Underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system

Abstract

The invention discloses an underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system comprises a flexible binding unit, an ankle joint power-assisted unit, a sensing unit and a flipper, the flexible binding unit comprises a vest and a shank binding part; the ankle joint power-assisted unit comprises a dorsal flexion power-assisted Bowden line, a plantar flexion power-assisted Bowden line and an ankle joint driving unit, the ankle joint driving unit is connected with the dorsal flexion power-assisted Bowden line and the plantar flexion power-assisted Bowden line, fixed to the vest and comprises a controller, the dorsal flexion power-assisted Bowden line and the plantar flexion power-assisted Bowden line are fixed to the shanks of a user through shank binding parts, and the dorsal flexion power-assisted Bowden line is connected to the front end of the flipper the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable is connected to the rear end of the flipper through the flipper connecting belt; the sensing unit is used for receiving a user action intention signal and transmitting a related signal to the controller, and the controller processes the related signal and then controls the ankle joint driving unit to provide assistance. Human body motion intention is sensed through the inertial sensor, the breaststroke motion stage is judged, the ankle joint power assisting unit is controlled to assist power, and physical output of a user is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of underwater exoskeletons, and in particular to an underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system. Background Art

[0002] Breaststroke plays an important role in swimming. It is a widely used swimming posture suitable for swimmers of all ages and skill levels. It plays an important role in current water rescue, beginner learning, water observation and scientific research, water filming and photography, etc. However, the main disadvantages of breaststroke are: slow speed, high physical exertion, low leg efficiency, etc.

[0003] In many application scenarios, swimmers are required to perform breaststroke for a long time. Since breaststroke requires frequent body movements and breathing, if swimmers swim for a long time without good skills or physical fitness, it is easy to cause muscle fatigue or even cramps, increasing the risk of drowning. Therefore, the power-assisted exoskeleton robot based on human motion intention perception technology can provide a certain power-assisted effect for personnel who need to perform breaststroke in water operations for a long time to improve work efficiency and avoid danger.

[0004] CN 114800445 A discloses an amphibious exoskeleton robot system for underwater rescue, CN114797062 A discloses a swimming teaching auxiliary exoskeleton device, and CN 211836182 U discloses a single-person diving assist device. Although the above-mentioned prior arts can assist the operator's underwater movement, most of them are mechanical exoskeletons, the equipment is complex and heavy, the joint freedom is poor, and they are not specifically designed to assist breaststroke, and the user experience is poor.

[0005] Therefore, it is of great practical significance to develop an underwater exoskeleton with good adaptability to posture changes, good joint freedom and good user experience. Summary of the invention

[0006] Due to the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides an underwater exoskeleton with good adaptability to posture changes, good joint freedom and good user experience, specifically an underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system, which has a simple, flexible and targeted structure, and provides assistance to swimmers based on motion intention sensing technology, with good assistance effect, overcoming the defects of existing swimming teaching auxiliary equipment, such as complex and heavy equipment, poor joint freedom, not particularly targeted at breaststroke assistance, and poor user experience.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] An underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system, comprising a flexible binding unit, an ankle joint power-assisted unit, a sensing unit and fins;

[0009] The flexible binding unit includes a vest and a calf binding portion;

[0010] The ankle joint assisting unit comprises a dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable, a plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable and an ankle joint driving unit, wherein the ankle joint driving unit comprises a controller, the ankle joint driving unit is fixed on a vest, the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable are fixed on the calf of the user by using a calf binding part, the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable is connected to the front end of the fin, the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable is connected to the rear end of the fin via a fin connecting belt, and the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable are connected to the ankle joint driving unit;

[0011] The sensing unit is used to receive the user's action intention signal and transmit the relevant signal to the controller. After processing the relevant signal, the controller obtains a control scheme and controls the ankle joint drive unit to perform corresponding actions to provide assistance according to the control scheme.

[0012] The operating logic of the above underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system is as follows:

[0013] The perception unit collects the user's action intention signals during breaststroke, and the action intention signals are transmitted to the controller. The controller will preprocess, extract features and classify the collected action intention signals to determine which action stage of breaststroke the user is in at this time. Preprocessing is to filter the collected signals, remove useless signals, amplify and use useful signals; feature extraction is to collect the characteristic signals of each action, and the difference in characteristic signals represents the actions of different stages of breaststroke; classification is to determine which action stage of breaststroke the user is in based on different action features. After obtaining the processing results, the controller determines the control scheme based on the results, and then controls the ankle joint assist unit to make corresponding actions according to the control scheme to achieve assistance to the ankle joint.

[0014] The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention has a reasonable structural design. It can predict the user's movement intention in advance by using a sensing unit to achieve the best power-assisted work, has good accuracy, is easy to operate and has strong adaptability. The main components are arranged on the vest, which can reduce the load on the lower body to the maximum extent to facilitate the user's swimming. The whole is a flexible exoskeleton, which can better fit and adapt to the movement of the human body, provide greater joint freedom, and have better adaptability to posture changes. It is also light in weight, can provide a more comfortable wearing experience, and has good application prospects.

[0015] As the preferred technical solution:

[0016] In the underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, there are two dorsiflexion-assisted Bowden cables and two plantarflexion-assisted Bowden cables respectively;

[0017] Two dorsiflexion-assisting Bowden cables are connected to the front ends of the two fins;

[0018] Two plantar flexion assisting Bowden cables are respectively connected to the rear ends of the two fins via two fin connecting straps.

[0019] In the underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, the dorsiflexion assisted Bowden cable and the plantar flexion assisted Bowden cable located on the same side of the user meet on the outside of the user's thigh and then pass through the back hip to be connected to the ankle joint drive unit.

[0020] In the underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, the sensing unit includes an inertial sensor on the front side of the calf and an inertial sensor on the back side of the calf;

[0021] The calf front inertial sensor and the calf back inertial sensor are respectively fixed to the front and back sides of the user's calf by using the calf binding part;

[0022] The inertial sensor on the front side of the calf and the inertial sensor on the back side of the calf are both waterproofed.

[0023] An underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, wherein the ankle joint drive unit further comprises an ankle joint drive housing, an ankle joint drive top cover, an electronic speed regulator, an ankle joint drive reel, a transmission shaft, a driven gear, a driving gear and an ankle joint drive motor;

[0024] The ankle joint drive top cover is installed on the top of the ankle joint drive shell, and the ankle joint drive top cover and the ankle joint drive shell form a boxed structure. The electronic speed regulator, the driven gear, the driving gear and the ankle joint drive motor are all arranged in the ankle joint drive shell. The two side walls of the ankle joint drive shell in the horizontal direction are provided with mutually matching through-hole groups. The transmission shaft passes through the through-hole group, and the two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively fixedly connected to the two ankle joint drive winding wheels located outside the ankle joint drive shell. The transmission shaft is fitted with a driven gear, and the driving shaft of the ankle joint drive motor is fitted with a driving gear, and the driving gear is meshed with the driven gear.

[0025] The dorsiflexion-assisting Bowden cable and the plantarflexion-assisting Bowden cable are wound around the ankle joint driving winding wheel.

[0026] When the ankle joint drive motor rotates, it can drive the ankle joint drive winding wheels on both sides to rotate, thereby forming a retracting and releasing movement of the Bowden wire wound on the ankle joint drive winding wheel, thereby achieving an assisting effect on the dorsiflexion or plantar flexion of the ankle joint.

[0027] A single ankle drive unit can be used to assist the ankle joints on both sides, which not only has good synchronization and can standardize the breaststroke stroke, but also can minimize the weight of the system, reduce the user load and improve the user experience.

[0028] In an underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, an ankle joint drive waterproof ring is provided between the ankle joint drive top cover and the ankle joint drive shell to achieve waterproof sealing of the shell, and a transmission shaft waterproof ring is provided between the transmission shaft and the ankle joint drive shell to achieve waterproof sealing at this position.

[0029] In the underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, the through hole group is installed with a bearing, the outer ring of the bearing is fixed to the ankle joint drive housing, and the inner ring of the bearing is fixed to the transmission shaft through an interference fit.

[0030] In the underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, ankle-driven winding wheel housings are provided on both sides of the ankle-driven winding wheel to prevent the Bowden cable from jumping out of the cable groove during movement.

[0031] In the underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, a battery for supplying power to the underwater flexible exoskeleton robot system is disposed in the ankle joint drive housing.

[0032] In an underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system as described above, a waterproof connector is installed on the ankle joint drive top cover to ensure the sealing of the shell, and a data cable for connecting the sensing unit and the controller is inserted into the ankle joint drive shell through the waterproof connector.

[0033] The above technical solution is only a feasible technical solution of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can reasonably adjust the specific design according to actual needs.

[0034] The above invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0035] (1) The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention can predict the user's movement intention in advance by setting up inertial sensors, perform feature recognition when the user makes different movements, predict the next movement based on the inertial sensor signal, and control the exoskeleton to make corresponding movements to complete the best power-assisted work;

[0036] (2) The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention can identify which stage of the breaststroke the user is in by setting up inertial sensors to collect signals and classify them. Based on the perception and prediction of movement intention, the system can accurately assist the user's movements. It is easy to operate and has strong adaptability.

[0037] (3) The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention can better fit and adapt to human body movements, provide greater joint freedom, and better adapt to posture changes by providing a flexible exoskeleton. It is also lightweight and can provide a more comfortable wearing experience.

[0038] (4) The underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention has a device load mainly on the user's upper body, which can minimize the load on the lower body, making it easier for the user to swim and improving the user experience. It has good application prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The present invention and its features, appearance and advantages will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings. The same reference numerals indicate the same parts in all the drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale, and emphasis is placed on illustrating the subject matter of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 1 It is a front view schematic diagram of the underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 It is a rear view schematic diagram of the underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the ankle drive unit;

[0043] Among them, 1- vest; 2- calf binding part; 3- calf front inertial sensor; 4- flippers; 5- dorsiflexion assist Bowden cable; 6- ankle joint drive unit; 601- ankle joint drive top cover; 602- waterproof connector; 603- ankle joint drive waterproof ring; 604- battery; 605- electronic speed regulator; 606- controller; 607- ankle joint drive winding wheel housing; 608- ankle joint drive winding wheel; 609- transmission shaft; 610- driven gear; 611- driving gear; 612- ankle joint drive motor; 613- bearing; 614- transmission shaft waterproof ring; 615- ankle joint drive housing; 7- plantar flexion assist Bowden cable; 8- calf rear inertial sensor; 9- flipper connecting belt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] An underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, it includes a flexible binding unit, an ankle joint assisting unit, a sensing unit and a flipper 4;

[0047] The flexible binding unit comprises a vest 1 and a calf binding portion 2;

[0048] The ankle joint assisting unit includes a dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable 5, a plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable 7 and an ankle joint driving unit 6. The ankle joint driving unit 6 is fixed on the vest 1. The dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable 5 and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable 7 are fixed to the user's calf by using the calf binding part 2. There are two dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cables 5 and two plantar flexion assisting Bowden cables 7 respectively and they correspond to the two legs of the user. The two dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cables 5 are respectively connected to the front ends of the two fins 4, and the two plantar flexion assisting Bowden cables 7 are respectively connected to the rear ends of the two fins 4 via two fin connecting belts 9. The dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable 5 and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable 7 on the same side of the user meet on the outside of the user's thigh and are connected to the ankle joint driving unit 6 through the back buttocks. The ankle joint driving unit The ankle joint drive housing 615 includes an ankle joint drive top cover 601, a waterproof joint 602, an ankle joint drive waterproof ring 603, a battery 604, an electronic speed regulator 605, a controller 606, an ankle joint drive reel housing 607, an ankle joint drive reel 608, a transmission shaft 609, a driven gear 610, a driving gear 611, an ankle joint drive motor 612, a bearing 613, a transmission shaft waterproof ring 614 and an ankle joint drive housing 615. The ankle joint drive top cover 601 is installed on the top of the ankle joint drive housing 615 and the ankle joint drive top cover 601 and the ankle joint drive housing 615 form a boxed structure. The ankle joint drive waterproof ring 606 is provided between the ankle joint drive top cover 601 and the ankle joint drive housing 615. 3 to achieve waterproof sealing of the housing, the electronic speed regulator 605, the driven gear 610, the driving gear 611 and the ankle joint drive motor 612 are all arranged in the ankle joint drive housing 615, and the two side walls of the ankle joint drive housing 615 in the horizontal direction are provided with mutually matching through-hole groups, and a transmission shaft waterproof ring 614 is provided between the transmission shaft 609 and the ankle joint drive housing 615 to achieve waterproof sealing at this position, and a bearing 613 is installed in the through-hole group, the bearing outer ring of the bearing 613 is fixed to the ankle joint drive housing 615 and the bearing inner ring of the bearing 613 is fixed to the transmission shaft 609 through interference fit, the transmission shaft 609 passes through the through-hole group and the two ends of the transmission shaft 609 are respectively connected to the ankle joint drive housing 615. 5, two ankle joint driving reels 608 outside are fixedly connected, ankle joint driving reel housings 607 are arranged on both sides of the ankle joint driving reels 608, a driven gear 610 is fixedly mounted on the transmission shaft 609, a driving gear 611 is fixedly mounted on the driving shaft of the ankle joint driving motor 612, the driving gear 611 is meshed with the driven gear 610, the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden line 5 and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden line 7 are wound on the ankle joint driving reels 608, the battery 604 is used to power the underwater flexible exoskeleton robot system, a waterproof connector 602 is installed on the ankle joint driving top cover 601, and a data line for connecting the sensing unit and the controller 606 is inserted into the ankle joint driving housing 615 through the waterproof connector 602;

[0049] The sensing unit includes an inertial sensor 3 on the front of the calf and an inertial sensor 8 on the back of the calf. The inertial sensor 3 on the front of the calf and the inertial sensor 8 on the back of the calf are respectively fixed to the front and back of the user's calf using the calf binding part 2. The inertial sensor 3 on the front of the calf and the inertial sensor 8 on the back of the calf are both waterproofed. The sensing unit is used to receive user action intention signals and transmit the relevant signals to the controller 606. The controller 626 obtains a control scheme after processing the relevant signals, and controls the ankle joint drive motor 612 to make corresponding actions to provide assistance according to the control scheme.

[0050] Working principle:

[0051] The inertial sensor 3 on the front side of the calf and the inertial sensor 8 on the back side of the calf collect the user's action intention signal when doing breaststroke, and the action intention signal is transmitted to the controller 606. The controller 606 will pre-process, extract features and classify the collected action intention signal to determine which action stage of breaststroke the user is in at this time. The pre-processing is to filter the collected signals, remove useless signals, amplify and use useful signals; feature extraction is to collect feature signals of each action, and the difference in feature signals represents the actions of different stages of breaststroke; classification is to determine which action stage of breaststroke the user is in according to different action features. After obtaining the processing result, the controller determines the control scheme according to the result, and then controls the ankle joint assist unit to make corresponding actions according to the control scheme to achieve assist for the ankle joint (specifically, the ankle joint drive motor 612 is controlled to rotate, and the ankle joint drive winding wheels 608 on both sides rotate at the same time to adjust the length of the dorsiflexion assist Bowden cable 5 and the plantar flexion assist Bowden cable 7, thereby achieving assist for the ankle joint).

[0052] It has been verified that the underwater assisted flexible exoskeleton system of the present invention can predict the user's movement intention in advance by setting inertial sensors, perform feature recognition when the user makes different movements, predict the next movement according to the inertial sensor signal, and control the exoskeleton to make corresponding movements to complete the best assistance work; by setting inertial sensors to collect signals and classify them, it can be identified which stage of the breaststroke movement the user is in, and the user's movement can be accurately assisted based on the perception prediction of movement intention, with simple operation and strong adaptability; by setting a flexible exoskeleton, it can better fit and adapt to the movement of the human body, provide greater joint freedom, and have better adaptability to posture changes, and the overall weight is light, which can provide a more comfortable wearing experience; the equipment load is mainly on the upper body of the user, which can minimize the load on the lower body to facilitate the user's swimming, improve the user experience, and have good application prospects.

[0053] Those skilled in the art should understand that those skilled in the art can implement variations by combining the prior art and the above embodiments, which will not be described in detail here. Such variations do not affect the essential content of the present invention, and will not be described in detail here.

[0054] The above describes the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the devices and structures that are not described in detail should be understood to be implemented in a common manner in the art; any technician familiar with the art can use the above-disclosed methods and technical contents to make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes, which does not affect the essential content of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system, characterized in that: It includes a flexible binding unit, an ankle joint assisting unit, a sensing unit and fins; The flexible binding unit includes a vest and a calf binding portion; The ankle joint assisting unit comprises a dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable, a plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable and an ankle joint driving unit, wherein the ankle joint driving unit comprises a controller, the ankle joint driving unit is fixed on a vest, the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable are fixed on the calf of the user by using a calf binding part, the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable is connected to the front end of the fin, the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable is connected to the rear end of the fin via a fin connecting belt, and the dorsiflexion assisting Bowden cable and the plantar flexion assisting Bowden cable are connected to the ankle joint driving unit; The sensing unit is used to receive the user's action intention signal and transmit the relevant signal to the controller. After processing the relevant signal, the controller obtains a control scheme and controls the ankle joint drive unit to perform corresponding actions to provide assistance according to the control scheme.

2. An underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are two dorsiflexion-assisted Bowden cables and two plantarflexion-assisted Bowden cables respectively; Two dorsiflexion-assisting Bowden cables are connected to the front ends of the two fins; Two plantar flexion assisting Bowden cables are respectively connected to the rear ends of the two fins via two fin connecting straps.

3. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The dorsiflexion-assisting Bowden cable and the plantar flexion-assisting Bowden cable located on the same side of the user meet at the outer side of the user's thigh and are connected to the ankle joint drive unit through the rear hip.

4. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensing unit includes an inertial sensor at the front of the calf and an inertial sensor at the back of the calf; The calf front inertial sensor and the calf back inertial sensor are respectively fixed to the front and back sides of the user's calf by using the calf binding part; The inertial sensor on the front side of the calf and the inertial sensor on the back side of the calf are both waterproofed.

5. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ankle joint drive unit also includes an ankle joint drive housing, an ankle joint drive top cover, an electronic speed regulator, an ankle joint drive winding wheel, a transmission shaft, a driven gear, a driving gear and an ankle joint drive motor; The ankle joint drive top cover is installed on the top of the ankle joint drive shell, and the ankle joint drive top cover and the ankle joint drive shell form a boxed structure. The electronic speed regulator, the driven gear, the driving gear and the ankle joint drive motor are all arranged in the ankle joint drive shell. The two side walls of the ankle joint drive shell in the horizontal direction are provided with mutually matching through-hole groups. The transmission shaft passes through the through-hole group, and the two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively fixedly connected to the two ankle joint drive winding wheels located outside the ankle joint drive shell. The transmission shaft is fitted with a driven gear, and the driving shaft of the ankle joint drive motor is fitted with a driving gear, and the driving gear is meshed with the driven gear. The dorsiflexion-assisting Bowden cable and the plantarflexion-assisting Bowden cable are wound around the ankle joint driving winding wheel.

6. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 5, characterized in that: An ankle joint drive waterproof ring is arranged between the ankle joint drive top cover and the ankle joint drive shell to achieve waterproof sealing of the shell, and a drive shaft waterproof ring is arranged between the drive shaft and the ankle joint drive shell.

7. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The through hole group is equipped with a bearing, the outer ring of the bearing is fixed to the ankle joint drive housing, and the inner ring of the bearing is fixed to the transmission shaft through interference fit.

8. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 5, characterized in that: Ankle joint driven winding wheel shells are arranged on both sides of the ankle joint driven winding wheel.

9. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 5, characterized in that: A battery for supplying power to the underwater flexible exoskeleton robot system is arranged in the ankle joint drive housing.

10. The underwater power-assisted flexible exoskeleton system according to claim 5, characterized in that: A waterproof connector is installed on the ankle joint drive top cover, and a data line used to connect the sensing unit and the controller is inserted into the ankle joint drive housing through the waterproof connector.

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