A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot

Abstract

The present invention provides a highly portable motion-compatible knee joint exoskeleton robot, belonging to the field of robots. The highly portable motion-compatible knee joint exoskeleton robot has one active joint and four passive joints, one active joint can assist patients in knee joint flexion and extension rehabilitation training, and the four passive joints enable the knee joint exoskeleton to have self-alignment capability. The present invention reduces unreasonable human-machine interaction force, increases wearing comfort, and has certain rehabilitation application value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of robots, and in particular relates to a highly portable motion-compatible knee joint exoskeleton robot. Background Art

[0002] For people with impaired knee function, such as the elderly, the disabled, and rehabilitation patients, they face great difficulties in daily activities such as walking and going up and down stairs. In addition, some people who engage in heavy physical labor or stand for long periods of time are also prone to knee fatigue and injury.

[0003] Traditional treatments for knee joints mainly include medication, physical therapy, and surgery. However, these methods can only relieve symptoms and cannot fundamentally solve the problem of knee joint dysfunction. In recent years, the development of exoskeleton technology has provided new ideas for solving knee joint problems. As a wearable device, the knee exoskeleton can provide additional support and assistance for the knee joint, helping users to better complete various sports tasks and improve their quality of life.

[0004] At present, there are some shortcomings in the existing knee exoskeleton products on the market. For example, some products have complex structures, heavy weight, and are inconvenient to wear; some products have unsatisfactory power-assisting effects and cannot meet the actual needs of users; and some products have poor adaptability and cannot be personalized according to the physical characteristics and sports needs of different users. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a knee exoskeleton with a simple structure, light and comfortable, good power-assisting effect, and strong adaptability. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the problem of how patients can perform knee joint rehabilitation training while wearing exoskeletons and the misalignment problem of the joint axis of the knee exoskeleton and the patient's thigh and calf axis when the patient is performing rehabilitation training, the present invention provides a highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot with 1 active joint and 4 passive joints. The 1 active joint can assist patients in performing knee flexion and extension rehabilitation training, and the 4 passive joints enable the knee exoskeleton to have self-alignment capability, thereby reducing unreasonable human-computer interaction force, increasing wearing comfort, and having certain rehabilitation application value.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot is a knee exoskeleton with one degree of freedom, comprising a driving mechanism and a wearing mechanism; the wearing mechanism is provided with a pulley as an active joint; the driving mechanism drives the pulley to move, and the pulley drives the patient's knee joint to move, thereby enabling the knee exoskeleton robot to drive the human knee joint to flex and extend; the wearing mechanism is equipped with four passive joints, namely a thigh exoskeleton slider, a calf exoskeleton slider, a 90° rotating rod and a pin, allowing the patient's hip joint to perform internal and external rotation movements of -10°-10°; when the patient performs knee flexion and extension movements, the knee exoskeleton robot utilizes the internal and external rotation movements of the patient's hip joint to automatically align the patient's thigh axis and calf axis, and automatically align the human lower limbs.

[0008] Furthermore, the driving mechanism includes a base plate, a motor, a reducer, a coupling, a nut, a screw, a fixed block, a slider guide, a winding pulley, a fixed guide rod, a first steel wire rope, a second steel wire rope and an adjusting stud. The motor, the nut and the screw drive the first steel wire rope and the second steel wire rope to move; the driving mechanism is connected to the second steel wire rope and the wearing mechanism through the first steel wire rope.

[0009] Furthermore, the wearing mechanism includes a strap; the strap is used to enable the wearing mechanism to be worn on the patient's lower limbs, thereby assisting the patient in rehabilitation training.

[0010] Furthermore, the motor and reducer of the driving mechanism are fixedly connected through a coupling and a lead screw, the nut is fixed to one end of the fixed block, the other end of the fixed block is fixed to the slider guide rail, the first adjusting stud and the second adjusting stud are fixed to the raised platform of the base plate, the fixed guide rod is fixed to the base plate, the winding pulley is installed on the fixed guide rod, one end of the first steel wire rope is fixed to the fixed block, and the other end passes through the first adjusting stud, and then is wound around the pulley of the wearing mechanism and fixed to the upper end of the pulley, one end of the second steel wire rope is fixed to the fixed block, and then the other end passes through the winding pulley and the second adjusting stud in sequence, and then is fixed to the lower end of the pulley of the wearing mechanism.

[0011] Furthermore, the wearing mechanism also includes a thigh exoskeleton plate, a thigh exoskeleton slider, a connecting plate, a 90° rotating rod, a pulley fixing plate, a wire rope fixing thin plate, a pulley, a calf exoskeleton outer straight plate, a 180° thin plate, a calf exoskeleton inner straight plate, a pin, a rotating plate, a calf exoskeleton slider and a calf exoskeleton plate; the thigh exoskeleton plate is connected to the patient's thigh through a strap, two thigh exoskeleton sliders are installed on the thigh exoskeleton plate, the thigh exoskeleton sliders are fixed to the connecting plate, and the connecting plate is connected to the 90° rotating rod, The 90° rotating rod is connected to the pulley fixing plate, a wire rope fixing thin plate is installed on the pulley fixing plate, one side of the pulley fixing plate is connected to the pulley, and the other side is connected to the calf exoskeleton outer straight plate, the calf exoskeleton outer straight plate is connected to the calf exoskeleton inner straight plate through a 180° thin plate, the calf exoskeleton outer straight plate and the calf exoskeleton inner straight plate are respectively connected to the rotating plate through two pins, the lower side of the rotating plate is connected to the calf exoskeleton slider, the calf exoskeleton slider is connected to the calf exoskeleton plate, and the calf exoskeleton plate is connected to the patient's calf through a strap.

[0012] Furthermore, when the motor and the reducer rotate, the coupling is driven to rotate, the coupling is driven to rotate the lead screw, the rotation of the lead screw is converted into movement of the nut, the nut is driven to move the fixed block, the fixed block is driven to move the slider guide, the slider guide is driven to move the first steel wire rope and the second steel wire rope, the first steel wire rope and the second steel wire rope are driven to rotate the pulley of the wearing mechanism, the pulley of the wearing mechanism is driven to flex and extend the patient's knee joint, thereby completing the rehabilitation training of the patient's knee joint, so that the patient's knee joint flexion and extension can reach a range of motion of 0°-120°.

[0013] Furthermore, when the patient performs knee rehabilitation training, the two thigh exoskeleton sliders and the calf exoskeleton slider slide, and the 90° rotation rod and two pins rotate, allowing the patient to perform -10°-10° internal and external rotation of the hip joint, thereby achieving automatic alignment of the knee exoskeleton with the patient's thigh axis and calf axis.

[0014] Beneficial effects:

[0015] 1. The present invention uses a driving mechanism to assist patients in knee flexion and extension. When patients perform knee flexion and extension, these passive joints will rotate flexibly, assisting patients in knee flexion and extension while allowing patients' hip joints to perform -10°-10° internal and external rotation, thus achieving automatic alignment of the knee exoskeleton with the patient's thigh axis and calf axis. This automatic alignment capability not only reduces the burden on the wearer, reduces the friction and pressure caused by incompatibility, but also ensures stability and safety during exercise. This process significantly improves the wearing comfort of patients.

[0016] 2. The present invention adopts four passive joints, namely a thigh exoskeleton slider, a calf exoskeleton slider, a 90° rotating rod and a pin, which can enable the knee exoskeleton to automatically align the patient's thigh and calf axis, realize the self-alignment function of the knee exoskeleton, reduce unreasonable human-computer interaction force, and have comfort and convenience in wearing.

[0017] 3. The structure of the present invention is simpler and more compact, highly portable, and can better achieve the function of driving the patient's joints, with higher assist efficiency, better self-alignment capability and human-computer interaction performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the driving mechanism;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a partial schematic diagram of the driving mechanism;

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the wearing mechanism;

[0022] Figure 5 A partial schematic diagram of the wearing mechanism of the present invention

[0023] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the wearable calf exoskeleton.

[0024] Among them, the figure markings are: 1-motor, 2-reducer, 3-coupling, 4-screw, 5-nut, 6-fixed block, 7-slider guide rail, 8-first adjusting stud, 9-second adjusting stud, 10-base plate, 11-fixed guide rod, 12-winding pulley, 13-first steel wire rope, 14-second steel wire rope, 15-thigh exoskeleton plate, 16-strap, 17-thigh exoskeleton slider, 18-connecting plate, 19-90° rotating rod, 20-pulley fixing plate, 21-steel wire rope fixing thin plate, 22-pulley, 23-calf exoskeleton outer straight plate, 24-180° thin plate, 25-calf exoskeleton inner straight plate, 26-pin, 27-rotating plate, 28-calf exoskeleton slider, 29-calf exoskeleton plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot of the present invention is a knee exoskeleton with one degree of freedom, including a driving mechanism and a wearing mechanism. The wearing mechanism is provided with a pulley, and the driving mechanism can drive the pulley to move, and the pulley drives the patient's knee joint to move, so that the knee exoskeleton robot drives the human knee joint to flex and extend. In addition, the wearing mechanism is equipped with four passive joints, namely, a thigh exoskeleton slider, a calf exoskeleton slider, a 90° rotating rod and a pin. These passive joints allow the patient's hip joint to perform internal and external rotation movements of -10°-10°. Therefore, when the patient performs knee flexion and extension movements, the knee exoskeleton robot can automatically align the patient's thigh axis and calf axis using the internal and external rotation movements of the patient's hip joint, and has the ability to automatically align the lower limbs of the human body, thereby meeting the patient's wearing comfort requirements.

[0026] 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.

[0027] Example:

[0028] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, a highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a driving mechanism and a wearing mechanism.

[0029] The driving mechanism includes a base plate 10, a motor 1, a reducer 2, a coupling 3, a nut 5, a screw 4, a fixed block 6, a slider guide 7, a winding pulley 12, a fixed guide rod 11, a first steel wire rope 13, a second steel wire rope 14 and a second adjusting stud 9. The motor 1, the nut 5 and the screw 4 are used to drive the first steel wire rope 13 and the second steel wire rope 14 to move, and the movement directions of the first steel wire rope 13 and the second steel wire rope 14 are opposite. The first steel wire rope 13 can help the patient complete the flexion movement of the knee joint, and the second steel wire rope 14 can help the patient complete the extension movement of the knee joint; the driving mechanism is connected to the wearing mechanism through the first steel wire rope 13 and the second steel wire rope 14.

[0030] The wearing mechanism includes a thigh exoskeleton plate 15, a strap 16, a thigh exoskeleton slider 17, a connecting plate 18, a 90° rotating rod 19, a pulley fixing plate 20, a wire rope fixing thin plate 21, a pulley 22, a calf exoskeleton outer straight plate 23, a 180° thin plate 24, a calf exoskeleton inner straight plate 25, a pin 26, a rotating plate 27, a calf exoskeleton slider 28 and a calf exoskeleton plate 29.

[0031] The strap 16 allows the wearing mechanism to be worn on the patient's lower limbs, thereby assisting the patient in rehabilitation training. When the patient performs rehabilitation exercises, the thigh exoskeleton slider 17, the calf exoskeleton slider 28, the 90° rotation rod 19 and the pin 26 allow the patient to perform internal and external rotation of the hip joint, thereby achieving automatic alignment of the knee exoskeleton with the patient's thigh axis and calf axis.

[0032] The working principle of the present invention is:

[0033] The motor 1 and the reducer 2 of the driving mechanism are fixedly connected through the coupling 3 and the lead screw 4, the nut 5 is fixed to one end of the fixed block 6, the other end of the fixed block 6 is fixed to the slider guide 7, the first adjusting stud 8 and the second adjusting stud 9 are fixed to the raised platform of the base plate 10, the fixed guide rod 11 is fixed to the base plate 10, the winding pulley 12 is installed on the fixed guide rod 11, one end of the first steel wire rope 13 is fixed to the fixed block 6, and the other end passes through the first adjusting stud 8, and then is wound around the pulley 22 of the wearing mechanism and fixed to the upper end of the pulley 22, one end of the second steel wire rope 14 is fixed to the fixed block 6, and then the other end passes through the winding pulley 12 and the second adjusting stud 9 in sequence, and then is fixed to the lower end of the pulley 22 of the wearing mechanism.

[0034] The thigh exoskeleton plate 15 of the wearing mechanism is connected to the patient's thigh through a strap 16, and two thigh exoskeleton sliders 17 are installed on the thigh exoskeleton plate 15, and the thigh exoskeleton slider 17 is fixed to a connecting plate 18, and the connecting plate 18 is connected to a 90° rotating rod 19, and the 90° rotating rod 19 is connected to a pulley fixing plate 20, and a wire rope fixing thin plate 21 is installed on the pulley fixing plate 20, and one side of the pulley fixing plate 20 is connected to a pulley 22, and the other side is connected to a calf exoskeleton outer straight plate 23, and the calf exoskeleton outer straight plate 23 is connected to a calf exoskeleton inner straight plate 25 through a 180° thin plate 24, and the calf exoskeleton outer straight plate 23 and the calf exoskeleton inner straight plate 25 are respectively connected to a rotating plate 27 through two pins 26, and the lower side of the rotating plate 27 is connected to a calf exoskeleton slider 28, and the calf exoskeleton slider 28 is connected to a calf exoskeleton plate 29, and the calf exoskeleton plate 29 is connected to the patient's calf through the strap 16.

[0035] When the motor 1 and the reducer 2 rotate, the coupling 3 is driven to rotate, the coupling 3 drives the lead screw 4 to rotate, the rotation of the lead screw 4 is converted into the movement of the nut 5, the nut 5 drives the fixed block 6 to move, the fixed block 6 drives the slider guide 7 to move, the slider guide 7 drives the first steel wire rope 13 and the second steel wire rope 14 to move, the first steel wire rope 13 and the second steel wire rope 14 drive the pulley 22 of the wearing mechanism to rotate, the pulley 22 of the wearing mechanism drives the patient's knee joint to flex and extend, thereby completing the patient's knee joint rehabilitation training. The knee joint exoskeleton can enable the patient's knee joint to flex and extend to a range of motion of 0°-120°.

[0036] When the patient performs knee rehabilitation training, the two thigh exoskeleton sliders 17 and the calf exoskeleton slider 28 can slide, and the 90° rotation rod 19 and the two pins 26 can rotate, allowing the patient to perform -10°-10° internal and external rotation movements of the hip joint, thereby achieving automatic alignment of the knee exoskeleton with the patient's thigh axis and calf axis.

[0037] The core of the present invention is that the wearing mechanism cleverly integrates a flexible degree of freedom of the knee joint, and uses a driving mechanism to accurately and efficiently drive this degree of freedom to move, assisting the patient's knee joint flexion and extension, and providing support and assistance for the patient's knee joint rehabilitation. In addition, four passive joints, including a thigh exoskeleton slider, a calf exoskeleton slider, a 90° rotating rod, and a high-strength pin, are innovatively designed in the present invention. These passive joints are not only compact, durable and reliable, but also allow the patient's hip joint to rotate internally and externally within the range of -10°-10°. This design innovation enables the knee exoskeleton to have self-alignment capabilities, greatly improving the wearing flexibility and adaptability of the knee exoskeleton, allowing the exoskeleton to fit closely and conform to the rehabilitation exercises of the patient's lower limbs.

[0038] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot, characterized in that: It is a knee joint exoskeleton with 1 degree of freedom, including a driving mechanism and a wearing mechanism; the wearing mechanism is provided with a rope pulley as an active joint; the driving mechanism drives the rope pulley to move, and the rope pulley drives the patient's knee joint to move, so that the knee joint exoskeleton robot drives the human knee joint to flex and extend; the wearing mechanism is equipped with four passive joints, namely, a thigh exoskeleton slider, a calf exoskeleton slider, a 90º rotating rod and a pin, which allow the patient's hip joint to perform internal and external rotation movements of -10º-10º; when the patient performs knee joint flexion and extension movements, the knee joint exoskeleton robot automatically aligns the patient's thigh axis and calf axis and automatically aligns the human lower limbs by using the internal and external rotation movements of the patient's hip joint; The driving mechanism comprises a base plate, a motor, a reducer, a coupling, a nut, a screw, a fixed block, a slider guide rail, a winding pulley, a fixed guide rod, a first steel wire rope, a second steel wire rope and an adjusting stud, and the motor, the nut and the screw rod are used to drive the first steel wire rope and the second steel wire rope to move; the driving mechanism is connected to the second steel wire rope and the wearing mechanism through the first steel wire rope; the motor and the reducer of the driving mechanism are fixedly connected through a coupling and a screw, the nut and one end of the fixed block are fixed, the other end of the fixed block is fixed to the slider guide rail, the first adjusting stud and the second adjusting stud are fixed to the raised platform of the base plate, the fixed guide rod is fixed to the base plate, the winding pulley is installed on the fixed guide rod, one end of the first steel wire rope is fixed to the fixed block, the other end passes through the first adjusting stud, and then is wound around the pulley of the wearing mechanism and is fixed to the upper end of the pulley, one end of the second steel wire rope is fixed to the fixed block, and then the other end passes through the winding pulley and the second adjusting stud in sequence, and then is fixed to the lower end of the pulley of the wearing mechanism; The wearing mechanism comprises a thigh exoskeleton plate, a thigh exoskeleton slider, a connecting plate, a 90° rotating rod, a pulley fixing plate, a wire rope fixing thin plate, a pulley, a calf exoskeleton outer straight plate, a 180° thin plate, a calf exoskeleton inner straight plate, a pin, a rotating plate, a calf exoskeleton slider and a calf exoskeleton plate; the thigh exoskeleton plate is connected to the patient's thigh through a strap, two thigh exoskeleton sliders are installed on the thigh exoskeleton plate, the thigh exoskeleton sliders are fixed to the connecting plate, the connecting plate is connected to the 90° rotating rod, and the 90° The rotating rod is connected to the pulley fixing plate, and a wire rope fixing thin plate is installed on the pulley fixing plate. One side of the pulley fixing plate is connected to the pulley, and the other side is connected to the outer straight plate of the calf exoskeleton. The outer straight plate of the calf exoskeleton is connected to the inner straight plate of the calf exoskeleton through a 180° thin plate. The outer straight plate of the calf exoskeleton and the inner straight plate of the calf exoskeleton are respectively connected to the rotating plate through two pins. The lower side of the rotating plate is connected to the calf exoskeleton slider, the calf exoskeleton slider is connected to the calf exoskeleton plate, and the calf exoskeleton plate is connected to the patient's calf through a strap.

2. A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The strap is used to enable the wearing mechanism to be worn on the patient's lower limbs, thereby assisting the patient in rehabilitation training.

3. A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the motor and the reducer rotate, they drive the coupling to rotate, the coupling drives the lead screw to rotate, the rotation of the lead screw is converted into movement of the nut, the nut drives the fixed block to move, the fixed block drives the slider guide to move, the slider guide drives the first steel wire rope and the second steel wire rope to move, the first steel wire rope and the second steel wire rope drive the pulley of the wearing mechanism to rotate, the pulley of the wearing mechanism drives the patient's knee joint to flex and extend, thereby completing the patient's knee joint rehabilitation training, so that the patient's knee joint flexion and extension can reach a range of motion of 0°-120°.

4. A highly portable motion-compatible knee exoskeleton robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the patient performs knee rehabilitation training, the two thigh exoskeleton sliders and the calf exoskeleton slider slide, and the 90° rotation rod and two pins rotate, allowing the patient to perform -10°-10° internal and external rotation of the hip joint, thereby achieving automatic alignment of the knee exoskeleton with the patient's thigh axis and calf axis.

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