Wearable walking assisting device

Abstract

The invention discloses a wearable walking assisting device which comprises a waist fixing mechanism, an energy storage assisting mechanism and a leg connecting mechanism, one end of the energy storage assisting mechanism is bound to the side face of the waist of a wearer through the waist fixing mechanism, and the other end of the energy storage assisting mechanism is bound to the legs of the wearer through the leg connecting mechanism; the energy storage assisting mechanism is provided with an energy storage assembly, and the energy storage assembly stores energy when the opposite side leg of the wearer swings forwards and releases the stored energy to provide assisting power when the side leg lifts forwards and steps. The waist fixing mechanism fixes the energy storage power assisting mechanism to the hip joint position of the waist of a wearer, the energy storage power assisting mechanism stores energy consumed in the walking process of the human body in the elastic piece by means of the walking pendulum principle and gravity center fluctuation, the leg connecting mechanism assists the leg lifting action by means of the stored energy, the strength requirement is reduced, and the leg lifting effect is improved. And a more scientific backward pushing type thigh connection mode is adopted, so that the auxiliary effect is more obvious.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of rehabilitation equipment, and in particular to a wearable walking assist device. Background Art

[0002] Walking is one of the most important abilities of human beings, but many people cannot walk freely like normal people for various reasons, such as some elderly people and hemiplegic patients caused by stroke. These are the two most common groups of people with walking disabilities in my country. For the elderly, the main reason is the decline of muscle strength and the degeneration of nerve control function, which makes it difficult for the elderly to walk; and for hemiplegic patients, the main reason is the muscle control problem caused by nervous system damage. These patients will have an abnormal gait of "circling feet" when walking, and insufficient lower limb muscle strength is an important reason for this gait. These people can use walking assistive devices for rehabilitation training to improve walking disabilities.

[0003] At present, there are many types of common walking assistance devices, including crutches and walkers. However, such devices mainly provide walking support and stability, and cannot directly provide walking assistance. There are also some powered exoskeleton devices that can achieve the function of assisting walking, but they have not been popularized due to reasons such as high price, difficulty in wearing, and inconvenience in walking. Therefore, unpowered exoskeleton walking aids have received a lot of attention. They use elastic energy storage components such as springs, and use the pendulum principle when the human body walks and the gravitational potential energy of the center of gravity fluctuations to store these energies in elastic components, which can assist the thigh to lift the leg and move forward. At present, similar products on the market are all based on this principle. This type of walking assistance device is feasible in theory, but due to factors such as insufficient spring power storage and excessive friction, the actual use effect is poor. For example, a representative device uses a cam and compression spring design, which can store very little energy, resulting in its walking assistance ability not meeting the needs of most situations.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a wearable walking assist device. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a wearable walking assist device, which can adjust the parameters of the spring according to the user's situation, thereby adjusting the stored energy to make the effect of assisting walking more obvious.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a wearable walking assist device, including a waist fixing mechanism, an energy storage assist mechanism and a leg connecting mechanism, one end of the energy storage assist mechanism is bound to the waist of the wearer through the waist fixing mechanism, and the other end of the energy storage assist mechanism is bound to the leg of the wearer through the leg connecting mechanism; the energy storage assist mechanism has an energy storage component, and the energy storage component is used to provide power to assist the wearer's legs to step forward. If the wearable walking assist device is placed on the wearer's left leg, it stores energy when the wearer's right leg swings forward, and releases the stored energy to provide walking assistance when the wearer's left leg swings forward, and vice versa.

[0007] Furthermore, the waist fixing mechanism includes a fixing plate and a waist strap, the fixing plate is in a "T" shape, the shape of the fixing plate is adapted to the shape of the human hip joint, and pairs of holes are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fixing plate, and the waist strap passes through the pairs of holes to bind the fixing plate to the wearer's waist.

[0008] Furthermore, the energy storage assisting mechanism also includes a shell and an adjusting component. The shell is fixedly disposed on the fixing plate, and the energy storage component and the adjusting component are both disposed in the shell.

[0009] Furthermore, the adjustment assembly includes a central shaft, a ratchet and a pawl, the central shaft is rotatably arranged in the outer shell, the ratchet is fixedly connected to the central shaft, a slot is provided on the outer shell, the pawl is rotatably arranged on one side of the ratchet, one end of the pawl is swingably arranged in the slot, and the other end of the pawl is meshed with the ratchet, and when the pawl is meshed with the ratchet, the ratchet is restricted by the unidirectional rotation of the pawl.

[0010] Furthermore, the energy storage assembly includes an adjusting ring, an end cover, an elastic member and a rocker arm. The adjusting ring can be rotatably arranged in the outer shell and fixedly connected to the end cover. The end cover is fixedly connected to the central rotating shaft. A plurality of cylindrical pins are arranged on the adjusting ring. One end of the elastic member is connected to the cylindrical pin. The rocker arm is connected to the central rotating shaft bearing. The rocker arm is connected to the other end of the elastic member.

[0011] Furthermore, the adjustment component also includes a torsion spring, which is arranged in the housing and connected to the pawl. Under the elastic force of the torsion spring, the other end of the pawl can abut against the ratchet wheel.

[0012] Furthermore, the leg connecting mechanism includes a connecting member, a first connecting rod, a second connecting rod and a leg strap, the swing rod is connected to one end of the first connecting rod through the connecting member, the other end of the first connecting rod is fixedly connected to the second connecting rod, and the second connecting rod is bound to the back of the wearer's leg through the leg strap.

[0013] Furthermore, one end of the swing rod is an arc-shaped tooth structure and is provided with a through hole, and the elastic member is connected to the swing rod through the through hole.

[0014] Furthermore, the elastic member is a tension spring.

[0015] The implementation of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] The walking assist device of the present invention comprises a waist fixing mechanism, an energy storage assist mechanism and a leg connecting mechanism. The waist fixing mechanism fixes the energy storage assist mechanism at the hip joint position of the wearer's waist. The energy storage assist mechanism uses the pendulum principle of walking and the fluctuation of the center of gravity to store the energy lost during the walking process of the human body in the elastic member. The leg connecting mechanism uses the stored energy to assist the leg lifting action, reducing the strength requirement, thereby achieving the purpose of assisting walking.

[0017] The energy storage component is designed based on a tension spring structure, which can store more energy, and the number of tension springs can be increased as needed. The initial tension spring length can be adjusted to increase energy reserves, thereby increasing the power-assisting effect. The lower end of the leg connection mechanism is placed on the back of the thigh, and the power assistance to the thigh is transmitted from back to front, so that it can always fit the thigh during walking, thereby achieving the best power-assisting effect. If the lower end of the leg connection mechanism is placed on the side or top of the thigh, it will cause discomfort to the thigh if it is tied too tightly, and the power-assisting effect will be reduced if it is tied too loosely. The more scientific push-back thigh connection method makes the walking assistance effect more obvious;

[0018] The invention has a simple structure and can be placed on the affected limb side of a hemiplegic patient to drive the affected side to walk through the healthy side. It can also be placed on both sides of an elderly person to alternately use its own gravitational potential energy to assist walking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the wearing effect of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the fixed plate structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the end cover and the adjustment ring of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the regulating component of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the coordination of the energy storage component and the regulating component of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the leg connection mechanism of the present invention;

[0026] In the figure:

[0027] 1. Waist fixing mechanism, 11. Fixing plate, 111. Matching hole, 12. Waist strap, 2. Energy storage assist mechanism, 21. Energy storage component, 211. Adjusting ring, 212. End cover, 213. Elastic member, 214. Cylindrical pin, 215. Rocker arm, 2151. Through hole, 22. Shell, 221. Slot hole, 222. Fence, 23. Adjusting component, 231. Central shaft, 232. Ratchet, 233. Paw, 234. Torsion spring, 3. Leg connecting mechanism, 31. Connecting member, 32. First connecting rod, 33. Second connecting rod, 34. Leg strap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] In order to make the inventive concept of the present application easy to understand, before describing the embodiments of the present application in detail, the relevant concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application are first described, and the relevant concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to the following explanations.

[0030] The human body walks in a cyclical manner, with the legs swinging forward alternately. For a single leg, it can be divided into two phases: the stance phase and the swing phase; the phase when the foot contacts the ground is the stance phase, and the phase when the foot moves forward in the air is the swing phase.

[0031] The above is an introduction to the relevant concepts of the embodiments of the present application.

[0032] like Figure 1-7 As shown, for hemiplegic patients, assuming that the left leg is the affected side and the right leg is the healthy side, the wearable walking aid device should be worn on the left side, that is, the affected side, referring to Figure 1 When hemiplegic patients are undergoing gait rehabilitation training, when the patient's right leg moves forward, the center of gravity of the body also moves forward at the same time. Figure 1 For reference, the right leg rotates clockwise around the axis, while the left leg rotates counterclockwise around the axis.

[0033] like Figure 1As shown, the walking assist device of the present invention includes a waist fixing mechanism 1, an energy storage assist mechanism 2 and a leg connecting mechanism 3. The waist fixing mechanism 1 fixes the energy storage assist mechanism 2 at the outer side of the hip joint of the wearer's waist, and the central rotating shaft 231 therein should be flush with the greater trochanter of the hip joint. The other end of the energy storage assist mechanism 2 is bound to the wearer's leg through the leg connecting mechanism 3; the energy storage assist mechanism 2 has an energy storage component 21, and the energy storage component 21 is used to provide power to assist the wearer's legs to step forward. The energy storage assist mechanism 2 uses the pendulum principle of walking and the fluctuation of the center of gravity to store the energy lost during the human body's walking process in the energy storage component 21, and the leg connecting mechanism 3 uses the stored energy to assist the leg lifting action, reducing the strength requirement, thereby achieving the purpose of assisting walking.

[0034] like Figure 1 and 3 As shown, the waist fixing mechanism 1 includes a fixing plate 11 and a waist strap 12. The fixing plate 11 is in a "T" shape. The fixing plate 11 can be personalized and its shape can be adapted to the shape of the human hip joint through 3D printing and other technologies. Pairs of holes 111 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fixing plate 11. The waist strap 12 passes through the holes 111 to bind the fixing plate 11 to the waist of the wearer.

[0035] like Figure 4-6 As shown, the energy storage assist mechanism 2 includes a housing 22 and an adjustment component 23. The housing 22 is fixedly disposed on the fixed plate 11, and the energy storage component 21 and the adjustment component 23 are both disposed in the housing 22. The energy storage component 21 includes an adjustment ring 211, an end cover 212, an elastic member 213 and a swing rod 215. The adjustment ring 211 is rotatably disposed in the housing 22 and is fixedly connected to the end cover 212. The end cover 212 is fixedly connected to the central rotating shaft 231. A plurality of cylindrical pins 214 are disposed on the adjustment ring 211. One end of the elastic member 213 is connected to the cylindrical pin 214. The swing rod 215 is connected to the bearing of the central rotating shaft 231. The swing rod 215 is connected to the other end of the elastic member 213. The initial tension of the elastic member 213 is adjusted through the end cover 212. Preferably, the elastic member 213 is a tension spring, one end of the swing rod 215 is an arc-shaped tooth structure and is provided with a through hole 2151 , and the elastic member 213 is connected to the swing rod 215 via the through hole 2151 .

[0036] The adjustment assembly 23 includes a central shaft 231, a ratchet 232 and a pawl 233. The central shaft 231 is rotatably disposed in the housing 22, the ratchet 232 is fixedly connected to the central shaft 231, the end cap 212 and the adjustment ring 211 are not directly connected to the housing 2, and the edge of the end cap 212 has a wave-shaped protrusion. Before using the walking assist device of the present invention, the end cap 212 can be rotated clockwise by applying an external force with the palm of the hand, and the adjustment ring 211, the cylindrical pin 214 thereon and the ratchet 232 can be rotated together, and the elastic member 213 can be stretched. The fence 222 outside the ratchet 232 limits the axial movement of the ratchet 232. The housing 22 is provided with a slot 221. The pawl 233 is rotatably arranged on one side of the ratchet 232. One end of the pawl 233 is swingably arranged in the slot 221. The position of the pawl 233 can be controlled by the slot 221. The other end of the pawl 233 is meshed with the ratchet 232. When the pawl 233 is meshed with the ratchet 232, the ratchet 232 is limited by the unidirectional rotation of the pawl 233. After the end cover 212 rotates clockwise to a certain position, it can be prevented from rotating after being subjected to the elastic force of the elastic member 213, thereby achieving the adjustment of the initial tension. The adjustment component 23 also includes a torsion spring 234, which is arranged in the housing 22 and connected to the pawl 233. Under the elastic force of the torsion spring 234, the other end of the pawl 233 can abut against the ratchet 232. The ratchet 233 can be opened through the slot 221, the ratchet 232 can be loosened, and the adjusting ring 211, the cylindrical pin 214 thereon and the ratchet 232 can be rotated back to the initial position together, and the elastic member 213 returns to the initial state. Preferably, the adjusting ring 211 and the swing rod 215 can be connected using multiple elastic members 213 to form an elastic parallel structure to increase the power-assisting effect. Elastic members 213 with different elastic moduli can also be selected according to the wearer's condition.

[0037] like Figure 1 and 7As shown, the leg connection mechanism 3 includes a connection member 31, a first connection rod 32, a second connection rod 33 and a leg strap 34, the swing rod 215 is connected to one end of the first connection rod 32 through the connection member 31, the other end of the first connection rod 32 is fixedly connected to the second connection rod 33, and the second connection rod 33 is bound to the leg of the wearer through the leg strap 34. According to the gait characteristics of the human body, in the early swing phase of the right leg, the center of gravity of the body moves upward; and in the late swing phase of the right leg, the center of gravity of the body moves downward. When the left leg wears a walking assist device, in the early swing phase of the right leg, the right leg needs to use more force than when there is no walking assist device. For the hemiplegic patient assumed above, the right leg is the healthy side and can exert greater force; in the late swing phase of the right leg, the center of gravity of the body drops, and the gravitational potential energy generated thereby can assist the body to continue to move forward, and part of the gravitational potential energy can be converted into elastic potential energy in the elastic member 213. In this process, the left leg drives the swing rod 215 to rotate counterclockwise at the same time, thereby driving the elastic member 213 to stretch and store elastic potential energy. When the right leg lands and ends the swing phase, the energy storage process ends. Afterwards, the tension generated by the elastic member 213 acts on the swing rod 215, driving the leg connection mechanism 3 to apply a thrust to the back of the left leg. Because the left leg is the affected side, its muscle strength is weak, so the thrust behind it can assist the left leg to step forward, thereby achieving the purpose of assisting the walking of the affected side by driving the healthy side.

[0038] For elderly people with declining muscle strength, this walking assist device can be worn on both sides. When the left leg is in the swing phase, it can store energy for the right walking assist device and then assist the right leg to move forward; when the right leg is in the swing phase, it can store energy for the left walking assist device and assist the left leg to move forward. At this time, there is a continuous conversion of kinetic energy and potential energy between the two legs, and there is also a conversion of gravitational potential energy to elastic potential energy in the late swing phase. The gravitational potential energy in the late swing phase is generated by the lowering of the body's center of gravity. Under normal walking conditions, most of it will be wasted. This walking assist device can use this energy to assist walking.

[0039] The above disclosure is the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which cannot be used to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the claims of the present invention are still within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wearable walking assist device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a waist fixing mechanism (1), an energy storage assisting mechanism (2) and a leg connecting mechanism (3); one end of the energy storage assisting mechanism (2) is bound to the hip joint position on the side of the waist of the wearer through the waist fixing mechanism (1); the other end of the energy storage assisting mechanism (2) is bound to the leg of the wearer through the leg connecting mechanism (3); the energy storage assisting mechanism (2) has an energy storage component (21), and the energy storage component (21) is used to provide power to assist the wearer's legs to step forward.

2. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waist fixing mechanism (1) comprises a fixing plate (11) and a waist strap (12); the fixing plate (11) is in a "T" shape; the shape of the fixing plate (11) is adapted to the shape of a human hip joint; two pairs of holes (111) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the fixing plate (11); the waist strap (12) passes through the pairs of holes (111) to bind the fixing plate (11) to the waist of the wearer.

3. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The energy storage assist mechanism (2) further comprises a housing (22) and an adjustment component (23); the housing (22) is fixedly arranged on the fixing plate (11); and the energy storage component (21) and the adjustment component (23) are both arranged in the housing (22).

4. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The adjusting assembly (23) comprises a central rotating shaft (231), a ratchet (232) and a pawl (233); the central rotating shaft (231) is rotatably arranged in the housing (22); the ratchet (232) is fixedly connected to the central rotating shaft (231); a slot hole (221) is arranged on the housing (22); the pawl (233) is rotatably arranged on one side of the ratchet (232); one end of the pawl (233) is swingably arranged in the slot hole (221); the other end of the pawl (233) is meshed with the ratchet (232); when the pawl (233) is meshed with the ratchet (232), the ratchet (232) is restricted from unidirectional rotation by the pawl (233).

5. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The energy storage assembly (21) comprises an adjusting ring (211), an end cover (212), an elastic member (213) and a swing rod (215); the adjusting ring (211) is rotatably arranged in the housing (22) and is fixedly connected to the end cover (212); the end cover (212) is fixedly connected to the central rotating shaft (231); a plurality of cylindrical pins (214) are arranged on the adjusting ring (211); one end of the elastic member (213) is connected to the cylindrical pin (214); the swing rod (215) is connected to a bearing of the central rotating shaft (231); and the swing rod (215) is connected to the other end of the elastic member (213).

6. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The adjustment assembly (23) further comprises a torsion spring (234), wherein the torsion spring (234) is arranged in the housing (22), and the torsion spring (234) is connected to the pawl (233). Under the elastic force of the torsion spring (234), the other end of the pawl (233) can abut against the ratchet (232).

7. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The leg connection mechanism (3) comprises a connection piece (31), a first connection rod (32), a second connection rod (33) and a leg strap (34); the swing rod (215) is connected to one end of the first connection rod (32) via the connection piece (31); the other end of the first connection rod (32) is fixedly connected to the second connection rod (33); and the second connection rod (33) is bound to the back of the wearer's leg via the leg strap (34).

8. A wearable walking assist device according to claim 7, characterized in that: One end of the swing rod (215) is an arc-shaped tooth structure and is provided with a through hole (2151), and the elastic member (213) is connected to the swing rod (215) through the through hole (2151).

9. A wearable walking assist device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that: The elastic member (213) is a tension spring.

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