Spine exoskeleton device

Abstract

The invention provides a spine exoskeleton device. The spine exoskeleton device comprises a shoulder pad, a waistband, a control module, at least one driver and at least one motion sensor. The shoulder pad covers the chest area of the spine of the human body and is provided with a first sliding rail. The waistband covers human thighs and sacrum and tailbone areas of the spine; a second sliding rail is arranged on the waistband; a first sliding block is arranged at one end of the driver, and a second sliding block is arranged at the other end; the first sliding block is slidably connected with the first sliding rail, and the second sliding block is slidably connected with the second sliding rail. The motion sensor is arranged on the shoulder pad and / or the waistband; the control module is arranged on the waistband and electrically connected with the motion sensor. The spine exoskeleton device provided by the invention can conform to and adapt to natural movement of a human body, the spine exoskeleton device cannot hinder normal bending of the spine, and movement of the driver is controlled by air pressure, so that the whole structure is compact, the weight is light, and the spine exoskeleton device is very convenient to carry and wear; and the use portability of the device is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of spinal assistive devices, and more specifically, to a spinal exoskeleton device. Background Art

[0002] Construction workers face a variety of occupational health risks, including physical hazards such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs are a common health problem among construction workers, often caused by repetitive movements, awkward postures, and heavy lifting. These factors can lead to lower back pain (LBP) and long-term spinal injuries, affecting millions of workers worldwide. As many as 52% of construction workers will experience low back pain at some point in their careers. It is often caused by incorrect lifting techniques (bending over instead of bending the knees) that put excessive pressure on the spine and surrounding muscles, resulting in a 75% increase in bending moment at the waist compared to squat lifting, especially the lumbar region, which is particularly susceptible to injury during lifting tasks. Lumbar spondylosis causes approximately 149 million workdays lost each year, costing as much as $100 billion to $200 billion annually, with two-thirds of the cost coming from reduced wages and productivity. Therefore, a solution is needed to help them establish behaviors that maintain correct posture.

[0003] Wearable exoskeletons have emerged to help workers maintain a correct spinal posture while lifting objects, thereby reducing the likelihood of lower back injuries. These devices are designed to help workers lift heavy objects without placing excessive stress on the spine. They distribute the weight of the heavy object and transfer it to the exoskeleton, thereby reducing the weight borne by the lower back. There are many designs of exoskeletons for the human spine. Most of these devices are powered exoskeletons, which include a rigid frame or structure worn on the body and connected to a rigid motor or other mechanism that provides support for the lower back. Preliminary studies on the effectiveness of exoskeletons for construction workers' spines have shown good results in reducing the risk of lower back pain and improving worker comfort and productivity. For example, a study conducted by Moon et al. showed that the use of an exoskeleton reduced the average electromyogram (EMG) amplitude and peak value of the spinal muscle groups by 21% under a load of 15 kg. Similarly, another study conducted by Koopman et al. showed that the lumbar flexion and compression forces of the spine were significantly reduced by 13% to 21% due to the support provided by the exoskeleton and the changes in the behavior of construction workers after wearing the exoskeleton. However, current exoskeletons have certain limitations, such as being heavy, bulky, difficult to use, and potentially harmful to workers if too much force is accidentally applied. In addition, these devices may limit workers' mobility and range of motion (ROM), affecting their comfort and freedom of movement, resulting in low worker acceptance of exoskeletons.

[0004] As an alternative, lightweight, flexible, and soft wearable robotic exoskeletons are considered a more viable solution to assist construction workers. These exoskeletons are made of lightweight, flexible materials and can be worn comfortably for long periods of time. These devices usually use soft actuators such as pneumatic artificial muscles to provide the necessary assistive force. In addition, it is relatively simple to modify the size of the soft exoskeleton to accommodate various body types. One study showed that the exoskeleton can reduce the erector spinae electromyogram by about 15% when performing object lifting and lowering tasks. In addition, another study showed that wearable robotic exoskeletons can not only provide perceived benefits such as reduced work intensity, discomfort, and increased confidence to people with intervertebral disc herniation, but also achieve these benefits through actual biomechanical reduction of the strength of back extension. However, despite the compact design of wearable exoskeletons, the accompanying control modules are still bulky, and most of these devices are still confined to laboratory environments. Current soft exoskeletons are connected to independent control modules, which are not easy to carry, and the range of movement when wearing the soft exoskeleton is limited to the area around the control module. In order to provide real-time assistance to construction workers, it is necessary to study how to make the control module portable and wearable, allowing workers to carry the entire system outdoors. In addition, current soft exoskeletons lack structures to monitor the posture of the spine and provide feedback to ensure correct posture, making it challenging to develop an adaptive control method that can alert workers and enable the exoskeleton to automatically correct posture by stretching the bent lower back during lifting tasks. Therefore, more research is needed to make soft exoskeletons suitable for real-world construction environments. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a spinal exoskeleton device to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art that the spinal exoskeleton device is inconvenient to wear, has a bulky structure, and cannot monitor the user's posture in real time.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted in the present application is: to provide a spinal exoskeleton device, including a shoulder pad, a waist belt, a control module, at least one driver and at least one motion sensor; the shoulder pad covers the thoracic area of ​​the human spine, and a first slide rail is provided on the shoulder pad; the waist belt covers the human thigh and the sacrum and coccyx areas of the spine; a second slide rail is provided on the waist belt; the driver is arranged along the length direction of the human spine, a first slider is provided at one end of the driver, and the first slider is slidably connected to the first slide rail; a second slider is provided at the other end of the driver, and the second slider is slidably connected to the second slide rail; the motion sensor is arranged on the shoulder pad and / or the waist belt; the control module is arranged on the waist belt and is electrically connected to the motion sensor; wherein the driver includes an elastic capsule and a mesh, the elastic capsule is a hollow structure, one end of the elastic capsule is an air inlet end, and the other end is a closed end, the control module is connected to the air inlet end, and is used to input gas into the elastic capsule; the mesh is coated on the outer surface of the elastic capsule.

[0007] Optionally, the mesh includes a scissor-link structure composed of a plurality of braided wires, and when gas is input into the elastic capsule, radial expansion of the elastic capsule can be converted into axial contraction of the mesh.

[0008] Optionally, the control module includes:

[0009] an air source connected to the air inlet end through an air pipe; and

[0010] A control valve is arranged on the air pipe.

[0011] Optionally, the control module further includes a pressure regulator, wherein the pressure regulator is connected to the gas source, and the pressure regulator is used to maintain a constant pressure of the gas source.

[0012] Optionally, the control module further includes a microcontroller, which is electrically connected to the motion sensor and is respectively electrically connected to the pressure regulator and the control valve.

[0013] Optionally, the control module further includes an alarm, and the alarm is electrically connected to the motion sensor.

[0014] Optionally, the microcontroller includes a control algorithm, which can calculate the lumbar tilt angle based on the data collected by the motion sensor; when the actual lumbar tilt angle is less than or equal to a first preset value, the gas source is started to deliver gas into the elastic capsule; when the actual lumbar tilt angle is less than or equal to a second preset value, the alarm sounds.

[0015] Optionally, the shoulder pad and the waist belt are made of fabric.

[0016] Optionally, the motion sensor includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope or an inertial measurement unit.

[0017] Optionally, the spinal exoskeleton device further includes a communication module, which is disposed between the motion sensor and the control module and is used to transmit data collected by the motion sensor to the control module.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the spinal exoskeleton device provided by the present application are:

[0019] (1) Compared with the prior art, the spinal exoskeleton device of the present application can conform to and adapt to the natural movement of the human body. The spinal exoskeleton device will not hinder the normal curvature of the spine. The movement of the drive is controlled by air pressure, making the overall structure compact and light in weight. The spinal exoskeleton device is easy to carry and wear, thereby improving the portability of the spinal exoskeleton device.

[0020] (2) Compared with the prior art, the spinal exoskeleton device of the present application, the driver includes an elastic capsule and a mesh, and the movement of the human spine can be assisted by injecting gas into the elastic capsule, which can reduce the bending torque of the lumbar spine, help reduce the intensity of various daily life activities, and avoid spinal injuries.

[0021] (3) Compared with the prior art, the spinal exoskeleton device of the present application, by providing motion sensors and control modules, can obtain the user's posture information in real time to control the working state of the drive, which can effectively help the user correct the correct working posture and improve the safety of the human spine.

[0022] (4) Compared with the prior art, in the spinal exoskeleton device of the present application, the driver is connected to the shoulder pad via a first slider and a first slide rail, and is connected to the waist belt via a second slider and a second slide rail. The distance between the shoulder pad and the waist belt can be adjusted to accommodate use by people of different heights, thereby improving the versatility of the spinal exoskeleton device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a spinal exoskeleton device in a wearing state provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a driver in a spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 A comparison diagram of the pressurized and unpressurized states of the driver in the spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the working area of ​​the driver in the spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application under different input pressures;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the human spine;

[0030] Figure 7 A flow chart of a method for using a spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the lumbar posterior tilt angle of the spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application in different states;

[0032] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application in a bent-over state;

[0033] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application in a squatting state;

[0034] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a control module in a spinal exoskeleton device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig.12 The relationship between the injected gas pressure, the contraction length and the contraction force in the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig.13 The full contraction force of the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the embodiment of the present application under different injection gas pressures;

[0037] Fig.14 The full contraction force and low back extensor muscle result force simulated by the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the embodiment of the present application at different injection gas pressures;

[0038] Fig.15 Average electromyogram changes of subjects of the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0039] Fig.16The average EMG reduction ΔEMG of the subjects of the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0040] Fig.17 Results of the spinal exoskeleton device subject evaluation questionnaire provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0041] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure are:

[0042] 100-shoulder pad; 101-first slide rail; 102-movement point;

[0043] 200-belt; 201-second slide rail; 202-fixing point;

[0044] 300-control module; 301-gas source; 302-control valve; 303-gas pipe; 304-pressure regulator; 305-microcontroller; 306-power supply; 307-alarm;

[0045] 400-actuator; 401-elastic capsule; 411-inlet end; 412-closed end; 402-mesh; 421-braided wire; 422-braiding angle; 403-gap; 404-clamping point; 450-contractible area; 451-first non-contractible area; 452-second non-contractible area; 461-contracted displacement; 462-input pressure; 463-first dead zone; 464-working area; 465-second dead zone; 466-maximum contraction;

[0046] 500-motion sensor; 501-wired signal;

[0047] 601-first slider; 602-second slider; 603-knot;

[0048] 701- first restraint belt; 702- second restraint belt;

[0049] 800-Human spine; 801-Cervical vertebrae; 802-Thoracic vertebrae; 803-Lumbar vertebrae; 804-Sacral vertebrae; 805-Coccygeal vertebrae; 810-Static lumbar posterior tilt angle; 820-Actual lumbar posterior tilt angle; 830-Bending; 840-Squatting; 850-Heavy objects;

[0050] 900-Human thigh. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0052] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0053] It should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by terms such as "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside" and "outside" are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do 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 should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0054] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0055] Please also read Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the embodiment of the present application is now described. The spinal exoskeleton device includes a shoulder pad 100, a waist belt 200, a control module 300, at least one driver 400 and at least one motion sensor 500; the shoulder pad 100 covers the thoracic area of ​​the human spine 800, and a first slide rail 101 is provided on the shoulder pad 100; the waist belt 200 covers the human thigh 900 and the sacrum and coccyx area of ​​the spine; the waist belt 200 is provided with a second slide rail 201; the driver 400 is arranged along the length direction of the human spine 800, and a first slider 601 is provided at one end of the driver 400, and the first slider 601 is slidably connected to the first slide rail 101; the other end of the driver 400 is provided with The second slider 602 is slidably connected to the second slide rail 201; the motion sensor 500 is arranged on the shoulder pad 100 and / or the belt 200; the control module 300 is arranged on the belt 200 and is electrically connected to the motion sensor 500; wherein the driver 400 includes an elastic capsule 401 and a mesh 402, the elastic capsule 401 is a hollow structure, one end of the elastic capsule 401 is an air inlet end 411, and the other end is a closed end 412, the control module 300 is connected to the air inlet end 411, and is used to input gas into the elastic capsule 401; the mesh 402 is coated on the outer surface of the elastic capsule 401.

[0056] Compared with the prior art, the spinal exoskeleton device provided in the present application can conform to and adapt to the natural movement of the human body. The spinal exoskeleton device will not hinder the normal curvature of the spine. The movement of the driver 400 is controlled by air pressure, which makes the overall structure compact and light in weight. The spinal exoskeleton device is easy to carry and wear, thereby improving the portability of the spinal exoskeleton device.

[0057] The spinal exoskeleton device of the present application, the driver 400 includes an elastic capsule 401 and a mesh 402. By inputting gas into the elastic capsule 401, the movement of the human spine 800 can be assisted, the bending torque of the lumbar vertebra 803 can be reduced, and it helps to reduce the intensity of various daily life activities and avoid spinal injuries.

[0058] The spinal exoskeleton device of the present application can conform to and adapt to the natural movement of the human body. The spinal exoskeleton device will not hinder the normal curvature of the spine. The movement of the driver 400 is controlled by air pressure, which makes the overall structure compact and light in weight. The spinal exoskeleton device is easy to carry and wear, thereby improving the portability of the spinal exoskeleton device.

[0059] The spinal exoskeleton device of the present application can obtain the user's posture information in real time by setting up a motion sensor 500 and a control module 300 to control the working state of the driver 400, which can effectively help the user correct the correct working posture and improve the safety of the human spine 800.

[0060] In the spinal exoskeleton device of the present application, the driver 400 is connected to the shoulder pad 100 via the first slider 601 and the first slide rail 101, and is connected to the waist belt 200 via the second slider 602 and the second slide rail 201. The distance between the shoulder pad 100 and the waist belt 200 can be adjusted to accommodate use by people of different heights, thereby improving the versatility of the spinal exoskeleton device.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The spinal exoskeleton device also includes a plurality of first straps 701, which are connected to the shoulder pads 100 and used to fix the shoulder pads 100 in the thoracic region of the human spine 800; the spinal exoskeleton device also includes a plurality of second straps 702, which are connected to the waist belt 200 and used to fix the waist belt 200 in the human thigh 900 and the sacrum and coccyx region of the spine.

[0062] In one embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3The first slide rail 101 is provided with a fixed point 202 for fixing the first slider 601 so that it cannot move along the first slide rail; the second slide rail 201 is provided with an active point 102, and the second slider 602 and the second slide rail 201 can slide relative to each other; or, the second slide rail 201 is provided with a fixed point 202 for fixing the second slider 602 so that it cannot move along the second slide rail; the first slide rail 101 is provided with an active point 102, and the first slider 601 and the first slide rail 101 can slide relative to each other; a knot 603 is provided on the first slider 601 and / or the second slider 602, and when the shoulder pad 100 and the waist belt 200 are adjusted to a suitable spacing, the active point 102 is connected to the knot 603 to lock their positions.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present application, one or more drivers 400 may be provided; when multiple drivers 400 are provided, the multiple drivers 400 are provided in parallel, that is, the two ends of each driver 400 are respectively connected to the shoulder pad 100 and the waist belt 200.

[0064] In this embodiment, the driver 400 may be a tubular structure, and the diameter of one driver 400 may be 1 cm and the length may be 30 cm.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 5 The mesh 402 includes a scissor-link structure composed of a plurality of braided wires 421 , and when gas is input into the elastic capsule 401 , the radial expansion of the elastic capsule 401 can be converted into the axial contraction of the mesh 402 .

[0066] In this embodiment, a braiding angle 422 is formed between adjacent braided wires 421 . When gas is input into the elastic capsule 401 , the braiding angle 422 changes, so that the radial expansion of the elastic capsule 401 is converted into the axial contraction of the mesh 402 .

[0067] In this embodiment, the material of the mesh 402 is an inextensible material, including fabric, nylon, carbon fiber composite material, plastic or metal, so that the structure of the mesh 402 is only axially contractible and not easily destroyed by fluid pressure. The stiffness (including elastic modulus and hardness) of the elastomeric capsule must be lower than that of the mesh 402 so as to effectively convert the radial expansion of the elastic capsule 401 into the axial contraction of the mesh 402 when pressurized. The hardness of the elastic capsule 401 can be (but not limited to) Shore 00-10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 or Shore A-10, 20, 30 and 40.

[0068] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 3, there is a gap 403 between the elastic capsule 401 and the mesh 402, the first slider 601 and / or the second slider 602 can be inserted into the gap 403, the mesh 402 has a raised clamping point 404, the first slider 601 and / or the second slider 602 is clamped and connected to the mesh 402 via the clamping point 404; the initial contact length of the first slide rail 101 and / or the second slide rail 201 is A, and the first slider 601 and / or the second slider 602 reaches a new position C after moving a distance B.

[0069] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 There are two first sliders 601 and two second sliders 602. The two first sliders 601 and the two second sliders 602 divide the driver 400 into a shrinkable area 450 and a first non-shrinkable area 451 and a second non-shrinkable area 452 located at both ends of the shrinkable area 450; the first non-shrinkable area 451 and the second non-shrinkable area 452 are respectively anchored to the shoulder pad 100 and the waist belt 200 through the fixed point 202, and the fixed point 202 can also be formed by connecting the knot 603 through the active point 102.

[0070] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 , the contraction displacement 461 of the driver 400 only occurs in the contractible area 450; in the elastic capsule 401, the relationship between the input pressure 462 of the gas and the contraction displacement 461 is not linear. When the gas is input into the elastic capsule 401, the elastic capsule 401 first expands in the mesh 402 and fills the gap 403; thereby forming a first dead zone 463 in the contractible area 450, and even if the pressure 462 is input at the beginning, the driver 400 will not produce any contraction. Subsequently, the working area 464 starts to work, and the elastic capsule 401 expands radially and squeezes the woven mesh, causing the braiding angle 422 of the woven mesh to change, and the multiple braided wires 421 to contract along the axial direction of the driver. Finally, as the braided mesh 402 approaches the maximum contraction 466, a second dead zone 465 appears, so further increasing the fluid pressure can no longer lead to an increase in the contraction of the driver.

[0071] In one embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 2 and Fig.11 The control module 300 includes an air source 301 and a control valve 302 ; the air source 301 is connected to the air inlet end 411 through an air pipe 303 ; and the control valve 302 is arranged on the air pipe 303 .

[0072] Specifically, the gas source 301 can be an air pump or any disposable or non-disposable compressed medium, such as a carbon dioxide bottle, an oxygen tank, compressed nitrogen or compressed air. The control valve 302 can be a solenoid valve or a proportional valve to adjust the flow rate of the gas output from the gas source 301. The air pipe 303 can be a rubber tube, a PE tube or a PVC tube.

[0073] In one embodiment of the present application, see Fig.11 The control module 300 further includes a pressure regulator 304 , which is connected to the gas source 301 . The pressure regulator 304 is used to maintain a constant pressure of the gas source 301 .

[0074] In one embodiment of the present application, see Fig.11 The control module 300 further includes a microcontroller 305 , which is electrically connected to the motion sensor 500 , and is electrically connected to the pressure regulator 304 and the control valve 302 , respectively.

[0075] In this embodiment, the microcontroller 305 can issue a start command to the control valve 302 from the signal received from the motion sensor 500. The control module 300 must at least comply with IEC60601-1-2 ("Medical electrical equipment - Part 1-2: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance - Collateral standard: Electromagnetic interference - Requirements and tests").

[0076] In this embodiment, please refer to Fig.11 The control module 300 also includes a power supply 306 for providing electrical energy to the microcontroller 305, the gas source 301, the pressure regulator 304, the control valve 302, etc. The control module 300 can be integrally embedded in the waist belt 200, thereby reducing the volume of the spinal exoskeleton device and making it easier for the user to carry.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present application, see Fig. 9 The control module 300 also includes an alarm 307 , which is electrically connected to the motion sensor 500 .

[0078] In this embodiment, by providing an alarm 307, when the user's waist is excessively bent, auditory or visual feedback can be provided.

[0079] In one embodiment of the present application, the microcontroller 305 includes a control algorithm, which can calculate the posterior tilt angle of the lumbar vertebra 803 based on the data collected by the motion sensor 500; when the actual posterior tilt angle of the lumbar vertebra 820 degrees is less than or equal to the first preset value, the gas source 301 is started to deliver gas to the elastic capsule 401; when the actual posterior tilt angle of the lumbar vertebra 820 degrees is less than or equal to the second preset value, the alarm 307 sounds.

[0080] See also Figure 6, shown is a biomechanical model of the human spine 800. The human spine includes cervical vertebrae 801 (C1 to C7), thoracic vertebrae 802 (T1 to T12), lumbar vertebrae 803 (L1 to L5), sacral vertebrae 804 (S1 to S5) and coccyx 805. The static lumbar inclination angle 810 describes the curvature of the waist of the spine. The static lumbar inclination angle 810 of different healthy people is different, with an average of approximately 33.2±12.1 degrees. In order to provide the best assistance to the user when wearing the spinal exoskeleton, the activation of the driver 400 depends on the degree of curvature of the lumbar spine 803 in daily life. When the user wears the wearable spinal exoskeleton, the motion sensor 500 measures the actual lumbar inclination angle 820.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present application, the shoulder pad 100 and the waist belt 200 are made of woven fabric.

[0082] In this embodiment, the shoulder pad 100 and the waist belt 200 are made of fabric, which can improve the wearing comfort of the user. Since the shoulder pad 100, the waist belt 200, the restraint belt and the driver 400 are in direct contact with human skin, materials with good biocompatibility should be selected. The material must at least meet the biocompatibility test requirements of ISO 10993-1 (assessment and testing in the risk management process), ISO 10993-5 (in vitro cytotoxicity test) and ISO 10993-10 (irritation and skin allergy test), where ISO refers to the International Organization for Standardization. The material of the shoulder pad 100 can be fabric, nylon, carbon fiber composite material, plastic coated with soft materials such as silicone rubber, etc. These materials can play a buffering role when placed on the human body. The waist belt 200 and the restraint belt can be made of clothing materials such as nylon, cotton, fabric or leather.

[0083] In one embodiment of the present application, the motion sensor 500 includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or an inertial measurement unit.

[0084] In this embodiment, the accelerometer can measure the acceleration of an object in three directions, while the gyroscope can measure the angular velocity and direction of rotation of the object. The inertial measurement unit is a fusion of these two technologies, which not only provides acceleration and angular velocity information, but also estimates the attitude and position of the object through a built-in algorithm.

[0085] In one embodiment of the present application, the spinal exoskeleton device further includes a communication module, which is disposed between the motion sensor 500 and the control module 300 and is used to transmit the data collected by the motion sensor 500 to the control module 300 .

[0086] Specifically, see Figure 2The communication module can use wired signal 501 or wireless signal transmission. In this embodiment, the data collected by the motion sensor 500 is converted into a wired signal 501 and transmitted to the control module 300 for calculating the deflection angle, speed, acceleration and other parameters of the human spine 800.

[0087] The method of using the spinal exoskeleton device provided in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 7 and Figure 8 , a calibration process is performed before using the spinal exoskeleton device. The user is required to wear the spinal exoskeleton device and remain still for 5 seconds to measure the static lumbar posterior tilt angle 810. After calibrating the static lumbar posterior tilt angle 810, when the actual lumbar posterior tilt angle 820 degrees is measured to be less than or equal to the first preset value (most daily activities require 4% to 59% bending of the waist, and the first preset value can be set to 95% of the static lumbar posterior tilt angle 810), the air source 301 is started. When the actual lumbar posterior tilt angle 820 degrees is measured to be reduced to the second preset value (when the curvature of the lumbar 803 is between 78% and 97%, the peak value of the extension torque is the largest, and the second preset value can be 80% of the static lumbar posterior tilt angle 810), the alarm 307 in the control module 300 will be further activated to remind the user to reduce the curvature of the waist when performing daily activities and maintain a correct working posture as much as possible. At the same time, when the spine is bent in the lifting and bending 830 tasks, the peak bending torque of the waist is generally between 125Nm and 373Nm. The retractable area 450 of the actuator 400 can provide a linear contraction force of up to 1000N (compared to atmospheric pressure) when the input pressure 462 is 0.3MPa, which can generate an extension torque of about 50Nm (assuming that the diameter of the intervertebral disc and spinal cord is 5cm, one actuator 400 has a diameter of 1cm and a length of 30cm, and ten actuators 400 are set in parallel to compensate for the peak bending torque of the waist and assist in the extension of the waist).

[0088] In one embodiment, see Fig. 9 , the user bends 830 to pick up a heavy object 850, and the pressure P injected by the driver 400 into the shrinkable area 450 is greater than the standard atmospheric pressure Patm. At this time, the waist is bent, and the actual lumbar posterior inclination angle 820 is reduced to less than 80% of the static lumbar posterior inclination angle 810. Therefore, the alarm 307 will issue a health warning to the user that the lumbar spine 803 is bent for a long time.

[0089] In another implementation, see Fig.10 , the user squats 840 or sits on a stool, the pressure P injected into the contractile area 450 by the driver 400 is greater than the standard atmospheric pressure Patm, and the actual lumbar posterior inclination angle 820 is within the normal lumbar bending range (4% to 59%), so only the actuator assists the waist, and the alarm 307 remains silent.

[0090] In this embodiment, the contraction performance of the actuator 400 is evaluated by the relationship between the injected gas pressure, the contraction length and the contraction force. Fig.12 As shown, Fig.12 The relationship between these three parameters is shown. The contraction performance of actuator 400 shows that when the injection gas pressure reaches the upper limit of 0.20 MPa, its length change is most obvious, and actuator 400 can shorten by 2.5 cm, which is about 15% of its relaxed length. At this injection gas pressure, the maximum contraction force that actuator 400 can provide is about 116N. At each injection gas pressure, the contraction force and contraction length are almost linearly related (R2 = 0.9979), which is consistent with the physical properties of McKibben's gas muscle (Doumit, Fahim, et al., 2009; Roche, Wohlfarth, et al., 2014). The actuator 400 can shorten by up to 2.5 cm, which is about 15% of its relaxed length. This is a normal performance of McKibben's gas muscle, and its maximum shortening range is 12.5-24.5% (Doumit, Fahim, et al., 2009). The contraction force increase rate under each injection gas pressure is similar, indicating that actuator 400 has similar contraction trends under different injection gas pressures. Since there are eight actuators 400 in the spinal exoskeleton device, the spinal exoskeleton device can provide a maximum contraction force of approximately 926.06 Newtons.

[0091] Fig.13The full contraction force of the actuator 400 provided by the spinal exoskeleton device at different injection gas pressures is shown. In the pressure range of 0.10 to 0.20 MPa, the contraction force increases with the increase of the injection gas pressure, and the maximum contraction force of 926.06 Newtons is reached at 0.20 MPa. In the pressure range of 0.10 to 0.20 MPa, the full contraction force of the actuator 400 and the injection gas pressure are also approximately linearly related (R2=0.9979), so it can be inferred that within a certain injection gas pressure range, the full contraction force of the actuator 400 and the injection gas pressure are almost core-related. When the injection gas pressure is lower than 0.10 MPa, almost no contraction is observed, so the contraction force measured in this pressure range is very small, with only a change of 27.47 Newtons (about 3% of the maximum contraction force) in the pressure change of 0.10 MPa. This is caused by the matching gap between the diameter of the elastic capsule 401 and the width of the flat belt of the mesh 402, because the widest side of the outer braided fiber is 12 mm, and the outer diameter of the elastic capsule 401 is 6 mm. This gap causes the elastic capsule 401 to require a certain injection gas pressure to inflate before it can reach the outer braided fibers. This pressure gap is also called a dead zone in pneumatic artificial muscles (Zhao Cheng et al., 2021), and this result is also consistent with the early characteristics of McKibben's pneumatic muscles (Cheng Ping and Hannaford, 1996; Dumit, Fahim et al., 2009). In future research, the dead zone effect can be reduced by optimizing the structure and design of the actuator 400.

[0092] Fig.14 The full contraction force of the simulated spinal exoskeleton device and the resultant force of the low back extensor muscles under different injection gas pressures are shown. Considering the energy loss in the actual scene, this simulation uses an 80% force transmission efficiency, so the peak value of the simulated spinal exoskeleton device full contraction force (740.85N) is lower than Fig.14The peak force (926.06N) shown. When the injected gas pressure is lower than 0.10 MPa, the full contraction force does not change much. Since the distance from the line of action of the contraction force of the spinal exoskeleton device to the lumbar joint changes little with body shape, the full contraction force of the spinal exoskeleton device does not change with body shape. Therefore, the support torque of the exosuit can be calculated based on the moment arm between the contraction force and its line of action to the lumbar joint (7.3 cm). At an injected gas pressure of 0.20 MPa, the maximum torque provided by the exosuit is 54.08 Nm. The resultant force of the lumbar back extensor muscles increases significantly with the increase of the subject's height and weight. The decline rate of the lumbar back extension force of the three body types shows a similar trend, and the force coverage effect of the spinal exoskeleton device on the lumbar back is weakened as the subject's weight and height increase. At an injected gas pressure of 0.20 MPa, the contraction force provided by the spinal exoskeleton device is the largest. In body type 1, the force of the lumbar back extensor muscles decreases from 1254.32N to 422.28N, reducing 66.33% of the original muscle force. In body type 2, the strength of the back muscles decreased from 2020.93 N to 1188.89 N, which was a 41.17% reduction in the original strength of the back extensors. In body type 3, the strength of the back muscles decreased from 2839.61 N to 2007.58 N, which was a 29.30% reduction in the original strength. The full contraction force of the spinal exoskeleton did not change with the change of body type because it is an inherent characteristic. The changes in the height and weight of the subjects lead to changes in the moment arm around the lumbar joint and the segmental weight, both of which will change the trunk moment and back extensor strength. However, the height and weight selected in this study were positively correlated, and the effects of height and weight on the trunk moment need to be further studied. When the injected gas pressure was lower than 0.10 MPa, the contraction force changed little, which was caused by the dead zone of the pneumatic artificial muscle. The contraction force of all selected body types showed a similar downward trend, which is because the contraction force of the spinal exoskeleton device is independent of the user. When the spinal exoskeleton device provides the maximum contraction force, the percentage of back muscle force reduction of different body shapes varies from 29.30% to 66.33%. This is because the spinal exoskeleton device provides a constant contraction force under this injection gas pressure, and the low back loads generated by body parts of different body shapes are different. Therefore, when the low back load generated by the body segment is larger, the force sharing ratio of the spinal exoskeleton device is smaller, and vice versa. This shows that the spinal exoskeleton device control system can be improved to provide the same back muscle force sharing ratio for users of different body shapes.

[0093] During a trunk lifting or bending process, a set of EMG signal data was obtained from a pair of surface EMG electrodes. Since the four sets of surface EMG electrodes were located on the left and right LG and MF, and a bending task included the trunk bending process and the trunk lifting process, eight sets of data were recorded in a bending task. Since the bending task was repeated 10 times without the assistance of the spinal exoskeleton device, and 10 times with the assistance of the spinal exoskeleton device, and two MVC tests were performed, a total of 168 sets of EMG signal data were recorded in one experiment, and a total of 840 sets of data were collected from 5 subjects.

[0094] Average electromyographic changes Fig.15 As shown in the figure, each column represents the average EMG collected from a muscle of the subject. The average EMG of the subjects wearing the spinal exoskeleton device was significantly reduced compared with the subjects not wearing the spinal exoskeleton device (p = 0.03), which confirms that the spinal exoskeleton device can effectively reduce the activity of the back muscles of construction workers during bending work and lifting heavy objects, and reduce the risk of WMSD and LBP. Overall, except for the average EMG value of the left LG during trunk flexion without the assistance of the spinal exoskeleton device, the average EMG value of MF was higher than that of LG, indicating that MF may be more active during bending tasks. The average EMG of the left LG was generally higher than that of the right LG, while the average EMG of the right MF was generally higher than that of the left MF. The activity habits of the subjects may be the reason for the different EMG signals of the left and right muscles. The effort and fatigue during the experiment are also potential reasons for the difference in EMG. Fig.16 The mean EMG reduction ΔEMG is shown. During trunk flexion, the left LG (19.33% MVC) had the largest mean EMG reduction, which was 37.02% lower than when not wearing the spinal exoskeleton. The site with the smallest mean EMG reduction was the right mid-lumbar region (7.27% MVC), which was 13.02% of the mean EMG reduction when not wearing the spinal exoskeleton. These results are generally consistent with the low back force sharing percentage (16.20-47.64%) at 0.15 MPa injection gas pressure in the static biomechanical assessment. There may be some reasons for this deviation. On the one hand, the bending task includes dynamic processes, while the assessment considers static processes, so dynamic biomechanical assessment needs to be further studied. On the other hand, EMG cannot be directly interpreted as muscle force because EMG represents muscle activity (Hug, Hodges et al., 2015). The results of this study are generally consistent with previous studies that observed a 5.00-31.50% decrease in EMG in the lumbar back extensors (Huysamen, deLooze, et al., 2018; Alemi, Geissinger, et al., 2019; Ji, Wang, et al., 2020; Song et al., 2021; Kermavnar, deVries et al., 2021; Golabchi, JasimiZindashti et al., 2023). Differences in exoskeletons, applied data acquisition equipment, experimental designs, and data processing methods may lead to biases in research results. In addition, current technology can only capture approximately 70% of the electromyographic signals (Gohel and Mehendale, 2020; Farago, MacIsaac, et al., 2023), resulting in different data accuracy between different studies. The average EMG reduction during trunk lifting is generally lower than that during trunk flexion. The reason may be that the lifting process requires higher muscle activity than the flexion process, and the spinal exoskeleton device provides the same support force in these two processes, resulting in a smaller proportion of the lumbar and back extensor force shared by the spinal exoskeleton device. The spinal exoskeleton device control system can be improved so that the support force it provides is shared in the same proportion as the lumbar and back extension force.

[0095] Fig.17 Results of the NASA-TLX spinal exoskeleton subject evaluation questionnaire are shown. Significant reductions in scores were observed in the physical demand, time demand, and effort items, with reductions of 22.22%, 34.09%, and 27.59%, respectively. The results suggest that the spinal exoskeleton helps reduce mental and physical demand and effort. Two of the subjects found an increase in mental demand scores after wearing the spinal exoskeleton, and they stated that they did not get used to the assistive device while performing the task. This suggests that a warm-up period is needed in field testing to allow users to adapt to the device before evaluating the device. One of the subjects found a decrease in performance scores after wearing the spinal exoskeleton, stating that deep flexion of the torso was slightly hindered. The possible reason is that the user did not change the shoulder straps and thigh straps to the position that best suited them. This suggests that the spinal exoskeleton design can be optimized.

[0096] When gas is injected at 0.20 MPa, the pneumatic artificial muscle can provide an active assist torque of up to 54.08 Nm, while maintaining the advantages of light weight (1.91 kg, including removable batteries and air pump) and small size (storage size is 42×20×8 cm). In the bending task, the pneumatic artificial muscle reduced the activity of the lumbar and back extensors by 13.02%-37.02%. The results show that the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment has great potential in reducing the activity of the lumbar and back muscles and alleviating the risk of WMSD and LBP for construction workers, especially in complex and narrow construction environments. In order to further evaluate the performance of the pneumatic artificial muscle, we compared the key parameters of the exoskeleton product, such as price, weight, size, maximum support torque, and average back extensor EMG reduction, with several existing representative back-assist exoskeleton products, and these parameters are listed in Tables 1 and 2.

[0097] Table 1

[0098]

[0099] Table 2

[0100]

[0101] Through the comparison in Table 2, it can be found that the price of existing exoskeletons is more than 1,000 US dollars, the price of Atun's active actuator-based device is as high as more than 5,000 US dollars, and the price of the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment is only about 100 US dollars, less than 10% of the existing devices. The main reason for the price difference is that passive or rigid devices strictly require the use of elastic materials. Existing hard exoskeletons are generally twice as heavy as soft exoskeletons, the former weighing 3.5-4.5 kilograms and the latter weighing 1.5-2.0 kilograms. The device of this embodiment itself weighs 0.82 kilograms, which is still much lighter than the existing rigid device. Even if it is equipped with a detachable air pump and battery weighing 1.08 kilograms, it is almost as light as the soft device of HEROWEAR, which makes the user more comfortable when using the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment. The weight difference between the hard device and the soft device may be related to the structure and the selected materials, because the density of solid materials is generally higher than that of soft materials. Since the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment is to cover the shoulders to thighs of users of different body shapes, its unfolded height and width are wider than the given dimensions of the rigid exoskeleton, and since no large rigid partition is used, the depth of the exoskeleton device of this embodiment is significantly smaller than these devices. Since most of the components can be folded, the storage space of the exoskeleton of this embodiment is significantly smaller than that of the two rigid exoskeletons. Due to its light weight, small unfolded depth and small storage space, the spinal exoskeleton device is safer and more suitable for wearing on complex construction sites, carrying on the way to work, and storing in the smallest space. It is believed that the MUSCLESUIT and ATOUN devices can provide up to 25.5 kg and 10 kg of support force, respectively, but neither of them provides data on the support torque (INNOPHYSCO.2019, AsmochiCo.Ltd.2020, VanHarmelen, Schnieders et al., 2022). The torque of the two devices in Table 2 is estimated based on their depth dimension of about 20 cm and assuming that the support force moment arm is 10 cm. It is said that LaevoFLEX and HEROWEARApex2 can provide maximum support torques of 52 Nm and 12-16 Nm, respectively (Lamers, Soltys et al., 2020; Van Harmelen, Schnieders et al., 2022). The comparison results show that the support torque of LaevoFLEX is about the same as that of the proposed spinal exoskeleton device, while the support torque of MUSCLESUITEvery, HEROWEARApex2 and ATOUNMODELY is much smaller than that of the proposed spinal exoskeleton device. Except for MUSCLESUITEvery, which did not provide experimental results on the average reduction in dorsi extensor muscle EMG, the remaining devices, including the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment, can reduce the dorsi extensor muscle EMG by approximately 5% to 45% (Asmochi Co. Ltd. 2020; Song et al., 2021; Schnieders, van Harmelen et al., 2023), showed similar results. These devices provided different support torques, but showed similar EMG reductions. The reason may be that the design of the exoskeleton is different, resulting in different power transmission efficiencies from the device to the low back region. Therefore, not all exoskeleton forces can effectively compensate for the low back load. Another reason is that the measurement methods of the support torque are not exactly the same. They used different devices to measure the support torque, which led to different results. In addition, the experimental designs for measuring the EMG of the back muscles are also different in terms of experimental tasks, subject selection, EMG electrode placement, data acquisition equipment, and data normalization methods. Considering that the focus of the current study is to develop an exoskeleton device specifically for construction workers and preliminarily study its efficacy and potential in the field of construction management, this study has not yet conducted experiments to compare the efficacy and performance of the proposed exoskeleton device with existing exoskeleton devices. Further research is needed to confirm the support torque of these devices and study how these devices reduce the EMG signals of the back muscles.

[0102] There are some limitations to this study. First, the number of subjects in the muscle activity change experiment was small. The current study is a preliminary study to design, develop and investigate the potential of the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment in helping the health of workers in the construction field, and we are preparing to conduct experiments involving more participants. We have recently launched a 3-year study, including laboratory tests to investigate its service life and maximum load-bearing capacity, as well as field tests with 20 workers at 3 construction sites. The field tests included a week of warm-up to allow participants to adapt to the spinal exoskeleton device, and a three-week follow-up questionnaire survey. Second, the design of the body armor needs to be improved to better adapt to the user's waist structure and have greater adjustability to accommodate users of different body shapes. Third, the control algorithm of the device needs to be further developed to better capture and classify the user's trunk motion and provide specific auxiliary contraction force as needed. Fourth, the biomechanical evaluation in the current study was based on a static model, while the dynamic process accounts for a larger proportion of trunk bending and lifting. Further research on the dynamic trunk flexion and extension model is needed. In addition, for safety reasons, the injection gas pressure in the human test was 0.15 MPa instead of the upper limit of 0.20 MPa, because safe operation requires more tests, such as life tests and strength limit tests, and the greater contraction force that the spinal exoskeleton device may generate was not tested. In addition, due to the softness of human tissue, the exact position of the joints during movement is unclear. Therefore, misalignment between the human body and the exoskeleton joints is inevitable, and misalignment errors of several centimeters are expected, resulting in user discomfort and reduced efficiency in assistive force transmission (Mallat, Khalil et al., 2019; Junius et al., 2019). The design of the spinal exoskeleton device of this embodiment may be improved in the future to compensate for the deviation effect.

[0103] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A spinal exoskeleton device, characterized in that: include: A shoulder pad, the shoulder pad covers the thoracic region of the human spine, and the shoulder pad is provided with a first slide rail; A waist belt, the waist belt covers the thighs and the sacrum and coccyx areas of the spine of the human body; the waist belt is provided with a second slide rail; At least one driver, the driver is arranged along the length direction of the human spine, one end of the driver is provided with a first slider, the first slider is slidably connected to the first slide rail; the other end of the driver is provided with a second slider, the second slider is slidably connected to the second slide rail; at least one motion sensor, the motion sensor being disposed on the shoulder pad and / or the waist belt; as well as A control module, the control module is arranged on the waist belt and is electrically connected to the motion sensor; Among them, the driver includes an elastic capsule and a mesh, the elastic capsule is a hollow structure, one end of the elastic capsule is an air inlet end, and the other end is a closed end, the control module is connected to the air inlet end, and is used to input gas into the elastic capsule; the mesh is coated on the outer surface of the elastic capsule.

2. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 1, wherein: The mesh includes a scissor-link structure composed of a plurality of braided wires, and when gas is input into the elastic capsule, the radial expansion of the elastic capsule can be converted into the axial contraction of the mesh.

3. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 1, wherein: The control module comprises: an air source connected to the air inlet end through an air pipe; and A control valve is arranged on the air pipe.

4. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 3, wherein: The control module further includes a pressure regulator, which is connected to the gas source and is used to maintain a constant pressure of the gas source.

5. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 4, wherein: The control module further comprises a microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is electrically connected to the motion sensor and is electrically connected to the pressure regulator and the control valve respectively.

6. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 5, wherein: The control module further includes an alarm, and the alarm is electrically connected to the motion sensor.

7. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 6, wherein: The microcontroller includes a control algorithm, and the control algorithm can calculate the lumbar posterior tilt angle according to the data collected by the motion sensor; When the actual lumbar posterior tilt angle is less than or equal to a first preset value, the gas source is activated to deliver gas into the elastic capsule; When the actual lumbar posterior tilt angle is less than or equal to the second preset value, the alarm sounds.

8. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 1, wherein: The shoulder pad and the waist belt are made of fabric.

9. The spinal exoskeleton device of claim 1, wherein: The motion sensor includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or an inertial measurement unit.

10. The spinal exoskeleton device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: It also includes a communication module, which is arranged between the motion sensor and the control module and is used to transmit the data collected by the motion sensor to the control module.

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