Emergency charging structure of electric exoskeleton and electric exoskeleton

Abstract

The present application discloses an emergency charging structure of an electric exoskeleton and an electric exoskeleton, wherein the emergency charging structure includes a charging assembly, a drive motor and a capacitor assembly fixed on the drive motor, the drive motor includes a housing, a stator, a rotor and a rotating shaft passing through one end; the charging assembly includes: a winding wheel, having a shaft portion and a baffle portion, at least one baffle portion can be detachably connected to the housing of the drive motor, a rotating member is rotatably provided on the shaft portion, and the rotating member is used to be plugged and matched with the driving end of the rotating shaft; a wire, which is wound on the rotating shaft; a handle, which can pull out the wire to rotate the rotating member and the rotating shaft by pulling the handle; a volute spring, which can reset the wire after the handle pulls out the wire and releases the handle. The charging assembly and the drive motor of the present application can be assembled more conveniently, the whole structure is simple, easy to operate, and the battery life of the exoskeleton can be extended by manually driving the motor to rotate, thereby improving the battery life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of exoskeletons, and in particular to an emergency charging structure of an electric exoskeleton and an electric exoskeleton. Background Art

[0002] As an assistive device, electric exoskeletons can help users complete actions that require large loads, such as carrying, bearing, lifting, pulling, and walking.

[0003] Existing electric exoskeletons have the following problems: once the battery energy is exhausted, the electric exoskeleton can no longer move and can only be charged by external cables. If there are no conditions for external cables, the exoskeleton can only be transported manually. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes an emergency charging structure of an electric exoskeleton and an electric exoskeleton.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] An emergency charging structure of an electric exoskeleton, the electric exoskeleton comprising an exoskeleton body, the emergency charging structure comprising a joint driving mechanism and a charging component;

[0007] The joint drive mechanism includes a drive motor and a capacitor assembly. The drive motor is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body. The drive motor includes a housing, a stator disposed in the housing, a rotor rotatably disposed on the housing, and a rotating shaft fixed to the rotor, one end of the rotating shaft being a driving end passing through the housing; the capacitor assembly is fixed on the drive motor and is located on a side of the drive motor away from the driving end, and the capacitor assembly is electrically connected to the drive motor through a line;

[0008] The charging assembly is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body, and the charging assembly includes:

[0009] The winding wheel comprises a shaft portion and baffle portions respectively located at both ends of the shaft portion, at least one of the baffle portions can be detachably connected to the housing of the driving motor, a rotating member is rotatably arranged on the shaft portion, the rotating member is used to be plugged and matched with the driving end of the rotating shaft, and when the rotating member is plugged and matched with the driving end of the rotating shaft, the rotating member can drive the rotating shaft to rotate synchronously after rotating;

[0010] A wire is wound around the rotating shaft, the wire having a first end located at the inner side and a second end located at the outer side, and the first end of the wire is connected to the rotating shaft;

[0011] A handle, used to be connected to the second end of the wire, and pulling the handle can pull out the wire to rotate the rotating member and the rotating shaft;

[0012] The spiral spring has an outer ring connecting end and an inner ring connecting end. The inner ring connecting end of the spiral spring is limitedly connected to the rotating shaft, and the outer ring connecting end of the spiral spring is limitedly connected to the shaft or the baffle. After the handle pulls out the wire and releases the handle, the spiral spring can reset the wire.

[0013] At present, the electric exoskeleton solution does not have an emergency charging device. Once the battery is exhausted, it will not be able to continue working, which limits its scope of application. The present application sets a charging component and a joint drive mechanism that can be removed from the exoskeleton body. When the battery on the exoskeleton body is exhausted, the joint drive mechanism and the charging component can be disassembled and assembled for charging. Specifically: when emergency charging is required, the drive motor and the charging component are removed from the exoskeleton body, the baffle part of the winding wheel is connected to the housing of the drive motor, and the driving end of the rotating shaft is plugged into the rotating part. By pulling the handle back and forth, the rotating part drives the rotating shaft to rotate, and the rotating shaft drives the rotor to cut the magnetic flux lines in the stator, so that the drive motor generates electricity and stores the electricity in the capacitor component. After charging is completed, the joint drive mechanism is reinstalled into the exoskeleton body. At this time, the electric charge in the capacitor can enable the drive motor to drive the electric exoskeleton to move, such as returning the exoskeleton to a fixed charging position or completing the last part of the work.

[0014] The charging assembly and drive motor of the present application can be assembled relatively conveniently, the entire structure is simple and easy to operate, and the battery life of the exoskeleton can be extended by manually driving the motor to rotate, thereby improving the battery life.

[0015] In actual use, the exoskeleton body is provided with a transmission structure, and the rotating shaft of the driving motor drives the movement of the transmission structure through the shaft key to realize the movement of the electric exoskeleton.

[0016] In actual use, the motor housing has signal transmission contacts, which contact with metal points on the exoskeleton body to transmit control signals and receive feedback information from the motor.

[0017] In actual use, the material of the winding wheel and the handle can be made of high-strength plastic, which can greatly reduce the weight and ensure higher strength.

[0018] Most exoskeletons use common radial motors as drive motors, which inevitably reduce magnetic flux and thus reduce motor performance when reducing weight and size. In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive motor is an axial flux motor. The drive motor can be lightweight by using an axial motor, and will not be too heavy after combining with a capacitor component.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the capacitor assembly includes a shell fixed to the housing and a capacitor located in the shell.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the driving motor further includes a bearing disposed in the housing, and the rotor or the rotating shaft is rotatably matched with the housing through the bearing.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the shaft portion has a connecting hole, and the driving end of the rotating shaft passes through the connecting hole and is plug-fitted with the rotating member.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the shell has a mounting hole, and the shell is connected to the exoskeleton body via a fastener passing through the mounting hole.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the shell has a first connection structure, and at least one baffle portion of the winding wheel has a second connection structure that cooperates with the first connection structure. The shell and the winding wheel are detachably connected through the first connection structure and the second connection structure.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first connection structure is a screw hole, and the second connection structure is a bolt used to pass through the baffle portion and connect with the first connection structure;

[0025] Alternatively, one of the first connecting structure and the second connecting structure is a card slot and the other is a card block, and the first connecting structure and the second connecting structure are rotatably engaged with each other.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, the shell has a first magnetic medium at one end adjacent to the driving end, and at least one baffle portion has a second magnetic medium. When the baffle portion is connected to the shell, the first magnetic medium and the second magnetic medium are magnetically attracted to cooperate.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, the handle is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body, and a quick-release structure is provided between the handle and the second end of the wire.

[0028] For example, the second end of the wire has a ring, and the handle has an elastic buckle, and the handle and the wire can be quickly disassembled and assembled through the cooperation of the elastic buckle and the ring.

[0029] The present application also discloses an electric exoskeleton, including an exoskeleton body and the emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton described above, wherein the joint drive mechanisms have multiple groups, at least one group is an elbow joint drive mechanism, at least one group is a waist joint drive mechanism, and at least one group is a knee joint drive mechanism.

[0030] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the charging assembly and the drive motor of the present application can be assembled relatively conveniently, the entire structure is simple and easy to operate, and the battery life of the exoskeleton can be extended by manually driving the motor to rotate, thereby improving the battery life. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram of an electric exoskeleton;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the electric exoskeleton from another angle;

[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the joint drive mechanism and capacitor assembly after assembly;

[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the winding reel;

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the joint drive mechanism;

[0036] Figure 6 It is an exploded diagram of the joint drive mechanism.

[0037] The reference numerals in the figures are:

[0038] 1. Exoskeleton body; 100. Joint drive mechanism; 2. Drive motor; 21. Shell; 211. Mounting hole; 22. Stator; 23. Rotor; 24. Rotating shaft; 241. Drive end; 25. Bearing; 3. Capacitor assembly; 31. Capacitor; 32. Shell; 4. Charging assembly; 41. Winding wheel; 411. Shaft; 4111. Connection hole; 412. Baffle; 413. Rotating member; 42. Wire; 43. Handle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0040] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "inside", "outside", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use, which is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0041] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "disposed" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0042] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0043] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment discloses an electric exoskeleton, including an exoskeleton body 1 (with a battery, a transmission structure, a control circuit, etc.) and an emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton, the emergency charging structure includes a joint drive mechanism 100 and a charging component 4, the joint drive mechanism 100 includes a drive motor 2 and a capacitor component 3, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the joint driving mechanism 100 has multiple groups, at least one group is an elbow joint driving mechanism, at least one group is a waist joint driving mechanism, and at least one group is a knee joint driving mechanism.

[0044] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the drive motor 2 is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body 1, and the drive motor 2 includes a housing 21, a stator 22 disposed in the housing 21, a rotor 23 rotatably disposed on the housing 21, and a rotating shaft 24 fixed to the rotor 23, one end of the rotating shaft 24 is a driving end 241 passing through the housing 21; the capacitor component 3 is fixed on the drive motor 2 and is located on a side of the drive motor 2 away from the driving end 241, and the capacitor component 3 is electrically connected to the drive motor 2 through a line;

[0045] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the charging assembly 4 is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body 1, and the charging assembly 4 includes:

[0046] The winding wheel 41 has a shaft portion 411 and baffle portions 412 respectively located at both ends of the shaft portion 411. At least one baffle portion 412 can be detachably connected to the housing 21 of the driving motor 2. A rotating member 413 is rotatably provided on the shaft portion 411. The rotating member 413 is used to be plugged and matched with the driving end 241 of the rotating shaft 24. When the rotating member 413 is plugged and matched with the driving end 241 of the rotating shaft 24, the rotating member 413 can drive the rotating shaft 24 to rotate synchronously after rotating;

[0047] A wire 42 is wound around the rotating shaft 24. The wire 42 has a first end located inside and a second end located outside. The first end of the wire 42 is connected to the rotating shaft 24.

[0048] The handle 43 is used to be connected to the second end of the wire 42. Pulling the handle 43 can pull out the wire 42 to rotate the rotating member 413 and the rotating shaft 24;

[0049] The spiral spring (omitted and not shown in the figure) has an outer ring connecting end and an inner ring connecting end. The inner ring connecting end of the spiral spring is limitedly connected to the rotating shaft 24, and the outer ring connecting end of the spiral spring is limitedly connected to the shaft portion 411 or the baffle portion 412. After the handle 43 pulls out the wire 42 and the handle 43 is released, the spiral spring can reset the wire 42.

[0050] Currently, electric exoskeleton solutions do not have emergency charging devices. Once their own batteries are exhausted, they will not be able to continue working, which limits their scope of application. The present application provides a charging component 4 and a joint drive mechanism 100 that can be removed from the exoskeleton body 1. When the battery on the exoskeleton body 1 is exhausted, the joint drive mechanism 100 and the charging component 4 can be disassembled and reassembled for charging. Specifically: when emergency charging is required, the drive motor 2 and the charging component 4 are removed from the exoskeleton body 1, the baffle portion 412 of the winding wheel 41 is connected to the housing 21 of the drive motor 2, and the driving end 241 of the rotating shaft 24 is plugged into the rotating member 413. The rotating member 413 drives the rotating shaft 24 to rotate by reciprocating the handle 43. The rotating shaft 24 drives the rotor 23 to cut the magnetic flux lines in the stator 22, so that the drive motor 2 generates electricity and stores the electricity in the capacitor component 3. After charging is completed, the joint drive mechanism 100 is reinstalled into the exoskeleton body 1. At this time, the electricity in the capacitor 31 can enable the drive motor 2 to drive the electric exoskeleton to move, such as returning the exoskeleton to a fixed charging position or completing the last part of the work.

[0051] The charging assembly 4 and the driving motor 2 of the present application can be assembled relatively conveniently, and the entire structure is simple and easy to operate. By manually driving the motor 2 to rotate, the battery life of the exoskeleton can be extended, thereby improving the battery life.

[0052] In actual use, the exoskeleton body 1 has a transmission structure, and the rotating shaft 24 of the driving motor 2 drives the transmission structure to move through the shaft key to realize the movement of the electric exoskeleton.

[0053] In actual use, the housing 21 of the motor has a signal transmission contact (omitted and not shown in the figure), which contacts with metal points on the exoskeleton body to transmit control signals and receive feedback information from the motor.

[0054] In actual use, the material of the winding wheel 41 and the handle 43 can be high-strength plastic, which can greatly reduce the weight and ensure high strength.

[0055] Most exoskeletons use a common radial motor as the drive motor 2, which will inevitably reduce the magnetic flux and thus reduce the performance of the motor when reducing weight and size. In this embodiment, the drive motor 2 is an axial flux motor. The drive motor 2 can be lightweight by using an axial motor, and will not be too heavy after being combined with the capacitor component 3.

[0056] like Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the capacitor assembly 3 includes a housing 32 fixed to the housing 21 and a capacitor 31 located in the housing 32 .

[0057] like Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the driving motor 2 further includes a bearing 25 disposed in the housing 21 , and the rotor 23 or the rotating shaft 24 is rotatably matched with the housing 21 through the bearing 25 .

[0058] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the shaft portion 411 has a connecting hole 4111 , and the driving end 241 of the rotating shaft 24 passes through the connecting hole 4111 and is plugged into and matched with the rotating member 413 .

[0059] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the housing 21 has a mounting hole 211 , and the housing 21 is connected to the exoskeleton body 1 via a fastener (omitted and not shown) passing through the mounting hole 211 .

[0060] In actual use, the housing 21 has a first connection structure, and at least one baffle portion 412 of the winding wheel 41 has a second connection structure that matches the first connection structure, and the housing 21 and the winding wheel 41 are detachably connected through the first connection structure and the second connection structure. For example, the first connection structure is a screw hole, and the second connection structure is a bolt that passes through the baffle portion 412 and connects to the first connection structure; or, one of the first connection structure and the second connection structure is a card slot and the other is a card block, and the first connection structure and the second connection structure are rotatably engaged.

[0061] In actual use, the shell 21 has a first magnetic medium at one end adjacent to the driving end 241 , and at least one baffle portion 412 has a second magnetic medium. When the baffle portion 412 is connected to the shell 21 , the first magnetic medium and the second magnetic medium are magnetically attracted and matched.

[0062] The housing 21 and the baffle portion 412 can be conveniently combined by magnetic attraction, and the first connection structure and the second connection structure can prevent the two from being separated from each other during charging.

[0063] In actual use, the handle 43 and the wire 42 are placed separately on the exoskeleton body 1, that is, the handle 43 is also detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body 1. A quick-release structure is provided between the handle 43 and the second end of the wire 42, for example, the second end of the wire 42 has a ring, and the handle 43 has an elastic buckle, and the handle 43 and the wire 42 can be quickly disassembled and assembled through the cooperation of the elastic buckle and the ring.

[0064] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformation made by using the contents of the present invention and the drawings, directly or indirectly used in other related technical fields, is also included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An emergency charging structure of an electric exoskeleton, the electric exoskeleton comprising an exoskeleton body, characterized in that: The emergency charging structure includes a joint driving mechanism and a charging component; The joint drive mechanism includes a drive motor and a capacitor assembly. The drive motor is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body. The drive motor includes a housing, a stator disposed in the housing, a rotor rotatably disposed on the housing, and a rotating shaft fixed to the rotor, one end of the rotating shaft being a driving end passing through the housing; the capacitor assembly is fixed on the drive motor and is located on a side of the drive motor away from the driving end, and the capacitor assembly is electrically connected to the drive motor through a line; The charging assembly is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body, and the charging assembly includes: The winding wheel comprises a shaft portion and baffle portions respectively located at both ends of the shaft portion, at least one of the baffle portions can be detachably connected to the housing of the driving motor, a rotating member is rotatably arranged on the shaft portion, the rotating member is used to be plugged and matched with the driving end of the rotating shaft, and when the rotating member is plugged and matched with the driving end of the rotating shaft, the rotating member can drive the rotating shaft to rotate synchronously after rotating; A wire is wound around the rotating member, the wire having a first end located inside and a second end located outside, the first end of the wire being connected to the rotating member; A handle, used to be connected to the second end of the wire, and pulling the handle can pull out the wire to rotate the rotating member and the rotating shaft; The spiral spring has an outer ring connection end and an inner ring connection end. The inner ring connection end of the spiral spring is limitedly connected to the rotating shaft, and the outer ring connection end of the spiral spring is limitedly connected to the shaft part or the baffle part. After the handle pulls out the wire and releases the handle, the spiral spring can reset the wire. When emergency charging is needed, the drive motor and the charging assembly are removed from the exoskeleton body, the baffle portion of the winding wheel is connected to the housing of the drive motor, and the driving end of the rotating shaft is plugged into the rotating member, and the rotating member drives the rotating shaft to rotate by reciprocating the handle, so that the drive motor generates electricity and stores the electricity in the capacitor assembly; The housing has a first connection structure, and at least one baffle portion of the winding wheel has a second connection structure that matches the first connection structure, and the housing and the winding wheel are detachably connected through the first connection structure and the second connection structure; The first connection structure is a screw hole, and the second connection structure is a bolt used to pass through the baffle portion and connect with the first connection structure; Alternatively, one of the first connection structure and the second connection structure is a card slot and the other is a card block, and the first connection structure and the second connection structure are rotatably engaged with each other; The shell has a first magnetic medium at one end adjacent to the driving end, and at least one baffle portion has a second magnetic medium. When the baffle portion is connected to the shell, the first magnetic medium and the second magnetic medium are magnetically attracted and matched.

2. The emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The drive motor is an axial flux motor.

3. The emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The drive motor further comprises a bearing disposed in the housing, and the rotor or the rotating shaft is rotatably matched with the housing via the bearing.

4. The emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The shaft portion has a connecting hole, and the driving end of the rotating shaft passes through the connecting hole and is plug-fitted with the rotating member.

5. The emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The shell is provided with a mounting hole, and the shell is connected to the exoskeleton body via a fastener passing through the mounting hole.

6. The emergency charging structure of the electric exoskeleton as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The handle is detachably mounted on the exoskeleton body, and a quick-release structure is provided between the handle and the second end of the wire.

7. An electric exoskeleton, characterized in that: An emergency charging structure for an electric exoskeleton comprising an exoskeleton body and any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the joint drive mechanisms have multiple groups, at least one group is an elbow joint drive mechanism, at least one group is a waist joint drive mechanism, and at least one group is a knee joint drive mechanism.

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