Exoskeleton auxiliary walking device with low transmission delay

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of exoskeleton devices, and provides an exoskeleton walking assisting device low in transmission delay. The device comprises a main body part and leg mechanisms symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the lower end of the main body part; the leg mechanism comprises a first support with the upper end rotationally connected with the main body part, a second support with the upper end rotationally connected with the lower end of the first support, a pedal part rotationally arranged at the lower end of the second support, a main driving mechanism used for driving the first support, the second support and the pedal part to rotate, an upper auxiliary driving mechanism and a lower auxiliary driving mechanism. According to the invention, when the driving motor is started, the support is pushed to rotate through the piston rod, so that the power required when the driving motor pushes the first support / the second support to rotate can be effectively reduced, on one hand, the maximum load of the driving motor is reduced, and on the other hand, the support is easier to rotate from a static stage to a moving stage; the reaction sensitivity of the device is improved, and the transmission delay problem rate caused by inertia is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of exoskeleton devices, and in particular, relates to an exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay. Background Art

[0002] An exoskeleton is a mechanical device made of a steel frame that can be worn by a person. This equipment can provide additional energy for the movement of the limbs. In the prior art, the exoskeleton has a power drive, that is, it uses the rotation of the motor to generate movement power. However, since the driving structure used for the exoskeleton is driven by a motor, the motor is driven by a mechanical structure, and the mechanical structure then drives the exoskeleton to turn, resulting in a large movement delay in the exoskeleton. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: An exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay comprises a main body for being worn on the waist of a human body, and leg mechanisms symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lower end of the main body; the leg mechanism comprises a first bracket whose upper end is rotatably connected to the main body, a second bracket whose upper end is rotatably connected to the lower end of the first bracket, a pedal portion rotatably arranged at the lower end of the second bracket, and a main driving mechanism for driving the first bracket, the second bracket and the pedal portion to rotate; an upper auxiliary driving mechanism is arranged at the connection position of the main body and the first bracket, the upper auxiliary driving mechanism comprises an upper hydraulic cylinder barrel arranged at the lower end of the main body and rotatably connected thereto, an upper piston rod matched with the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel and whose end is rotatably connected to the first bracket, and through holes connected through an electromagnetic throttle valve are provided at the upper and lower ends of the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel; a lower auxiliary driving mechanism is arranged at the connection position of the first bracket and the second bracket, the lower auxiliary driving mechanism comprises a lower hydraulic cylinder barrel arranged at the lower end of the second bracket and rotatably connected thereto, a lower piston rod matched with the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel and whose end is rotatably connected to the second bracket, and a spring sleeved on the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel and the lower piston rod.

[0005] In one embodiment, a thigh fixing portion for connecting and fixing the user's thigh is also provided on the inner side of the first bracket.

[0006] In one embodiment, a calf fixing portion for connecting and fixing the user's calf is also provided on the inner side of the second bracket.

[0007] In one embodiment, limit blocks for limiting the stroke of the upper piston rod are provided at both ends of the interior of the upper hydraulic cylinder.

[0008] In one embodiment, the main drive mechanism includes an upper drive motor for driving the first bracket to rotate relative to the main body, a middle drive motor for driving the second bracket to rotate relative to the first bracket, and a lower drive motor for driving the pedal part to rotate relative to the second bracket.

[0009] In one embodiment, a first triangular connecting plate is fixedly provided at the lower end of the main body, and the upper end of the upper hydraulic cylinder is rotatably connected to the first triangular connecting plate. A second triangular connecting plate is fixedly provided at the upper end of the first bracket, and the lower end of the upper piston rod is rotatably connected to the second triangular connecting plate.

[0010] In one embodiment, a third triangular connecting plate is fixedly provided at the lower end of the first bracket, and the upper end of the lower hydraulic cylinder is rotatably connected to the third triangular connecting plate. A fourth triangular connecting plate is fixedly provided at the upper end of the second bracket, and the lower end of the lower piston rod is rotatably connected to the fourth triangular connecting plate.

[0011] In one embodiment, a controller and a battery for power supply are disposed at the rear end of the main body.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) According to the present invention, when the drive motor (upper drive motor / middle drive motor) is started, the first bracket / second bracket is pushed to rotate by the piston rod, which can effectively reduce the power required by the drive motor to push the first bracket / second bracket to rotate. On the one hand, the maximum load of the drive motor is reduced. On the other hand, the first bracket / second bracket is easier to rotate from a stationary stage to a moving stage, thereby improving the response sensitivity of the device, reducing the transmission delay problem caused by inertia, and thus improving the walking efficiency.

[0013] (2) According to the present invention, the flow rate of hydraulic oil on both sides of the piston inside the upper hydraulic cylinder can be adjusted by the electromagnetic throttle valve, thereby adjusting the rotation speed of the first bracket relative to the main body to adapt to the different usage requirements of users; in addition, closing the electromagnetic throttle valve can make the first bracket relatively fixed relative to the main body, which is convenient for protecting the human body and avoiding safety hazards caused by failure of the driving mechanism.

[0014] (3) According to the present invention, when the first bracket rotates and extends forward during walking, the first bracket drives the bottom of the second bracket to swing forward under the action of inertia, the spring stretches, and the kinetic energy of the second bracket itself is gradually converted into the elastic potential energy of the spring. During the bending process between the second bracket and the first bracket, the spring gradually returns to normal from the stretched state. During this process, the elastic potential energy of the spring is released, driving the second bracket to bend relative to the first bracket. The second bracket forms a complete cycle rotation at the bottom of the first bracket, further reducing the transmission delay problem of the second bracket. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the upper hydraulic cylinder and the upper piston rod in the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the lower hydraulic cylinder and the lower piston rod in the present invention.

[0018] Among them, the names corresponding to the figure marks are as follows: 1-main body, 2-first bracket, 3-second bracket, 4-foot pedal, 5 upper hydraulic cylinder, 6-upper piston rod, 7-through hole, 8-electromagnetic throttle valve, 9-lower hydraulic cylinder, 10-lower piston rod, 11-spring, 12-upper drive motor, 13-middle drive motor, 14-lower drive motor, 15-first triangular connecting plate, 16-second triangular connecting plate, 17-third triangular connecting plate, 18-fourth triangular connecting plate, 19-thigh fixing part, 20-calf fixing part, 21-limiting block, 22-controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In order to enable those skilled in the art to have a clearer understanding and knowledge of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described below are only used to explain the present invention, and are convenient for understanding. The technical solutions provided by the present invention are not limited to the technical solutions provided by the following embodiments, and the technical solutions provided by the embodiments should not limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0020] Example like Figures 1 to 3As shown, this embodiment provides an exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay, which is an exoskeleton device mainly used for auxiliary training / exercise of the lower limbs of the human body. The rotation between the rotating parts of the existing exoskeleton devices is achieved by using a drive motor or a drive motor combined with a reducer. This leads to the problem of transmission delay in actual applications, especially in the process of the parts rotating from stationary to rotating, which not only requires a larger power drive, but also the power load of the drive motor is higher at this time, and the drive motor load is higher.

[0021] In this embodiment, the main parts of the exoskeleton device include a main body for wearing on the waist of a human body, and leg mechanisms symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lower end of the main body; the leg mechanism includes a first bracket rotatably connected to the main body at the upper end, a second bracket rotatably connected to the lower end of the first bracket at the upper end, a pedal portion rotatably arranged at the lower end of the second bracket, and a main driving mechanism for driving the first bracket, the second bracket and the pedal portion to rotate; wherein the main body is an annular wearable structure for wearing on the waist of a human body, and the main driving mechanism includes an upper driving motor for driving the first bracket to rotate relative to the main body, a middle driving motor for driving the second bracket to rotate relative to the first bracket, and a lower driving motor for driving the pedal portion to rotate relative to the second bracket; a controller and a battery for power supply are arranged at the rear end of the main body, and the controller is used to control the main driving mechanism, for example: to control according to the walking mode selected by the user, and the two can be integrated in a box at the rear end of the main body, and the structure of the main part of the exoskeleton device can adopt an existing mature structure.

[0022] In this embodiment, based on the main structure of the exoskeleton device described above, an upper auxiliary driving mechanism is provided at the connection position between the main body and the first bracket, and a lower auxiliary driving mechanism is provided at the connection position between the first bracket and the second bracket. The upper auxiliary driving mechanism and the lower auxiliary driving mechanism provide auxiliary thrust when the first bracket and the second bracket rotate.

[0023] In this embodiment, the upper auxiliary driving mechanism includes an upper hydraulic cylinder barrel arranged at the lower end of the main body and rotatably connected thereto, an upper piston rod cooperating with the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel and having an end rotatably connected to the first bracket, and the upper and lower ends of the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel are both provided with through holes connected through an electromagnetic throttle valve; the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel and the upper piston rod constitute a hydraulic cylinder structure, and the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel is filled with hydraulic oil, which adopts a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, and the electromagnetic throttle valve can be controlled by a controller, and the control interface can be set on the control screen of the device or on the intelligent end.

[0024] The connection structure between the upper auxiliary driving mechanism, the main body and the first bracket is as follows: a first triangular connecting plate is fixedly arranged at the lower end of the main body, and the two are an integrated structure. The upper end of the upper hydraulic cylinder is rotatably connected to the first triangular connecting plate, and a second triangular connecting plate is fixedly arranged at the upper end of the first bracket, and the two are an integrated structure. The lower end of the upper piston rod rotates with the second triangular connecting plate.

[0025] When the electromagnetic throttle valve is in an open state, the first bracket can rotate normally relative to the main body, and the electromagnetic throttle valve can be used to adjust the hydraulic oil flow on both sides of the piston inside the upper hydraulic cylinder, thereby adjusting the rotation speed of the first bracket relative to the main body to adapt to the different usage requirements of the user; when the upper drive mechanism fails, for example, there is no power supply, at this time, the first bracket is easy to rotate freely relative to the main body. Since the exoskeleton device has a large weight, at this time, the user is prone to fall. In this embodiment, based on the setting of the electromagnetic throttle valve, the electromagnetic throttle valve can be controlled to be closed at this time, so that the first bracket can be relatively fixed relative to the main body, which is convenient for protecting the human body, thereby avoiding safety hazards caused by failure of the drive mechanism.

[0026] In order to further improve the safety of the equipment, this embodiment also has limit blocks at both ends of the upper hydraulic cylinder barrel for limiting the stroke of the upper piston rod; through the setting of the limit blocks, the piston or piston rod is physically blocked to prevent it from exceeding the designed stroke and prevent excessive extension or contraction.

[0027] The lower auxiliary driving mechanism mainly acts on the second bracket. Specifically, the lower auxiliary driving mechanism includes a lower hydraulic cylinder barrel arranged at the lower end of the second bracket and rotatably connected thereto, a lower piston rod matched with the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel and having an end rotatably connected to the second bracket, and a spring sleeved on the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel and the lower piston rod; wherein the upper end of the spring is fixedly connected to the upper end of the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel, and the lower end of the spring is fixedly connected to the end of the lower piston rod, thereby, when the lower piston rod is extended relative to the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel, the spring can be driven to stretch. The lower hydraulic cylinder barrel and the lower piston rod constitute a hydraulic cylinder structure, which adopts a single-acting hydraulic cylinder structure.

[0028] The connection structure between the lower auxiliary driving mechanism and the first bracket and the second bracket is as follows: a third triangular connecting plate is fixedly arranged at the lower end of the first bracket, and the two form an integrated structure. The upper end of the lower hydraulic cylinder is rotatably connected to the third triangular connecting plate, and a fourth triangular connecting plate is fixedly arranged at the upper end of the second bracket, and the two form an integrated structure. The lower end of the lower piston rod rotates with the fourth triangular connecting plate.

[0029] After the user wears the device, in an upright state, the lower piston rod is extended relative to the lower hydraulic cylinder, and the spring is in a stretched state. During the forward walking process, the second bracket and the first bracket are bent, and the spring gradually returns to normal from the stretched state. During this process, the elastic potential energy of the spring is released, driving the second bracket to bend relative to the first bracket. The second bracket forms a complete cycle rotation at the bottom of the first bracket, further reducing the transmission delay problem of the second bracket.

[0030] In order to make the device more stable to wear, the present embodiment further provides a thigh fixing part for connecting and fixing the user's thigh on the inner side of the first bracket, and further provides a calf fixing part for connecting and fixing the user's calf on the inner side of the second bracket. The structure of the thigh fixing part and the calf fixing part can adopt a hoop structure or a strap structure, which is mainly used to connect and fix the human leg.

[0031] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay, comprising a main body (1) for being worn on the waist of a human body, and leg mechanisms symmetrically arranged on both sides of the lower end of the main body (1); the leg mechanisms comprising a first bracket (2) having an upper end rotatably connected to the main body (1), a second bracket (3) having an upper end rotatably connected to the lower end of the first bracket (2), a pedal (4) rotatably arranged at the lower end of the second bracket (3), and a main driving mechanism for driving the first bracket (2), the second bracket (3) and the pedal (4) to rotate, characterized in that: An upper auxiliary driving mechanism is provided at the connection position between the main body (1) and the first bracket (2), the upper auxiliary driving mechanism comprising an upper hydraulic cylinder (5) provided at the lower end of the main body (1) and rotatably connected thereto, an upper piston rod (6) cooperating with the upper hydraulic cylinder (5) and having its end rotatably connected to the first bracket (2), and through holes (7) are provided at the upper and lower ends of the upper hydraulic cylinder (5) and are communicated through an electromagnetic throttle valve (8); a lower auxiliary driving mechanism is provided at the connection position between the first bracket (2) and the second bracket (3), the lower auxiliary driving mechanism comprising a lower hydraulic cylinder (9) provided at the lower end of the second bracket (3) and rotatably connected thereto, a lower piston rod (10) cooperating with the lower hydraulic cylinder (9) and having its end rotatably connected to the second bracket (3), and a spring (11) sleeved on the lower hydraulic cylinder (9) and the lower piston rod (10).

2. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to claim 1, characterized in that: A thigh fixing portion (19) for connecting and fixing a user's thigh is also provided on the inner side of the first bracket (2).

3. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to claim 2, characterized in that: A calf fixing portion (20) for connecting and fixing the calf of a user is also provided on the inner side of the second bracket (3).

4. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to claim 3, characterized in that: Limit blocks (21) for limiting the travel of the upper piston rod (6) are provided at both ends of the interior of the upper hydraulic cylinder (5).

5. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main driving mechanism comprises an upper driving motor (12) for driving the first bracket (2) to rotate relative to the main body (1), a middle driving motor (13) for driving the second bracket (3) to rotate relative to the first bracket (2), and a lower driving motor (14) for driving the pedal part (4) to rotate relative to the second bracket (3).

6. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first triangular connecting plate (15) is fixedly provided at the lower end of the main body (1), and the upper end of the upper hydraulic cylinder (5) is rotatably connected to the first triangular connecting plate (15). A second triangular connecting plate (16) is fixedly provided at the upper end of the first bracket (2), and the lower end of the upper piston rod (6) is rotatably connected to the second triangular connecting plate (16).

7. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to claim 6, characterized in that: A third triangular connecting plate (17) is fixedly provided at the lower end of the first bracket (2), and the upper end of the lower hydraulic cylinder barrel (9) is rotatably connected to the third triangular connecting plate (17). A fourth triangular connecting plate (18) is fixedly provided at the upper end of the second bracket (3), and the lower end of the lower piston rod (10) is rotatably connected to the fourth triangular connecting plate (18).

8. The exoskeleton-assisted walking device with low transmission delay according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a controller (22) and a battery for power supply are arranged at the rear end of the main body (1).

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