Knee joint assisting exoskeleton

Abstract

The application discloses a knee joint assisting exoskeleton and relates to the technical field of robots. The exoskeleton can assist a user to complete knee joint movement in different scenes, improve walking efficiency and stability, and reduce the load and impact force of the knee joint. The exoskeleton comprises a knee joint exoskeleton main body, a Bowden wire driving device, a Bowden wire, an inertial sensing unit and a control unit. The exoskeleton main body is bound at the knee joint of a wearer. The Bowden wire driving device and the control unit are arranged at the waist of the wearer. The Bowden wire driving device drives the knee joint exoskeleton main body to assist the knee joint through the Bowden wire. The inertial sensing unit is arranged at the thigh and the lower leg of the wearer and is used for detecting the knee joint angle and the hip joint angle. The control unit can judge the posture of the wearer according to the received knee joint angle information and hip joint angle information, select an assisting mode according to the posture, then select an assisting time point and an assisting curve according to the assisting mode, and control the start and stop of the Bowden wire driving device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of robotics, and more particularly to a knee-assisted exoskeleton. Background Technology

[0002] Knee-assisted technology is a technique used in rehabilitation and assisted walking to help people with impaired or limited knee function regain or improve their mobility. By providing additional support, assistive forces, and damping, knee-assisted technology can improve gait, enhance stability, and reduce load and impact on the joint, thus providing a better mobility experience.

[0003] Most existing knee assist devices use drive motors and sensors to achieve active assistance and damping functions. Active assistance can provide additional force support at different stages of joint movement according to the user's intention and needs. The damping function can slow down the joint movement speed by controlling the damping torque, providing a cushioning effect and reducing the impact and load on the joint.

[0004] However, it still has the following problems:

[0005] 1. Most of these devices use elastic mechanisms such as coil springs to store energy and release it when the knee is bent. Therefore, they still rely on the human body for power while storing energy, thus limiting movement. Furthermore, although gear sets reduce energy consumption, they still increase energy expenditure during walking, thereby reducing the device's efficiency.

[0006] 2. Some knee assist devices are relatively large and heavy, causing inconvenience to users. This may limit the user's freedom of movement and comfort, and increase fatigue.

[0007] 3. Some knee assist devices lack personalized functions to adapt to the needs of different users. Each user's physical condition, health status, and exercise needs may be different, but current devices often cannot meet the needs of personalized adjustments and adaptations.

[0008] 4. Some knee assist devices lack a natural feel when providing assistance, which may cause users to feel uncoordinated or unnatural while walking. In addition, some devices may not accurately simulate normal gait patterns, which may affect the user's walking efficiency and comfort.

[0009] 5. Most existing knee assist devices are designed to assist walking on flat ground or climbing stairs, without considering assistance when transitioning from a sitting to a standing position or providing cushioning when going downhill or down stairs. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The embodiments of this application provide a knee-assisted exoskeleton that, by providing multiple functions such as assistance, active assistance, and damping, can effectively assist users in completing knee joint movements in different action scenarios, improve walking efficiency and stability, and reduce the load and impact on the knee joint, providing users with a more comfortable and safer mobility experience.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of this application provide a knee-assisted exoskeleton, including a knee exoskeleton body, a Bowden wire drive device, a Bowden wire, an inertial sensing unit, and a control unit. The knee exoskeleton body is strapped to the wearer's knee joint. The Bowden wire drive device and the control unit are both located on the wearer's waist. The Bowden wire drive device drives the knee exoskeleton body to provide knee joint assistance via the Bowden wire. The inertial sensing unit is located on the wearer's thigh and calf to detect knee and hip joint angles. The control unit is communicatively connected to both the inertial sensing unit and the Bowden wire drive device. The control unit can determine the wearer's posture based on the received knee and hip joint angle information, select an assistance mode based on the posture, select the assistance time point and assistance curve based on the assistance mode, and control the Bowden wire drive device to start and stop.

[0012] Furthermore, the wearer's posture includes walking on flat ground or climbing stairs, standing up, and going down steps or downhill; the assistance modes include active assistance mode, auxiliary assistance mode, and damping mode.

[0013] Furthermore, the main body of the knee exoskeleton includes a thigh component, a lower leg component, and a knee guide; the thigh component includes a first arc-shaped connecting frame and first connecting ears respectively disposed at the left and right ends of the lower surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame; the first arc-shaped connecting frame has a first intermediate lanyard hole and two first lateral lanyard holes; the lower leg component includes a second arc-shaped connecting frame and second connecting ears respectively disposed at the left and right ends of the upper surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame; the second arc-shaped connecting frame has a second intermediate lanyard hole and two second lateral lanyard holes; the second connecting ear is hinged to the first connecting ear; the knee guide has two third lanyard holes arranged vertically in the middle; the number of Bowden lines is two; the first ends of the two Bowden lines are both connected to the Bowden line driving device, and the second ends of the two Bowden lines pass through the first intermediate lanyard hole, the two third lanyard holes, and the second intermediate lanyard hole in sequence before splitting into two; the two Bowden lines then pass through the corresponding second lateral lanyard holes and are fixed to the corresponding first lateral lanyard holes.

[0014] Furthermore, the outer arc surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame is provided with a first intermediate rope threading seat and two first side rope threading seats, and the first intermediate rope threading seat is located near the upper end surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame, and the first side rope threading seats are located near the lower end surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame; the outer arc surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame is provided with a second rope threading seat; the second intermediate rope threading hole and the two second side rope threading holes are all located on the second rope threading seat, and the two second side rope threading holes penetrate the left and right sides of the second rope threading seat.

[0015] Furthermore, the knee guide is an arc-shaped plate, and the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped plate is adapted to the patient's knee.

[0016] Furthermore, a first strap is connected to the first arc-shaped connecting frame; the thigh component is bound to the wearer's thigh by the first strap; a second strap is connected to the second arc-shaped connecting frame; and the calf component is bound to the wearer's calf by the second strap.

[0017] Furthermore, the Bowden wire drive device includes a drive motor, and the first end of the Bowden wire is connected to and wound around the output shaft of the drive motor.

[0018] Furthermore, the second connecting ear is hinged to the first connecting ear via a bolt connection pair.

[0019] Furthermore, the thigh component, lower leg component, and knee guide are all made of resin material.

[0020] Furthermore, the knee exoskeleton body, the Bowden wire drive device, the Bowden wire, and the inertial sensing unit are all in pairs.

[0021] This application has the following advantages over the prior art:

[0022] 1. The knee joint assist exoskeleton of this application can provide active assistance when the wearer walks on flat ground or goes up stairs, assisting the knee joint to extend, and provide active assistance when the wearer stands up, assisting the wearer to stand, and can also provide damping when the wearer goes down stairs or downhill, so as to buffer the load.

[0023] 2. In this embodiment of the knee joint assistive exoskeleton, an inertial sensing unit is set up to measure and transmit posture information, and an assist mode is determined by a control unit that can actively identify the data of the inertial sensing unit. Then, the drive motor is controlled to drive the knee joint exoskeleton body to complete the assist, thereby realizing the function of actively adapting to human activities.

[0024] 3. The knee joint assist exoskeleton of this application adopts a flexible drive method, which has better compliance than the rigid drive in the prior art. At the same time, it adopts a flexible wearing method, which fits the wearer's lower limbs better and is more comfortable.

[0025] 4. The inertial sensing unit in the knee joint assistive exoskeleton of this application embodiment has high precision and the control unit is more intelligent. It can identify and adapt to various walking conditions and gaits of the wearer, and can provide appropriate assistance in different situations, reduce human metabolism, and relieve knee joint pressure.

[0026] 5. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton of this application has a simple structure, is easy to wear, small in size, light in weight, and provides precise assistance. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the knee-assisted exoskeleton worn on the left leg of a human body according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 3 This is an exploded structural diagram of the knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0033] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "joining" should be interpreted broadly, for example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0034] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0035] Reference Figures 1 to 3 This application provides a knee-assisting exoskeleton designed to measure knee and hip joint angles in real time under different walking conditions using inertial sensing units located on the thigh and calf. The measured angles are then input into a neural network, and a control unit determines the assistance mode to control a drive motor that powers the Bowden cable to assist the knee joint. The knee-assisting exoskeleton includes a main body 1, a Bowden cable 2, a Bowden cable drive device (not shown), an inertial sensing unit (not shown), and a control unit (not shown).

[0036] The main body 1 of the knee exoskeleton is strapped to the wearer's knee joint. Specifically, the main body 1 of the knee exoskeleton includes a thigh component 11, a lower leg component 12, and a knee guide component 13. The thigh component 11, the lower leg component 12, and the knee guide component 13 are all made of resin material used for 3D printing. Due to the lightweight nature of resin material, the main body 1 of the knee exoskeleton has minimal obstruction to the natural movement of the human body.

[0037] Among them, reference Figure 3 The thigh component 11 includes a first arc-shaped connecting frame 111 and first connecting ears 112 respectively disposed at the left and right ends of the lower surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame 111. The inner arc surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame 111 is adapted to the size of the wearer's thigh. A first intermediate cord threading seat 113 and two first lateral cord threading seats 114 are provided in the middle of the outer arc surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame 111, and the upper surface of the first intermediate cord threading seat 113 is flush with the upper end surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame 111, and the lower surface of the first lateral cord threading seats 114 is flush with the lower end surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame 111. The first intermediate cord threading seat 113 is provided with a first intermediate cord threading hole 115 that runs vertically through it, and the first lateral cord threading seats 114 are provided with a first lateral cord threading hole 116 that runs vertically through it.

[0038] The first arc-shaped connecting frame 111 is also connected to the first straps (not shown in the figure) at both ends, so that the thigh component 11 can be tied to the wearer's thighs by the first straps.

[0039] The calf component 12 includes a second arc-shaped connecting frame 121 and second connecting ears 122 respectively disposed at the left and right ends of the upper surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame 121. The inner arc surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame 121 is adapted to the size of the wearer's calf. A second cord threading seat 123 is provided in the middle of the outer arc surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame 121. The upper surface of the second cord threading seat 123 is flush with the upper end surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame 121. A second intermediate cord threading hole 124 is provided in the middle of the second cord threading seat 123, and a second lateral cord threading hole 125 is provided at both the left and right ends of the second cord threading seat 123, which is provided in both the upper and lower ends. To facilitate cord threading, the second lateral cord threading hole 125 extends through the left or right side of the second cord threading seat 123. That is, the second lateral cord threading hole 125 is not a round hole, but a semi-circular groove with the opening facing outward.

[0040] The second connecting lug 122 is hinged to the first connecting lug 112 via a bolt connection pair 14. Specifically, the bolt connection pair 14 includes a bolt 141 and a nut 142. The bolt 141 passes through the connecting hole on the first connecting lug 112 and the connecting hole on the second connecting lug 122 from the outside and is then fastened to the nut 142.

[0041] The left and right ends of the second arc-shaped connecting frame 121 are also connected to second straps (not shown in the figure), and the lower leg component 12 is tied to the wearer's lower leg by the second straps.

[0042] The knee guide 13 is an arc-shaped plate, the inner arc surface of which is adapted to the size of the patient's knee. Two third lanyard holes 131 are arranged vertically in the middle of the arc-shaped plate.

[0043] Reference Figure 1 There are two Bowden lines 2. The first end of each Bowden line 2 is connected to the output end of the Bowden line drive device. The second end of each Bowden line 2 passes through the first intermediate rope hole 115, the two third rope holes 131, and the second intermediate rope hole 124 in sequence, and then splits into two. The two Bowden lines 2 then pass upward through the corresponding second side rope holes 125 and are fixed to the corresponding first side rope holes 116. Thus, by controlling the length of the Bowden lines 2, the rotation of the lower leg component 12 around the axis of the bolt connection pair 14 can be controlled.

[0044] Reference Figure 2 For ease of wear, both the Bowden wire drive and control unit are housed within the waist belt 3. The waist belt 3 is worn around the wearer's waist.

[0045] The Bowden cable drive device includes a drive motor (not shown). The first end of the Bowden cable 2 is connected to and wound around the output shaft of the drive motor. Thus, the Bowden cable drive device can straighten the knee from a bent position by winding the Bowden cable 2 around the output shaft of the drive motor to shorten the length of the Bowden cable 2, thereby driving the lower leg component 12 to rotate for knee joint assistance.

[0046] The inertial sensing unit includes inertial sensors positioned on the wearer's thighs and calves to detect knee and hip joint angles. Inertial sensors are existing technology, and their structure and operating principles will not be detailed here.

[0047] The control unit, inertial sensing unit, and Bowden wire drive device are all connected via Bluetooth. When the control unit determines the corresponding assist mode, it selects the appropriate assist time point and assist magnitude curve, supplies power to the drive motor, and the drive motor retracts the Bowden wire. The Bowden wire transmits force to the lower leg component 12, enabling the lower leg component 12 to rotate around the bolt rotating joint at the knee joint, straightening the knee from a bent state, thereby achieving the assist effect and reducing the wearer's metabolic consumption.

[0048] The wearer's posture includes walking on flat ground or climbing stairs, standing up, and descending stairs or slopes. Assist modes include active assist mode, assisted assist mode, and damping mode.

[0049] Specifically, in this embodiment of the application, the data provided by the inertial sensing unit to the control unit is input into the neural network for pattern determination:

[0050] 1. Provides active assistance when walking on flat ground or climbing stairs. The Bowden line pull provides a curve similar to the bio-torque of the knee joint, assisting in knee extension and achieving the effect of continuously reducing human metabolism.

[0051] 2. During the transition from a sitting to a standing posture, the Bowden line pulls up, providing a curve similar to the bio-torque of the knee joint to assist in standing.

[0052] 3. During the process of going down stairs and down slopes, the Bowden cable drive device drives the Bowden cable to provide damping and apply preload in advance, so that the wearer needs to overcome the preload during the movement, thereby achieving the effect of buffering joint load.

[0053] In addition, the knee exoskeleton body 1, Bowden wire drive device, Bowden wire 2 and inertial sensing unit in this embodiment can be one or two pieces, and the specific number can be determined according to the wearer's needs.

[0054] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A knee joint assistive exoskeleton, characterized in that, The device includes a knee exoskeleton body, a Bowden cable drive device, Bowden cables, an inertial sensing unit, and a control unit. The knee exoskeleton body is strapped to the wearer's knee joint. The Bowden cable drive device and the control unit are both located at the wearer's waist. The Bowden cable drive device drives the knee exoskeleton body through the Bowden cables to provide knee joint assistance. The inertial sensing unit is located at the wearer's thigh and calf to detect knee and hip joint angles. The control unit is communicatively connected to both the inertial sensing unit and the Bowden cable drive device. The control unit can determine the wearer's posture based on the received knee and hip joint angle information, select an assistance mode based on the posture, select the assistance timing and assistance curve based on the assistance mode, and control the Bowden cable drive device to start and stop. The main body of the knee exoskeleton includes a thigh component, a lower leg component, and a knee guide; the thigh component includes a first arc-shaped connecting frame and first connecting ears respectively disposed at the left and right ends of the lower surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame; The first arc-shaped connecting frame has a first intermediate rope hole and two first side rope holes; the lower leg component includes a second arc-shaped connecting frame and second connecting ears respectively disposed at the left and right ends of the upper surface of the second arc-shaped connecting frame; the second arc-shaped connecting frame has a second intermediate rope hole and two second side rope holes; the second connecting ears are hinged to the first connecting ears; the knee guide has two third rope holes arranged vertically in the middle; the number of Bowden lines is two; the first ends of the two Bowden lines are both connected to the Bowden line driving device, and the second ends of the two Bowden lines pass through the first intermediate rope hole, the two third rope holes and the second intermediate rope hole in sequence and then split into two, and the two Bowden lines pass through the corresponding second side rope holes and are fixed to the corresponding first side rope holes.

2. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wearer's posture includes walking on flat ground or climbing stairs, standing up, and going down steps or downhill; the assistance modes include active assistance mode, auxiliary assistance mode, and damping mode.

3. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first arc-shaped connecting frame has a first intermediate rope threading seat and two first side rope threading seats in the middle of its outer arc surface. The first intermediate rope threading seat is located near the upper end surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame, and the first side rope threading seats are located near the lower end surface of the first arc-shaped connecting frame. The second arc-shaped connecting frame has a second rope threading seat in the middle of its outer arc surface. The second intermediate rope threading hole and the two second side rope threading holes are all located on the second rope threading seat, and the two second side rope threading holes pass through the left and right sides of the second rope threading seat.

4. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 3, characterized in that, The knee guide is an arc-shaped plate, and the inner arc surface of the arc-shaped plate is adapted to the patient's knee.

5. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 4, characterized in that, A first strap is connected to the first arc-shaped connecting frame; the thigh component is bound to the wearer's thigh by the first strap; a second strap is connected to the second arc-shaped connecting frame; the lower leg component is bound to the wearer's lower leg by the second strap.

6. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 5, characterized in that, The Bowden wire drive device includes a drive motor, and the first end of the Bowden wire is connected to and wound around the output shaft of the drive motor.

7. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second connecting lug is hinged to the first connecting lug via a bolt connection pair.

8. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 7, characterized in that, The thigh component, lower leg component, and knee guide are all made of resin material.

9. The knee joint assistive exoskeleton according to claim 8, characterized in that, The knee exoskeleton body, the Bowden line drive device, the Bowden line, and the inertial sensing unit are all in pairs.

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