A non-powered exoskeleton joint with an intermittent locking mechanism

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of industrial exoskeleton technology, specifically to a non-powered exoskeleton assisted joint with an intermittent locking mechanism. The joint includes a joint link, a joint base, a ratchet mechanism, an intermittent locking mechanism, an elastic vibration damping mechanism, and sensing monitoring elements. Compared to existing technologies, this invention achieves a simple structure, high load-bearing capacity, high assist efficiency, and resistance to vibration and impact. It can be used not only in material handling operations but also in repetitive lifting, drilling, and other work scenarios with similar motion patterns.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial exoskeleton technology, and more specifically to a non-powered exoskeleton assisted joint with an intermittent locking mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] The rapid development of industry and logistics has led to increasingly heavy workloads for workers, and a rapidly increasing risk of musculoskeletal disorders. These disorders not only cause significant economic losses to businesses and society but also inflict irreversible damage on workers' health and lives. Exoskeletons, as intelligent robots that provide protection and assistance to workers while also serving as information platforms for intelligent manufacturing to guide and monitor their work, can significantly reduce physical exertion and the probability of musculoskeletal disorders, improving processing quality and efficiency. They represent the forefront of intelligent manufacturing equipment research in various countries. Exoskeletons are divided into powered and unpowered types. Unpowered exoskeletons have a simple structure, require no energy, have low requirements for the working environment, and are highly reliable, making them easier to implement in actual production. Unpowered exoskeletons primarily provide assistance in two ways: by balancing the load through elastic elements and by transferring the load through a rigid structure. Using elastic elements to balance the load can provide assistance during human movement, but its load-bearing capacity is relatively low, and changes in load size significantly affect the efficiency of assistance. The method of transferring loads through rigid structures can only provide assistance when the joint is stationary, but it has a strong load-bearing capacity and the load size has little impact on the assistance efficiency within the load-bearing range of the load-bearing element.

[0003] In patent CN109760021A, a wearable upper limb unpowered assistive exoskeleton is disclosed. This exoskeleton connects a tension spring between the shoulder joint and the waist. The spring stiffness and connection point are calculated based on the load to provide assistance to the shoulder joint and counteract the weight of heavy objects. However, because the load that this mechanism can balance cannot be automatically adjusted according to changes in the actual load, the assist efficiency will be significantly reduced when the actual load is inconsistent with the design load. Furthermore, since its main assistive element is a spring, if the spring stiffness is too large, the human body cannot easily open the exoskeleton with its own strength, thus limiting the load-bearing capacity of this type of exoskeleton. In situations where the weight of processing tools, workpieces, or transported objects frequently changes, the exoskeleton structure needs frequent adjustments, affecting processing efficiency. In patent CN105856190A, a wearable transport assistive device is disclosed. This patent utilizes its sling ratchet mechanism to transfer the load originally acting on the upper limbs to the waist. However, during operation, the ratchet and pawl need to be controlled by pulling the lasso, increasing the worker's workload and raising the learning curve and error rate. This also affects work efficiency in frequent, repetitive handling tasks. During human movement, the center of gravity of the load moves relative to the human body. Since the load and body are considered rigidly connected when the ratchet is locked, vibrations from the load can subject the human body to impact loads, affecting the assist efficiency. Patent CN108095980A discloses a passive hip exoskeleton device based on energy time-sharing regulation. This patent uses an intermittent locking device to control the spring's movement, allowing the exoskeleton to produce different assist effects during different cycles of the human gait, thus improving assist efficiency. However, its locking mechanism requires the human joint to move to a specific angle, and the range of motion of the upper limbs varies considerably, making this type of exoskeleton unsuitable for the upper limbs. Therefore, to address the problems of existing unpowered exoskeletons, it is necessary to design an upper limb unpowered exoskeleton assist mechanism with higher load-bearing capacity, which can adapt to the worker's movements to improve work efficiency, is unaffected by load changes, and reduces vibration and impact injuries to the worker. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a non-powered exoskeleton assistive joint with an intermittent locking mechanism, which can achieve simple structure, strong load-bearing capacity, high assist efficiency, and resistance to vibration and impact.

[0005] Technical Solution: To achieve the above objectives, the non-powered exoskeleton assistive joint with an intermittent locking mechanism of the present invention includes a joint link, a joint base, a ratchet mechanism, an intermittent locking mechanism, an elastic vibration damping mechanism, and a sensing and monitoring element; the joint link includes a joint shaft, a lower joint connecting rod connected to the joint shaft, and an upper joint connecting rod connected to the elastic vibration damping mechanism; the joint base includes a lower joint connecting plate; the elastic vibration damping mechanism includes a series of spring plates; the lower joint connecting plate, the series of spring plates, and the lower joint connecting rod are connected in sequence; the ratchet mechanism includes a pawl shaft; the intermittent locking mechanism includes a locking wheel fixed to the joint base, a turntable and an incomplete gear connected to the pawl shaft, a first gear connected to the lower joint connecting plate, and a torsion spring wound around the pawl shaft; an angle is formed between the upper joint connecting rod and the lower joint connecting plate; when the angle increases, the first gear pushes the incomplete gear to rotate in the reverse direction; when the angle decreases, the first gear pushes the incomplete gear to rotate in the forward direction.

[0006] Furthermore, the joint base includes an upper joint connecting plate and a lower joint connecting plate. The upper joint connecting plate is fixedly connected to the elastic vibration damping mechanism, and the lower joint connecting plate is fixedly connected to the rotary encoder. The ratchet mechanism and the intermittent locking mechanism are fixed between the two joint connecting plates.

[0007] Furthermore, the pawl is provided with a stop; the ratchet is fixedly connected to the joint shaft and rotates together with the lower joint connecting plate; the pawl is fixedly connected to the pawl shaft and rotates together with the turntable of the intermittent locking mechanism; the pawl is fixedly connected to the stop, and when the incomplete gear rotates and hits the stop, it will drive the pawl to move together; an angle is formed between the upper joint connecting rod and the lower joint connecting plate. When the pawl is lifted and disengaged from the ratchet, the angle can increase; when the ratchet contacts the pawl, the angle can only decrease and cannot increase, thus forming a one-way locking.

[0008] Furthermore, the sensing and monitoring elements include a rotary encoder and an electromyography (EMG) sensor.

[0009] Furthermore, the ratchet is disc-shaped, and the pawl is an eccentric fan-shaped block.

[0010] Furthermore, the turntable has two protrusions, namely an outer paddle and an inner paddle.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking wheel is disc-shaped, with four symmetrical right-angled small slots in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a right-angled large slot between every two small slots; the small slots are locking slots, and the large slots are free slots.

[0012] Furthermore, when the included angle decreases, the locking wheel is moved by a certain angle, causing the locking groove and the free groove to intermittently align with the inner paddle; during the process of increasing the included angle, when the inner paddle aligns with the locking groove, the pawl shaft rotates a certain angle and the turntable is locked by the locking wheel, and the pawl does not contact the ratchet. When the inner paddle aligns with the free groove, the pawl shaft is not locked by the locking wheel, and the pawl contacts the ratchet, so the included angle cannot continue to increase; when it is necessary for the included angle to continue to increase, the included angle is first reduced by a certain angle, allowing the locking wheel to be moved until the locking groove aligns with the inner paddle of the turntable, so that the included angle can increase freely.

[0013] Furthermore, the incomplete gear has a groove at its tail. When the groove touches the stop block, it drives the pawl shaft to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby rotating the turntable. The outer paddle moves the free groove, causing the locking wheel to rotate at a certain angle, so that the free groove on the other side aligns with the inner paddle. When the incomplete gear is pushed out of the rotation range of the first gear, the torsion spring presses the incomplete gear against the first gear, so that the incomplete gear and the first gear remain in a meshed state.

[0014] Furthermore, the elastic vibration damping mechanism is also provided with a rotary damping plate, the outer ring of which is fixed at the center of the lower joint connecting rod, and its inner ring is fixedly connected to the ratchet shaft on the upper joint connecting rod.

[0015] Beneficial Effects: Compared to existing technologies, this technology offers the following significant advantages: The ratchet mechanism transfers the load to the exoskeleton, reducing its size and weight, lowering operating costs. Furthermore, the ratchet mechanism has a high load-bearing capacity, and within its load-bearing range, changes in load size have minimal impact on the assistive effect, resulting in greater applicability and safety. By combining the worker's handling and processing motion patterns with the intermittent control of the ratchet pawl opening and closing using a locking wheel, the ratchet mechanism can be unlocked without additional actions, simplifying the structure, improving work efficiency and human-machine coordination, and reducing worker learning costs. The use of series spring plates isolates vibration and impact, preventing the impact of heavy object center-of-gravity vibrations on the human body during walking, improving assistive efficiency and compliance. The use of a rotary encoder and electromyography (EMG) sensors monitors the worker's working status, providing feedback on their physiological and work conditions, preventing musculoskeletal disorders caused by overwork and protecting worker safety. A rotary switch controls the working status of the exoskeleton joints, enhancing ease of use for the worker. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of the structure of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a left view of the structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a front view of the structure of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a right view of the structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the location of the incomplete gear described in this invention.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the joint locking state described in this invention.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the joint in the non-locked state described in this invention.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a force diagram illustrating the application of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] This invention discloses a non-powered exoskeleton-assisted joint with an intermittent locking mechanism. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1 to 9 As shown below, the non-powered exoskeleton assistive joint with intermittent locking mechanism provided by the present invention will be further described in detail: The non-powered exoskeleton assistive joint with intermittent locking mechanism includes joint link I, joint base II, ratchet mechanism III, intermittent locking mechanism IV, elastic vibration damping mechanism V, and sensing monitoring element VI; wherein, joint link I includes upper joint connecting rod 1 and lower joint connecting rod 2, one end of which is connected to the human body or other joints of the exoskeleton by screws or straps, the other end of upper joint connecting rod 1 is fixed to elastic vibration damping mechanism V by threaded connection, and the other end of lower joint connecting rod 2 is fixed to joint shaft 19 by thread; when the human body moves, it drives joint link I to move, causing the two joint links to rotate relative to each other.

[0026] The joint base II includes an upper joint connecting plate 10 and a lower joint connecting plate 18. The two joint connecting plates are fixed together by a support column and screws. The ratchet mechanism III and the intermittent locking mechanism IV are fixed between the two joint connecting plates by a shaft and a bearing. The other side of the upper joint connecting plate 10 is fixed to the elastic vibration damping mechanism V by a threaded connection, and the other side of the lower joint connecting plate 18 is fixed to the sensing and monitoring element VI by a threaded connection.

[0027] Ratchet mechanism III includes a pawl 5, a pawl shaft 6, a torsion spring 9, a ratchet shaft 11, a stop block 12, and a ratchet 13. The ratchet 13 is disc-shaped, and the pawl 5 is an eccentric sector-shaped block. The friction ratchet 13 has the advantages of stepless locking, smooth operation, and low noise, and has stronger adaptability to different working conditions. In addition, the ratchet 13 is fixedly connected to the joint shaft 19 and rotates together with the lower joint connecting plate 18. The pawl 5 is fixedly connected to the pawl shaft 6 by screws and rotates together with the turntable 7 of the intermittent locking mechanism IV. The pawl 5 is fixedly connected to the stop block 12 by threads. When the incomplete gear 4 of the intermittent locking mechanism IV rotates and hits the stop block 12, it will drive the pawl 5 to move together; an angle is formed between the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting plate 18. If the pawl 5 is lifted and disengaged from the ratchet 13, the angle can increase, and the human joint can rotate freely; if the ratchet 13 contacts the pawl 5, the angle can only decrease and cannot increase, and the joint is locked in one direction. At this time, the load of the upper limb is transferred to the exoskeleton or a stronger part of the human body through the ratchet mechanism, reducing the burden on the human body; the torsion spring 9 is wound around the pawl shaft 6.

[0028] The intermittent locking mechanism IV includes a gear 3, an incomplete gear 4, a turntable 7, and a locking wheel 8. The turntable 7 is fixed to the pawl shaft 6 by screws and has two protrusions, namely an outer paddle and an inner paddle. The incomplete gear 4 is fixed to the pawl shaft 6 by bearings and can rotate freely around the axis of the pawl shaft 6. It has a groove at its tail. The locking wheel 8 is disc-shaped and has four right-angled small slots cut symmetrically in the vertical and horizontal directions. Between every two small slots, a right-angled large slot is cut. The small slots are called locking slots, and the large slots are called free slots. The locking wheel 8 is fixed to the locking wheel shaft by screws. The locking wheel shaft is fixed to the joint base II by a bearing and a one-way bearing. The one-way bearing allows the locking wheel 8 to rotate only in one direction. The gear 3 is fixed to the lower joint connecting plate 18 by screws and rotates together with the ratchet 13 and the joint shaft 19. The torsion spring 9 is wound around the pawl shaft 6, and one end of its torsion arm abuts against the torsion spring fixing pin. The other end of the torsion arm rests against the side of the incomplete gear 4, preventing the incomplete gear 4 from disengaging from the gear 3. When the included angle decreases, as long as the included angle decreases by more than a certain angle, regardless of how much it decreases, the locking wheel 8 will be moved by a certain angle, causing the locking groove and the free groove to intermittently align with the inner paddle of the turntable 7. When the included angle increases, if the inner paddle of the turntable 7 aligns with the locking groove, the turntable 7 will be locked by the locking wheel 8 after the pawl shaft 6 rotates by a certain angle, and the pawl 5 will not be able to contact the ratchet 13. Therefore, the included angle can continue to increase to any angle. If the inner paddle of the turntable 7 aligns with the free groove, the pawl shaft 6 will not be locked by the locking wheel 8, and the pawl 5 will contact the ratchet 13. The included angle cannot continue to increase, and the load is transferred to the exoskeleton or a stronger part of the human body through the ratchet mechanism. When it is necessary to continue to increase the included angle, first reduce the included angle by a certain angle, so that the locking wheel 8 is moved until the locking groove aligns with the inner paddle of the turntable 7, and the included angle can then increase freely.

[0029] The elastic vibration damping mechanism V includes a series spring plate 14 and a rotary damping plate 15. The outer ring of the series spring plate 14 is threaded and fixed to the lower joint connecting plate 18, and its inner ring is threaded and fixed to the upper joint connecting rod 1. The inner and outer rings of the series spring plate 14 can undergo a certain relative motion under the action of external force and convert energy into elastic potential energy stored in the series spring plate 14. When the human body is subjected to vibration or inertial force caused by the change of the center of gravity of a heavy object, the elastic vibration damping mechanism V can isolate vibration and reduce the impact on the human body and exoskeleton. The outer ring of the rotary damping plate 15 is fixed at the center position of the lower joint connecting rod 2, and its inner ring is fixed to the ratchet shaft 11 on the upper joint connecting rod 1.

[0030] The sensing and monitoring element VI includes a rotary encoder 16 and an electromyography (EMG) sensor 17. The rotary encoder 16 is fixed to the upper joint connecting plate 10 by screws, and the extension of the joint shaft 19 is inserted into the rotary encoder 16. The rotary encoder 16 measures the angle of the joint shaft 19 relative to the joint base II to monitor the joint rotation angle of the human body. The EMG sensor 17 is fixed to the upper joint connecting rod 1 by screws and uses EMG signals to determine the fatigue status of human muscles and issue an alarm when human muscles are fatigued.

[0031] During one cycle of a worker lifting a heavy object, the worker first extends his arm to prepare to lift the object. During this process, the upper arm drives the lower joint connecting plate 18 to rotate, increasing the angle between the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting plate 18, and causing the gear 3 to push the incomplete gear 4 to rotate in the opposite direction. When the groove at the tail of the incomplete gear 4 touches the stop block 12 fixed on the pawl 5, it drives the pawl shaft 6 to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby causing the turntable 7 to rotate. The outer paddle of the turntable 7 moves the large slot of the locking wheel 8, causing the locking wheel 8 to rotate at a certain angle, so that the large slot on the other side aligns with the inner paddle of the turntable 7. After the incomplete gear 4 is pushed out of the rotation range of the gear 3, the torsion spring 9 presses the incomplete gear 4 against the gear 3, so that the incomplete gear 4 and the gear 3 remain in a meshed state.

[0032] After the worker's arm contacts and picks up the heavy object, the upper arm rotates in the opposite direction, reducing the angle between the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting plate 18. During this process, gear 3 pushes the incomplete gear 4 to rotate in the forward direction, and pawl 5 rotates in the forward direction under the action of ratchet shaft 11, so that the groove at the tail of the incomplete gear 4 contacts the stop block 12 on the pawl 5. At the same time, the pawl shaft 6 and turntable 7, which are fixed to the pawl 5, rotate in the forward direction together. After the turntable 7 rotates a certain angle, the inner paddle of the turntable 7 moves the large slot of the locking wheel 8, causing the locking wheel 8 to rotate a certain angle again, so that the small slot on the other side aligns with the outer paddle of the turntable 7. After the pawl 5 rotates to contact and lock the ratchet 13, the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting plate 18 can no longer rotate in the opposite direction. At this time, the load acting on the human upper limb is transferred to the exoskeleton through the exoskeleton joint, and the human upper limb no longer needs to provide support for the heavy object, reducing the load on the human upper limb. During the worker's handling process, the pawl 5 and ratchet 13 remain locked. Because the rotation between the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting plate 18 is locked, the joint can only swing slightly by installing a series of spring plates 14 between the lower joint connecting plate 18 and the lower joint connecting rod 2.

[0033] During transport, if the joints are completely locked, the movement of the person will cause the heavy object to move up and down with the person's gait, generating inertial force and increasing the person's energy consumption. Therefore, the series spring plate 14 and the rotational damping plate 15 installed on the rotating shaft allow the heavy object to sway with the person's movements during walking, reducing inertial force. A simplified model of a human wearing an exoskeleton joint is shown below. Figure 8 As shown, x represents the vertical position of the person's center of gravity, y represents the vertical position of the object's center of gravity, both related to time t. X represents the maximum vertical displacement of the person's center of gravity, and Y represents the maximum vertical displacement of the object's center of gravity. ω represents the radial frequency of the person's center of gravity during walking. Let x and y be the phase difference between the motion of the weight and the motion of the human body. Therefore, x and y can be described as:

[0034] x = X sin(ωt)

[0035]

[0036] Since the swing angle is small, the displacement of the weight relative to the human body can be approximated as the arc length corresponding to the joint rotation angle. Therefore, the dynamic equation of the system is:

[0037]

[0038] Where k is the stiffness of the series spring plate 14, c is the damping coefficient of the rotational damping plate 15, R is the distance from the joint rotation center to the center of gravity of the weight, and m is the mass of the weight. Let:

[0039]

[0040]

[0041] The amplitude ratio and phase difference between the motion of the weight and the human body are:

[0042]

[0043]

[0044] The force F exerted by the backpack on the human body Pack To demonstrate and enhance efficiency, then:

[0045]

[0046] The acceleration force amplitude of the heavy object is:

[0047]

[0048] Compared to transport scenarios that do not utilize joints, its

[0049]

[0050] Based on the actual load and the above formula, select the appropriate stiffness of the series spring plate 14 and the damping coefficient of the rotary damper plate 15 to make E as small as possible. This will reduce the inertial force on the human body and improve the assist efficiency.

[0051] As the worker moves the heavy object to its destination and lowers it, the upper arm rotates forward, increasing the angle between the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting rod 2. Gear 3 then pushes the incomplete gear 4 to rotate in the reverse direction, causing the turntable 7 to rotate in the reverse direction, just like in the first stage. The outer paddle of the turntable 7 moves the large slot of the locking wheel 8, causing the locking wheel 8 to rotate at a certain angle, so that the small slot on the other side aligns with the inner paddle of the turntable 7. The torsion spring 9 keeps the incomplete gear 4 and gear 3 in a meshed state.

[0052] After the worker lowers the heavy object, the upper arm rotates in the reverse direction again, reducing the angle between the upper joint connecting rod 1 and the lower joint connecting rod 2. Gear 3 then drives the incomplete gear 4 to rotate forward, causing the turntable 7 to rotate forward, just as in the first stage. After the turntable 7 rotates a certain angle, the inner paddle of the turntable 7 engages in the small slot of the locking wheel 8, preventing the turntable 7 from continuing to rotate forward. Since the pawl 5, pawl shaft 6, and turntable 7 are fixedly connected, the pawl 5 also cannot continue to rotate forward and therefore will not contact the ratchet 13. The two joint connecting plates can still rotate relative to each other, allowing the arm to retract freely. Simultaneously, the exoskeleton joint returns to the state of the first stage.

[0053] During the entire handling process, the electromyography sensor 17 installed on the upper joint connecting rod 1 can collect the worker's electromyography signals in real time and monitor the worker's fatigue level; the rotary encoder 16 installed on the upper joint connecting plate 10 can collect the worker's movements and monitor the worker's work status and efficiency.

[0054] The above describes the mechanism of action of the unpowered exoskeleton joints during a worker's handling cycle. This invention can be applied not only to handling operations but also to repetitive lifting, drilling, and other work scenarios with similar motion patterns.

Claims

1. A non-powered exoskeleton-assisted joint with an intermittent locking mechanism, characterized in that, The system includes a joint link, a joint base, a ratchet mechanism, an intermittent locking mechanism, an elastic damping mechanism, and a sensing and monitoring element. The joint link includes a joint shaft, a lower joint connecting rod connected to the joint shaft, and an upper joint connecting rod connected to the elastic damping mechanism. The joint base includes a lower joint connecting plate and an upper joint connecting plate. The elastic damping mechanism includes a series spring plate and a rotational damping plate. The lower joint connecting plate, the series spring plate, and the lower joint connecting rod are connected sequentially. The outer threaded hole of the series spring plate is fixed to the lower joint connecting plate via a thread, and its inner ring is fixed to... The upper joint connecting rod is fixedly connected; the ratchet mechanism includes a pawl, a pawl shaft, a ratchet, a stop block, and a torsion spring wound around the pawl shaft, with the pawl fixedly connected to the stop block via threads; the intermittent locking mechanism includes a locking wheel, a turntable, an incomplete gear, and a first gear connected to the lower joint connecting plate; the incomplete gear is fixedly connected to the pawl shaft via a bearing, allowing the incomplete gear to rotate freely around the pawl shaft; both the pawl and the turntable are fixedly connected to the pawl shaft; the upper joint connecting plate is fixedly connected to the elastic vibration damping mechanism, and the ratchet mechanism and the intermittent locking mechanism are fixed between the upper joint connecting plate and the lower joint connecting plate; The outer ring of the rotary damping plate is fixed at the center of the lower joint connecting rod, and its inner ring is fixedly connected to the ratchet shaft on the upper joint connecting rod; the tail of the incomplete gear is provided with a groove, and when the groove touches the stop block, it will drive the pawl to move together; the ratchet is fixedly connected to the joint shaft and rotates together with the lower joint connecting plate. The locking wheel is fixed to the locking wheel shaft by screws. The locking wheel shaft is fixed to the joint base by a bearing and a one-way bearing, so that the locking wheel can only rotate in one direction. The locking wheel is disc-shaped and has four symmetrical right-angled small slots in the horizontal and vertical directions. There is a right-angled large slot between every two small slots. The small slots are locking slots, and the large slots are free slots. The turntable has two protrusions, namely an outer paddle and an inner paddle. An angle is formed between the upper joint connecting rod and the lower joint connecting plate. When the angle increases, the first gear pushes the incomplete gear to rotate in the reverse direction. When the angle decreases, the first gear pushes the incomplete gear to rotate in the forward direction. If the inner paddle is aligned with the locking groove, the pawl shaft is locked by the locking wheel, the pawl and the ratchet do not contact each other, and the included angle can increase. If the inner paddle is aligned with the free groove, the pawl shaft is not locked by the locking wheel, the ratchet and the pawl contact each other, the included angle can only decrease and cannot increase, and a one-way locking is formed. Once the incomplete gear is pushed out of the rotation range of the first gear, the torsion spring presses the incomplete gear against the first gear, keeping the incomplete gear and the first gear in a meshed state.

2. The non-powered exoskeleton-assisted joint with an intermittent locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sensing and monitoring elements include a rotary encoder and an electromyography (EMG) sensor.

3. The non-powered exoskeleton assistive joint with intermittent locking mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lower joint connecting plate is fixedly connected to the rotary encoder.

4. The non-powered exoskeleton-assisted joint with an intermittent locking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratchet is disc-shaped, and the pawl is an eccentric fan-shaped block.

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