Pneumatic hand rehabilitation device

Abstract

The invention discloses a pneumatic hand rehabilitation device, and belongs to the field of medical instruments, the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device comprises a hand structure and a finger bending driving structure, the hand structure comprises a connecting plate, a plurality of hand assemblies and a plurality of inter-finger airbags, each hand assembly is connected with a finger of a user, each hand assembly is connected with the connecting plate, and the finger bending driving structure is connected with the connecting plate. Every two adjacent hand assemblies are connected through an inter-finger air bag, the inter-finger air bags are inflated and deflated to achieve expansion or contraction of the hand assemblies, the finger bending driving structure comprises a plurality of driving assemblies, each driving assembly comprises an air bag string, each air bag string comprises a plurality of driving air bags which are connected in series, and the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device further comprises a rope. Each hand assembly is connected with at least one air bag string through a rope, the air bag strings are inflated to generate axial contraction so as to drive the hand assemblies to be bent, through the design, the air bags and the ropes are adopted for driving, the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device is safer to use, and light weight and flexibility of the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device are facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of medical devices, and in particular to a pneumatic hand rehabilitation device. Background Art

[0002] Hands are the most used part of the body in our daily lives and are prone to various hand dysfunctions. Especially in recent years, the number of stroke patients has increased, and the number of patients with hand dysfunction caused by injuries after traffic accidents, nerve compression, etc. has also continued to increase. The number of patients with hand dysfunction is increasing, which has become a major problem that cannot be ignored.

[0003] Most of the existing hand rehabilitation devices use rigid drive. Due to the high Young's modulus and density of traditional rigid materials, it is not conducive to the flexibility and lightweight of rehabilitation devices. In addition, rigid materials often have large impact resistance, which makes it difficult to ensure the safety of human-computer interaction. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a pneumatic hand rehabilitation device that is pneumatically driven and has safe human-machine interaction.

[0005] One of the purposes of the present invention is achieved by the following technical solution:

[0006] A pneumatic hand rehabilitation device comprises a hand structure and a finger bending drive structure, wherein the hand structure comprises a connecting plate, a plurality of hand components and a plurality of inter-finger airbags, each of the hand components being connected to a user's finger, each of the hand components being connected to the connecting plate, two adjacent hand components being connected via the inter-finger airbags, the inter-finger airbags being inflated and deflated to achieve expansion or contraction between the plurality of hand components, the finger bending drive structure comprises a plurality of drive components, each of the drive components comprising an airbag string, the airbag string comprising a plurality of drive airbags connected in series, the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device further comprises a rope, each of the hand components being connected to at least one of the airbag strings via the rope, the airbag string being inflated to produce axial contraction to drive the hand components to bend.

[0007] Furthermore, the hand assembly includes a plate body, a plurality of knuckle loops fixed to the plate body, and a first rope hook, the plurality of knuckle loops are arranged at intervals, one end of the first rope hook is fixed to an end of the plate body away from the connecting plate, and the first rope hook passes through the plurality of knuckle loops and is connected to the rope.

[0008] Furthermore, when the hand assembly corresponds to the middle finger, index finger, ring finger or little finger, the number of the knuckle rings is 3, and when the hand assembly corresponds to the thumb, the number of the knuckle rings is 2.

[0009] Furthermore, the plate body includes a palm extension plate and a finger extension plate in the same straight line as the palm extension plate, the two ends of the palm extension plate are respectively connected to the connecting plate and the finger extension plate, the finger extension plate is provided with a plurality of recesses, the plurality of recesses are arranged at intervals, and two adjacent knuckle rings are installed at the two ends of one of the recesses.

[0010] Furthermore, when the hand assembly corresponds to the thumb, the plate body is connected to the plate body of another hand assembly and a second groove is provided at the connection point. The hand assembly also includes a second rope hook, one end of the second rope hook is connected to the plate body, and the other end is connected to the rope.

[0011] Furthermore, the connecting plate is provided with a wrist accommodating hole, and the connecting plate is also provided with a plurality of first grooves, wherein the first grooves are located between two adjacent hand assemblies.

[0012] Furthermore, the hand structure also includes a wrist airbag and a bottom plate, and two ends of the wrist airbag are respectively connected to the connecting plate and the bottom plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the number of the drive components is one more than the number of the hand components.

[0014] Furthermore, the finger bending drive structure also includes an arm mounting tube, and the plurality of drive components are fixed to the arm mounting tube.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving assembly also includes a sleeve, and the airbag string also includes a connecting ring and a flange, the connecting ring is fixed to the driving airbag at one end, and the flange is fixed to the driving airbag at the other end, the connecting ring is connected to the rope, and the flange is fixed to the sleeve, and the airbag string is accommodated in the sleeve.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the hand structure of the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device of the present invention includes a connecting plate, multiple hand components and multiple inter-finger airbags, each hand component is connected to the user's finger, each hand component is connected to the connecting plate, and adjacent hand components are connected through the inter-finger airbags. The inter-finger airbags are inflated and deflated to achieve expansion or contraction between the multiple hand components. The finger bending drive structure includes multiple drive components, each drive component includes an airbag string, and the airbag string includes multiple drive airbags connected in series. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device also includes a rope, and each hand component is connected to at least one airbag string through the rope. The inflation of the airbag string produces axial contraction to drive the hand component to bend. Through the above design, the airbag and rope drive are used to make the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device safer to use, and it is also convenient for the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device to be lightweight and flexible. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1A three-dimensional diagram of the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of the hand structure of the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A three-dimensional diagram of the hand components of the hand structure;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Another perspective view of a hand assembly of a hand structure of FIG.

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Another stereoscopic view of the hand structure;

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of a finger bending drive structure of a pneumatic hand rehabilitation device;

[0023] Figure 7 for Figure 6 is another stereoscopic diagram of the finger bending drive structure;

[0024] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A three-dimensional diagram of the airbag string of the finger bending drive structure.

[0025] In the figure: 10, hand structure; 11, connecting plate; 110, first wrist receiving hole; 111, first groove; 12, hand assembly; 120, plate body; 121, palm extension plate; 122, finger extension plate; 1220, depression; 123, knuckle ring; 124, first rope hook; 125, second rope hook; 126, second groove; 13, inter-finger airbag; 14, wrist airbag; 15, bottom plate; 151, first Two wrist accommodating holes; 20, finger bending drive structure; 21, arm mounting tube; 210, slit; 22, drive assembly; 220, sleeve; 2201, first fixing hole; 2202, first air hole; 2203, mounting port; 221, airbag string; 2210, drive airbag; 2211, fold; 2212, connecting ring; 2213, flange; 2214, second fixing hole; 2215, second air hole; 30, rope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[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] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" another component, it may be directly on the other component or there may be another intermediate component through which it is fixed. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be another intermediate component at the same time. When a component is considered to be "set on" another component, it may be directly set on the other component or there may be another intermediate component at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0029] See also Figure 1 The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device of the present invention comprises a hand structure 10, a finger bending driving structure 20 and a rope 30. The rope 30 connects the finger bending driving structure 20 and the hand structure 10 to drive the hand assembly 12 of the hand structure 10 to bend.

[0030] Please continue reading Figures 2 to 5The hand structure 10 includes a connecting plate 11, a hand assembly 12, an inter-finger airbag 13, a wrist airbag 14 and a base plate 15. The connecting plate 11 is used to connect multiple hand assemblies 12, and the connecting plate 11 can be installed on the wrist. The number of hand assemblies 12 is multiple. In this embodiment, the number of hand assemblies 12 is five, and the five hand assemblies 12 are divided into two types. The number of the first type of hand assemblies 12 is four, and the first type of hand assembly 12 corresponds to the middle finger, index finger, ring finger and little finger. The number of the second type of hand assembly 12 is one, and the second type of hand assembly 12 corresponds to the thumb. The first type of hand assembly 12 is connected to the connecting plate 11, and the second type of hand assembly 12 is connected to the adjacent first type of hand assembly 12. The inter-finger airbag 13 is installed between two adjacent hand assemblies 12, and the closing and expansion of the two adjacent hand assemblies 12 are achieved by the contraction and expansion of the inter-finger airbag 13. The wrist airbag 14 is installed on the connecting plate 11 and the bottom plate 15 to drive the wrist to bend in different directions.

[0031] Specifically, the connecting plate 11 is provided with a first wrist receiving hole 110 and a plurality of first grooves 111. The first wrist receiving hole 110 is an open structure, which facilitates the wrist to be installed on the connecting plate 11. The first groove 111 is located between the gaps of two adjacent hand assemblies 12, and the first groove 111 facilitates the expansion and contraction of the two adjacent hand assemblies 12. In this embodiment, the number of hand assemblies 12 connected to the connecting plate 11 is four, so the number of the first grooves 111 is three.

[0032] Each first hand assembly 12 includes a plate body 120, a knuckle ring 123 and a first rope hook 124. The plate body 120 includes a palm extension plate 121 and a finger extension plate 122. The palm extension plate 121 extends from the end of the connecting plate 11, and the finger extension plate 122 extends from the palm extension plate 121. The finger extension plate 122 and the palm extension plate 121 are located on the same straight line. There are two recesses 1220 on the finger extension plate 122, and the recesses 1220 make the finger extension plate 122 easy to deform. Each recess 1220 is trapezoidal. There are three knuckle rings 123, corresponding to the three joints of the fingers respectively. The knuckle rings 123 are fixed to the finger extension plate 122 and are located at the side end of the bottom of the recess 1220. One end of the first rope hook 124 is fixed to the end of the finger extension plate 122. The first rope hook 124 passes through three finger knuckle loops 123 and a connecting ring is formed at the end of the first rope hook 124. The connecting ring is used to fix the rope 30. The first rope hook 124 is pulled by the rope 30 to drive the finger extension plate 122 to bend, thereby driving the fingers to bend through the finger knuckle loops 123 for exercise.

[0033] The second hand assembly 12 includes a finger extension plate 122, a knuckle loop 123, a first rope hook 124 and a second rope hook 125. The finger extension plate 122 is connected to the adjacent palm extension plate 121 of the first hand assembly 12, and a second groove 126 is provided at the connection. The second groove 126 enables the second hand assembly 12 to perform a thumb-inward movement of the thumb rotating inward under the drive of the second rope hook 125. The finger extension plate 122 is provided with a recess 1220, which facilitates the bending of the finger extension plate 122. There are two knuckle loops 123, and the two knuckle loops 123 correspond to the two knuckles of the thumb respectively. The first rope hook 124 is fixed to the end of the finger extension plate 122, and the first rope hook 124 passes through the two knuckle loops 123 and is connected to the rope 30. The second rope hook 125 is fixed to the finger extension plate 122 near the first hand assembly 12 , and the second rope hook 125 and the rope 30 drive the thumb to rotate inwards to perform a thumb-inward buckling movement.

[0034] The axial length of the inter-finger airbag 13 is 17-22 mm. In this embodiment, the axial length of the inter-finger airbag 13 is 20 mm. The two ends of the inter-finger airbag 13 are respectively connected to the two adjacent hand components 12, and the inter-finger airbag 13 is filled with positive pressure to achieve axial contraction, and negative pressure is pumped to achieve axial extension, so as to achieve the abduction and adduction movement of the fingers.

[0035] The wrist airbag 14 is installed on the connecting plate 11 and the bottom plate 15, and is used to drive the wrist to bend in different directions. Specifically, there are four wrist airbags 14, and the four wrist airbags 14 are evenly arranged at the four corners of the connecting plate 11. The structure of the wrist airbag 14 is the same as that of the inter-finger airbag 13. The axial length of the wrist airbag 14 is 40mm. Four ventilation holes of the wrist airbag 14 are reserved on the bottom plate 15 for gas exchange between the wrist airbag 14 and the air pump, thereby driving the wrist to bend in different directions.

[0036] The bottom plate 15 is provided with a second wrist receiving hole 151 , and the second wrist receiving hole 151 is used for wrist installation.

[0037] Please continue reading Figures 6 to 8 The finger bending driving structure 20 includes an arm mounting tube 21 and a plurality of driving components 22 , and the plurality of driving components 22 are fixed to the arm mounting tube 21 .

[0038] The arm mounting tube 21 is provided with a slit 210, and the arm mounting tube 21 gradually increases from one end to the other end, which conforms to the bionic principle that the human arm gradually becomes thicker from the wrist to the forearm, so that the arm mounting tube 21 can cooperate with the human arm more firmly without sliding at will.

[0039] There are six driving components 22 for driving the fingers to bend and the thumb to buckle. Each driving component 22 includes a sleeve 220 and an airbag string 221 , and the airbag string 221 is installed on the sleeve 220 .

[0040] The sleeve 220 is cylindrical, and the bottom of the sleeve 220 is provided with a first fixing hole 2201 and a first air hole 2202. The first fixing hole 2201 is used to fix the airbag string 221, and the first air hole 2202 is connected to the inside of the airbag string 221 for inflation. The side wall of the sleeve 220 is provided with an installation opening 2203, which facilitates the assembly personnel to assemble the sleeve and the airbag string 221 using tools such as screwdrivers.

[0041] The airbag string 221 includes a driving airbag 2210, a connecting ring 2212 and a flange 2213. There are multiple driving airbags 2210, which are connected in series. Each driving airbag 2210 is formed by lofting the central section to the circular end. The driving airbag 2210 has a wall thickness of 1 mm and an axial length of 30 mm. The central section of the driving airbag 2210 is composed of elliptical folds 2211. The folds 2211 are deep and narrow. When a certain pressure of gas is filled, the shape of the folds 2211 helps the driving airbag 2210 to expand radially better, thereby generating a larger axial linear displacement. The end is driven by the rope 30. The central section size of the driving airbag 2210 changes proportionally with the axial size of its initial state, so that artificial muscles of different sizes can be designed to meet different application requirements.

[0042] In this embodiment, there are six airbag strings 221, five of which control the bending of five fingers through ropes 30, and another airbag string 221 controls the inward movement of the thumb. Each airbag string 221 is controlled by a solenoid valve. When the solenoid valve is opened, gas enters the airbag string 221, driving the airbag 2210 to expand radially and contract axially, pulling the rope 30 to drive the finger bending or the thumb inward movement. When the finger needs to be straightened, the corresponding solenoid valve is closed, driving the airbag 2210 to restore the original state, and the finger is straightened. The inter-finger airbags 13 for controlling the palm abduction and adduction are connected to each other. They are connected together and controlled by two solenoid valves, one of which controls positive pressure and the other controls negative pressure. When the solenoid valve controlling the positive pressure is opened, gas enters the inter-finger airbags 13, the inter-finger airbags 13 expand radially and contract axially, pulling the fingers together to achieve adduction movement; when the solenoid valve controlling the negative pressure is opened, gas is drawn out of the inter-finger airbags 13, the inter-finger airbags 13 contract radially and extend axially, pushing the fingers away from each other to achieve abduction movement. Similar to the inter-finger airbags 13, the four wrist airbags 14 of the wrist are independent of each other, each of which is controlled by two solenoid valves, one controls positive pressure and the other controls negative pressure. When the two wrist airbags 14 at the front end are filled with positive pressure and contract axially, and the two wrist airbags 14 at the rear end are filled with negative pressure and extend axially, the entire robot wrist bends forward. Similarly, by charging the corresponding wrist airbags 14 with positive and negative pressures, the wrist can also be bent backward, bent leftward, and bent rightward. In addition, through the coordination of different movements, the coordinated movement of the fingers can also be achieved. For example, when the thumb is inwardly buckled and the index finger is bent at the same time, a pinching action can be achieved.

[0043] The connecting ring 2212 is fixed to the driving airbag 2210 at one end, and the flange 2213 is fixed to the driving airbag 2210 at the other end. The flange 2213 is provided with a second fixing hole 2214 and a second air hole 2215, the second fixing hole 2214 is fixed to the first fixing hole 2201 of the sleeve 220, and the second air hole 2215 is communicated with the first air hole 2202.

[0044] The pneumatic hand rehabilitation devices are all formed in one piece by light-curing 3D printing. The material used is Flexible80A photosensitive resin. The arm mounting tube 21 structure is printed by FDM technology. The material used is TPU 95A. Both are flexible materials. Therefore, compared with traditional rigid materials, flexible materials provide higher human-computer interaction safety.

[0045] When the pneumatic hand rehabilitation device of the present invention is used, the hand structure 10 is worn on the hand of the patient who needs rehabilitation, the patient's fingers pass through the knuckle ring 123, and the wrist passes through the first wrist receiving hole 110 and the second wrist receiving hole 151, so as to achieve the coordination between the patient's wrist and the hand structure 10. The entire hand structure 10 includes five hand components 12, each of which leads a 3mm thick rope 30 from the distal knuckle, and the rope 30 passes through the 4mm threading hole reserved on the knuckle ring 123, and the other end of the rope 30 is connected to the connecting ring 2212. When the solenoid valve is opened, the gas enters the airbag string 221, driving the airbag 2210 to expand radially and contract axially, pulling the rope 30 to drive the finger to bend or the thumb to buckle inward. When the finger needs to be straightened, the corresponding solenoid valve is closed, driving the airbag 2210 to restore to its original state, and the finger is straightened. The inter-finger airbags 13 for controlling the palm abduction and adduction are connected to each other. They are connected together and controlled by two solenoid valves, one of which controls positive pressure and the other controls negative pressure. When the solenoid valve controlling the positive pressure is opened, gas enters the inter-finger airbags 13, the inter-finger airbags 13 expand radially and contract axially, pulling the fingers together to achieve adduction movement; when the solenoid valve controlling the negative pressure is opened, gas is drawn out of the inter-finger airbags 13, the inter-finger airbags 13 contract radially and extend axially, pushing the fingers away from each other to achieve abduction movement. Similar to the inter-finger airbags 13, the four wrist airbags 14 of the wrist are independent of each other, each of which is controlled by two solenoid valves, one controls positive pressure and the other controls negative pressure. When the two wrist airbags 14 at the front end are filled with positive pressure and contract axially, and the two wrist airbags 14 at the rear end are filled with negative pressure and extend axially, the entire robot wrist bends forward. Similarly, by charging the corresponding wrist airbags 14 with positive and negative pressures, the wrist can also be bent backward, bent leftward, and bent rightward. In addition, through the coordination of different movements, the coordinated movement of the fingers can also be achieved. For example, when the thumb is inwardly buckled and the index finger is bent at the same time, a pinching action can be achieved.

[0046] The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device of the present invention combines positive and negative pressure drive, pneumatic airbags and rope 30 drive system, which overcomes the shortcomings of traditional rigid robots and actuators with large impact and poor safety of human-machine interaction. It can be applied in the field of rehabilitation to achieve safe and effective rehabilitation training for patients with hand motor dysfunction. Combined with 3D printing technology, it overcomes the time-consuming and labor-intensive shortcomings of traditional manufacturing methods, and makes personalized customization of equipment possible. This technology also adds the abduction and adduction movement of the palm, the inward movement of the thumb and the rotation movement of the wrist on the basis of the finger bending movement, which improves the freedom of the bionic hand movement and increases its flexibility. In summary, this technology significantly improves the flexibility of the bionic hand movement, while improving the efficiency and effect of rehabilitation in the field of rehabilitation, providing patients with a softer wearing experience, and promoting innovation and progress in rehabilitation medicine.

[0047] The above embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which are equivalent modifications and improvements made to the above embodiments based on the essential technology of the present invention, and all of them belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pneumatic hand rehabilitation device, comprising a hand structure and a finger bending drive structure, characterized in that: The hand structure includes a connecting plate, multiple hand components and multiple inter-finger airbags, each of the hand components is connected to the user's fingers, each of the hand components is connected to the connecting plate, and two adjacent hand components are connected via the inter-finger airbags, and the inter-finger airbags are inflated and deflated to achieve expansion or contraction between the multiple hand components. The finger bending drive structure includes multiple drive components, each of the drive components includes an airbag string, and the airbag string includes multiple drive airbags connected in series. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device also includes a rope, and each of the hand components is connected to at least one of the airbag strings via the rope. The airbag string is inflated to produce axial contraction, thereby driving the hand component to bend.

2. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hand assembly includes a plate body, a plurality of knuckle loops fixed to the plate body, and a first rope hook. The plurality of knuckle loops are arranged at intervals, one end of the first rope hook is fixed to an end of the plate body away from the connecting plate, and the first rope hook passes through the plurality of knuckle loops and is connected to the rope.

3. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the hand assembly corresponds to the middle finger, index finger, ring finger or little finger, the number of the knuckle rings is 3; when the hand assembly corresponds to the thumb, the number of the knuckle rings is 2.

4. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plate body includes a palm extension plate and a finger extension plate in the same straight line as the palm extension plate, the two ends of the palm extension plate are respectively connected to the connecting plate and the finger extension plate, a plurality of recesses are provided on the finger extension plate, the plurality of recesses are arranged at intervals, and two adjacent knuckle rings are installed at the two ends of one of the recesses.

5. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the hand assembly corresponds to the thumb, the plate body is connected to the plate body of another hand assembly and a second groove is provided at the connection. The hand assembly also includes a second rope hook, one end of the second rope hook is connected to the plate body, and the other end is connected to the rope.

6. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting plate is provided with a wrist accommodating hole, and the connecting plate is also provided with a plurality of first grooves, wherein the first grooves are located between two adjacent hand assemblies.

7. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hand structure also includes a wrist airbag and a bottom plate, and two ends of the wrist airbag are respectively connected to the connecting plate and the bottom plate.

8. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the drive components is one more than the number of the hand components.

9. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The finger bending drive structure also includes an arm mounting tube, and the plurality of drive assemblies are fixed to the arm mounting tube.

10. The pneumatic hand rehabilitation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly also includes a sleeve, and the airbag string also includes a connecting ring and a flange. The connecting ring is fixed to the driving airbag at one end, and the flange is fixed to the driving airbag at the other end. The connecting ring is connected to the rope, and the flange is fixed to the sleeve. The airbag string is accommodated in the sleeve.

Images