A lower limb exoskeleton robot

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lower limb exoskeleton robot, which consists of a waist adjustment module, a thigh adjustment module, a calf adjustment module, an ankle joint height adjustment module, a foot adjustment module, a power device and a fixing device. The waist adjustment module is connected to the thigh adjustment module through the power device, and the thigh adjustment module is connected to the calf adjustment module through the power device. The lower end of the calf adjustment module is connected to the foot adjustment module through the ankle joint height adjustment module and a gas spring assist device. Compared with the existing exoskeleton robot, the present invention is mainly used for people with different leg shapes (such as O-shaped legs, X-shaped legs), ankle joint heights and foot sizes. The deflection device is used to adjust to meet the differences in leg shapes. At the same time, the knee joint floating device can compensate for the slip error during the movement of the knee joint, thereby achieving better human-machine coordination and improving the application scope of the exoskeleton robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of intelligent mechanical technology, and specifically relates to a lower limb exoskeleton robot. Background Art

[0002] The lower limb exoskeleton robot is a human-machine interaction system worn on the outside of the body, involving multidisciplinary technologies such as mechanics, electronic control, and sensors. The robot with good human-machine coordination can provide assistance to the user when walking, achieving the effect of saving effort.

[0003] There are many types of lower limb exoskeleton robots, and research has also been conducted on human-machine coordination, such as exoskeleton robots with waist, thigh and calf size adjustment mechanisms, such as the wearable lower limb assist exoskeleton robot with announcement number CN210757710U, which provides limit protection, size adjustment, simple controller, and simple multi-sensor fusion human motion intention recognition, but there is no research on the adjustment of different leg types (such as O-shaped legs, X-shaped legs), ankle joint height and foot size. In addition, according to the knowledge of knee joint biomechanics, the movement of the knee joint in the sagittal plane includes flexion and extension and slippage, while the conventional design only simplifies the movement of the knee joint into rotation in the sagittal plane, ignoring the slippage. According to the statistics of Chinese Adult Human Body Size (GB / T10000-2023), the maximum difference in ankle joint height, foot length and foot width of adults aged 18-70 is 15mm, 70mm, and 33mm, respectively, which shows that the difference range is large. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to design a lower limb exoskeleton robot that can improve human-machine coordination and the assistance effect. The overall device has a simple structure, is easy to adjust, and adopts a modular and lightweight design to meet the needs of users of different body shapes and postures.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A lower limb exoskeleton robot, characterized in that: the lower limb exoskeleton robot consists of a waist adjustment module, a thigh adjustment module, a calf adjustment module, an ankle joint height adjustment module, a foot adjustment module, a power device and a fixing device, the waist adjustment module is connected to the thigh adjustment module through the power device, the thigh adjustment module is connected to the calf adjustment module through the power device, the lower end of the calf adjustment module is connected to the foot adjustment module after passing through the ankle joint height adjustment module and the gas spring assist device, a deflection device and a knee joint floating device are placed in the calf adjustment module, the deflection device includes a flange connected to the power device, a worm hole and a hinge part are provided below the flange, a worm is placed in the worm hole, the worm is meshed with a worm wheel in the hinge part, the worm wheel is connected to the threaded rod through a profile shaft, and both ends of the shaft are placed in the hole of the hinge part through a bushing, the knee joint floating device includes a slide groove, a slider is placed in the slide groove, a return spring and an end cover are respectively installed at both ends of the slide groove, and a fixing belt is installed on the slider. The shaft of the worm wheel is a special-shaped shaft, and the cross section of the middle part is hexagonal as a whole. The optical axis is near the two ends, and the diameter of the optical axis is smaller than the middle part. An annular groove is processed on the optical axis.

[0007] Furthermore, the waist adjustment module includes left and right adjustment rods and front and rear adjustment rods, the front of the front and rear adjustment rods is equipped with a first thigh connecting piece, a fixing plate is installed between the front and rear adjustment rods, and a width adjustment mechanism is installed in the middle of the left and right adjustment rods, and the width adjustment mechanism is protected by a protective cover.

[0008] Furthermore, the width adjustment mechanism consists of a lead screw, a nut and two connecting rods. The lead screw is installed on the fixed plate through upper and lower fixing blocks. The bottom of the lead screw is a square hole. One end of the connecting rod is hinged to the nut, and the other end is hinged to the left and right adjustment rods.

[0009] Furthermore, the thigh adjustment module includes a second thigh connecting piece, which is connected to the output shaft of the power device at the thigh. The lower part of the second thigh connecting piece is connected to the thigh adjustment rod and the first calf connecting piece in sequence, and a locking nut is used at the connection.

[0010] Furthermore, the deflection device of the calf adjustment module is connected to the output shaft of the power device at the calf, and the calf adjustment rod, ankle connection rod and ankle hinge base are installed in sequence below the deflection device.

[0011] Furthermore, the ankle joint height adjustment module includes a second calf connecting piece hinged to the ankle hinge base, and an ankle joint adjustment rod and a sole connecting rod are connected in sequence below the second calf connecting piece, and the sole connecting rod is connected to the foot adjustment module.

[0012] Furthermore, the foot adjustment module is a foot sole composed of four bottom plates through elastic bands, which is firmly attached to the side of the user's shoe to achieve the function of automatic adjustment of the foot module.

[0013] Furthermore, the gas spring assist device includes a middle gas spring, and the upper mounting seat and the lower mounting seat are hingedly mounted at both ends of the gas spring, respectively, to play the role of shock absorption and assisting the ankle joint.

[0014] Furthermore, the waist adjustment module, the thigh adjustment module, the calf adjustment module, and the foot adjustment module are all installed with fixing belts, and all the fixing belts constitute a fixing device.

[0015] The following beneficial effects can be obtained through the above technical solution:

[0016] Compared with existing exoskeleton robots, the present invention is mainly used for people with different leg shapes (such as O-shaped legs, X-shaped legs), ankle joint heights and foot sizes. The deflection device is used for adjustment to meet the differences in leg shapes. At the same time, the knee joint floating device can compensate for the slip error during the movement of the knee joint, thereby achieving better human-machine coordination and improving the applicability of the exoskeleton robot.

[0017] The invention also has the functions of adjusting waist, leg, ankle height, foot size, etc., which can meet the needs of users of different heights. It can be adjusted according to different body shapes and calf shapes, improving the shortcomings of the previous lower limb exoskeleton robot, which is that the joints are not aligned, improving the coordination between man and machine, and expanding the scope of application of the lower limb exoskeleton robot. It adopts modular and lightweight design, reduces the weight of the whole machine, and the overall structure of the equipment is simple to adjust and easy to wear. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the device of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of different leg-shaped devices of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the waist adjustment module of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the thigh adjustment module of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the calf adjustment module of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fixing device of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the foot adjustment module of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gas spring booster device of the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the ankle joint height adjustment module of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the calf deflection module of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the knee joint floating device of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the knee joint floating device of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the foot adjustment module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0032] like Figure 1-13 As shown, a multi-size adjustable lower limb exoskeleton robot is arranged symmetrically on both sides (including structure and size) as a whole, including a waist adjustment module 1, a shoulder fixing belt of a fixing device is installed on the fixing plate of the waist adjustment module, and the shoulder fixing belt can carry the waist adjustment module on the back, a thigh first connecting piece of the waist adjustment module is connected to a thigh second connecting piece of the thigh adjustment module 3 through a power device 2, so as to realize the connection between the waist adjustment module and the thigh adjustment module, a calf first connecting piece of the thigh adjustment module is connected to a deflection device of a calf adjustment module 4 through a power device, so as to realize the connection between the thigh adjustment module and the calf adjustment module, and an ankle connecting rod of the calf adjustment module is connected to a calf second connecting piece of the ankle joint height adjustment module through a hinge. The foot plate connecting rod of the ankle joint height adjustment module is connected to the bottom plate of the foot adjustment module 5 by bolts, one end of the gas spring is fixed to the hinge base of the ankle adjustment module of the calf adjustment module by bolts, and the other end is fixed to the bottom plate of the foot adjustment module by bolts, the shoulder fixing belt of the fixing device is installed on the waist adjustment module, the two independent waist fixing belts are installed on the front and rear adjustment rods of the waist, the thigh fixing belt is installed on the four motor fixing seats, the calf fixing belt is installed on the hinge base of the ankle adjustment module, and the foot plate fixing belt is installed on the foot adjustment module. The fixing device connects the exoskeleton robot to the back and lower limbs of the human body, and the battery of the power unit is installed on the protective cover of the waist adjustment module to power the 4 integrated motors.

[0033] Figure 2 As shown, by adjusting the calf deflection device 9, the part below the knee joint can be deflected by a certain angle in the coronal plane of the human body, so that the lower limb exoskeleton robot can adapt to users with normal leg shapes, O-shaped legs, and X-shaped legs, thereby expanding the scope of use of the lower limb exoskeleton robot.

[0034] Figure 3As shown, the waist adjustment module 1 includes a fixing plate 11, a waist width adjustment mechanism (the left and right adjustment rods 12 and the front and rear adjustment rods 13 form a frame shape), the waist width adjustment mechanism consists of a lead screw 15, a nut 17 and two connecting rods 16, the lead screw is installed on the fixing plate 11 through the upper and lower fixing blocks 18, the bottom of the lead screw is processed with an inner hexagonal hole, one end of the connecting rod is hinged with the nut 17, and the other end is hinged with the left and right waist adjustment rods 12, when the lead screw is rotated with an inner hexagonal wrench to drive the nut to move up and down along the lead screw, the connecting rod drives the left and right waist adjustment rods to move left and right in the slide groove 19 installed on the fixing plate under the drive of the nut, so as to adjust the left and right waist widths, and the protective cover plate 20 is installed on the fixing plate, on the one hand, it protects the adjustment mechanism, and on the other hand, it serves as a battery fixing bracket; the left and right adjustment rods 12 can slide forward and backward along the left and right sides of the waist to adjust the front and rear size of the waist, and are fixed with screws 121 after adjustment, and the first thigh connecting member 14 is installed in the threaded hole of the left and right waist adjustment rods, and is fixed with a locking nut.

[0035] Figure 4 As shown, the thigh adjustment module 3 includes a second thigh connection member 31, which is connected to the motor output shaft of the power device through a flange. The second thigh connection member 31 is in the shape of a rod, and the rod at the lower end is processed with a left-handed self-locking thread, a thigh adjustment rod 32, and the adjustment rod is composed of a carbon fiber tube and an aluminum alloy threaded sleeve, specifically, the aluminum alloy threaded sleeves are embedded at both ends of the carbon fiber tube adjustment rod, and the two sets of threads are rotated in opposite directions. The first calf connection member 33 is consistent with the second thigh connection member structure, and the rod at the upper end of the connection rod is processed with a right-handed self-locking thread. According to the range of motion of the lower limbs of the human body, 4 limit holes are processed on the flange of the connection rod, and limit screws are used to limit the swing amplitude of the thigh and calf to avoid exceeding the human body's own motion angle and causing injury. By rotating the thigh adjustment rod, the first calf connection member and the second thigh connection member can be adjusted to be close to or away from each other under the cooperation of the two sets of reverse threads, so as to achieve the adjustment of the length of the thigh. In order to avoid loosening during exercise, a locking nut is used for tightening.

[0036] Figure 5 As shown, the calf adjustment module 4 includes a calf deflection device 9, the upper end of which is connected to the power device at the calf through a connecting flange 41, and the lower end is processed with a left-handed self-locking thread and connected to the calf adjustment rod 42, the ankle connecting rod 43 and the ankle hinge base 44 one by one. The adjustment rod is similar to the thigh length adjustment rod in structure, and the ankle connecting rod is processed with a right-handed self-locking thread, and the ankle adjustment module hinge base is welded at the lower end. The calf length adjustment process is consistent with the thigh length adjustment method, and a locking nut is used to tighten it to avoid loosening during exercise.

[0037] Figure 6As shown, the fixing device includes a shoulder fixing belt, which is installed on the fixing plate of the waist adjustment module; the waist fixing belt is installed on the waist front and back adjustment rod, and moves left and right and forward and backward with the waist front and back adjustment rod; the thigh fixing belt is installed on the fixing seats of two power devices, and the thigh fixing belt is fixed to the motor fixing seat of the power device through a knee joint floating device; the calf fixing belt is installed on the hinge base of the ankle adjustment module; the sole fixing belt is installed on the sole, and the fixing devices all use Velcro, the size is adjustable, and can be quickly replaced after failure.

[0038] Figure 7 As shown, the foot adjustment module 7 includes four bottom plates 71 which are sequentially passed through an elastic band 72. The four bottom plates can be moved forward, backward, left and right to adapt to different foot lengths and widths. Under the action of the elastic band, the four surfaces around the bottom plate can be firmly attached to the side of the user's shoe, thereby realizing the automatic adjustment of the foot module. Fig.13 As shown, each base plate 71 is placed in a connecting column 74, and sleeves 73 are provided at both ends of the elastic band 72. One end of the sleeve 73 of the elastic band 72 is sleeved on the connecting column 74 in the upper left base plate, and the other end is wrapped around the upper right and lower right base plates and then sleeved on the connecting column on the lower left base plate. In this way, the four base plates can be pressed against the foot under the tension of the elastic band 72.

[0039] Figure 8 As shown, the gas spring assist device 6 includes a gas spring 61, an upper mounting seat 62 and a lower mounting seat 63 at both ends of the gas spring, which are respectively mounted on the bottom plate and the hinge base of the ankle adjustment module to provide shock absorption and assist the ankle joint.

[0040] Fig. 9 As shown, the ankle joint height adjustment module 5 includes a second calf connecting piece 51, which is connected to the ankle adjustment module hinge base through a hinge, and is sequentially connected to an ankle joint adjustment rod 52 and a sole connecting rod 53 below, the sole connecting rod is connected to the foot adjustment module, and the sole connecting rod is connected to the foot adjustment module through a bolt. The size adjustment principle of the ankle joint height adjustment module is the same as that of the thigh and calf length adjustment module.

[0041] Fig.10As shown, the calf deflection device 9 comprises a connecting flange 41, a threaded rod 96, a worm wheel 92 and a worm 91. The worm is installed in a worm hole 97 processed on the connecting flange 41. A hexagonal hole is processed at one end of the worm. The worm wheel and the threaded rod are connected by a shaft 93. A sleeve 94 is embedded between the connecting flange 41 and the shaft to realize that the whole composed of the worm wheel and the threaded rod rotates around the connecting flange of the calf motor. Limiting grooves are processed at both ends of the worm wheel shaft, and the worm wheel shaft is limited by an elastic retaining ring 95 of the matching shaft. The whole composed of the worm wheel and the threaded rod can rotate around the sleeve hole on the connecting flange 41 under the drive of the worm, so as to realize the deflection of the calf inward and outward. The worm rotates under the drive of the hexagonal wrench.

[0042] Fig.12 As shown, the knee joint floating device includes a slide groove 102, which is installed on the power unit motor fixing seat through countersunk bolts; a slider 101 is placed in the slide groove 102, and a return spring 104 and an end cover 103 are respectively installed at both ends, which are installed at both ends of the slide groove through threads to prevent the spring from falling off; the slider can move in the slide groove, and a fixing belt is installed on the slider.

[0043] The power unit includes a battery and four integrated motors, which are installed on corresponding motor mounts. Four limit holes are processed on the motor mounts according to the range of motion of the human lower limbs. Limit screws are used to limit the swing range of the thigh and calf to avoid exceeding the human body's own movement angle and causing injury.

[0044] When in use, the user passes his arms through the shoulder straps and carries the exoskeleton robot on his back, then adjusts the waist adjustment module of the exoskeleton robot to make the exoskeleton robot fit the user's body, and then adjusts the thigh adjustment module, calf adjustment module, and ankle height adjustment module in turn to align the robot's rotation joints with the human body's joints. When the foot steps into the foot adjustment module, the foot adjustment module will automatically adapt to the size of the user's footsteps. Finally, all fixing devices are adjusted to connect the exoskeleton robot to the human body. Turn on the power, and the motor can provide assistance for walking under the set program.

[0045] The above are all preferred embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principle of the present invention, various equivalent modifications to the present invention belong to the protection scope of the claims attached to this application.

Claims

1. A lower limb exoskeleton robot, characterized in that: The lower limb exoskeleton robot is composed of a waist adjustment module, a thigh adjustment module, a calf adjustment module, an ankle joint height adjustment module, a foot adjustment module, a power device and a fixing device. The waist adjustment module is connected to the thigh adjustment module through the power device, and the thigh adjustment module is connected to the calf adjustment module through the power device. The lower end of the calf adjustment module is connected to the foot adjustment module through the ankle joint height adjustment module and the gas spring assist device. A deflection device and a knee joint floating device are placed in the calf adjustment module. The deflection device includes a flange connected to the power device, a worm hole and a hinge part are provided below the flange, a worm is placed in the worm hole, the worm is meshed with a worm wheel in the hinge part, the worm wheel is connected to the threaded rod through a profile shaft, and both ends of the shaft are placed in the hole of the hinge part through a bushing; The top of the deflection device of the calf adjustment module is connected to the output shaft of the power device at the calf, and the calf adjustment rod, the ankle connection rod and the ankle hinge base are installed in sequence below the deflection device; The knee joint floating device includes a slide groove, which is installed on the motor fixing seat of the power unit through countersunk bolts; the slider is placed in the slide groove, and a return spring and an end cover are installed at both ends, which are installed at both ends of the slide groove through threads to prevent the spring from falling off; the slider can move in the slide groove, and a thigh fixing belt is installed on the slider; the thigh fixing belt is fixed to the motor fixing seat of the power unit through the knee joint floating device.

2. A lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waist adjustment module includes left and right adjustment rods and front and rear adjustment rods, the front of the front and rear adjustment rods is equipped with a first thigh connection piece, a fixing plate is installed between the front and rear adjustment rods, and a width adjustment mechanism is installed in the middle of the left and right adjustment rods, and the width adjustment mechanism is protected by a protective cover.

3. A lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The width adjustment mechanism consists of a lead screw, a nut and two connecting rods. The lead screw is installed on the fixed plate through upper and lower fixing blocks. The bottom of the lead screw is a square hole. One end of the connecting rod is hinged to the nut, and the other end is hinged to the left and right adjustment rods.

4. A lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thigh adjustment module includes a second thigh connection piece, which is connected to the output shaft of the power device at the thigh. The lower part of the second thigh connection piece is connected to the thigh adjustment rod and the first calf connection piece in sequence, and a locking nut is used at the connection.

5. A lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle joint height adjustment module includes a second calf connection piece hinged to the ankle hinge base, and an ankle joint adjustment rod and a foot sole connection rod are sequentially connected below the second calf connection piece, and the foot sole connection rod is connected to the foot adjustment module.

6. A lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The foot adjustment module is a foot sole composed of four bottom plates passed through elastic bands. The foot adjustment module is composed of four bottom plates passed through elastic bands in sequence.

7. A lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas spring assist device comprises a middle gas spring, and the upper mounting seat and the lower mounting seat are respectively hingedly mounted at both ends of the gas spring. The upper mounting seat and the lower mounting seat are respectively mounted on the bottom plate and the ankle adjustment module hinge base.

8. The lower limb exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waist adjustment module, the thigh adjustment module, the calf adjustment module and the foot adjustment module are all installed with fixing belts, and all the fixing belts constitute a fixing device.

Images