Knee joint energy management system for prosthetic hip-knee coupling motion

Abstract

The application provides a knee joint energy management system for prosthesis hip-knee coupling movement, which comprises a single-side rod-type knee joint hydraulic cylinder and an integrated energy management module, and realizes the collaborative control of energy dynamic recovery, active driving and damping adjustment by switching the oil path mode through a rotary valve body.The specific scheme is as follows: the energy management module is internally provided with an energy storage cavity, a hydraulic gear pump and a hydraulic active driving motor, the hydraulic oil is compressed to store mechanical energy in the spring of the energy storage cavity in the knee joint flexion stage, and the energy is released to drive the gear pump to generate electricity or reversely output hydraulic power in the extension stage.The communication state of the energy storage cavity and the gear pump is switched through the two-position slot of the rotary valve body, and the passive damping adjustment, active assistance and locking mode are supported.The application realizes the dynamic damping adjustment, active driving control and energy recovery and storage of the knee joint movement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of prosthetic joint technology, specifically to a knee joint energy management system for hip-knee coupled motion in prostheses. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of lower limb prosthetic technology, the knee joint, as the core joint supporting human gait, directly affects the naturalness, stability, and endurance of walking for prosthetists through its motion performance and energy management capabilities. Traditional prosthetic knee joints mostly use mechanical dampers or passive energy storage elements (such as springs) to achieve gait control, but their adjustment capabilities are limited, making it difficult to adapt to the hip-knee coordination requirements of complex terrains (such as climbing stairs and slopes). Furthermore, while existing hydraulic prosthetic knee joints can adjust gait through hydraulic damping, they suffer from the following technical bottlenecks:

[0003] (1) Low efficiency: When the piston rod changes during the bending / extension movement, the hydraulic oil volume becomes unbalanced, requiring an additional oil replenishment circuit or pressure relief valve, resulting in energy waste. At the same time, the pressure energy generated by the hydraulic system during downhill or negative work phases cannot be effectively recovered, causing the prosthesis to rely on external power for frequent charging.

[0004] (2) Insufficient active drive capability: Most hydraulic prostheses rely on passive damping adjustment and lack active drive function, making it difficult to achieve active assistance of the knee joint in specific scenarios (such as climbing stairs), thus limiting the user's freedom of movement.

[0005] (3) Hip and knee motion decoupling problem: Existing designs often treat the hip and knee joints as independent systems, without fully considering their coupling characteristics in the gait cycle. For example, the hip joint swing energy cannot be transferred to the knee joint through the hydraulic system, resulting in low energy recycling rate.

[0006] (4) The contradiction between structural complexity and reliability: In order to achieve multi-mode switching, traditional solutions need to be configured with multiple independent valve bodies and oil circuits, resulting in a large system size, increased leakage risk, and complex control logic.

[0007] In recent years, researchers have attempted to improve prosthetic performance through integrated motor drives and variable damping valves, but problems such as fragmented energy management and response delays still exist. For example, application number 200980122636.0 proposed a semi-driven prosthetic knee joint device, which achieves driven and non-driven modes through a hydraulic pump and damping adjustment valve. However, the hydraulic valve circuit is extremely complex, and the hydraulic pump and motor make the structure complex and bulky. Application number 201610222938.7 proposed an electro-hydraulic damping cylinder structure. However, during the operation of the knee joint, when the hydraulic oil in the cavity is compressed, the motor is subjected to a large axial load, which easily leads to step loss and inability to reach the designated position during adjustment, seriously affecting the performance of knee joint damping adjustment. Furthermore, when the piston is made into two parts, the precision of machining and assembly is difficult to guarantee.

[0008] Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need for a knee joint energy management mechanism for hip-knee coupled movements. Through the high integration of hydraulic systems and intelligent control, dynamic energy recovery, active drive, and multi-mode adaptive adjustment can be achieved, thereby breaking through the limitations of existing prostheses in terms of energy efficiency, motion performance, and structural compactness. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To address the aforementioned problems, the purpose of this invention is to provide a knee joint energy management system for hip-knee coupled motion. Through the coordinated design of the hydraulic system and energy management, dynamic damping adjustment, active drive control, and energy recovery and storage of knee joint motion are achieved.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a knee joint energy management system for hip-knee coupled motion, comprising:

[0011] A knee joint hydraulic cylinder, the output end of which is connected to the motion component of the prosthetic knee joint, includes an upper knee cavity oil hole and a lower knee cavity oil hole;

[0012] The system includes an energy management module with several hydraulic circuits and a rotatable knee joint flow regulating valve body, which includes several independent slots.

[0013] Rotate the knee joint flow regulating valve body to connect different hydraulic oil circuits with the upper and lower knee cavity oil holes through the slot. Each connection state forms a working mode.

[0014] Furthermore, the knee joint hydraulic cylinder includes a knee piston rod, a knee hydraulic cylinder cover, a knee hydraulic piston, and a knee hydraulic cylinder body; the lower end of the knee piston rod can be connected to the prosthetic knee joint motion component; the upper end of the knee piston rod is threadedly connected to the knee hydraulic piston, making the knee joint hydraulic cylinder a single-sided rod-type hydraulic cylinder; the knee hydraulic cylinder body is divided into an upper knee hydraulic cylinder chamber and a lower knee hydraulic cylinder chamber by the knee hydraulic piston, the upper chamber of the knee hydraulic cylinder body is provided with an upper knee chamber oil hole, and the lower chamber is provided with a lower knee chamber oil hole; the energy management module includes an energy management base, a knee joint flow regulating valve body, a knee joint flow regulating motor module, a hydraulic active drive motor, a hydraulic gear pump, an energy storage chamber cover, an energy storage chamber spring, and an energy storage chamber piston.

[0015] Furthermore, the energy management base includes a hip joint valve body cavity, a knee joint valve body cavity, an energy storage cavity, a hydraulic gear pump cavity, a hydraulic oil circuit in the upper knee cavity, a hydraulic oil circuit in the lower knee cavity, a front section of the active drive oil circuit, an energy transmission passage, and a rear section of the active drive oil circuit.

[0016] One end of the upper knee cavity hydraulic circuit is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity, and the other end is connected to the upper knee cavity oil hole; one end of the lower knee cavity hydraulic circuit is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity, the other end is connected to the lower knee cavity oil hole, and the other end is connected to the rear section of the active drive circuit; one end of the front section of the active drive circuit is connected to the hip joint valve body cavity, the other end is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity, and the other end is connected to the inner side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity; one end of the energy transmission path is connected to the hip joint valve body cavity, the other end is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity, and the other end is connected to the energy storage cavity; one end of the rear section of the active drive circuit is connected to the outer side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity, the other end is connected to the lower hip cavity hydraulic circuit, and the other end is connected to the lower knee cavity hydraulic circuit;

[0017] The hydraulic gear pump is rotatably mounted inside the hydraulic gear pump chamber. When the hydraulic active drive motor rotates, it can drive the hydraulic gear pump to work, converting the motor's mechanical energy into hydraulic energy. The forward and reverse rotation of the motor can drive the hydraulic oil to flow from the front section of the active drive oil circuit to the rear section of the active drive oil circuit, or from the rear section of the active drive oil circuit to the front section of the active drive oil circuit.

[0018] Furthermore, the knee joint flow regulating valve body has a cylindrical structure, with a first-position slot and a second-position slot on the cylindrical surface. The knee joint flow regulating valve body is disposed within the knee joint valve body cavity, and a motor shaft is provided at the lower end of the knee joint flow regulating valve body. The motor shaft is connected to the knee joint flow regulating motor module, which can control the rotation angle of the knee joint flow regulating valve body to adjust the connection relationship and fitting clearance between different slots on the valve body and different hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base. The first-position slot and the second-position slot of the knee joint do not interfere with each other, and the plane formed by their centerlines and the central axis of the knee joint flow regulating valve body is 90 degrees to each other.

[0019] Furthermore, the knee valve body has a short "1" shaped slot. When the center line of the knee valve body's first slot coincides with the center line of the energy management base, the knee joint flow regulating valve body is in its initial state, which can connect the energy transmission path, the upper knee cavity hydraulic oil circuit, and the lower knee cavity hydraulic oil circuit. Excess hydraulic oil in its single-rod hydraulic cylinder can flow into the energy storage chamber through the energy transmission path for energy storage.

[0020] Furthermore, the knee valve body's two-position slot has an elongated "1"-shaped structure. When the knee joint flow regulating valve body is rotated clockwise from its initial position to 90 degrees, the center line of the knee valve body's two-position slot coincides with the center line of the energy management base, connecting the energy transmission path, the front section of the active drive oil circuit, and the hydraulic oil circuit of the upper knee cavity. In this state, the hydraulic active drive motor rotates, driving the hydraulic gear pump to work, which in turn pushes the hydraulic oil to flow and drive the active movement of the knee joint.

[0021] Furthermore, when the knee joint flow regulating valve body is rotated clockwise 180 degrees from its initial state, the slots on the knee joint flow regulating valve body do not coincide with the hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base, and the hydraulic oil circuits are not interconnected. In this state, the knee joint is in a locked mode.

[0022] Furthermore, since the knee joint hydraulic cylinder is a single-sided rod-type hydraulic cylinder, the allowable volume of hydraulic oil in the cylinder changes when the knee piston rod moves up and down. By adjusting the knee joint flow regulating valve, excess hydraulic oil in the knee joint hydraulic cylinder can flow to the energy storage chamber through the energy transmission path, and energy is stored and released based on the energy storage chamber spring and the energy storage chamber piston.

[0023] Furthermore, when the energy storage chamber is filled with oil (as when descending a long slope or stairs), the pressure generated by the knee joint hydraulic cylinder drives the hydraulic gear pump to drive the hydraulic active drive motor to generate electricity. The energy is stored in the battery in the form of electrical energy, minimizing the energy consumption of the prosthesis.

[0024] Furthermore, by controlling the rotation of the knee joint flow regulating valve body to adjust the deviation between the center line of the first slot of the knee valve body and the center line of the energy management base, the overlapping area of ​​the first slot of the knee valve body with the hydraulic oil circuit of the upper and lower knee cavity can be changed, thereby changing the flow area of ​​the hydraulic oil and thus changing the damping force experienced by the knee joint during flexion or extension movements.

[0025] This invention proposes a hip and knee hydraulic energy coupling architecture, which utilizes the coaxial linkage design of the energy storage chamber and the gear pump to achieve cross-joint energy recycling, improve energy recovery efficiency, reduce system volume, and solve the technical problems of hydraulic oil volume imbalance, insufficient active drive, and structural redundancy in traditional prostheses.

[0026] The core of this invention lies in the integrated design of a hydraulic system and an energy management module to achieve multifunctional dynamic energy management of the prosthetic knee joint, specifically including the following technical features:

[0027] (1) Hip-knee coupling hydraulic system architecture

[0028] The single-sided extension type knee joint hydraulic cylinder is connected to the energy management module through a hydraulic pipeline. The energy management module includes a knee joint flow regulating valve body, an energy storage chamber, a hydraulic gear pump, and a hydraulic active drive motor. The knee joint flow regulating valve body is provided with a first position slot and a second position slot. By rotating the valve body angle, the oil circuit connection state is switched, the knee joint flexion / extension damping is dynamically adjusted, and the energy transfer direction between the energy storage chamber and the hydraulic gear pump is controlled.

[0029] (2) Energy dynamic recovery and storage mechanism

[0030] During the knee flexion phase, excess hydraulic oil discharged from the lower chamber of the hydraulic cylinder enters the energy storage chamber through the energy transmission path, compressing the energy storage chamber spring to store mechanical energy. During the energy release phase, the energy storage chamber spring pushes the energy storage chamber piston, driving the hydraulic oil to be converted into electrical energy through the hydraulic gear pump for storage, or directly driving the gear pump in reverse through the hydraulic active drive motor to provide power for the active movement of the knee joint.

[0031] (3) Multi-mode adaptive switching

[0032] Damping adjustment mode: The valve body's first position slot connects to the upper and lower chambers of the knee joint hydraulic cylinder, and dynamic damping control is achieved by adjusting the oil circuit resistance;

[0033] Active drive / energy recovery mode: The valve body rotates to the second position slot to connect the energy storage chamber and the gear pump chamber. The hydraulic gear pump switches to energy recovery (power generation) or active drive (hydraulic power assist) state according to the control signal.

[0034] Locking mode: The valve body completely blocks the oil circuit to achieve rigid locking of the knee joint.

[0035] (4) Integrated energy management module design

[0036] The energy management base integrates the valve body cavity, energy storage cavity, and gear pump cavity, achieving pipeline-free connection through internal oil circuits; the hydraulic gear pump is coaxially arranged with the energy storage cavity, and the unidirectional flow of energy is controlled by a one-way valve group, simplifying the system structure.

[0037] The present invention, by adopting the above technical solution, has the following beneficial effects:

[0038] (1) Improved energy recycling efficiency: Through the linkage design of the energy storage chamber and the hydraulic gear pump, the dynamic storage and on-demand release of knee joint movement energy are realized, and the energy recovery efficiency is improved by more than 30%.

[0039] (2) Active drive and passive damping coordination: Supports seamless switching between passive damping adjustment and active drive to meet the motion needs of complex terrains such as stairs and slopes.

[0040] (3) Compact structure and reliability: A multi-mode hydraulic control mechanism based on a rotary valve body is proposed, which realizes integrated control of damping regulation, energy recovery and active drive through a single actuator; the integrated module design reduces the number of external pipelines and valves, reduces the risk of leakage, and the system volume is reduced by 40% compared with the traditional solution.

[0041] (4) Hip-knee motion energy coupling: The hip joint swing energy is transferred to the knee joint energy storage cavity through the hydraulic system to realize cross-joint energy collaborative management and break through the technical bottleneck of traditional prosthetic joint energy isolation management. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the knee joint energy management system for hip-knee coupling motion of a prosthesis in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the knee joint hydraulic cylinder in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the energy management module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the energy management base in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the knee joint flow regulating valve body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of different adjustment states of the knee joint flow regulating valve body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 7This is a diagram of the internal hydraulic circuit of the energy management module.

[0049] Figure 8 Installation diagram of a hydraulic gear pump

[0050] Figure 9 Structural diagram of a hydraulic gear pump

[0051] Figure 10 This is a structural diagram of a one-way valve.

[0052] Among them, 1-knee joint hydraulic cylinder,

[0053] 11-Knee piston rod, 12-Knee hydraulic cylinder head, 13-Knee hydraulic piston

[0054] 14-Knee hydraulic cylinder body, 141-Knee hydraulic cylinder upper chamber, 142-Knee hydraulic cylinder lower chamber, 143-Knee upper chamber oil hole, 144-Knee lower chamber oil hole.

[0055] Energy Management Module 2

[0056] 21-Energy management base, 211-Hip joint valve body cavity, 212-Knee joint valve body cavity, 213-Energy storage cavity, 214-Hydraulic gear pump cavity, 215-Hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit, 216-Hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit, 217-Knee upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit, 218-Knee lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit, 219-Active drive oil circuit front section, 2110-Energy transmission path, 2111-Active drive oil circuit rear section;

[0057] 22-Hip joint flow regulating valve body;

[0058] 23-Knee joint flow regulating valve body, 231-Knee valve body first position slot, 232-Knee valve body second position slot;

[0059] 25-Knee joint flow regulation motor module, 26-Hydraulic active drive motor, 27-Hydraulic gear pump, 28-Energy storage chamber cover, 29-Energy storage chamber spring, 210-Energy storage chamber piston. Detailed Implementation

[0060] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easy to understand, the following describes in detail the fabrication of the knee joint energy management mechanism for prosthetic hip-knee coupling motion in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0061] Figure 1 This is an overall schematic diagram of the knee joint energy management mechanism for prosthetic hip-knee coupling motion according to the present invention.

[0062] like Figure 1As shown, the knee joint energy management mechanism for prosthetic hip-knee coupling motion includes a knee joint hydraulic cylinder 1 and an energy management module 2.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a knee joint hydraulic cylinder.

[0064] like Figure 2 As shown, the knee joint hydraulic cylinder 1 includes a knee piston rod 11, a knee hydraulic cylinder cover 12, a knee hydraulic piston 13, and a knee hydraulic cylinder body 14; the lower end of the knee piston rod 11 can be slidably connected to the prosthetic knee joint motion component; the upper end of the knee piston rod 11 is connected to the knee hydraulic piston 13 by a thread, so that the knee joint hydraulic cylinder 1 forms a single-sided rod-type hydraulic cylinder; the knee hydraulic cylinder body 14 is divided into an upper knee hydraulic cylinder chamber 141 and a lower knee hydraulic cylinder chamber 142 by the knee hydraulic piston 13, the upper part of the knee hydraulic cylinder body 14 is provided with an upper knee chamber oil hole 143, and the lower part of the knee hydraulic cylinder body 14 is provided with a lower knee chamber oil hole 144.

[0065] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the energy management module;

[0066] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the energy management base.

[0067] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the energy management module 2 includes an energy management base 21, a hip joint flow regulating valve body 22, a knee joint flow regulating valve body 23, a knee joint flow regulating motor module 25, a hydraulic active drive motor 26, a hydraulic gear pump 27, an energy storage chamber cover 28, an energy storage chamber spring 29, and an energy storage chamber piston 210.

[0068] The energy management base 21 is provided with a hip joint valve body cavity 211, a knee joint valve body cavity 212, an energy storage cavity 213, a hydraulic gear pump cavity 214, a hydraulic oil circuit 215 for the upper hip cavity, a hydraulic oil circuit 216 for the lower hip cavity, a hydraulic oil circuit 217 for the upper knee cavity, a hydraulic oil circuit 218 for the lower knee cavity, a front section 219 for the active drive oil circuit, an energy transmission passage 2110, and a rear section 2111 for the active drive oil circuit.

[0069] like Figure 4 , Figure 7 As shown, one end of the upper knee cavity hydraulic oil passage 217 is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity 212, and the other end is connected to the upper knee cavity oil hole 143.

[0070] One end of the lower knee hydraulic oil circuit 218 is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity 212, the other end is connected to the lower knee oil hole 144, and the other end is connected to the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit.

[0071] One end of the active drive oil circuit front section 219 is connected to the hip joint valve body cavity 211, one end is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity 212, and one end is connected to the inner side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity 214.

[0072] One end of the energy transmission passage 2110 is connected to the hip joint valve body cavity 211, the other end is connected to the knee joint valve body cavity 212, and the third end is connected to the energy storage cavity 213. Since the knee joint hydraulic cylinder 1 is a single-sided rod-type hydraulic cylinder, the allowable volume of hydraulic oil in the cylinder changes when the knee piston rod 11 moves up and down. By adjusting the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23, excess hydraulic oil in the knee joint hydraulic cylinder 1 can flow to the energy storage cavity 213 through the energy transmission passage 2110, and energy is stored and released based on the energy storage cavity spring 29 and the energy storage cavity piston 210.

[0073] One end of the active drive oil circuit 2111 is connected to the outside of the hydraulic gear pump chamber 214, and the other end is connected to the hydraulic oil circuit 218 of the lower knee chamber;

[0074] The hydraulic gear pump 27 is located inside the hydraulic gear pump chamber 214. When the hydraulic active drive motor 26 rotates, it can drive the hydraulic gear pump 27 to work, converting the motor's mechanical energy into hydraulic energy. The forward and reverse rotation of the motor can drive the hydraulic oil to flow from the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit to the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit, or from the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit to the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit.

[0075] The cylinder of the hydraulic active drive motor 26 is fixed to the base on the energy management base 21, and the drive shaft and driven shaft of the hydraulic gear pump 27 are rotatably mounted on the base.

[0076] like Figures 8-9 The area where the driving gear and driven gear of the hydraulic gear pump mesh is located at 27, with an oil inlet on one side and an oil outlet on the other side.

[0077] The driving gear and driving shaft are connected by a key or integrally formed; the driven gear and driven shaft are connected by a key or integrally formed.

[0078] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the knee joint flow regulating valve body;

[0079] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the different adjustment states of the knee joint flow regulating valve. Figure 6 In, with Figure 4 The cross-sectional positions in the AA diagram are different.

[0080] like Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 has a cylindrical structure, with a first-position slot 231 and a second-position slot 232 on the cylindrical surface. The knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 is located inside the knee joint valve body cavity 212. A motor shaft is provided at the lower end of the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23, which is connected to the knee joint flow regulating motor module 25. The rotation angle of the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 can be controlled by the knee joint flow regulating motor module 25 to adjust the connection relationship and fit clearance between different slots on the valve body and different hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base 21. The first-position slot 231 and the second-position slot 232 of the knee joint do not interfere with each other, and the plane formed by their centerlines and the central axis of the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 is 90 degrees to each other.

[0081] Figure 6 The A in the text represents the damping adjustment mode, which is suitable for the natural swaying motion when walking on flat ground. Figure 6 The A in the text refers to Figure 6 The context is similar to that in Figure A.

[0082] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown in Figure A, the knee valve body's first-position slot 231 has a short "1"-shaped structure. When the centerline of the knee valve body's first-position slot 231 coincides with the centerline of the energy management base 21, the knee joint flow regulating valve body is in its initial state, connecting the energy transmission path 2110, the upper knee cavity hydraulic oil passage 217, and the lower knee cavity hydraulic oil passage 218. By controlling the rotation of the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 to adjust the deviation between the centerline of the knee valve body's first-position slot 231 and the centerline of the energy management base 21, the overlapping area of ​​the knee valve body's first-position slot 231 with the upper knee cavity hydraulic oil passage 217 and the lower knee cavity hydraulic oil passage 218 can be changed, thereby changing the flow area of ​​the hydraulic oil and thus adjusting the damping force experienced by the knee joint during flexion or extension movements. In addition, excess hydraulic oil in its single-rod hydraulic cylinder can flow into the energy storage chamber 213 through the energy transmission path 2110 for energy storage.

[0083] The centerline of the energy management base 21 refers to the centerline of the joint valve cavity on it.

[0084] Figure 6 In section A, during the stretching motion, the hydraulic oil flows through the following paths: lower chamber 142 of the knee hydraulic cylinder, lower chamber hydraulic oil passage 218 of the knee, first position slot 231 of the knee valve body, upper chamber hydraulic oil passage 217 of the knee, and upper chamber 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder. In addition, the hydraulic oil in the energy storage chamber 213 flows to the upper chamber 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder via the energy transmission passage 2110, first position slot 231 of the knee valve body, and upper chamber hydraulic oil passage 217 of the knee.

[0085] Figure 6In section A, during flexion, the hydraulic oil flows through the following paths: upper chamber 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder, upper chamber hydraulic oil passage 217 of the knee, part of which flows through energy transmission passage 2110 to the second position slot 223 of the hip valve body, and the other part flows to the first position slot 231 of the knee valve body, lower chamber hydraulic oil passage 218 of the knee, and lower chamber 142 of the knee hydraulic cylinder.

[0086] Figure 6 B in the text represents the active drive / energy recovery mode.

[0087] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown in Figure B, the knee valve body's two-position slot 232 has an elongated "1"-shaped structure. When the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 rotates clockwise from its initial position to 90 degrees, the centerline of the knee valve body's two-position slot 232 coincides with the centerline of the energy management base 21, connecting the energy transmission path 2110, the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit, and the hydraulic oil circuit 217 of the upper knee cavity. In this state, the hydraulic active drive motor 26 rotates, driving the hydraulic gear pump 27 to work, which can push the hydraulic oil to flow and drive the active movement of the knee joint; or when the energy storage chamber 213 is full of oil (such as when descending a long slope or stairs), the pressure generated by the knee joint hydraulic cylinder 1 can drive the hydraulic gear pump 27 to drive the hydraulic active drive motor 26 to generate electricity, and the energy is stored in the battery in the form of electrical energy, minimizing the energy consumption of the prosthesis.

[0088] Figure 6 In section B, when the hydraulic gear pump reverses, the hydraulic oil flows through the following paths: the rear section of the active drive oil circuit 2111, the lower knee hydraulic oil circuit 218, and the lower knee hydraulic cylinder 142. At this time, the volume of hydraulic oil in the lower knee hydraulic cylinder 142 increases, driving the knee hydraulic piston 13 to move upward.

[0089] The volume of the upper chamber 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder is reduced, so that the hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder flows to the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit through the upper chamber hydraulic oil circuit 217 and the two-position slot 232 of the knee valve body, thus completing the closed loop of hydraulic oil flow.

[0090] Therefore, when the hydraulic gear pump reverses, it enables active flexion of the knee joint.

[0091] When the hydraulic gear pump rotates forward, the hydraulic oil flows through the following path: the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit, the second position slot 232 of the knee valve body, the hydraulic oil circuit 217 of the upper cavity of the knee, and the upper cavity 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder. At this time, the volume of hydraulic oil in the upper cavity 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder increases, driving the knee hydraulic piston 13 to move downward.

[0092] The volume of the lower chamber 142 of the knee hydraulic cylinder is reduced, so that the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 142 of the knee hydraulic cylinder flows to the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit through the lower chamber hydraulic oil circuit 218, thus completing the closed loop of hydraulic oil flow.

[0093] Therefore, when the hydraulic gear pump rotates forward, it enables the knee joint to actively extend.

[0094] In conclusion, Figure 6 B in the exercise involves active knee joint movement, including flexion and extension.

[0095] The hydraulic oil flow path during the stretching movement is as follows: the rear section of the active drive oil circuit 2111, the lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit 218, the lower cavity of the knee hydraulic cylinder 142; the upper cavity of the knee hydraulic cylinder 141, the upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit 217, the two-position slot of the knee valve body 232, and the front section of the active drive oil circuit 219.

[0096] The flow path of the hydraulic oil during flexion is as follows: front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit, second position slot 232 of the knee valve body, upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit 217 of the knee, upper cavity 141 of the knee hydraulic cylinder; lower cavity 142 of the knee hydraulic cylinder, lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit 218 of the knee, and rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit.

[0097] Figure 6 The C in the code represents the locked mode.

[0098] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown in C, when the knee joint flow regulating valve 23 flows from... Figure 6 When the knee joint flow regulating valve body 23 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise in state B, none of the slots on the valve body 23 coincide with the hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base 21, and the hydraulic oil circuits are not interconnected. In this state, the knee joint is in a locked mode.

[0099] In conclusion, Figure 6 In this context, A represents passively damped motion, which can be achieved through both flexion and extension.

[0100] Figure 6 In this context, B represents active movement, which can include both flexion and extension.

[0101] Figure 6 In this context, C represents the locked state.

[0102] This invention relates to a knee joint energy management mechanism for prosthetic hip-knee coupled motion. Through an innovative hydraulic system and energy management module design, it achieves core functions such as dynamic damping adjustment, active drive control, energy recovery and storage, and locking mode switching for prosthetic knee joint movement. Its specific functions and effects are as follows:

[0103] (1) Dynamic management of hip-knee coupling energy: Through the synergistic effect of the single-sided extension-type knee joint hydraulic cylinder and the energy management module, the problem of energy imbalance caused by the change of hydraulic cylinder volume during the movement of the prosthetic knee joint is solved. The knee joint flow regulating valve adjusts the flow area of ​​the hydraulic oil circuit by rotating the angle, dynamically controlling the damping force of knee flexion / extension. At the same time, excess hydraulic oil is transported to the energy storage chamber for compression and energy storage through the energy transmission path (the energy storage chamber spring and the energy storage chamber piston cooperate), or the mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy for storage through the hydraulic gear pump, which significantly improves the energy utilization efficiency of the prosthetic movement.

[0104] (2) Multi-mode intelligent switching: Through the rotation control of the knee joint flow regulating valve body, the system can achieve seamless switching between three functional modes: 1) Damping adjustment mode ( Figure 6 A): In the initial state, the first slot of the knee valve body connects to the upper and lower chamber oil circuits of the knee hydraulic cylinder, supporting dynamic damping adjustment, suitable for natural swinging during flat walking, improving movement smoothness and gait adaptability; 2) Active drive / energy recovery mode ( Figure 6 B): When the valve body rotates 90 degrees, the two-position slot of the knee valve body connects the active drive oil circuit and the energy storage chamber. The hydraulic gear pump can drive the hydraulic fluid to actively move the knee joint (such as climbing stairs) under the control of the hydraulic active drive motor, or generate electricity in reverse under the hydraulic pressure drive of the energy storage chamber, converting energy into electrical energy for storage. This is suitable for energy recycling in complex terrain; 3) Locking mode ( Figure 6 (C) The valve body completely blocks the oil circuit, achieving rigid locking of the knee joint and ensuring the stability of the user in standing or static postures.

[0105] (3) High-efficiency energy recovery and active drive: Through the linkage design of hydraulic gear pump and energy storage chamber, the system can convert the pressure energy generated by the hydraulic cylinder of the knee joint into electrical energy storage in scenarios such as going downhill and going down stairs, so as to minimize the external power supply demand of the prosthesis; at the same time, the hydraulic active drive motor can drive the hydraulic gear pump in reverse based on the user's movement intention to realize active assistance of the knee joint, enhance the movement response capability of the prosthesis and the user's control experience.

[0106] (4) Compact structure and integrated functions: The energy management base integrates hydraulic oil circuit, valve body cavity, energy storage cavity and gear pump cavity through integrated design, which significantly reduces the complexity of pipeline connection and reduces the risk of leakage; the knee joint flow regulating valve body adopts a double groove structure, and realizes multi-oil circuit control through a single rotating valve body, which simplifies the actuator and improves the reliability of the system.

[0107] This mechanism achieves energy self-consistency, multi-mode adaptation, and efficient energy circulation for prosthetic knee joint movement through deep coupling of hydraulic system and energy management, effectively improving the naturalness of movement, endurance, and adaptability to complex environments of the prosthesis, and providing an innovative solution for the intelligence and energy saving of lower limb prostheses.

Claims

1. A knee energy management system oriented to the coupled motion of the hip and knee of a prosthetic leg, characterized in that, The knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) is connected with the prosthetic knee joint movement component at the output end, and includes a knee upper cavity oil hole (143) and a knee lower cavity oil hole (144). The energy management module (2) is provided with a plurality of hydraulic oil paths, and a knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) is rotatably arranged, wherein the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) includes a plurality of independent notches. The knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) is rotated to communicate different hydraulic oil paths with the knee upper cavity oil hole (143) and the knee lower cavity oil hole (144) through the notches, and each communication state forms a working mode. The knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) includes a knee piston rod (11), a knee hydraulic cylinder cover (12), a knee hydraulic piston (13), and a knee hydraulic cylinder body (14). The lower end of the knee piston rod (11) is connected with the prosthetic knee joint movement component. The upper end of the knee piston rod (11) is connected with the knee hydraulic piston (13) through threads, so that the knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) forms a single-side rod type hydraulic cylinder. The knee hydraulic cylinder body (14) is divided into a knee hydraulic cylinder upper cavity (141) and a knee hydraulic cylinder lower cavity (142) by the knee hydraulic piston (13). The knee hydraulic cylinder upper cavity (141) is provided with the knee upper cavity oil hole (143), and the knee hydraulic cylinder lower cavity (142) is provided with the knee lower cavity oil hole (144). The energy management module (2) includes an energy management base (21), a knee joint flow regulating valve body (23), a knee joint flow regulating motor module (25), a hydraulic main drive motor (26), a hydraulic gear pump (27), an energy storage cavity cover (28), an energy storage cavity spring (29), and an energy storage cavity piston (210). The energy management base (21) is provided with a hip joint valve body cavity (211), a knee joint valve body cavity (212), an energy storage cavity (213), a hydraulic gear pump cavity (214), a knee upper cavity hydraulic oil path (217), a knee lower cavity hydraulic oil path (218), a front section of a main drive oil path (219), an energy transmission path (2110), and a rear section of the main drive oil path (2111). One end of the knee upper cavity hydraulic oil path (217) is communicated with the knee joint valve body cavity (212), and the other end is communicated with the knee upper cavity oil hole (143). One end of the knee lower cavity hydraulic oil path (218) is communicated with the knee joint valve body cavity (212), the other end is communicated with the knee lower cavity oil hole (144), and the other end is communicated with the rear section of the main drive oil path (2111). One end of the front section of the main drive oil path (219) is communicated with the hip joint valve body cavity (211), one end is communicated with the knee joint valve body cavity (212), and the other end is communicated with the inner side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity (214). One end of the energy transmission path (2110) is communicated with the hip joint valve body cavity (211), one end is communicated with the knee joint valve body cavity (212), and the other end is communicated with the energy storage cavity (213). ​ The rear section (2111) of the active drive oil circuit is in communication with the outside of the hydraulic gear pump cavity (214) at one end and the lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit (218) at the other end; The knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) is arranged in the knee joint valve body cavity (212), and a motor shaft is arranged at the lower end of the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) and connected with the knee joint flow regulating motor module (25), so that the rotation angle of the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) can be controlled by the knee joint flow regulating motor module (25) to adjust the communication relationship and cooperation gap between different slots on the valve body and different hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base (21). The hydraulic gear pump (27) is arranged in the hydraulic gear pump cavity (214) and connected with the hydraulic active drive motor (26), and includes two oil ports, which are arranged between the rear section (2111) of the active drive oil circuit and the front section (219) of the active drive oil circuit. When the hydraulic active drive motor (26) rotates, the hydraulic gear pump (27) can be driven to work, the mechanical energy of the motor is converted into hydraulic energy, and the hydraulic oil is pushed from the front section (219) of the active drive oil circuit to the rear section (2111) of the active drive oil circuit or from the rear section (2111) of the active drive oil circuit to the front section (219) of the active drive oil circuit by forward and reverse rotation of the motor. The energy storage cavity cover (28) is arranged on the energy storage cavity (213), and the energy storage cavity cover (28) is sequentially connected with the energy storage cavity spring (29) and the energy storage cavity piston (210). The rotation of the hydraulic active drive motor (26) drives the hydraulic gear pump (27) to work, so that the hydraulic oil is pushed to flow to drive the active movement of the knee joint; or when the energy storage cavity (213) is filled with oil, the pressure energy generated by the knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) can drive the hydraulic gear pump (27) to drive the hydraulic active drive motor (26) to generate electricity, and the energy is stored in the battery in the form of electrical energy. The knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) is in a cylindrical structure, and a one-bit slot (231) and a two-bit slot (232) are arranged on the cylindrical surface; the one-bit slot (231) is in a short 1-shaped structure. The one-bit slot (231) and the two-bit slot (232) do not interfere with each other, and the lines of the two-bit slot (232) and the two-bit slot (232) are perpendicular to each other; the two-bit slot (232) is in a long 1-shaped structure. When the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) rotates clockwise from the initial state to 180 degrees, none of the slots on the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) coincides with the hydraulic oil circuit in the energy management base (21), and the hydraulic oil circuits are not in communication with each other; in this state, the knee joint is in a locking mode.

2. The knee joint energy management system for the hip-knee coupling movement of the artificial limb according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knee valve body one slot (231) extends along the axial direction, when the center line of the knee valve body one slot (231) coincides with the center line of the energy management base (21), at this time the knee joint flow regulating valve body is in the initial state, the energy transmission passage (2110), the knee upper cavity hydraulic oil path (217) and the knee lower cavity hydraulic oil path (218) are communicated. The excess hydraulic oil in the single-out-rod hydraulic cylinder can flow into the energy storage cavity (213) through the energy transmission passage (2110) to store energy.

3. The knee joint energy management system for the hip-knee coupling motion of the artificial limb according to claim 1, characterized in that: The knee valve body two slot (232) extends along the axial direction, when the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) rotates clockwise from the initial position to 90 degrees, the center line of the knee valve body two slot (232) coincides with the center line of the energy management base (21), the energy transmission passage (2110), the front section of the main drive oil path (219) and the knee upper cavity hydraulic oil path (217) are communicated; in this state, the hydraulic main drive motor (26) rotates to drive the hydraulic gear pump (27) to work, which can drive the hydraulic oil to flow to drive the knee joint active motion.

4. The knee joint energy management system for the hip-knee coupling motion of the artificial limb according to claim 1, characterized in that: Since the knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) is a single-out-rod hydraulic cylinder, when the knee piston rod (11) moves up and down, the volume of the hydraulic oil in the cylinder changes, by adjusting the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23), the excess hydraulic oil in the knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) can flow to the energy storage cavity (213) through the energy transmission passage (2110), and the energy storage and release are based on the energy storage cavity spring (29) and the energy storage cavity piston (210).

5. The knee joint energy management system for the hip-knee coupling motion of the artificial limb according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the energy storage cavity (213) is full of oil, at this time the pressure energy generated by the knee joint hydraulic cylinder (1) can drive the hydraulic gear pump (27) to drive the hydraulic main drive motor (26) to generate electricity, the energy is stored in the battery in the form of electrical energy, which maximizes the reduction of energy consumption of the artificial limb.

6. The knee joint energy management system for the hip-knee coupling motion of the artificial limb according to claim 1, characterized in that: By controlling the rotation of the knee joint flow regulating valve body (23) to adjust the deviation degree of the center line of the knee valve body one slot (231) and the center line of the energy management base (21), the overlapping area of the knee valve body one slot (231) and the knee upper cavity hydraulic oil path (217) and the knee lower cavity hydraulic oil path (218) can be changed, and then the flow area of the hydraulic oil can be changed, so that the damping force of the knee joint flexion or extension motion can be adjusted.

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