Multi-degree-of-freedom thumb-assisted soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot

Abstract

This invention relates to medical rehabilitation training and assistive devices, specifically a multi-degree-of-freedom thumb-assisted soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot. It includes a soft exoskeleton glove, tendon tension lines, flexible links, a drive device, and a control system. One end of the tendon tension line is connected to a linear actuator, and the other end is connected to the soft exoskeleton glove to drive the thumb's two degrees of freedom: abduction / adduction and flexion / extension. One end of the flexible link is hinged to the thumb sleeve, and the other end is hinged to a structural component on the back of the hand. It moves along a sliding groove through the contraction of the tendon tension line, thereby driving the thumb's adduction and abduction movements. Another tendon tension line connects to the dorsal side of the thumb to drive its extension movement, and the other tension line connects to the palmar side of the thumb to drive its flexion movement. This invention can effectively assist stroke patients in thumb movement to complete required training tasks. It is small in size, lightweight, and highly wearable, making it convenient for patients with hand dysfunction to use in daily life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to medical rehabilitation training and assistive devices, specifically a multi-degree-of-freedom thumb-assisted soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot. Background Technology

[0002] The first three months of rehabilitation training after a stroke are crucial for the recovery of motor function. However, the shortage of medical resources prevents many patients from receiving timely treatment. Rehabilitation assistive robots can help patients perform long-term training tasks, which can not only reduce the demand on rehabilitation therapists but also improve the efficiency of motor recovery.

[0003] The hand is the most distal limb in the human body, and its motor function is the most difficult part to rehabilitate for stroke patients. Existing hand rehabilitation exoskeletons only involve assisting and training the plane flexion and extension of the fingers, while neglecting the three-dimensional movement assistance of the thumb. They can only achieve simple motor functions, and the recovery effect after rehabilitation is limited. At the same time, existing rehabilitation exoskeletons are generally heavy and bulky, with poor wearability, resulting in poor safety during use and an inability to assist in daily life. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to meet the needs of stroke patients for thumb movement assistance in rehabilitation training and daily life, and to solve the above-mentioned problems of existing hand rehabilitation exoskeletons, the purpose of this invention is to provide a soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot with multi-degree-of-freedom thumb assistance.

[0005] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] This invention includes a soft exoskeleton glove, a drive device, and a control system. The soft exoskeleton glove is worn on the patient's hand, and the drive device is mounted on the patient's body. The soft exoskeleton glove includes a back support, a palm support, a thumb sleeve, tendon tension lines, and a flexible connecting rod. The back support has a sliding groove, and a slider is slidably connected within the sliding groove. One end of the flexible connecting rod is hinged to the thumb sleeve, and the other end is hinged to the slider. The thumb sleeve is connected to the drive device via a pair of tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic movements. The front and rear sides of the slider in the sliding direction are connected to the drive device via another pair of tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic movements. The drive device drives the thumb to achieve two degrees of freedom of movement: flexion / extension or abduction / adduction, through the two pairs of tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic movements. The control system is connected to the drive device.

[0007] Each tendon tension line is fitted with a braking sleeve.

[0008] The drive device includes at least two linear actuators, each of which has a pulley assembly. One end of each pair of tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic motion is wound around a pulley assembly and connected to a linear actuator, while the other end is connected to the thumb sleeve or the slider.

[0009] The sliding groove is set along the width of the palm. The slider slides back and forth in the sliding groove by the pull of another pair of tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic movement, thereby driving the flexible connecting rod to move along the sliding groove.

[0010] The pair of antagonistic tendon tension lines connected to the thumb sleeve are the thumb extensor tendon tension line and the thumb flexor tendon tension line. One end of the thumb extensor tendon tension line is connected to the back of the thumb sleeve, and one end of the thumb flexor tendon tension line is connected to the palm of the thumb sleeve. The other ends of the thumb extensor tendon tension line and the other ends of the thumb flexor tendon tension line are wound around the first pulley group and then connected to the first linear actuator. The first linear actuator drives the thumb extensor tendon tension line and the thumb flexor tendon tension line to move the thumb to complete the bending / extension degree of freedom.

[0011] Another pair of tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic movement, connected to the front and rear sides of the slider, are the thumb abductor tendon tension line and the thumb adductor tendon tension line. One end of the thumb abductor tendon tension line and the thumb adductor tendon tension line are respectively connected to the front and rear sides of the slider. The other end of the thumb abductor tendon tension line and the thumb adductor tendon tension line are wound around the second pulley group and then connected to the second linear actuator. The second linear actuator drives the thumb abductor tendon tension line and the thumb adductor tendon tension line to drive the thumb to complete the abduction / adduction degree of freedom.

[0012] The soft exoskeleton glove also includes an index finger sleeve. Each of the palm and back sides of the index finger sleeve has a tendon tension line that is wound around a third pulley group and connected to the third linear actuator. The index finger can achieve bending / extension freedom through the drive of the third linear actuator.

[0013] The soft exoskeleton glove also includes a middle finger sleeve, a ring finger sleeve, and a little finger sleeve. The palm side of the middle finger sleeve, the ring finger sleeve, and the little finger sleeve share a common tendon tension line, and the back side of the hand shares a common tendon tension line. These two tendon tension lines are wound around a fourth pulley group and connected to the fourth linear actuator. The middle finger, ring finger, and little finger can move simultaneously through the drive of the fourth linear actuator.

[0014] Each of the linear actuators simultaneously drives two tendon tension lines responsible for antagonistic motion.

[0015] The back-of-hand support and palm support are secured to the patient's hand via an adjustable silicone strap.

[0016] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. This invention combines a hybrid drive method of flexible linkage and bionic tendon drive, utilizing the spatial deformation capability of the flexible linkage to match the complex spatial movements of the thumb, thereby helping stroke patients with rehabilitation training.

[0018] 2. Compared with existing hand exoskeleton rehabilitation robots, this invention provides thumb assistance with more degrees of freedom, thereby enabling more complex motor tasks to be assisted by adjusting the thumb posture, such as grasping and pinching objects.

[0019] 3. This invention is lightweight, small in size, and highly wearable, making it convenient for patients with hand dysfunction to use in their daily lives. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the usage state of the invention after it is worn on the human body;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the biomimetic structure of the thumb on the palm of the human hand.

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the biomimetic structure of the fingers on the back of the human hand.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the thumb drive structure on the back of the hand of the soft exoskeleton glove of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the thumb drive structure of the palm portion of the soft exoskeleton glove of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible connecting rod bending in the horizontal plane according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical bending structure of the flexible connecting rod of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the backpack-type drive device of the present invention;

[0028] Among them: 1 is a soft exoskeleton glove, 2 is a sleeve, 3 is a drive device, 4 is a control system, 5 is the adductor pollicis, 6 is the opponens pollicis, 7 is the flexor pollicis brevis, 8 is the abductor pollicis brevis, 9 is a flexible link, 10 is the tension line of the abductor pollicis tendon, 11 is the tension line of the extensor pollicis tendon, 12 is a slider, 13 is a sliding groove, 14 is the tension line of the adductor pollicis tendon, 15 is the tension line of the flexor pollicis tendon, 16 is a linear actuator, 17 is a pulley system, and 18 is a tendon tension line;

[0029] A represents the flexible link in a non-bending state in the horizontal plane; B represents the flexible link in a bending state in the horizontal plane; C represents the flexible link in a bending state in the horizontal plane; D represents the flexible link in a non-bending state in the vertical plane; and E represents the flexible link in a bending state in the vertical plane. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention includes a soft exoskeleton glove 1, a sleeve 2, a drive device 3, and a control system 4. The soft exoskeleton glove 1 is worn on the patient's hand before rehabilitation, the drive device 3 is mounted on the patient's body, and the control system 4 is connected to the drive device 3 via a communication line to send control commands. In this embodiment, the drive device 3 is a backpack-type drive device, meaning it can be worn on the patient's back like a backpack, and the control system 4 can be held by the patient's other hand. The control system 4 in this embodiment is prior art and includes a microcomputer and a touch screen. The patient can send control commands by operating the touch screen to control the various linear actuators 16 in the drive device 3.

[0032] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the intrinsic muscles of the thumb include the adductor pollicis 5, the opponens pollicis 6, the flexor pollicis brevis 7, and the abductor pollicis brevis 8. Due to the large number of muscles driving the thumb, the existing bionic tendon-driven methods cannot match the complex multi-degree-of-freedom movements of the thumb.

[0033] To address the shortcomings of the tendon-driven methods described above, such as Figure 1 , Figures 4-8 As shown, this invention employs a hybrid drive method combining tendon actuation and flexible linkage to match the complex multi-degree-of-freedom movements of the thumb. Specifically:

[0034] The soft exoskeleton glove 1 of this embodiment includes a back hand support, a palm support, a thumb sleeve, tendon tension lines 18, and a flexible connecting rod 9. A sliding groove 13 is provided on the back hand support, and a slider 12 is slidably connected within the sliding groove 13. One end of the flexible connecting rod 9 is hinged to the thumb sleeve, and the other end is hinged to the slider 12. The thumb sleeve is connected to the drive device 3 via a pair of tendon tension lines 18 responsible for antagonistic movements. The front and rear sides of the slider 12 in the sliding direction are connected to the drive device 3 via another pair of tendon tension lines 18 responsible for antagonistic movements. In this embodiment, the sliding groove 13 is arranged along the width of the palm. The slider 12 slides back and forth within the sliding groove 13 due to the pull of the other pair of tendon tension lines 18 responsible for antagonistic movements, thereby driving the flexible connecting rod 9 to move along the sliding groove 13. Antagonistic movements refer to opposite movements of the thumb; for example, adduction and abduction are antagonistic movements, as are flexion and extension.

[0035] The drive device 3 drives the thumb to achieve two degrees of freedom of movement: flexion / extension or abduction / adduction, via two pairs of tendon tension lines 18 responsible for antagonistic movements. The drive device 3 includes at least two linear actuators 16, each with a pulley assembly 17. One end of each pair of tendon tension lines 18 responsible for antagonistic movements is wound around a pulley assembly 17 and connected to a linear actuator 16, while the other end is connected to a thumb sleeve or slider 12. In this embodiment, the drive device 3 includes four linear actuators 16 and four pulley assemblies 17. Each linear actuator 16 has one pulley assembly 17, and the pulley assembly 17 is bidirectionally driven by tendons, meaning each linear actuator 16 simultaneously drives two tendon tension lines 18 responsible for antagonistic movements. The linear actuators 16 in this embodiment are commercially available products, specifically the LAF50 miniature servo actuator manufactured by Beijing Yinshi Robotics Technology Co., Ltd.

[0036] The pair of antagonistic tendon tension lines 18 connected to the thumb sleeve are the thumb extensor tendon tension line 11 and the thumb flexor tendon tension line 15. One end of the thumb extensor tendon tension line 11 is connected to the back of the thumb sleeve, and one end of the thumb flexor tendon tension line 15 is connected to the palm of the thumb sleeve. The other ends of the thumb extensor tendon tension line 11 and the other ends of the thumb flexor tendon tension line 15 are wrapped around the first pulley group 17 and then connected to the first linear actuator 16. The thumb extensor tendon tension line 11 and the thumb flexor tendon tension line 15 drive the thumb to complete the bending / extension freedom through the drive of the first linear actuator 16.

[0037] Another pair of antagonistic tendon tension lines 18 connected to the front and rear sides of the slider 12 are the thumb abductor tendon tension line 10 and the thumb adductor tendon tension line 14. One end of the thumb abductor tendon tension line 10 and the thumb adductor tendon tension line 14 are respectively connected to the front and rear sides of the slider 12. The other end of the thumb abductor tendon tension line 10 and the thumb adductor tendon tension line 14 are wrapped around the second pulley group 17 and then connected to the second linear actuator 16. The second linear actuator 16 drives the thumb adductor tendon tension line 14 to contract, and the flexible connecting rod 9 moves along the sliding groove 13, thereby driving the thumb to adduct. Conversely, the contraction of the thumb abductor tendon tension line 10 drives the thumb to abduct, thereby enabling the thumb to complete the abduction / adduction degrees of freedom.

[0038] The soft exoskeleton glove 1 of this embodiment also includes index finger sleeves, middle finger sleeves, ring finger sleeves, and little finger sleeves. Each index finger sleeve has a tendon tension line 18 on both the palm and back of the hand, which is wound around a third pulley system 17 and then connected to a third linear actuator 16. The index finger achieves bending / extension freedom through the drive of the third linear actuator 16. The middle, ring, and little finger sleeves share a common tendon tension line 18 on both the palm and back of the hand. These two tendon tension lines 18 are wound around a fourth pulley system 17 and then connected to a fourth linear actuator 16. The middle, ring, and little fingers move simultaneously through the drive of the fourth linear actuator 16.

[0039] In this embodiment, each tendon tension line 18 is fitted with a braking sleeve 2. The tendon tension line 18 is connected to the linear actuator 16 through the sleeve 2. The sleeve 2 can generate tension at both ends of the tendon tension line 18, thereby transmitting power to the patient's hand. The sleeve 2 in this embodiment is prior art and can be a hollow brake tube; the tendon tension line 18 in this embodiment is prior art and can be a brake line.

[0040] In this embodiment, the back-of-hand support and palm support are bound to the patient's hand using a silicone strap. The silicone strap is adjustable in length to fit the size of the patient's hand.

[0041] The flexible link 9 in this embodiment is a commercially available product, specifically the spring strip that comes with the wristband sold by Shanghai Zhuanzhen Medical Equipment Co., Ltd. This flexible link 9 can elastically bend and deform in space as needed, such as in state B (horizontal upward bending), state C (horizontal downward bending), and state E (vertical bending), to match the complex spatial movements of the thumb.

[0042] The soft exoskeleton glove 1 in this embodiment is manufactured using existing rigid-soft hybrid 3D printing technology. The part in contact with the skin uses a soft material (such as AGILUS rubber), while the remaining parts use a rigid material (such as VEROWHITE rigid high-precision resin), ensuring both wearable comfort and sufficient load-bearing capacity. The printer used is a Stratasys J735 printer. During printing, the mixing ratio of rigid and soft materials is adjusted according to the required hardness of the part.

Claims

1. A multi-degree-of-freedom thumb-assisted soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot, characterized by: The application relates to a soft exoskeleton glove, which comprises a soft exoskeleton glove (1), a driving device (3) and a control system (4), wherein the soft exoskeleton glove (1) is worn on a patient's hand, the driving device (3) is arranged on the patient's body, the soft exoskeleton glove (1) comprises a back-of-hand supporting piece, a palm supporting piece, a thumb sleeve, tendon tension lines (18) and a flexible connecting rod (9), a sliding groove (13) is formed in the back-of-hand supporting piece, a sliding block (12) is slidably connected in the sliding groove (13), one end of the flexible connecting rod (9) is hinged to the thumb sleeve, the other end is hinged to the sliding block (12), the thumb sleeve is connected with the driving device (3) through a pair of tendon tension lines (18) responsible for antagonistic movement, and the front and back sides of the sliding direction of the sliding block (12) are connected with the driving device (3) through another pair of tendon tension lines (18) responsible for antagonistic movement; the driving device (3) drives the thumb to realize two-degree-of-freedom movement of flexion / extension or abduction / adduction through the two pairs of tendon tension lines (18) responsible for antagonistic movement; and the control system (4) is connected with the driving device (3). The driving device (3) comprises at least two linear drivers (16), each linear driver (16) is provided with a pulley block (17), one end of each pair of tendon tension lines (18) responsible for antagonistic movement is wound on one pulley block (17) and connected with one linear driver (16), and the other end is connected with the thumb sleeve or the sliding block (12). The sliding groove (13) is arranged along the palm width direction, the sliding block (12) reciprocatingly slides in the sliding groove (13) through the pulling of the other pair of tendon tension lines (18) responsible for antagonistic movement, and then drives the flexible connecting rod (9) to move along the sliding groove (13).

2. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, wherein: Each tendon tension line (18) is sleeved with a sleeve (2) for braking.

3. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft rehabilitation exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, wherein: The pair of tendon tension lines (18) responsible for antagonistic movement connected with the thumb sleeve are a thumb extensor tendon tension line (11) and a thumb flexor tendon tension line (15), one end of the thumb extensor tendon tension line (11) is connected with the back-of-hand surface of the thumb sleeve, one end of the thumb flexor tendon tension line (15) is connected with the palm surface of the thumb sleeve, the other end of the thumb extensor tendon tension line (11) and the other end of the thumb flexor tendon tension line (15) are wound on the first pulley block (17), and then connected with the first linear driver (16), so that the thumb extensor tendon tension line (11) and the thumb flexor tendon tension line (15) drive the thumb to complete the flexion / extension degree of freedom through the driving of the first linear driver (16).

4. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft exoskeleton robot of claim 1, wherein: Another pair of tendon pull wires (18) connected to the front and back of the slider (12) for antagonistic movement is the thumb abduction tendon pull wire (10) and the thumb adduction tendon pull wire (14), one end of the thumb abduction tendon pull wire (10) and the thumb adduction tendon pull wire (14) is connected to the front and back of the slider (12), the other end of the thumb abduction tendon pull wire (10) and the thumb adduction tendon pull wire (14) is wound around the second pulley set (17), and then connected with the second linear actuator (16), so as to realize the thumb abduction / adduction freedom degree by driving the second linear actuator (16).

5. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft exoskeleton robot of claim 1, wherein: The soft exoskeleton glove (1) further comprises a forefinger sleeve, and each of the palm side and the back side of the forefinger sleeve has a tendon pull wire (18) wound around a third pulley set (17) and connected with a third linear actuator (16), so as to realize the bending / stretching freedom degree of the forefinger by driving the third linear actuator (16).

6. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft exoskeleton robot of claim 1, wherein: The soft exoskeleton glove (1) further comprises a middle finger sleeve, a ring finger sleeve and a small finger sleeve, the palm side of the middle finger sleeve, the ring finger sleeve and the small finger sleeve shares a tendon pull wire (18), and the back side of the middle finger sleeve, the ring finger sleeve and the small finger sleeve shares a tendon pull wire (18), the two tendon pull wires (18) are wound around a fourth pulley set (17) and connected with a fourth linear actuator (16), so as to realize the simultaneous movement of the middle finger, the ring finger and the small finger by driving the fourth linear actuator (16).

7. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft exoskeleton robot of claim 1, wherein: Each linear actuator (16) drives two tendon pull wires (18) for antagonistic movement.

8. The multi-DOF thumb-assisted soft exoskeleton robot of claim 1, wherein: The back side support and the palm side support are bound with the patient's hand through the length-adjustable silica gel watchband.

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