in the embodiment of the application.

[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the transmission rope winding structure in the embodiment of the application.

[0028] Figure 5 It is a sectional view of the spring groove in the embodiment of the application.

[0029] In the drawing, 1 is a thigh wrapping device, 2 is a thigh connecting rod, 3 is a leg and hip connecting rod, 4 is a leg and hip connecting rod, 5 is a spring cover plate, 6 is a spring groove, 7 is a longitudinal back strap, 8 is a wearing back plate, 9 is a spring groove support plate, 10 is a spring sliding block, 11 is a first pulley, 12 is a second pulley, 13 is a hinge, 14 is a third pulley, 15 is a back back strap, 16 is a movable buckle, 17 is a transmission rope, 18 is a buckle, and 19 is an elastic element. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0032] This invention discloses a wearable lower limb exoskeleton device for human transport. Through a power unit, connecting rods, and pulley system 14, the elastic force of a spring is transmitted to the end connecting rod. When squatting, the spring stores energy and accumulates force; when standing up, the spring releases pressure to provide assistance. The adjustable spring slider 10 can be adjusted according to the different levels of assistance required by the human body. Detailed description follows:

[0033] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a wearable lower limb exoskeleton device for transport includes a power unit, a power transmission unit, a support unit, and a wearable device.

[0034] The wearable device includes a wearable back panel 8 and longitudinal shoulder straps 7 fixed to both sides of the wearable back panel 8. The two longitudinal shoulder straps 7 and the wearable back panel 8 form a backpack-style carrying structure. A power device is set at each end of the wearable back panel 8. The two power devices have the same structure and are symmetrically set at both ends of the wearable back panel 8. Each power device is connected to a support device through a power transmission device.

[0035] Specifically, the power unit includes a spring groove 6, the upper end of which is fixedly connected to one end of the wearable back plate 8. An elastic element 19 is provided inside the spring groove 6, one end of which is fixed to the upper end of the spring groove 6. A spring slider 10 is fixed to the other end of the spring groove 6. A first pulley 11 is installed at the lower end of the spring groove 6. A spring cover plate 5 is provided on the spring groove 6 for daily maintenance to ensure that the spring is in the best working condition.

[0036] The power transmission device comprises a leg hip connecting rod 4, one end of the leg hip connecting rod 4 is hingedly connected with the lower end of the spring groove 6, and the leg hip connecting rod 4 is provided with a second pulley 12;

[0037] The support device comprises a leg hip connecting rod 3 rotatably connected with the lower end of the leg hip connecting rod 4, the leg hip connecting rod 3 is provided with a third pulley 14, and the leg hip connecting rod 3 is provided with a thigh connecting rod 2; the thigh connecting rod 2 is provided with a thigh wrapping device 1 for wrapping and fixing on the thigh of a human body, the leg hip connecting rod 3 is fixed with a transmission rope 17, one end of the transmission rope 17 is fixed on the leg hip connecting rod 3, the other end is sequentially wound around the third pulley 14, the second pulley 12 and the first pulley 11 and then fixedly connected with the spring sliding block 10, the direction in which the transmission rope 17 is wound around the third pulley 14 is opposite to the rotating direction of the leg hip connecting rod 3 relative to the leg hip connecting rod 4, that is, in the initial state, the leg hip connecting rod 3 is parallel to the leg hip connecting rod 4, when the leg hip connecting rod 3 is rotated and bent relative to the leg hip connecting rod 4, the leg hip connecting rod 3 plays a pulling role on the transmission rope 17, the elastic element 19 is installed in the spring groove 6, and a plurality of spring sliding blocks 10 can be arranged on the elastic element 19 to adapt to different degrees of stretching length.

[0038] The leg hip connecting rod 3 is provided with a buckle 18, one end of the transmission rope 17 is fixed at the buckle 18, the other end is wound around the third pulley 14, the second pulley 12 and the first pulley 11, then connected with the spring sliding block 10 through the movable buckle 16, and the elastic force of the spring is transmitted to the end connecting rod; different specifications of wearable back plates 8 can be used according to different specifications of applicable people, and the wearable back plate 8 can be provided with an adjustable width structure; the wearable device is worn on the shoulder through the longitudinal back strap 7, and the two power devices are connected through the back strap 15, and the back strap 15 is used for fixing the hip and the lower limb exoskeleton.

[0039] The upper end of the spring groove 6 is fixed with a spring groove support plate 9, the wearable back plate 8 is welded with the spring groove support plate 9, and reliable connection between the wearable back plate 8 and the spring groove 6 is realized.

[0040] As shown in Figure 5 The elastic element 19 is arranged in a mode that one end is fixed and the other end is movable, three spring sliding blocks 10 are arranged on the elastic element 19, and are fixed at the movable end to the middle of the spring according to the proportion. The spring sliding block 10 is provided with an ear for being connected with the movable buckle 16; and the elastic element 19 specifically adopts a tension spring.

[0041] As shown in Figure 5 The spring groove 6 adopts a rectangular groove structure or a cylindrical structure; as shown in Figure 2As shown, the spring groove 6 of this application adopts a rectangular groove structure, and a rectangular spring block is set inside the rectangular groove structure. The center of the rectangular spring block coincides with the axis of the elastic element, and each spring slider 10 corresponds to a different degree of tension. The spring groove 6 is provided with a slide rail, so that during the process of stretching under tension, the spring slider 10 guides the elastic element to move along the axis without deviation. A limiting device is set at the moving end to limit the maximum stretchable length of the spring, ensuring that the lower limb exoskeleton will not undergo plastic deformation during use, thus affecting its use. The power device is installed on the left and right sides of the wearable back plate 8, corresponding to the left and right legs of the person, respectively, providing equal auxiliary force to each leg.

[0042] Depending on the length specifications, the second pulley 12 is located at the hinge joint between the leg hip link 4 and the spring groove 6, or the second pulley 12 can be located inside the leg hip link 4; the third pulley 14 is located at the rotatable connection joint between the leg hip link 4 and the leg hip link 3, or the third pulley 14 can be located inside the leg hip link 3.

[0043] One end of the transmission rope 17 is fixed to the leg-hip link 3 and secured by a buckle 18 with a pin hole to prevent it from coming loose. The buckle 18 can also be a bolt structure, used to fix one end of the transmission rope 17 to the leg-hip link 3.

[0044] The transmission rope is wound in the pulley block consisting of the third pulley 14, the second pulley 12, and the first pulley 11, such as... Figure 4 As shown, a twisted winding method is used to ensure stability during transmission. The other end of the transmission rope 17 is connected to and fixed to the movable buckle 16, which is then locked together with the lug on the spring slider 10, ultimately enabling the transmission of spring force.

[0045] This application employs a multi-link series connection to enable flexion and extension movements of the human body during transport. It allows for flexible rotation while simultaneously transmitting force, transferring the elastic force of the elastic element to the leg-hip link 3. The leg-hip link 3 is connected to the thigh link 2 via a hinge, enabling abduction and adduction movements of the lower limbs during transport, while also transmitting the force provided by the leg-hip link 3 to the thigh link 2.

[0046] The thigh wrapping device 1 uses a bandage structure or belt loop to bind and fix the thigh link 2 to the human thigh, enabling quick wear and providing stable binding force.

[0047] The human body wears the back strap, and the mass of the exoskeleton is distributed to the shoulder and the lower part through the longitudinal back strap. The longitudinal back strap is fixed to the spring groove on both sides, and is used for distributing the mass of the lower limb exoskeleton to the whole upper limb. The back strap 15 fixes the human hip and the lower limb exoskeleton together, and prevents the deviation from occurring in the carrying process to cause damage to the human body. The longitudinal back strap 7 and the back strap 15 are both wide and contain sponges. The thigh wrapping device 1 is wrapped around the human thigh, and a magic tape is designed for easy wearing and taking off. The wide wrapping mode can disperse the force to the thigh, and prevent the device from being separated from the human body in the movement process to cause damage to the human body.

[0048] The human lower limb exoskeleton is easy to wear, and is used for assisting the human body to carry heavy objects. The human lower limb exoskeleton can effectively reduce the probability of lower back disease of the human body, and improve the work efficiency. The lower limb exoskeleton adopts elastic elements as power, which can realize energy conversion, and the elastic elements have relatively light mass, so that the weight of the whole equipment can be reduced, and the human body is not brought new burden. The device is made of aluminum material, which can guarantee the strength of the whole structure, reduce the weight of the equipment, greatly reduce the cost of the material, and meet the price demand of ordinary workers.

[0049] Based on the specific working process of the human wearing lower limb exoskeleton device for carrying in the use process, the following steps are included.

[0050] a. Human body squatting to carry heavy objects: the thigh connecting rod 2, the thigh connecting rod 3, the thigh connecting rod 4 and the spring groove 6 simulate the rotation of the human hip joint, the fixed pulley group on the connecting rod rotates, the movable lock 16 is pulled to pull the spring sliding block 10, the elastic element is stretched to store power, and the process of storing power is finally completed when the squatting is completed or reaches the limit of the spring limiting device. In the process of squatting, the hinge connecting the thigh connecting rod 2 and the thigh connecting rod 3 meets the demand of leg abduction.

[0051] b. Human body carrying heavy objects to stand up. The elastic element is stretched and subjected to a reverse force to complete contraction. At this time, the elastic element drags the movable lock 16, drives the transmission rope 17 wound on the fixed pulley group, transmits the tension to the thigh connecting rod 3, and transmits the force to the thigh connecting rod 2 through the hinge to realize the auxiliary carrying of the human body. The auxiliary power is provided for the human hip.

[0052] The application has the advantages that the structure is simple, the worker can carry heavy objects, the long-term bending and heavy work can be avoided to cause lumbar muscle strain, lumbar disc herniation and lower back diseases, the exoskeleton is designed according to ergonomics to meet the flexibility of human movement, the elastic element is used as a power source to provide assistance for the worker to carry objects under the premise of reducing the equipment quality and manufacturing cost, the new burden is not brought to the carrying of the person, and the different degrees of assistance effect can be provided to the person, the structure is simple, the continuous carrying can be realized, and the external power supply is not needed.

[0053] The force sensor is used as a detection device, when the force of the display assistance effect has a deviation, the exoskeleton can be adjusted in time by adjusting the back strap and the adjusting screw to be suitable for the wearing of the human body. The size can be adjusted within a certain range to meet the wearing of people with different body shapes.

[0054] The above examples only illustrate the technical idea of the application, and cannot limit the protection scope of the application, any modification made according to the technical idea of the application on the basis of the technical scheme falls within the protection scope of the application, and the technology not involved in the application can be realized by the prior art.

Claims

1. A lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn by a human body, characterized by, The power device, the power transmission device, the supporting device and the wearing device are included. The wearing device includes a wearing back plate (8) and longitudinal back straps (7) fixed on both sides of the wearing back plate (8), and one power device is arranged at each end of the wearing back plate (8), and each power device is connected with one supporting device through the power transmission device. The power device includes a spring groove (6), the upper end of the spring groove (6) is fixedly connected with one end of the wearing back plate (8), an elastic element (19) is arranged in the spring groove (6), one end of the elastic element (19) is fixedly connected with the upper end of the spring groove (6), a spring sliding block (10) is fixedly connected with the other end of the spring groove (6), and a first pulley (11) is arranged on the lower end of the spring groove (6). The power transmission device includes a leg hip part connecting rod (4), one end of the leg hip part connecting rod (4) is hingedly connected with the lower end of the spring groove (6), and a second pulley (12) is arranged on the leg hip part connecting rod (4). The supporting device includes a leg hip connecting rod (3) rotatably connected with the lower end of the leg hip part connecting rod (4), a third pulley (14) is arranged on the leg hip connecting rod (3), a thigh connecting rod (2) is arranged on the leg hip connecting rod (3), a thigh wrapping device (1) is arranged on the thigh connecting rod (2), a transmission rope (17) is fixedly connected with the leg hip connecting rod (3), one end of the transmission rope (17) is fixedly connected with the leg hip connecting rod (3), the other end of the transmission rope (17) is sequentially wound around the third pulley (14), the second pulley (12) and the first pulley (11) and then fixedly connected with the spring sliding block (10), the direction in which the transmission rope (17) is wound around the third pulley (14) is opposite to the rotating direction of the leg hip connecting rod (3) relative to the leg hip part connecting rod (4), the two power devices are symmetrically arranged at the two ends of the wearing back plate (8), a plurality of spring sliding blocks (10) are fixedly connected with the elastic element (19), one end of the transmission rope (17) is fixedly connected with the leg hip connecting rod (3) through a buckle (18), and the other end of the transmission rope (17) is sequentially wound around the third pulley (14), the second pulley (12) and the first pulley (11) and then connected with the spring sliding block (10) through a movable buckle (16).

2. The lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn on a human body according to claim 1, wherein The rear back strap (15) is arranged between the two power devices.

3. The lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn on a human body according to claim 1, wherein The second pulley (12) is arranged at the hinged joint between the leg hip part connecting rod (4) and the spring groove (6).

4. The lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn on a human body according to claim 1, wherein The third pulley (14) is arranged at the rotating joint between the leg hip part connecting rod (4) and the leg hip connecting rod (3).

5. The lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn on a human body according to claim 1, wherein The leg hip connecting rod (3) and the thigh connecting rod (2) are connected through a hinge.

6. The lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn on a human body according to claim 1, wherein The thigh wrapping device (1) adopts a bandage structure or a belt ring.

7. The lower extremity exoskeleton device for ambulation worn on a human body according to claim 1, wherein The elastic element (19) adopts a tension spring.

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