Ankle joint power assisting device based on exoskeleton robot and design method of ankle joint power assisting device

Abstract

The invention discloses an ankle joint power assisting device based on an exoskeleton robot and a design method of the ankle joint power assisting device. The ankle joint power assisting device comprises an ankle joint frame structure, an ankle joint driving structure and an ankle joint energy conversion structure. The ankle joint frame structure serves as a machine frame structure of the whole device, the power assisting device is worn on the ankle of the human body through a bandage, and the ankle joint driving structure and the ankle joint energy conversion structure are connected with each other and cooperate to complete the function of converting potential energy of the human body into kinetic energy for forward walking. According to the ankle joint power assisting device, the power assisting function is achieved through a mechanical structure, the ankle joint power assisting device can be attached to other exoskeletons due to the structural characteristics of the ankle joint power assisting device and used for pushing the other exoskeletons to move, and the ankle joint power assisting device has a certain reference value for exoskeleton research.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robot technology, and in particular to an ankle joint assisting device, which can be applied to normal human walking assisting, exoskeleton equipment assisting and other activities. Background Art

[0002] Exoskeleton: A wearable device used to assist human rehabilitation or provide additional power to enhance physical functions. Exoskeleton equipment used to protect the wearer has been used in ancient times, that is, soldiers' armor. Wearable exoskeleton equipment has a high development space in medical rehabilitation, walking assistance and military fields. In the military field, as the equipment required by soldiers becomes more complete, the load-bearing capacity of soldiers has become an increasingly important indicator. Therefore, single-soldier load-bearing exoskeletons have been a research hotspot for high-end equipment in the military field in recent years. Through exoskeleton robots, soldiers can maintain their physical strength during long-distance combat, easily complete the task of carrying military equipment, and multiply the combat effectiveness and survivability of soldiers. Military exoskeleton robots have gradually become a research center in the military field of various countries, thereby improving the long-term combat capabilities of soldiers.

[0003] In the lower limbs of the human body, the ankle joint is the main contact point between the human body and the ground. Whether its function can be well realized will directly affect the stability and continuity of human walking. The ankle joint plays a very critical role in some key moments of walking, such as pushing the ground with the foot, bearing the weight of the whole body, and starting the leg. Based on these important roles of the ankle joint in the process of human walking, many domestic and foreign researchers have focused their attention on the ankle joint. At present, ankle exoskeletons are mainly divided into two categories: powered and unpowered, and there are fewer studies on the unpowered aspect. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the technical problems existing in the known technology, the present invention provides an ankle joint assisting device based on an exoskeleton robot and a design method thereof, so as to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] The technical solution adopted to achieve the purpose of the present invention is: An ankle joint power-assisting device based on an exoskeleton robot and a design method thereof, comprising an ankle joint frame structure, an ankle joint driving structure, and an ankle joint energy conversion structure.

[0006] According to the above technical solution, the ankle joint frame structure includes a heel back plate 9, a rear heel bottom plate 10, an inner frame plate 8, and a strap plate 11. The heel back plate 9 is connected to the strap plate 11 and the rear heel bottom plate 10 by threaded connection. The designed curved surface conforms to the curved curvature of the human ankle. The rear heel bottom plate 10 mainly serves as a supporting structure for the rear heel to facilitate the contact between the ankle joint assist device and the ground. The strap plate 11 is mainly used to tightly connect the ankle joint assist device to the foot.

[0007] According to the above technical solution, the ankle joint driving structure includes a spring sheet output rod 1, a frame rod 3, a connecting rod 4, and a bottoming contact rod 5. The spring sheet output rod 1 is mainly used to connect the energy storage element as an output module of the driving structure. The frame rod 3, the connecting rod 4, the bottoming contact rod 5 and the spring output rod 1 are combined into a four-bar mechanism, which contacts the ground and transfers energy.

[0008] According to the above technical solution, the ankle joint energy conversion structure includes a spring sheet output rod 1, an energy storage element 2, and a block 6. The spring sheet output rod 1 is mainly used to carry the energy storage element in this part. The energy storage element 2 is mainly composed of nickel-titanium alloy material, which ensures the power and change requirements of the ankle joint power assist device. The block 6 is composed of carbon steel material and is used to provide bending and deformation conditions for the energy storage element to achieve the purpose of storing energy.

[0009] According to the above technical solution, the bottom contact rod 5 is used to contact the ground at the initial stage of human walking gait, and transmit the change of human potential energy to the energy storage element 2 through the connecting rod 4 and the spring output rod 1. After receiving the potential energy changes in the initial and middle stages of gait, the energy storage element 2 stores the energy and releases it at the end of gait to assist human walking and the exoskeleton equipment that may be added later.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0011] 1. Aiming at the existing problems in the research and application of ankle exoskeleton and combining with the actual needs, this paper creatively proposes an ankle joint assist device based on the idea of ​​human potential energy conversion and combined with the human gait mechanism.

[0012] 2. This paper mainly designs the framework of the ankle joint assist structure and the design of the assist structure, but it is not perfect enough, so it can provide a reference direction for the design of ankle exoskeleton. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the ankle joint frame structure of an ankle joint assist device based on an exoskeleton robot in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the ankle joint driving structure and energy conversion structure of the ankle joint assisting device based on the exoskeleton robot in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the principle mechanism of an ankle joint assist device based on an exoskeleton robot in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] In the figure, the spring sheet output rod-1, the energy storage element-2, the frame rod-3, the connecting rod-4, the bottom contact rod-5, the stopper-6, the outer frame rod-7, the inner frame rod-8, the heel back plate-9, the rear sole plate-10, and the strap rod-11. Implementation

[0017] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Reference Figure 1~Figure 3 As shown, an ankle joint assist device based on an exoskeleton robot is characterized by comprising an ankle joint frame structure, an ankle joint drive structure, and an ankle joint energy conversion structure. The ankle joint frame structure is designed with an ankle curve shape according to ergonomic standards so that it can be well combined with the ankle. The ankle joint drive structure is implemented by a four-bar mechanism and can be used for energy conversion during walking. The ankle joint energy conversion structure can be used to determine the storage and release timing of energy.

[0019] Further, refer to Figure 3 As shown, the ankle joint frame structure includes a heel back plate 9, a rear heel base plate 10, an inner frame plate 8, and a strap plate 11. The heel back plate 9 is connected to the strap plate 11 and the rear heel base plate 10 by threaded connection. The designed curved surface conforms to the curved curvature of the human ankle. The rear heel base plate 10 mainly serves as a supporting structure for the rear heel to facilitate the contact between the ankle joint assist device and the ground. The strap plate 11 is mainly used to tightly connect the ankle joint assist device to the foot.

[0020] Further, refer to Figure 2~Figure 3 As shown, the ankle joint driving structure includes a spring sheet output rod 1, a frame rod 3, a connecting rod 4, and a bottoming contact rod 5. The spring sheet output rod 1 is mainly used to connect the energy storage element as an output module of the driving structure. The frame rod 3, the connecting rod 4, the bottoming contact rod 5 and the spring output rod 1 are combined into a four-bar mechanism, which contacts the ground and transfers energy.

[0021] Further, refer to Figure 1~Figure 3 As shown, the ankle joint energy conversion structure includes a spring sheet output rod 1, an energy storage element 2, and a stopper 6. The spring sheet output rod 1 is mainly used to carry the energy storage element in this part. The energy storage element 2 is mainly composed of nickel-titanium alloy material, which ensures the power and change requirements of the ankle joint power assist device. The stopper 6 is composed of carbon steel material and is used to provide bending and deformation conditions for the energy storage element to achieve the purpose of storing energy.

[0022] Further, refer to Figure 1~Figure 3As shown, the bottom contact rod 5 is used to contact the ground at the initial stage of human walking gait, and transmit the change of human potential energy to the energy storage element 2 through the connecting rod 4 and the spring output rod 1. After receiving the potential energy changes in the initial and middle stages of gait, the energy storage element 2 stores the energy and releases it at the end of gait to assist human walking and the exoskeleton equipment that may be added later.

[0023] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ankle joint assist device based on an exoskeleton robot, characterized in that: The ankle joint frame structure includes an ankle joint driving structure and an ankle joint energy conversion structure. The ankle joint frame structure is designed with an ankle curve shape according to ergonomic standards so that it can be well combined with the ankle. The ankle joint driving structure is implemented by a four-bar mechanism and can be used for energy conversion during walking. The ankle joint energy conversion structure can be used to determine the storage and release timing of energy.

2. The ankle joint assist device based on the exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle joint frame structure includes a heel back plate, a rear heel bottom plate, an inner frame plate, and a strap plate. The heel back plate is connected to the strap plate and the rear heel bottom plate by a threaded connection. The designed curved surface conforms to the curved curvature of the human ankle. The rear heel bottom plate mainly serves as a supporting structure for the rear heel to facilitate the contact between the ankle joint assist device and the ground. The strap plate is mainly used to tightly connect the ankle joint assist device to the foot.

3. The ankle joint assist device based on the exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle joint driving structure includes a spring sheet output rod, a frame rod, a connecting rod, and a bottoming contact rod. The spring sheet output rod is mainly used to connect the energy storage element and serves as an output module of the driving structure. The frame rod, the connecting rod, the bottoming contact rod and the spring output rod are combined into a four-bar mechanism, which contacts the ground and transmits energy.

4. The ankle joint assist device based on the exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle joint energy conversion structure includes a spring sheet output rod, an energy storage element, and a block. The spring sheet output rod is mainly used to carry the energy storage element in this part. The energy storage element is mainly composed of nickel-titanium alloy material, which ensures the power and change requirements of the ankle joint assist device. The block is composed of carbon steel material and is used to provide bending and deformation conditions for the energy storage element to achieve the purpose of storing energy.

5. The ankle joint assist device based on the exoskeleton robot according to claims 2, 3 and 4, characterized in that: The bottom contact rod is used to contact the ground at the initial stage of human walking gait, and transmit the change of human potential energy to the energy storage element through the connecting rod and the spring output rod. After receiving the potential energy changes in the initial and middle stages of gait, the energy storage element stores the energy and releases it at the end of gait to assist human walking and the exoskeleton equipment that may be added later.

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