Wearable waist power-assisted support exoskeleton

Abstract

The application discloses a wearable waist assisting support exoskeleton, which comprises an upper waistband, a first supporting chain, a second supporting chain and a lower waistband; the first supporting chain and the second supporting chains are evenly distributed on the back side of the upper waistband and the lower waistband; the upper end of each supporting chain is connected with the upper waistband, and the lower end is connected with the lower waistband; the four supporting chains are connected in parallel between the upper waistband and the lower waistband, forming a hybrid mechanism 4-PRRR with one moving degree of freedom and three rotating degrees of freedom; an electric push rod is used for realizing the stretching movement of the human waist and providing support for the human waist; when the electric push rod is not extended or retracted, the three direct current brushless motors serve as original driving members, the four supporting chains and the two waistbands form a parallel mechanism 4-RRR with three rotating degrees of freedom, the flexion movement, the lateral flexion movement and the horizontal rotation movement of the human waist are realized, the power assisting for the bending or standing action of the human body is realized, and the support for the fixed posture of the human body bending is provided, so that the waist fatigue is relieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of power-assisted support exoskeleton robots, and particularly relates to a wearable waist power-assisted support exoskeleton. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of mechanical automation technology, people's hands are gradually liberated, although the mechanical automation degree of manufacturing, construction, logistics and other industries has been very high, but mainly for the handling of heavy and large objects, for 10-20kg small objects, artificial lifting is still used, workers are in a bent-over state for a long time, which can cause different degrees of damage to the skeleton and muscles of the waist and back, and make workers gradually suffer from waist diseases such as lumbar muscle strain, lower back pain and lumbar disc herniation.

[0003] In order to alleviate the waist fatigue caused by long-time bending, scholars have studied the waist exoskeleton to assist the human waist, the waist as the core stress position of human structure plays a crucial role in physical activity, its stability and flexibility will directly affect the comfort and flexibility of human activity, so the waist exoskeleton has high requirements for man-machine coordination. The existing waist power-assisted support exoskeleton can be divided into two categories: active power assistance and passive power assistance, active power assistance relies on the user to provide support force, and passive power assistance mainly provides power assistance through elastic elements to store and release energy, the patent with the authorization announcement number CN207120225U discloses a passive waist power-assisted exoskeleton device, which uses a clock spring and a rotating wheel as an energy storage element; the device can only provide support force for the forward and backward bending of the human body, that is, under the action of the device, the human waist can only rotate in the sagittal plane. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a wearable waist power-assisted support exoskeleton.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve its technical problem is as follows:

[0006] A wearable waist power-assisted support exoskeleton, comprising an upper waist belt, a first branch chain, a second branch chain and a lower waist belt; a first branch chain and three second branch chains are evenly distributed on the back side of the upper waist belt and the lower waist belt, the upper end of each branch chain is connected with the upper waist belt, and the lower end is connected with the lower waist belt;

[0007] The second branch chain comprises a brushless DC motor, a second branch chain first spherical link, a second branch chain second spherical link, a telescopic rod connecting piece and a telescopic rod; the brushless DC motor is connected with the upper waist belt, the output shaft of the brushless DC motor is connected with the upper end of the second branch chain first spherical link, so that the second branch chain first spherical link can rotate relative to the upper waist belt, the lower end of the second branch chain first spherical link is rotationally connected with the upper end of the second branch chain second spherical link, the lower end of the second branch chain second spherical link is rotationally connected with the upper end of the telescopic rod connecting piece, the lower end of the telescopic rod connecting piece is fixedly connected with the upper end of the telescopic rod, and the position where the lower waist belt is connected with the second branch chain is provided with a telescopic rod sleeve, the lower end of the telescopic rod is inserted into the telescopic rod sleeve, and the telescopic rod can slide in the telescopic rod sleeve.

[0008] The first branch chain comprises a first branch chain first spherical link, a first branch chain second spherical link, a push rod connecting piece and an electric push rod; the upper end of the first branch chain first spherical link is rotationally connected with the upper waist belt, the lower end of the first branch chain first spherical link is rotationally connected with the upper end of the first branch chain second spherical link, the lower end of the first branch chain second spherical link is rotationally connected with the upper end of the push rod connecting piece, the lower end of the push rod connecting piece is fixedly connected with the telescopic rod of the electric push rod, and the cylinder of the electric push rod is connected with the lower waist belt.

[0009] The center axes of the two end connecting holes of the first branch chain first spherical link, the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the first branch chain second spherical link, the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the second branch chain first spherical link and the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the second branch chain second spherical link coincide to form a point M, and the point M is the rotation center of the exoskeleton.

[0010] Further, the upper waist belt is divided into an inner ring and an outer ring, and the upper ends of the first branch chain and the second branch chain are connected with the outer ring; the front sides of the inner ring and the outer ring are respectively provided with buckles, the rear side of the inner ring is provided with a connecting buckle, a stud is inserted into the buckle ring of the connecting buckle and is fixed in the rear side of the outer ring by means of the plum-bolt, so that the relative position of the inner ring and the outer ring in the height direction can be finely adjusted, and the wearing comfort is ensured.

[0011] Further, the exoskeleton further comprises leg assemblies, and the two sides of the lower waist belt are symmetrically provided with the leg assemblies; the leg assembly comprises a leg pull belt and a leg binding belt, the upper end of the leg pull belt is connected with the lower waist belt, and the lower end of the leg pull belt is provided with the leg binding belt.

[0012] Further, the exoskeleton can assist and support the human body; when the human body needs assistance, the electric push rod does not extend or retract, and under the action of the three DC brushless motors, the upper waist belt performs spherical motion around point M, including rotation in the sagittal plane, rotation in the coronal plane and rotation in the horizontal plane, corresponding to the flexion movement, lateral flexion movement and horizontal rotation movement of the human waist respectively, assisting the human body in bending or standing; when the human body needs support, first, the three DC brushless motors control the upper waist belt to rotate to a certain fixed posture of the human body, and then the three DC brushless motors maintain the current working state, and then the electric push rod generates an upward force to provide an upward static support force for the upper waist belt.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the exoskeleton has the following advantages:

[0014] A first branch chain and three second branch chains are arranged between the upper waist belt and the lower waist belt, forming a parallel mechanism with one degree of freedom of movement and three degrees of freedom of rotation, the upper waist belt is fixed on the waist of the human body, the lower waist belt is fixed at the hip joint of the human body, the human body stands in place and keeps the lower body static, the pelvis is regarded as a static platform, the waist is regarded as a dynamic platform, the entire waist joint is regarded as a spherical pair, each link of each branch is a spherical link, the rotation center of the exoskeleton is equivalent to the center of the wearer's hip joint, and the three DC brushless motors are used as prime movers to control the movement of each branch chain through the three DC brushless motors, thereby controlling the pose of the upper waist belt, so that the upper waist belt performs spherical motion around the rotation center relative to the lower waist belt, realizing the flexion movement, lateral flexion movement and horizontal rotation movement of the human waist, assisting the human body in bending or standing, and being suitable for working occasions where the human body needs to bend frequently, such as carrying small heavy objects; the electric push rod provides a static support force for the upper waist belt, can provide support for the human body working in a bent position for a long time (for example, a doctor performing surgery or a worker repairing a machine), reduces the fatigue of the waist, and avoids injury to the waist. The pose of the upper waist belt and the movement of the electric push rod are decoupled, that is, the electric push rod can provide a static support force when the upper waist belt is in any pose. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Fig. 1 is the overall structure diagram of the exoskeleton;

[0016] Fig. 2 is the structure diagram of the exoskeleton after removing the leg assembly;

[0017] Fig. 3 is the structure diagram of the second branch chain of the exoskeleton;

[0018] Fig. 4 is the structure diagram of the first branch chain of the exoskeleton;

[0019] Fig. 5 is the structure diagram of the upper waist belt of the exoskeleton;

[0020] Fig. 6 is a structure diagram of the lower waist belt of the application;

[0021] Fig. 7 is a structure diagram of the leg assembly of the application;

[0022] In the figure: 1, upper waist belt; 2, first branch chain; 3, second branch chain; 4, lower waist belt; 5, leg assembly;

[0023] 101, stud; 102, inner ring; 103, outer ring; 104, buckle; 105, connecting buckle; 106, hexagonal bolt; 201, first branch chain first spherical connecting rod; 202, first branch chain second spherical connecting rod; 203, push rod connecting piece; 204, electric push rod; 301, DC brushless motor; 302, second branch chain first spherical connecting rod; 303, second branch chain second spherical connecting rod; 304, telescopic rod connecting piece; 305, telescopic rod; 401, front rigid support part; 402, flexible support part; 403, rear rigid support part; 404, telescopic rod sleeve; 501, leg pull belt; 502, leg binding belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The technical solutions of the application will be further described in detail in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments, but the protection scope of the application is not limited thereby.

[0025] The application is a wearable waist power-assisted support exoskeleton (referred to as exoskeleton, see Figs. 1-7 ), comprising an upper waist belt 1, a first branch chain 2, a second branch chain 3 and a lower waist belt 4; one first branch chain 2 and three second branch chains 3 are evenly distributed on the rear side of the upper waist belt 1 and the lower waist belt 4, and the upper end of each branch chain is connected with the upper waist belt 1, and the lower end is connected with the lower waist belt 4;

[0026] The second branch chain 3 comprises a DC brushless motor 301, a second branch chain first spherical connecting rod 302, a second branch chain second spherical connecting rod 303, a telescopic rod connecting piece 304 and a telescopic rod 305; the DC brushless motor 301 is fixedly connected with the upper waist belt 1, the output shaft of the DC brushless motor 301 is connected with the upper end of the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod 302, so that the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod 302 can rotate relative to the upper waist belt 1, the lower end of the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod 302 is rotationally connected with the upper end of the second branch chain second spherical connecting rod 303, the lower end of the second branch chain second spherical connecting rod 303 is rotationally connected with the upper end of the telescopic rod connecting piece 304, the lower end of the telescopic rod connecting piece 304 is fixedly connected with the upper end of the telescopic rod 305, the position where the lower waist belt 4 is connected with the second branch chain 3 is provided with a telescopic rod sleeve 404, the lower end of the telescopic rod 305 is inserted into the telescopic rod sleeve 404, and the telescopic rod 305 can slide in the telescopic rod sleeve 404, thereby providing space for the movement of the upper waist belt 1;

[0027] The first branch chain 2 comprises a first branch chain first spherical link 201, a first branch chain second spherical link 202, a push rod connecting piece 203 and an electric push rod 204. The upper end of the first branch chain first spherical link 201 is rotationally connected with the upper waist belt 1, the lower end of the first branch chain first spherical link 201 is rotationally connected with the upper end of the first branch chain second spherical link 202, the lower end of the first branch chain second spherical link 202 is rotationally connected with the upper end of the push rod connecting piece 203, the lower end of the push rod connecting piece 203 is fixedly connected with the telescopic rod of the electric push rod 204, and the cylinder of the electric push rod 204 is fixedly connected with the lower waist belt 4.

[0028] The intersection of the central axes of the two end connecting holes of the first branch chain first spherical link 201, the intersection of the central axes of the two end connecting holes of the first branch chain second spherical link 202, the intersection of the central axes of the two end connecting holes of the second branch chain first spherical link 302 and the intersection of the central axes of the two end connecting holes of the second branch chain second spherical link 303 coincide together to form a point M, and the point M is the rotation center of the exoskeleton, which corresponds to the center of the hip joint of the human body.

[0029] The four branch chains are connected in parallel between the upper waist belt 1 and the lower waist belt 4 to form a hybrid mechanism 4-PRRR having one translational degree of freedom and three rotational degrees of freedom. The electric push rod 204 is used to realize the stretching movement of the human waist and provide support for the human waist. When the electric push rod 204 is not extended or retracted, the three DC brushless motors 301 serve as the prime movers, and the four branch chains and the two waist belts constitute a parallel mechanism 4-RRR having three rotational degrees of freedom. The three rotational degrees of freedom are the rotation in the sagittal plane, the rotation in the coronal plane and the rotation in the horizontal plane, which correspond to the flexion movement, the lateral flexion movement and the horizontal rotation movement of the human waist, respectively.

[0030] The upper waistband 1 is divided into an inner ring 102 and an outer ring 103, and the upper ends of the first branch chain 2 and the second branch chain 3 are connected with the outer ring 103; the front sides of the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 are respectively provided with buckles 104, which facilitate wearing on the human body and keep the tightening force of the upper waistband 1 constant to prevent the upper waistband 1 from jumping up and down; the rear side of the inner ring 102 is provided with a connecting buckle 105, the stud 101 is pluggable installed at the rear side of the outer ring 103 through the clasp ring of the connecting buckle 105, and the stud 101 is fixed in the radial direction through the star-shaped bolt 106, and the rear sides of the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 are connected together through the connecting buckle 105; such a design can fine-tune the relative position of the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 in the height direction, thereby improving the comfort of wearing on the human body; when the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 are worn on the waist of the human body and connected through the buckles 104, the outer ring 103 is fine-tuned to the appropriate position up and down through the electric push rod 204, the electric push rod 204 keeps the current telescopic state, the stud 101 is fixed through the star-shaped bolt 106, and the relative fixation between the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 is realized.

[0031] The lower waistband 4 comprises a front rigid support part 401, a flexible support part 402 and a rear rigid support part 403; the front rigid support part 401 is provided with a buckle, the rear rigid support part 403 is provided with an extension rod sleeve 404, the front rigid support part 401 and the rear rigid support part 403 are connected together at both ends, and the flexible support part 402 is located on the inner side of the rear rigid support part 403 and directly contacts the human body, thereby making the human body wear more comfortable.

[0032] The exoskeleton further comprises leg assemblies 5, and two groups of the leg assemblies 5 are symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the lower waistband 4 and used for preventing the lower waistband 4 from sliding upward after being worn; the leg assembly 5 comprises a leg pull belt 501 and a leg binding belt 502, the upper end of the leg pull belt 501 is connected with the lower waistband 4, and the lower end of the leg pull belt 501 is provided with the leg binding belt 502, and the exoskeleton is connected with the legs of the user through the leg binding belt 502.

[0033] The working principle and working process of the present application are as follows:

[0034] The exoskeleton is worn on the user through the upper waistband 1, the lower waistband 4 and the leg binding belt 502, the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 of the upper waistband 1 are worn on the waist of the human body, and after being connected through the buckles 104, the outer ring 103 is fine-tuned to the appropriate position up and down through the electric push rod 204 according to the wearing feeling of the user, the electric push rod 204 keeps the current telescopic state after adjustment, the upper waistband 1 is prevented from jumping up and down, and the relative fixation between the inner ring 102 and the outer ring 103 is realized through the fixing of the stud 101 by the star-shaped bolt 106; when the leg binding belt 502 is worn, the leg pull belt 501 needs to be kept in the straightened state to prevent the lower waistband 4 from sliding upward;

[0035] The exoskeleton of the present application can fit the human waist movement, and can assist and support the human body. When the human body needs assistance, the control electric push rod 204 does not stretch and retract, four support chains and the upper waist belt 1 and the lower waist belt 4 form a parallel mechanism 4-RRR with three rotational degrees of freedom, the three second support chains 3 have DC brushless motors 301 as the original driving members, the three DC brushless motors 301 drive the first spherical link and the second spherical link on the respective support chain to rotate, the three second support chains 3 drive the two spherical links of the first support chain 2 to rotate, and since the intersection of the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the first spherical link 201, the intersection of the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the second spherical link 202, the intersection of the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the second spherical link 302 and the intersection of the center axes of the two end connecting holes of the second spherical link 303 coincide together to form the rotation ball center of the exoskeleton, therefore, under the action of the three DC brushless motors 301, the exoskeleton generates torque to make the upper waist belt 1 relative to the lower waist belt 4 perform spherical motion around the rotation ball center, including rotation in the sagittal plane, rotation in the coronal plane and rotation in the horizontal plane, corresponding to the flexion movement, lateral flexion movement and horizontal rotation movement of the human waist respectively, assisting the human body in bending or standing. When the human body needs support, first control the three DC brushless motors 301 to work, make the upper waist belt 1 rotate, and after reaching a certain posture that the human body needs support, the three DC brushless motors 301 keep the current working state, and then the electric push rod 204 generates an upward force to provide upward static support force for the upper waist belt 1, so as to reduce the stress on the human waist and relieve the fatigue of the human waist.

[0036] The unmentioned part of the present application is applicable to the prior art.

Claims

1. A wearable waist assist support exoskeleton, characterized by, The exoskeleton comprises an upper waistband, a first branch chain, a second branch chain and a lower waistband; one first branch chain and three second branch chains are evenly distributed on the back side of the upper waistband and the lower waistband, the upper end of each branch chain is connected with the upper waistband, and the lower end is connected with the lower waistband; The second branch chain comprises a brushless direct current motor, a second branch chain first spherical connecting rod, a second branch chain second spherical connecting rod, a telescopic rod connecting piece and a telescopic rod; the brushless direct current motor is connected with the upper waistband, the output shaft of the brushless direct current motor is connected with the upper end of the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod, so that the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod can rotate relative to the upper waistband, the lower end of the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod is rotationally connected with the upper end of the second branch chain second spherical connecting rod, the lower end of the second branch chain second spherical connecting rod is rotationally connected with the upper end of the telescopic rod connecting piece, the lower end of the telescopic rod connecting piece is fixedly connected with the upper end of the telescopic rod, and the position where the lower waistband is connected with the second branch chain is provided with a telescopic rod sleeve, the lower end of the telescopic rod is inserted into the telescopic rod sleeve, and the telescopic rod can slide in the telescopic rod sleeve; The first branch chain comprises a first branch chain first spherical connecting rod, a first branch chain second spherical connecting rod, a push rod connecting piece and an electric push rod; the upper end of the first branch chain first spherical connecting rod is rotationally connected with the upper waistband, the lower end of the first branch chain first spherical connecting rod is rotationally connected with the upper end of the first branch chain second spherical connecting rod, the lower end of the first branch chain second spherical connecting rod is rotationally connected with the upper end of the push rod connecting piece, the lower end of the push rod connecting piece is fixedly connected with the telescopic rod of the electric push rod, and the cylinder of the electric push rod is connected with the lower waistband; The center axes of the two end connecting holes of the first branch chain first spherical connecting rod, the two end connecting holes of the first branch chain second spherical connecting rod, the two end connecting holes of the second branch chain first spherical connecting rod and the two end connecting holes of the second branch chain second spherical connecting rod coincide to form a point M, and the point M is the rotation center of the exoskeleton; The upper waistband is divided into an inner ring and an outer ring, the upper ends of the first branch chain and the second branch chain are connected with the outer ring, the front sides of the inner ring and the outer ring are respectively provided with buckles, the rear side of the inner ring is provided with a connecting buckle, a stud is inserted into the buckle ring of the connecting buckle and is fixed in the rear side of the outer ring through the plum-blossom bolts, so that the relative position of the inner ring and the outer ring in the height direction can be finely adjusted to ensure the wearing comfort; The exoskeleton further comprises leg assemblies, and the two sides of the lower waistband are symmetrically provided with the leg assemblies; the leg assembly comprises a leg pull belt and a leg binding belt, the upper end of the leg pull belt is connected with the lower waistband, and the lower end of the leg pull belt is provided with the leg binding belt.

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