Wearable passive upper limb assisting exoskeleton prosthesis

Abstract

The invention discloses a wearable passive upper limb power-assisted exoskeleton prosthesis, and belongs to the technical field of wearable power-assisted equipment. The exoskeleton artificial limb comprises a waist supporting assembly worn on the waist, a shoulder supporting assembly worn on the shoulder and connected with the waist supporting assembly through a bandage, two back supporting assemblies symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the back and connected with the waist supporting assembly and the shoulder supporting assembly, and two power assisting devices symmetrically installed at the upper ends of the back supporting assemblies on the two sides. The two arm supporting assemblies are symmetrically worn on the two arms and connected with the supporting arms of the power assisting device. The lower end of the back supporting assembly is hinged to a fixing base of the waist supporting assembly, and the moving freedom degree of the back supporting assembly is increased. The power assisting device provides supporting force through pre-tightening force of an S-shaped volute spiral spring, the power assisting range is widened, and labor is saved during adjustment. The power assisting device is simple in structure, light in weight, good in wearing comfort and particularly high in movement freedom degree, and the power assisting size can be adjusted without tools.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of wearable power-assisting equipment, and in particular relates to a wearable passive upper limb power-assisting exoskeleton prosthesis. Background Art

[0002] In many operational fields such as building decoration, automobile assembly, equipment maintenance, etc., operators need to keep their hands lifted for a long time, which will put a great burden on their neck, shoulders, back, and upper limb muscles and joints, thereby reducing the quality of work, affecting work efficiency, and causing musculoskeletal injury-related diseases. Fatigue work may even lead to major accidents.

[0003] Passive upper limb exoskeleton prostheses are widely used in medical rehabilitation, industrial production, military assembly and other fields because they do not require an external power source. In particular, wearable upper limb exoskeleton prostheses can not only greatly help operators reduce muscle load and relieve upper limb muscle fatigue, but also ensure that operators are rarely restricted by exoskeleton prostheses and can complete related work with a high degree of freedom.

[0004] Existing wearable passive upper limb exoskeleton prostheses have the following main defects: 1. The structure is relatively complex, especially the structure of the back support and power-assisting mechanism is relatively complex, heavy, and inconvenient to wear. When people of different body shapes wear it, they need to make multi-step adjustments such as shoulder width and height to adapt to the wearer. It does not support multi-degree-of-freedom wearing adjustment, and the weight problem caused by the complex structure increases the load on the wearer, and the wearing experience is not good; 2. The power-assisting system is usually composed of a drive component and related mechanical structures. The drive component is mostly an elastic element, such as a tension spring, a fluid spring, a scroll spring, and a gas spring. These elastic drive elements are often It is connected to pull ropes, drawstrings and other components for driving. During the force transmission process, energy loss and attenuation may occur due to the elastic contact force transmission between components or the friction between components; 3. The power assistance adjustment is more difficult and the adjustment resistance is large. It is often necessary to use external tools to adjust the spring preload, and the adjustment operation is complicated and laborious; 4. The power assistance mechanism is mostly set at the waist, and the force transmission needs to be transmitted from the waist to the arm, which increases the consumption during the force transmission process; 5. The back support structure does not fit the natural curve of the human body well, which makes it uncomfortable when worn, greatly restricts the wearer's upper limb freedom of movement, and affects the human-machine relationship and use effect.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to design a wearable passive upper limb assisted exoskeleton prosthesis with simple structure, convenient adjustment, comfortable wearing and high degree of freedom. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues to be solved:

[0007] In order to avoid the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a wearable passive upper limb power-assisted exoskeleton prosthesis, which at least solves the problems of the prior art passive upper limb exoskeleton prosthesis, such as complex structure, inconvenience in wearing, and the need for external tools to adjust the power-assisted size, which is laborious.

[0008] The technical solution of the present invention is: a wearable passive upper limb power-assisted exoskeleton prosthesis, comprising a waist support assembly worn on the waist, a shoulder support assembly worn on the shoulders and connected to the waist support assembly through a strap, two back support assemblies symmetrically arranged on both sides of the back and connecting the waist support assembly and the shoulder support assembly, two power-assisting devices symmetrically installed on the upper ends of the back support assemblies on both sides, and two arm support assemblies symmetrically worn on both arms and connected to the support arms of the power-assisting devices; wherein,

[0009] The waist support assembly includes a waist support plate located at the rear waist, and two fixing seats are horizontally symmetrically arranged on both sides of the waist support plate relative to the center position for supporting the back support assembly;

[0010] The back support assembly is an L-shaped retractable rod, which is vertically arranged as a whole. Its lower end is spherically hinged to the fixed seat, its upper end is horizontally turned outward, and the end of the upper end is hinged to the shell of the power-assisting device; the back support assembly is elastically limitedly connected to the shoulder support assembly near the upper end.

[0011] The power assist device includes a shell, in which a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft are installed to rotate in parallel; an S-shaped volute spring is sleeved on the two rotating shafts, and a core portion at one end thereof is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft, and a core portion at the other end thereof is coaxially fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft; the ratchet is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft; a pawl is installed on the inner wall of the shell, located on one side of the ratchet, and is used to engage with the ratchet; the support arm is retractable, and one end thereof is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft, and an arm support assembly is installed on the other end; one end of the first rotating shaft passes through the side wall of the shell and is exposed outside the shell, and its exposed end is used for screwing to adjust the preload force of the volute spring, thereby adjusting the supporting strength of the support arm.

[0012] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the core parts at both ends of the spiral spring are provided with a mounting part with a planar structure, which is respectively used to be fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft; the radial direction of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are provided with a coil spring fixing groove matching the corresponding spiral spring core mounting part, and the mounting part is inserted and fixed in the corresponding coil spring fixing groove.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the shell includes a shell body and a shell cover covering the open end of the shell body; the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft both vertically penetrate the shell cover and are rotatably connected to the shell cover; the inner wall of the shell body is provided with a first rotating shaft support sleeve and a second rotating shaft support sleeve, which are respectively used to rotatably support the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft.

[0014] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the ratchet is fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft for anti-rotation, the ratchet is close to the inner wall of the shell cover, and is located between the shell cover and the spiral spring; the pawl is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the shell cover, and a fixing column is installed on the inner wall of the shell cover on one side of the pawl, one end of the spring is connected to the fixing column, and the other end is connected to the side wall of the pawl facing the fixing column, and the spring is used to elastically restrain the pawl; a sliding rod is fixed to the side of the pawl facing the shell cover, the sliding rod passes through the shell cover, and a waist-shaped hole for the sliding rod to pass through is correspondingly provided on the shell cover, and the pawl and the ratchet are released from the meshing state by the sliding rod sliding along the waist-shaped hole.

[0015] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the support arm comprises an inner support arm and an outer support arm; one end of the inner support arm is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft for anti-rotation, and the other end thereof is adjustably and telescopically connected to the outer support arm;

[0016] One end of the inner support arm is a fork-shaped structure, including an inner support plate and an outer support plate arranged in parallel, the inner support plate and the outer support plate are located on the inner and outer sides of the shell cover, the end of the inner support plate is provided with a through hole sleeved on the outer diameter of the second rotating shaft, and the end of the outer support plate is provided with a straight-line strip-shaped hole and is fixedly sleeved with a straight-line second protrusion on the outer end of the second rotating shaft to prevent rotation;

[0017] The other end of the inner support arm is provided with an elastically pressable second adjustment button, and the outer support arm is provided with multiple through holes matching the second adjustment button arranged in a line along the axial direction. The end where the second adjustment button of the inner support arm is located is embedded in the outer support arm, and the second adjustment button is connected to different through holes of the outer support arm for telescopic adjustment of the inner and outer support arms.

[0018] A further technical solution of the present invention is: two stop strips are provided on the inner wall of the shell cover, and the two stop strips are arranged radially along the second rotating shaft, symmetrically located on both sides of the surface where the axis of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are located, and the angle between the two is 140°; the two stop strips are used to limit the rotation range of the inner support plate, thereby limiting the support force adjustment range of the support arm.

[0019] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the shoulder support assembly includes a shoulder package and front and rear straps, the shoulder package is an integral double-shoulder strap structure, covering the wearer's back, shoulders and chest, the lower end of the shoulder package located in the back area is connected to the middle outer wall of the waist support plate through the rear strap, and the lower ends of the shoulder package located in the chest area on both sides are respectively connected to the inner walls of the corresponding sides of the waist support plate through the front straps; the front and rear straps are both provided with adjustment buckles for adjusting the adaptation length.

[0020] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the back support assembly includes an inner support rod and an outer support rod; the inner support rod is vertically arranged, and its lower end is spherical and hinged to the spherical surface of the fixed seat; a first elastic and pressable adjustment button is provided at its upper end; the outer support rod is coaxially sleeved on the upper end of the inner support rod, and the outer support rod is correspondingly provided with a group of through holes matching the first adjustment button, and the first adjustment button is adjusted to be connected to different through holes of the outer support rod for telescopic adjustment of the two; the upper end of the outer support rod is horizontally turned outward, and a joint is provided at its end for hinged connection with the shell of the power assist device.

[0021] A further technical solution of the present invention is: a limiting ring is provided at the upper end of the outer support rod; one end of the elastic strap is fixed to the shoulder wrap and is located at the outer edge of the back area close to the shoulder; the other end of the elastic strap passes through the limiting ring and is fixed to the fixed end of the elastic strap by means of Velcro, so as to elastically limit the outer support rod within the elastic circle formed by the elastic strap.

[0022] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the arm support assembly includes an arm support plate and an arm strap, the arm support plate is a fan-shaped plate, fixedly connected to one end of the outer support arm away from the inner support arm; one end of the arm strap is fixed to one side of the arm support plate along the fan-shaped circumference, and the other end is wrapped around the wearer's arm and bonded to the fixed end of the arm strap through Velcro, so as to fix the arm support plate to the wearer's arm.

[0023] Beneficial Effects

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a wearable passive upper limb power-assisted exoskeleton prosthesis is provided with a waist support component, a shoulder support component, a back support component, a power-assisting device and an arm support component, wherein the size of each wearing part can be freely adjusted according to the wearer's body shape requirements, including the tightness of the waist, the tightness of the arm, and the distance between the waist support plate and the shoulder wrapping, which can all be conveniently adjusted through their respective straps to meet the needs of different operators and different work tasks and ensure the comfort of the wearer.

[0025] The back support components symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the back can be telescopically adjusted through adjustment buttons to match the requirements of different wearers for the distance between the power-assist device and the waist support plate. The lower end of the inner support rod of the back support component is spherically hinged with the fixed seat, and at the same time, the upper end of the outer support rod is connected to the shoulder wrap elastic limiter through an elastic strap. On the one hand, the spherical hinge design structure of this structural coordination method increases the freedom of movement of the back support component, and on the other hand, the elastic limit of the elastic strap ensures that the back support component does not deviate from the effective range of movement; the power-assist device installed on the upper end of the back support component has more flexible freedom, and then the arm support component installed on the support arm of the power-assist device obtains more flexible spatial freedom, thereby ensuring that the upper limbs of the wearer can move with multiple degrees of freedom in the working state, and will not be restricted by the wearable device. At the same time, this structure makes it unnecessary to adjust the distance between the two power-assist devices for wearers with different shoulder widths, and it can be adaptively achieved through the spherical hinge structure between the lower end of the back support component and the waist support plate.

[0026] The power assist device of the present invention can freely adjust the power assist amount without the aid of external tools. By using an S-shaped volute spring and utilizing the structural characteristics that the two ends of the S-shaped volute spring rotate in opposite directions, the core of one end of the volute spring is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft, and the core of the other end is coaxially fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft. By screwing the first rotating shaft forward, the two ends of the volute spring contract, driving the second rotating shaft to rotate in the opposite direction, thereby giving the support arm corresponding support force through the pre-tightening force of the volute spring. Compared with a circular volute spring of the same diameter, the S-shaped volute spring of the present invention doubles the power assist range. When the user adjusts the exoskeleton prosthesis to the same power assist amount, the S-shaped volute spring is more labor-saving and safer than an equal-diameter circular volute spring, and can be easily adjusted by hand; at the same time, the power assist device of the present invention is located at the shoulder of the wearer, and is rigidly connected to the arm support assembly through the support arm, reducing the consumption during force transmission.

[0027] The present invention limits the rotation range of the inner support plate through a stop bar, wherein the upper stop bar limits the maximum supporting force of the support arm, and the lower stop bar locates the position of the support arm when the spiral spring is in a relaxed state. The upper and lower stop bars have an included angle of 140°, and the rotation range of the support arm is limited to between 70° above and below the plane where the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are located, thereby avoiding damage to the wearer's upper limbs caused by excessive rotation angle of the support arm, but does not affect the wearer's free movement in the working area.

[0028] The present invention has a simple structure, fewer components, a higher degree of freedom, and is easy to wear and adjust. The waist support plate, arm support plate, inner support rods and outer support rods of the back support assembly, and inner support arms and outer support arms of the support arm are all made of alloy materials, which ensures the support strength while being light in weight. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall front structure of a wearable passive upper limb power-assisting exoskeleton prosthesis in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall rear structure of the wearable passive upper limb power-assisting exoskeleton prosthesis in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of the back support assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 The structure of the power assist device in the embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 ;

[0033] Figure 5 The structure of the power assist device in the embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 ;

[0034] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the arm support assembly and the support arm of the power assist device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the connection between the inner supporting arm and the outer supporting arm of the supporting arm in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the first rotating shaft structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Fig. 9 Schematic diagram of the second rotating shaft structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Description of reference numerals:

[0039] 100. Lumbar support assembly, 101. Lumbar support plate, 102. Fixed seat, 103. Lumbar strap;

[0040] 200. Shoulder support assembly, 201. Shoulder wrap, 202. Front strap, 203. Rear strap, 204. Adjustment buckle;

[0041] 300. back support assembly, 301. inner support rod, 302. outer support rod, 303. first adjustment button, 304. joint, 305. limit ring, 306. elastic strap;

[0042] 400. Assist device, 401. First rotating shaft, 402. Second rotating shaft, 403. Scroll spring, 404. Ratchet, 405. Paw, 406. Support arm, 407. Mounting portion, 408. Coil spring fixing groove of first rotating shaft, 409. Coil spring fixing groove of second rotating shaft, 410. Shell, 411. Shell cover, 412. First rotating shaft support sleeve, 413. Second rotating shaft support sleeve, 414. Fixed column, 415. Spring, 416. Paw mounting shaft, 417 . Slide bar, 418. waist-shaped hole, 420. fixing sleeve, 421. knob, 422. inner support arm, 423. outer support arm, 424. inner support plate, 425. outer support plate, 426. through hole, 427. strip hole, 428. second protrusion, 429. second adjustment button, 430. upper stop bar, 431. lower stop bar, 432. notch, 433. double ear piece, 434. ratchet connecting ring, 435. fixing piece, 436. shaft shoulder, 437. first protrusion;

[0043] 500. Arm support assembly, 501. Arm support plate, 502. Arm strap, 503. Sponge pad, 504. Screws. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0045] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0046] The present invention provides a wearable passive upper limb assisted exoskeleton prosthesis to address the problems of traditional passive upper limb assisted exoskeleton prostheses, such as complex structure, heavy weight, and low wearing comfort, especially the need to use external tools to adjust the size of the assistance, the cumbersome adjustment process, and low freedom of movement, which affects the user experience and work efficiency.

[0047] See also Figure 1 , 2The present embodiment provides a wearable passive upper limb power-assisting exoskeleton prosthesis, which has the characteristics of high freedom of movement, convenient adjustment of power-assisting magnitude, simple structure, light weight, and comfortable wearing, compared with the traditional exoskeleton prosthesis structure. The exoskeleton prosthesis includes a waist support assembly 100 worn on the waist of the user, a shoulder support assembly 200 worn on the shoulder and connected to the waist support assembly 100 through a strap, two back support assemblies 300 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the back and connecting the waist support assembly 100 and the shoulder support assembly 200, two power-assisting devices 400 symmetrically installed on the upper ends of the back support assemblies 300 on both sides, and two arm support assemblies 500 symmetrically worn on both arms and connected to the support arms of the power-assisting devices 400.

[0048] Specifically, the waist support assembly 100 includes a waist support plate 101 located at the back waist of the wearer, a waist strap 103 for fastening the waist support plate 101 to the waist of the wearer, and a fixing seat 102 for installing the back support assembly 300. The waist support plate 101 is a hard plate made of alloy material to ensure support strength and lightness. The waist strap 103 is provided with two sections, which are respectively fixed at the two ends of the waist support plate 101. A set of plug-in snaps are installed on the two sections of the waist strap 103, and the waist support plate 101 is fixed to the waist of the wearer through the snap connection of the snaps. The installation position of the plug-in snaps on the waist strap 103 is adjustable to adjust the tightness of the waist support assembly 100 when worn. In order to ensure the comfort of wearing, a hard sponge layer is attached to the fitting surface of the waist support plate 101 and the human body, and the waist support plate 101 and its sponge layer are wrapped with nylon cloth. The waist support plate 101 has two fixing seats 102 symmetrically installed horizontally on both sides of the wearer's back waist. The upper end surface of the fixing seat 102 is provided with a ball hole. The fixing seat 102 is used to support the back support assembly 300 and is spherically hinged with its lower end.

[0049] The shoulder support assembly 200 includes a shoulder package 201, a front strap 202 and a rear strap 203. The shoulder package 201 is an integral double-shoulder strap structure, covering the back, shoulders and chest of the wearer. The shoulder package 201 is made of hard sponge and wrapped with nylon cloth to ensure wearing comfort and fit. The lower end of the shoulder package 201 located in the back area is connected to the middle outer wall of the waist support plate 101 through the rear strap 203. The lower ends of the shoulder package 201 located in the chest area on both sides are respectively connected to the inner wall of the corresponding side of the waist support plate 101 through the front strap 202. The rear strap 203 is located at the center of the wearer's back, and the two front straps 202 are symmetrically located on both sides of the rear strap 203. Adjustment buckles 204 are provided on the front strap 202 and the rear strap 203 for adjusting the adaptation length to meet the needs of people of different body shapes. The basic wearing of the exoskeleton prosthesis is achieved through the shoulder support assembly 200 and the waist support assembly 100.

[0050] See also Figure 3 The back support assembly 300 is an L-shaped telescopic rod, which is vertically arranged. Its lower end is spherically hinged to the fixed seat 102, and its upper end is horizontally turned outward. The end of the upper end is hinged to the housing of the power-assisting device 400. The back support assembly 300 is elastically limitedly connected to the shoulder support assembly 200 near the upper end. The two sets of back support assemblies 300 are symmetrically arranged to provide support for the power-assisting devices 400 on both shoulders.

[0051] The back support assembly 300 includes an inner support rod 301 and an outer support rod 302 sleeved outside the inner support rod 301. The inner support rod 301 is vertically arranged, and the lower end of the inner support rod 301 is spherical, matching the ball hole of the fixing seat 102, so as to realize the spherical hinge connection between the inner support rod 301 and the fixing seat 102. An elastic and pressable first adjustment button 303 is provided at the upper end of the inner support rod 301, which is used to adjust the sleeve length of the inner support rod 301 and the outer support rod 302. The outer support rod 302 is a hollow cylindrical structure, and the outer support rod 302 is coaxially sleeved at the upper end of the inner support rod 301. The outer support rod 302 is axially provided with a group of through holes matching the first adjustment button 303. By adjusting the first adjustment button 303 to be inserted into different through holes on the outer support rod 302, the telescopic adjustment of the two can be realized to meet the wearing needs of people of different heights. The upper end of the outer support rod 302 is horizontally turned outward, and a joint 304 is provided at the end of the turned-out portion for being hinged to the housing of the power assist device 400 .

[0052] A limiting ring 304 is provided at the upper end of the outer support rod 302 near its outward turning part, which is used to elastically limit the connection with the shoulder package 201 through the elastic band 306, thereby limiting the back support assembly 300 from leaving the effective range of motion. One end of the elastic band 306 is fixed to the shoulder package 201, located at the outer edge of the back area of ​​the shoulder package 201 near the shoulder, and the other end of the elastic band 306 passes through the limiting ring 305 and is fixed to the fixed end of the elastic band 306 by Velcro, which is used to elastically limit the outer support rod 302 in the elastic circle formed by the elastic band 306.

[0053] See also Figure 4-9 The two power-assisting devices 400 are symmetrically mounted on the upper ends of the two sets of back support assemblies 300 and are located on the shoulders of the wearer. The power-assisting device 400 includes a housing, a first rotating shaft 401, a second rotating shaft 402, a spiral spring 403, a ratchet 404, a pawl 405 and a support arm 406.

[0054] The shell is used to accommodate and install other components of the power assist device 400, and the shell includes a shell body 410 and a shell cover 411 covering the open end of the shell body 410. The first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 are parallel, both vertically penetrate the shell cover 411, and are rotatably connected to the shell cover 411. The main parts of the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 are both located in the shell, and only one end is exposed to the shell cover 411. The inner wall of the shell body 410 facing the shell cover 411 is provided with a first rotating shaft support sleeve 412 and a second rotating shaft support sleeve 413, which are respectively used to rotatably support the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402. The shell body 410 is provided with a double ear piece 433 on the outside, which is used to be hinged with the joint 304 at the upper end of the outer support rod 302 through a pin.

[0055] The end of the first rotating shaft 401 exposed to the shell cover 411 is provided with a first straight-line protrusion 437 for rotating the first rotating shaft 401. In order to facilitate hand-held rotation, a knob 421 is installed outside the first protrusion 437, and the knob 421 is fixedly connected to the first protrusion 437. The end of the second rotating shaft 402 exposed to the shell cover 411 is provided with a second straight-line protrusion 428 for anti-rotation fixed connection with the support arm 406.

[0056] The spiral spring 403 is an S-shaped structure, and the two ends rotate in opposite directions. The spiral spring 403 is sleeved on the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402. The core of one end of the spiral spring 403 is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft 401, and the core of the other end is coaxially fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft 402. Specifically, the core of both ends of the spiral spring 403 is provided with a mounting portion 407 of a planar structure, which is used to be fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 respectively. Correspondingly, the first rotating shaft 401 is provided with a coil spring fixing groove 408 of the first rotating shaft matching the core mounting portion of one end of the spiral spring 403 in the radial direction, and the second rotating shaft 402 is provided with a coil spring fixing groove 409 of the second rotating shaft matching the core mounting portion of the other end of the spiral spring 403 in the radial direction, and the mounting portions 407 at both ends of the spiral spring 403 are correspondingly inserted and fixed to the coil spring fixing groove 408 of the first rotating shaft and the coil spring fixing groove 409 of the second rotating shaft, so as to realize the fixed connection between the two ends of the spiral spring 403 and the two rotating shafts. When the first rotating shaft 401 is rotated, the spiral spring 403 can be tightened, thereby driving the second rotating shaft 402 to rotate, and then the pre-tightening force of the spiral spring 403 provides support force for the support arm 406 fixedly installed on the second rotating shaft 402.

[0057] The present invention prevents the spiral spring 403 from automatically loosening after being tightened by using a ratchet pawl mechanism, thereby limiting the preload force of the spiral spring 403 to the required force. The ratchet 404 is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft 401, and a rectangular raised shoulder 436 is provided on the outer diameter wall of the first rotating shaft 401, which is used to achieve key-matched anti-rotation fixation with the inner recessed portion corresponding to the center hole of the ratchet 404. The ratchet 404 is close to the inner wall of the shell cover 411 and is located between the shell cover 411 and the spiral spring 403. The pawl 405 is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the shell cover 411 through the pawl installation shaft 416, and is located on one side of the ratchet 404. The pawl 405 is used to lock the ratchet 404 to prevent reverse rotation. A fixed column 414 is installed on the inner wall of the shell cover 411, and the fixed column 414 is parallel to the pawl installation shaft 416, and is used to install the spring 415 to pull the pawl 405. One end of the spring 415 is fixedly connected to the fixing post 415, and the other end is connected to the side wall of the pawl 404 facing the fixing post 414. A pawl connecting ring 434 is provided on the side wall of the pawl 404 facing the fixing post 414 for fixing with the spring 415.

[0058] A slide bar 417 is fixed on the side of the pawl 405 facing the shell cover 411. The slide bar 417 passes through the shell cover 411. A waist-shaped hole 418 for the slide bar 417 to pass through is correspondingly provided on the shell cover 411. The slide bar 417 slides along the waist-shaped hole 418 in a direction away from the ratchet 404 to release the meshing state between the pawl 405 and the ratchet 404. In this embodiment, the slide bar 417 is a T-shaped structure, the rod portion of which passes through the waist-shaped hole 18 of the shell cover 411, the inner end of the rod portion is fixedly connected to the pawl 405, and the outer end of the rod portion is provided with a hand-held portion for easy sliding operation. By sliding the slide bar 417 to make the pawl 405 and the ratchet 404 in a non-meshing state, the spiral spring 403 can be relaxed and returned to its position.

[0059] The support arm 406 is retractable, one end of which is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft 402, and the other end is installed with the arm support assembly 500. The preload force of the spiral spring 403 is converted into a support force and transmitted to the arm support assembly 500 through the support arm 406. Specifically, the support arm 406 includes an inner support arm 422 and an outer support arm 423. One end of the inner support arm 422 is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft 402 for anti-rotation, and the other end of the inner support arm 422 is adjustable and retractable.

[0060] The connection end of the inner support arm 422 and the second rotating shaft 402 is a fork-shaped structure, which includes an inner support plate 424 and an outer support plate 425 arranged in parallel. The inner support plate 424 and the outer support plate 425 are located on both sides of the shell cover 411, and the shell cover 411 is clamped at the fork-shaped structure, and is integrated as a whole outside the shell cover 411 and transferred to the other end of the inner support arm 422. A through hole 426 is provided at the end of the inner support plate 422 to fit the outer diameter of the second rotating shaft 402, and a straight-line strip hole 427 is provided at the end of the outer support plate 425 to be fixedly sleeved with a straight-line second protrusion 428 at the outer end of the second rotating shaft 402 to prevent rotation. A fixing sleeve 420 is fixedly installed at the outer end of the second protrusion 428 to play a protective role. Correspondingly, a notch 432 for avoiding the inner support plate 424 is provided at the position corresponding to the installation position of the shell body 410 and the inner support plate 424, so that the inner support arm 422 can extend into the shell and ensure the rotation range of the inner support arm 422. An elastic and pressable second adjustment button 429 is provided at the end of the inner support arm 422 away from the second rotating shaft 402. Correspondingly, a plurality of through holes matching the second adjustment button 429 are arranged in a line along the axial direction of the outer support arm 423. The end where the second adjustment button 429 of the inner support arm 422 is located is embedded in the outer support arm 423. The second adjustment button 429 is connected to different through holes of the outer support arm 423 to achieve telescopic adjustment of the inner support arm 422 and the outer support arm 423, so as to meet the use requirements of wearers of different body shapes.

[0061] In order to limit the range of movement of the support arm 406 around the second rotating shaft 402, two stop bars are provided on the inner wall of the shell cover 411, namely, an upper stop bar 430 and a lower stop bar 431. The two stop bars are radially arranged along the second rotating shaft 402, symmetrically located on both sides of the plane where the axis of the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 are located, and the angle between the two is 140°, which limits the rotation range of the inner support plate 424 and allows the support arm 406 to move within an upper and lower range of 70°. When the power assist device 400 is installed, the upper stop bar 430 is located above the plane where the axis of the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 are located, and the lower stop bar 431 is located below the plane where the axis of the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 are located.

[0062] When the inner support plate 424 rotates to the upper stop bar 430, the preload force of the volute spring 403 reaches the maximum limit value, that is, the volute spring 403 is tightened by the positive rotation of the first rotating shaft 401, thereby driving the second rotating shaft 402 to rotate in the opposite direction to lift the support arm 406 to the limit of the upper stop bar 430. At this time, the support force of the support arm 406 is the maximum. When the inner support plate 424 rotates to the lower stop bar 431, the volute spring 403 is in a relaxed state. That is, after the engagement between the pawl 405 and the ratchet wheel 404 is released by the sliding slide bar 417, the volute spring 403 relaxes, and the volute spring 403 drives the second rotating shaft 402 to rotate positively, and the second rotating shaft 402 drives the support arm 406 to fall. At this time, the support arm 406 is in a non-working state. The two stop bars limit the rotation range of the inner support plate 422, thereby limiting the support force range of the support arm 406.

[0063] The two groups of arm support assemblies 500 are symmetrically fixed to the ends of the support arms 406 on both sides, respectively. The arm support assemblies 500 are worn on the user's arms so that the arms are supported by the corresponding force of the support arms 406. The arm support assembly 500 includes an arm support plate 501, an arm strap 502 and a sponge pad 503. The arm support plate 501 is a fan-shaped plate made of alloy material, and is fixedly connected to one end of the outer support arm 423 away from the inner support arm 422. Specifically, a fixing piece 435 is welded on the inner side of the outer end of the outer support arm 423, and a hard sponge pad 503 is provided on the inner side of the arm support plate 501. The screws 504 pass through the sponge pad 503, the arm support plate 501 and the fixing piece 435 from the inside to the outside to be fixedly connected. The sponge pad 503 can reduce the squeezing force on the wearer's upper arm and improve the wearing comfort. One end of the arm strap 502 is fixed to one side of the arm support plate 501 along the fan-shaped circumferential direction, and the other end is wrapped around the wearer's arm and then bonded and fixed to the outer surface of the fixed end of the arm strap 502 through a nylon buckle. The arm strap 502 fixes the arm support plate 501 to the wearer's arm. The nylon buckle is a universal nylon hook belt and nylon velvet belt. The nylon hook belt is fixed to the fixed end of the arm strap 502, and the nylon velvet belt is fixed to the movable end of the arm strap 502 for wrapping. The nylon buckle is also called a magic buckle, which has the characteristics of being easy to wear and firmly fixed.

[0064] The exoskeleton prosthesis of the present invention can be switched between the use state and the non-use state by adjusting the knob 421 and the slide bar 417. The wearer can adjust the power assistance of the power assistance devices 400 on both sides according to the power assistance requirements of the two arms.

[0065] When assistance is needed, the knob 421 is rotated clockwise to rotate the first rotating shaft 401 clockwise, driving one end of the volute spring 403 fixed to the first rotating shaft 401 to contract, thereby driving the other end of the volute spring 403 to contract, and then driving the second rotating shaft 402 to rotate counterclockwise. Since the support arm 406 is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft 402 for anti-rotation, the counterclockwise rotation of the second rotating shaft 402 drives the support arm 406 to rotate and lift upward counterclockwise. At this time, the pre-tightening force of the tightened volute spring 403 is converted into the supporting force of the support arm 406 to support the arm support assembly 500, thereby supporting the wearer's arm. When the first rotating shaft 401 rotates clockwise, the ratchet 404 rotates accordingly, and the pawl 405 will not lock the ratchet 404 when the ratchet 404 rotates clockwise. When the knob 421 is rotated clockwise to the required support force, the rotation stops. At this time, under the action of the spring 415, the pawl 405 is engaged with the ratchet 404, and the locking pawl 405 rotates counterclockwise. At this time, the power-assisted exoskeleton prosthesis is in a working state with the required support force. The higher the support arm 406 is lifted by rotating the knob 421 clockwise, the greater the power-assisted force. The maximum power-assisted force is limited by the upper stop bar 430. When the inner support plate 424 rotates to the position of the upper stop bar 430, the maximum support force is achieved. In this embodiment, the pawl 405 is engaged with the next tooth on the ratchet 404 every time the knob 421 is rotated 20°.

[0066] When the power assistance needs to be released, first turn the knob 421 clockwise to place the pawl 405 between the two teeth of the ratchet 404 (rotate between 5-20°), and at the same time push the slide bar 417 upward to place the pawl 405 and the ratchet 404 in a non-engaged state, then release the knob 421, and the S-shaped scroll spring 403 automatically returns to a completely relaxed state. At this time, the support arm 406 falls to the limit position of the lower stop bar 431, and the exoskeleton prosthesis returns to a non-working state.

[0067] In order to prevent the support arm 406 from rotating too much and causing damage to the upper limbs, the present invention limits the rotation range of the support arm 406 to between 70° above and below the plane where the axis lines of the first rotating shaft 401 and the second rotating shaft 402 are located through upper and lower stop bars. During work, the support arm 406 provides assistance to the wearer's arm and ensures that the wearer's arm can move freely within a comfortable range.

[0068] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and modify the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and intent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wearable passive upper limb power-assisting exoskeleton prosthesis, characterized in that: It includes a waist support assembly worn on the waist, a shoulder support assembly worn on the shoulders and connected to the waist support assembly through a strap, two back support assemblies symmetrically arranged on both sides of the back and connecting the waist support assembly and the shoulder support assembly, two power-assisting devices symmetrically installed on the upper ends of the back support assemblies on both sides, and two arm support assemblies symmetrically worn on both arms and connected to the support arms of the power-assisting devices; wherein, The waist support assembly includes a waist support plate located at the rear waist, and two fixing seats are horizontally symmetrically arranged on both sides of the waist support plate relative to the center position thereof, for supporting the back support assembly; The back support assembly is an L-shaped retractable rod, which is vertically arranged as a whole. Its lower end is spherically hinged to the fixed seat, its upper end is horizontally turned outward, and the end of the upper end is hinged to the shell of the power-assisting device; the back support assembly is elastically limitedly connected to the shoulder support assembly near the upper end. The power assist device includes a shell, in which a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft are installed to rotate in parallel; an S-shaped volute spring is sleeved on the two rotating shafts, and a core portion at one end thereof is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft, and a core portion at the other end thereof is coaxially fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft; the ratchet is coaxially fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft; a pawl is installed on the inner wall of the shell, located on one side of the ratchet, and is used to engage with the ratchet; the support arm is retractable, and one end thereof is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft, and an arm support assembly is installed on the other end; one end of the first rotating shaft passes through the side wall of the shell and is exposed outside the shell, and its exposed end is used for screwing to adjust the preload force of the volute spring, thereby adjusting the supporting strength of the support arm.

2. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The core parts at both ends of the spiral spring are each provided with a mounting portion with a planar structure, which is respectively used to be fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft; the radial direction of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are each provided with a coil spring fixing groove matching the corresponding coil spring core mounting portion, and the mounting portion is inserted and fixed in the corresponding coil spring fixing groove.

3. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell body includes a shell body and a shell cover covering the open end of the shell body; the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft both vertically penetrate the shell cover and are rotatably connected to the shell cover; the inner wall of the shell body is provided with a first rotating shaft support sleeve and a second rotating shaft support sleeve, which are respectively used to rotatably support the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft.

4. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratchet is fixedly connected to the first rotating shaft for anti-rotation, and the ratchet is close to the inner wall of the shell cover and is located between the shell cover and the spiral spring; the pawl is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the shell cover, and a fixing column is installed on the inner wall of the shell cover on one side of the pawl, one end of the spring is connected to the fixing column, and the other end is connected to the side wall of the pawl facing the fixing column, and the spring is used to elastically restrain the pawl; a sliding rod is fixed to the side of the pawl facing the shell cover, and the sliding rod passes through the shell cover, and a waist-shaped hole for the sliding rod to pass through is correspondingly provided on the shell cover, and the pawl and the ratchet are released from the meshing state by sliding the sliding rod along the waist-shaped hole.

5. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support arm comprises an inner support arm and an outer support arm; one end of the inner support arm is fixedly connected to the second rotating shaft for anti-rotation, and the other end thereof is adjustably and telescopically connected to the outer support arm; One end of the inner support arm is a fork-shaped structure, including an inner support plate and an outer support plate arranged in parallel, the inner support plate and the outer support plate are located on both sides of the shell cover, the inner support plate end is provided with a through hole sleeved on the outer diameter of the second rotating shaft, and the outer support plate end is provided with a straight-line strip hole and is fixedly sleeved with a straight-line second protrusion on the outer end of the second rotating shaft to prevent rotation; The inner support arm is provided with an elastically pressable second adjustment button at one end away from the second rotating shaft, and the outer support arm is provided with multiple through holes matching the second adjustment button arranged in a line along the axial direction. The end where the second adjustment button of the inner support arm is located is embedded in the outer support arm, and the second adjustment button is connected to different through holes of the outer support arm for telescopic adjustment of the inner and outer support arms.

6. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the shell cover is provided with two stop strips, which are arranged radially along the second rotating shaft and are symmetrically located on both sides of the plane where the axis lines of the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are located, and the angle between the two is 140°; the two stop strips are used to limit the rotation range of the inner support plate, thereby limiting the support force adjustment range of the support arm.

7. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shoulder support assembly includes a shoulder package, a front strap and a rear strap. The shoulder package is an integral double-shoulder strap structure that covers the wearer's back, shoulders and chest. The lower end of the shoulder package located in the back area is connected to the middle outer wall of the waist support plate through the rear strap, and the lower ends of the shoulder package located in the chest area on both sides are connected to the inner walls of the corresponding sides of the waist support plate through the front strap; the front strap and the rear strap are both provided with adjustment buckles for adjusting the adaptation length.

8. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The back support assembly includes an inner support rod and an outer support rod; the inner support rod is vertically arranged, and its lower end is spherical and hinged to the spherical surface of the fixing seat; a first elastic and pressable adjustment button is provided at its upper end; the outer support rod is coaxially sleeved on the upper end of the inner support rod, and the outer support rod is correspondingly provided with a group of through holes matching the first adjustment button, and the first adjustment button is adjusted to be connected to different through holes of the outer support rod for telescopic adjustment of the two; the upper end of the outer support rod is horizontally turned outward, and a joint is provided at its end for hinge connection with the housing of the power-assisting device.

9. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 8, characterized in that: A limiting ring is provided at the upper end of the outer support rod, and one end of the elastic strap is fixed to the shoulder wrap and located at the outer edge of the back area close to the shoulder. The other end of the elastic strap passes through the limiting ring and is fixed to the fixed end of the elastic strap by means of Velcro, so as to elastically limit the outer support rod within the elastic circle formed by the elastic strap.

10. The wearable passive upper limb assist exoskeleton prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arm support assembly includes an arm support plate and an arm strap. The arm support plate is a fan-shaped plate, which is fixedly connected to one end of the outer support arm away from the inner support arm; one end of the arm strap is fixedly connected to one side of the arm support plate along the fan-shaped circumference, and the other end is wrapped around the wearer's arm and bonded to the fixed end of the arm strap through Velcro, so as to fix the arm support plate to the wearer's arm.

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