An adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device

Abstract

The invention discloses an adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device, which relates to the technical field of power-assisted exoskeleton, comprising a back plate, wherein a waist belt which can be tightly wrapped around the waist and abdomen of a human body is installed at the lower end of the back plate, and the oblique pull rope can inject the oil inside the left liquid storage frame into the oil chamber of the left hydraulic cylinder by pulling the left piston rod, so that the left telescopic rod extends outward. At the same time, when the left piston rod moves to the left, a negative pressure is generated between the piston rod and the inner wall of the liquid storage frame, so that the oil inside the oil chamber of the right hydraulic cylinder is sucked into the right chamber of the left liquid storage frame, and the oil injection amount of the left oil chamber is the same as the oil output amount of the right oil chamber. Therefore, when the left telescopic rod is extended, the right telescopic rod is synchronously retracted, so that the counterweight block between the two telescopic rods gradually shifts to the right. When the patient lifts a heavy object or exercises with his left hand (right hand), the counterweight block will adaptively move in the opposite direction of the force, so as to adaptively balance the center of gravity shift caused by lifting the heavy object at the rear.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of power-assisted exoskeletons, and in particular to an adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device. Background Art

[0002] The term exoskeleton was originally defined as a hard shell made of protein covering the surface of Class A organisms, such as crabs, beetles, etc. The exoskeleton introduced in this article is a wearable external mechanical structure for human use, which can help humans increase strength, provide support, reduce labor intensity or assist disabled people, etc. Due to the diversity of application scenarios, exoskeletons can be classified in many ways, according to their principles, uses, and structural materials. Among them, they can be divided into two categories according to whether there is a power source: active exoskeletons and passive exoskeletons. Active exoskeletons contain driving elements, which are generally driven by motors, hydraulics, and air pressure. Passive exoskeletons mainly use energy storage elements such as springs to generate dynamic potential energy to generate reaction force. According to the location, they can be divided into four types of exoskeletons: whole body, upper limbs, lower limbs, and waist.

[0003] The emergence of exoskeletons has further improved human functions, increased production efficiency, and done more work that the body cannot do, while also protecting the user. However, there is still a gap in the civilian exoskeleton market, and there is almost no exoskeleton that can be used by ordinary people. Most of them are unpowered machines, or are used in large-scale industries or military purposes, and are expensive.

[0004] At present, there are still some shortcomings in the actual use of exoskeletons that assist the upper limbs. When the user lifts heavy objects through the skeletal device, the pressure detection of the skeletal device itself can determine and automatically adjust the size of the source assistance. However, the existing pressure sensor detection is one-sided. For weak elderly people or rehabilitation patients, when they raise their upper arms to extract heavy objects, if the heavy objects are heavy, although the source assistance can be used to lift the heavy objects with the assistance of the arms, the human body's waist and abdomen core is also under stress when the arms lift the heavy objects. As the heavy objects are lifted, the patient's body gradually leans forward, which means that the patient's waist and abdomen core is no longer sufficient to support the lifting of the heavy object. The center of gravity moves forward, and the body will gradually lean forward. Similarly, when pulling heavy objects with triceps or exercising, the center of gravity moves backward and the body falls backward. Based on the special mechanism of the human body, when the body leans forward, it can be relieved by bending over to adapt, but the body falling backward cannot be relieved by the human body mechanism. Once the amplitude is generated, the human body is at risk of falling backward.

[0005] In response to the above problems, it is urgently necessary to carry out innovative designs based on the original active-powered exoskeleton device. Summary of the invention

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention aims at the technical problem that the existing technical solutions are too single, and provides a solution that is significantly different from the existing technologies. Specifically, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an adjustable active-assisted exoskeleton device to solve the problem that the existing pressure sensor detection is one-sided. For weak elderly people or rehabilitation patients, when they raise their upper arms to extract heavy objects, if the heavy objects are heavy, although the heavy objects can be lifted with the help of the arms through active assistance, the waist and abdomen core of the human body is also under stress when the arms lift the heavy objects. As the heavy objects are lifted, the patient's body gradually leans forward, which means that the patient's waist and abdomen core is no longer sufficient to support the lifting of the heavy objects. The center of gravity moves forward and the body gradually leans forward. Similarly, when pulling heavy objects with triceps or exercising, the center of gravity moves backward and the body falls backward. Based on the special mechanism of the human body, when the body leans forward, the adaptation can be relieved by bending over, but the backward adaptation of the body cannot be relieved by the mechanism of the human body. Once the amplitude is generated, there is a risk of the human body falling backward.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: an adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device, comprising a back plate, a waist belt which can be tightly wrapped around the waist and abdomen of a human body is installed at the lower end of the back plate, and hanging rings are symmetrically distributed in space at the upper end of the back plate, a controller is installed on the outer surface of the lower end of the back plate, and a driving motor winding assembly is installed on the outer surface of the controller, oblique ropes are arranged on both sides of the waist belt through a plurality of guide rings, and a front arc plate is fixed in front of the waist belt, and an anti-falling self-balancing assembly is installed on the outer surface of the front arc plate;

[0008] The drive motor winding assembly is connected to four three-end traction ropes and two-end traction ropes in groups of two, and the ends of the four groups of three-end traction ropes and two-end traction ropes are connected to two groups of left and right upper arm straps, and the inner part of the upper arm strap is equipped with a sensing assembly.

[0009] Preferably, the drive motor winding assembly includes four servo motors of model Xiaomi cybergeear, four motor drive boards of model LK86 and corresponding four ESP-WROOM-32 microcontrollers for receiving signals and controlling motor drive, and the controller model is stm32f407v2t6, and the controller is electrically connected to the drive motor winding assembly and the induction assembly.

[0010] Preferably, the sensing component in a forearm strap includes two pressure sensing films respectively attached to the biceps and triceps and two aluminum alloy plates symmetrically fixed to the inner side of the forearm strap and used to adhere the pressure sensing films.

[0011] Preferably, the ends of the two triceps traction ropes on the right side are guided by the lifting ring and fixedly connected to the outer walls of the upper arm straps corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the right triceps, and the ends of the two biceps traction ropes on the right side are guided by the lifting ring and fixedly connected to the outer walls of the upper arm straps corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the right biceps.

[0012] Preferably, the ends of the two triceps traction ropes on the left side are guided by the lifting ring and fixedly connected to the outer walls of the upper arm straps corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the left triceps, and the ends of the two biceps traction ropes on the left side are guided by the lifting ring and fixedly connected to the outer walls of the upper arm straps corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the left biceps.

[0013] Preferably, the anti-fallback self-balancing assembly includes a counterweight, a hydraulic cylinder, a telescopic rod, a liquid storage frame, a piston rod, a compensation channel, a slider, a first spring, and a through hole, and a counterweight is installed directly in front of the front arc plate, the outer surface of the front arc plate is symmetrically hinged with the hydraulic cylinder, and the inner part of the hydraulic cylinder is slidably provided with a telescopic rod, and the telescopic ends of the two telescopic rods are symmetrically hinged to the outer wall of the counterweight, the outer surface of the front arc plate is symmetrically fixed with a liquid storage frame, and the inner part of the liquid storage frame is slidably provided with a piston rod, and a compensation channel is provided between the two liquid storage frames, the inner part of the compensation channel is symmetrically sealed with a slider, and a first spring is installed between the two sliders, and the outer wall of the liquid storage frame is provided with a through hole connected to the compensation channel.

[0014] Preferably, a second spring is installed between the counterweight block and the front arc plate, and the two liquid storage frames are respectively connected to the oil chambers of the two hydraulic cylinders through hoses.

[0015] Preferably, the outer wall end of the piston rod is connected to one end of the oblique rope, and the other end of the oblique rope is wrapped around the back of the belt through a guide ring and fixedly connected to the combined winding ends of the two three-end traction ropes.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] When the left hand (right hand) is assisted by the three-head power assist to pull the heavy object backward, the user's left rear heavy object is lifted, so the original center of gravity of the body is shifted to the left rear. At this time, when the two three-head traction ropes mentioned above are reeled in, the oblique rope on the left side will also be reeled in synchronously. When the oblique rope is reeled in, the oblique rope will inject the oil inside the left liquid storage frame into the oil chamber of the left hydraulic cylinder by pulling the left piston rod, so that the telescopic rod on the left extends outward. At the same time, when the left piston rod moves to the left, a negative pressure is generated between the piston rod and the inner wall of the liquid storage frame to suck the oil inside the oil chamber of the right hydraulic cylinder into the right chamber of the left liquid storage frame, and the oil injection amount of the left oil chamber is the same as the oil output amount of the right oil chamber. Therefore, when the left telescopic rod is extended, the right telescopic rod is retracted synchronously, so that the counterweight block between the two telescopic rods gradually shifts to the right. When the patient lifts the heavy object or exercises with his left hand (right hand), the counterweight block will adaptively move in the opposite direction of the force, so as to adaptively balance the center of gravity shift caused by lifting the rear heavy object.

[0018] If the user's left and right hands move synchronously to lift heavy objects or exercise, the two inclined ropes will pull the two piston rods synchronously. However, since the two liquid storage frames are respectively connected to the hydraulic cylinder oil chambers in opposite directions, in the initial stage of the movement of the two piston rods, the amount of oil injected into the hydraulic cylinder oil chamber will be the same as the amount of oil discharged. Therefore, the two telescopic rods will not be extended or retracted temporarily. When the piston rod moves beyond the through hole, the oil in the compensation channel will be pushed to the rear chamber of the piston rod through the two sliders under the reset action of the first spring, so as to replenish the oil injection amount of the piston rod. , which causes a difference in the amount of oil flowing in and out of the oil chambers of the two hydraulic cylinders, and the amount of oil flowing in is greater than the amount of oil flowing out. Therefore, the two telescopic rods will extend outward synchronously, and the two telescopic rods extending outward will push the counterweight outward to balance the forces on both sides of the rear. If the user's rear sides are subjected to the same weight, then the two telescopic rods will have the same extension amount and the counterweight will be pushed out vertically. If the user's rear sides are subjected to different weights, then the two telescopic rods will have different extension amounts, and the counterweight will shift to the side with weaker force, thereby achieving an adaptive center of gravity balancing effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the back view of the exoskeleton of the present invention after being worn;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the first three-dimensional structure of the upper arm bandage of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a second three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the upper arm bandage of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the upper arm bandage of the present invention from a top view;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the waist belt of the present invention from a top view;

[0024] Figure 6 For the present invention Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the main structure of the cut-out;

[0025] Figure 7 For the present invention Figure 6 Enlarged structural diagram at A in the middle.

[0026] In the figure: 1. back plate; 11. waist belt; 12. lifting ring; 13. front arc plate; 2. controller; 3. drive motor winding assembly; 4. upper arm strap; 41. induction assembly; 5. three-end traction rope; 6. two-end traction rope; 7. counterweight; 71. hydraulic cylinder; 72. telescopic rod; 73. liquid storage frame; 74. piston rod; 75. compensation channel; 76. slider; 77. first spring; 78. through hole; 79. second spring; 8. oblique rope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] See also Figure 1-7 The present invention provides a technical solution: an adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device, comprising a backboard 1, a waist belt 11 which can be tightly wrapped around the waist and abdomen of a human body is installed at the lower end of the backboard 1, and a hanging ring 12 is symmetrically distributed in space at the upper end of the backboard 1, a controller 2 is installed on the outer surface of the lower end of the backboard 1, and a driving motor winding component 3 is installed on the outer surface of the controller 2, oblique ropes 8 are arranged on both sides of the waist belt 11 through a plurality of guide rings, and a front arc plate 13 is fixed in front of the waist belt 11, and an anti-falling self-balancing component is installed on the outer surface of the front arc plate 13;

[0029] The driving motor winding assembly 3 is connected to four three-end traction ropes 5 and two-end traction ropes 6 in groups of two, and the ends of the four groups of three-end traction ropes 5 and two-end traction ropes 6 are connected to two groups of left and right upper arm straps 4, and the inner part of the upper arm straps 4 is installed with a sensing assembly 41.

[0030] The driving motor winding component 3 includes four servo motors of model Xiaomi cybergeear, four motor driving boards of model LK86 and corresponding four ESP-WROOM-32 microcontrollers for receiving signals and controlling motor driving, and the controller 2 model is stm32f407v2t6, and the controller 2 is electrically connected to the driving motor winding component 3 and the sensing component 41.

[0031] The sensing component 41 in an upper arm bandage 4 includes two pressure sensing films respectively attached to the biceps and triceps and two aluminum alloy plates symmetrically fixed to the inner side of the upper arm bandage 4 and used to adhere the pressure sensing films.

[0032] The ends of the two triceps traction ropes 5 on the right side are guided by the lifting ring 12 and fixedly connected to the outer walls of the upper arm strap 4 corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the right triceps, and the ends of the two biceps traction ropes 6 on the right side are guided by the lifting ring 12 and fixedly connected to the outer walls of the upper arm strap 4 corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the right biceps.

[0033] The ends of the two triceps traction ropes 5 on the left side are guided by the lifting ring 12 and fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper arm strap 4 corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the left triceps, and the ends of the two biceps traction ropes 6 on the left side are guided by the lifting ring 12 and fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper arm strap 4 corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the left biceps.

[0034] The anti-fallback self-balancing assembly includes a counterweight 7, a hydraulic cylinder 71, a telescopic rod 72, a liquid storage frame 73, a piston rod 74, a compensation channel 75, a slider 76, a first spring 77, and a through hole 78. The counterweight 7 is installed directly in front of the front arc plate 13, the outer surface of the front arc plate 13 is symmetrically hinged with the hydraulic cylinder 71, and the inner part of the hydraulic cylinder 71 is slidably provided with a telescopic rod 72, and the telescopic ends of the two telescopic rods 72 are symmetrically hinged to the outer wall of the counterweight 7, the outer surface of the front arc plate 13 is symmetrically fixed with a liquid storage frame 73, and the inner part of the liquid storage frame 73 is slidably provided with a piston rod 74, and a compensation channel 75 is provided between the two liquid storage frames 73, the inner part of the compensation channel 75 is symmetrically sealed with a slider 76, and a first spring 77 is installed between the two sliders 76, and the outer wall of the liquid storage frame 73 is provided with a through hole 78 connected to the compensation channel 75.

[0035] A second spring 79 is installed between the counterweight block 7 and the front arc plate 13 , and the two liquid storage frames 73 are respectively connected to the oil chambers of the two hydraulic cylinders 71 through hoses.

[0036] The outer wall end of the piston rod 74 is connected to one end of the inclined rope 8, and the other end of the inclined rope 8 is wrapped around the back of the belt 11 through a guide ring and fixedly connected to the combined winding end of the two three-end traction ropes 5.

[0037] Working principle: When using the adjustable active power exoskeleton device, the user can first Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the exoskeleton is put on, the two upper arm straps 4 are respectively wrapped around the left and right upper arms, and the two internal pressure-sensitive films are respectively fitted to the biceps and triceps, while the waist belt 11 is wrapped around and tightened around the waist and abdomen of the user and the back plate 1 falls on the back of the user (as shown in the figure). Figure 5As shown, the control system and the driving system are both arranged on the back side. To prevent the user from falling backwards after wearing the belt, a counterweight block 7 of equal weight and related structures are arranged in front of the waist belt 11).

[0038] Assume that the user needs to use the left hand to lift a heavy object or exercise backward, that is, needs to use three-head pull (lift) heavy objects backward, at this time, the pressure sensing film attached to the left upper arm detects the pressure signal and transmits the pressure signal to the controller 2, and the controller 2 calculates the pressure value to calculate the required force, and transmits the corresponding motor. The motor rotates to drive the two three-head traction ropes 5 on the left side to reel in, and the three-head traction ropes 5 pull the aluminum alloy plate and the upper arm strap 4 to drive the left arm to move backward to complete the power assistance. The side that detects pressure will provide power assistance, so as to achieve precise control of the power assistance action and force size. To avoid accidental touching of the pressure sensor during power assistance, when the pressure sensing film on one side detects pressure and provides power assistance, the signal reception of the pressure sensing film on the other side of the same upper arm will be temporarily disconnected until the action is completed or the pressure sensing film cannot sense the pressure signal.

[0039] Analysis: When the left hand (right hand) is assisted by the three-head power assist to pull the heavy object backward, the heavy object behind the user's left side is lifted, so the original center of gravity of the body is shifted to the left rear. At this time, when the two three-head traction ropes 5 mentioned above are reeled in, the oblique rope 8 on the left side will also be reeled in synchronously. When the oblique rope 8 is reeled in, the oblique rope 8 will inject the oil inside the left liquid storage frame 73 into the oil chamber of the left hydraulic cylinder 71 by pulling the left piston rod 74, so that the telescopic rod 72 on the left side extends outward. At the same time, when the left piston rod 74 moves to the left, the piston rod 74 and Negative pressure is generated between the inner walls of the liquid storage frame 73 to suck the oil in the oil chamber of the right hydraulic cylinder 71 into the right chamber of the left liquid storage frame 73, and the oil filling amount of the left oil chamber is the same as the oil discharge amount of the right oil chamber. Therefore, when the left telescopic rod 72 is extended, the right telescopic rod 72 is retracted synchronously, so that the counterweight block 7 between the two telescopic rods 72 gradually shifts to the right. When the patient lifts heavy objects or exercises with his left (right) hand, the counterweight block 7 will adaptively move in the opposite direction of the force, thereby adaptively balancing the center of gravity shift caused by lifting the heavy object at the back.

[0040] If the user's left and right hands are used to lift heavy objects or exercise synchronously, the two inclined ropes 8 will pull the two piston rods 74 synchronously in the same way. However, since the two liquid storage frames 73 are respectively connected to the oil chambers of the hydraulic cylinders 71 in opposite directions, in the initial stage of the movement of the two piston rods 74, the amount of oil injected into the oil chamber of the hydraulic cylinder 71 will be the same as the amount of oil discharged. Therefore, the two telescopic rods 72 will not be extended or retracted temporarily. When the piston rod 74 moves beyond the through hole 78, the oil in the compensation channel 75 will be pushed to the rear chamber of the piston rod 74 through the two sliders 76 under the reset action of the first spring 77, so as to replenish the piston The amount of oil injected into the rod 74 causes a difference in the amount of oil in and out of the oil chambers of the two hydraulic cylinders 71, and the oil inlet is greater than the oil outlet. Therefore, the two telescopic rods 72 will extend outward synchronously, and the two telescopic rods 72 extending outward will push the counterweight 7 outward to balance the forces on the two rear sides. If the user's rear sides are weighted the same, the two telescopic rods 72 will have the same extension amount and the counterweight 7 will be pushed out vertically. If the user's rear sides are weighted differently, the two telescopic rods 72 will have different extension amounts, and the counterweight 7 will shift to the side with weaker force, thereby achieving an adaptive center of gravity balancing effect.

[0041] Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it is still possible for those skilled in the art to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or to make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device, comprising a back plate (1), four two-end traction ropes (6) in groups of two, and four three-end traction ropes (5) in groups of two, characterized in that: The lower end of the backboard (1) is provided with a waist belt (11) which can be tightly wrapped around the waist and abdomen of a human body, and the upper end of the backboard (1) is provided with hanging rings (12) symmetrically distributed in space, the outer surface of the lower end of the backboard (1) is provided with a controller (2), and the outer surface of the controller (2) is provided with a driving motor winding assembly (3), oblique pull ropes (8) are provided on both sides of the waist belt (11) through a plurality of guide rings, and a front arc plate (13) is fixed in front of the waist belt (11), and an anti-falling back self-balancing assembly is provided on the outer surface of the front arc plate (13); The driving motor winding assembly (3) comprises four motors, each group of three-end traction ropes (5) is connected to one of the motors, each group of two-end traction ropes (6) is connected to one of the motors, the ends of the two three-end traction ropes (5) on the left and the ends of the two two-end traction ropes (6) on the left are respectively connected to the upper arm strap (4) on the left, the ends of the two three-end traction ropes (5) on the right and the ends of the two two-end traction ropes (6) on the right are respectively connected to the upper arm strap (4) on the right, and an induction assembly (41) is installed inside the upper arm strap (4); The anti-fallback self-balancing assembly comprises a counterweight (7), a hydraulic cylinder (71), a telescopic rod (72), a liquid storage frame (73), a piston rod (74), a compensation channel (75), a slider (76), a first spring (77) and a through hole (78), and the counterweight (7) is installed in front of the front arc plate (13), the outer surface of the front arc plate (13) is symmetrically hinged with the hydraulic cylinder (71), and the interior of the hydraulic cylinder (71) is slidably provided with a telescopic rod (72), and the telescopic ends of the two telescopic rods (72) are symmetrically hinged to the counterweight. The outer wall of the weight block (7), two liquid storage frames (73) are symmetrically fixed on the outer surface of the front arc plate (13), and a piston rod (74) is slidably arranged inside the liquid storage frame (73), and a compensation channel (75) is arranged between the two liquid storage frames (73), two sliders (76) are symmetrically sealed and arranged inside the compensation channel (75), and a first spring (77) is installed between the two sliders (76), and the outer wall of the liquid storage frame (73) is provided with a through hole (78) which is connected to the compensation channel (75); A second spring (79) is installed between the counterweight block (7) and the front arc plate (13), and each of the liquid storage frames (73) is connected to the oil chambers of the two hydraulic cylinders (71) via a hose; The outer wall end of the piston rod (74) is connected to one end of the inclined rope (8), and the other end of the inclined rope (8) is wrapped around the back of the belt (11) through a guide ring and fixedly connected to the combined winding ends of the two three-end traction ropes (5) on the corresponding side.

2. The adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller (2) is electrically connected to the drive motor winding component (3) and the induction component (41).

3. The adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sensing component (41) in an upper arm bandage (4) comprises two pressure sensing films respectively attached to the biceps and triceps and two aluminum alloy plates symmetrically fixed to the inner side of the upper arm bandage (4) and used to adhere the pressure sensing films.

4. The adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ends of the two right triceps traction ropes (5) are guided by the lifting ring (12) and are respectively fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper arm strap (4) corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the right triceps, and the ends of the two right biceps traction ropes (6) are guided by the lifting ring (12) and are respectively fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper arm strap (4) corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the right biceps.

5. The adjustable active power-assisted exoskeleton device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ends of the two triceps traction ropes (5) on the left side are respectively fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper arm strap (4) corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the left triceps after being guided by the lifting ring (12), and the ends of the two biceps traction ropes (6) on the left side are respectively fixedly connected to the outer wall of the upper arm strap (4) corresponding to the upper and lower ends of the left biceps after being guided by the lifting ring (12).

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