Hip joint energy management system for lower limb double-joint collaborative artificial limb

Abstract

The invention provides a hip joint energy management system for a lower limb double-joint collaborative artificial limb, and relates to the technical field of bionic artificial limbs. The mechanism comprises a hip joint hydraulic cylinder and an energy management module. The hip joint hydraulic cylinder is of a double-side rod-out type structure, and energy storage and release are achieved through linkage of a hip energy storage spring and a hydraulic piston. The energy management module integrates a multi-channel hydraulic oil way and a rotatable adjusting valve body, and through switching of a three-position notch structure of the hip joint flow adjusting valve body, four working modes of one-way damping locking, double-joint energy interaction, active driving and energy recovery are achieved. The core innovation of the invention lies in that the energy flow between the hip and knee joints is dynamically regulated and controlled through the hydraulic system, and the synergistic effect of the energy storage spring and the hydraulic gear pump is combined, so that the problems of serious energy dissipation and poor multi-joint collaboration of the traditional artificial limb are solved, and the energy utilization efficiency is remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a prosthetic joint energy management mechanism, and in particular to a hip joint energy management mechanism for a lower limb double-joint coordinated prosthesis. Background Art

[0002] Lower limb prosthetics, a key branch of rehabilitation engineering, aims to restore amputees' natural mobility through biomimetic structural design. Traditional prosthetic joints often utilize passive mechanical structures (such as spring-damper systems) or single hydraulic drive schemes, resulting in the following technical bottlenecks:

[0003] (1) Energy management inefficiency

[0004] With existing prosthetic limbs, approximately 60-70% of the gravitational potential and kinetic energy generated during the gait cycle is dissipated as heat through the damper. In particular, during the knee flexion phase at the end of the stance phase, the energy recovery rate is less than 15%, resulting in an approximately 30% increase in the user's metabolic energy expenditure during walking. Furthermore, independent energy flows between the hip and knee joints prevent cross-joint energy synergy, leading to poor movement coordination and discontinuous gait.

[0005] (2) Insufficient adaptability to multiple working conditions

[0006] Traditional hydraulic prosthetic limbs typically use fixed damping coefficients, making it difficult to dynamically switch between walking on flat ground, climbing stairs, and walking downhill. For example, when walking downhill, joint damping needs to be increased to prevent uncontrolled movement. However, existing technologies often rely on manual mechanical adjustments and cannot achieve adaptive damping matching for motion states, which can lead to gait abnormalities and the risk of falls.

[0007] (3) Conflict between active drive and energy recovery

[0008] Existing active prosthetics mostly use direct motor drive solutions. While these solutions can provide additional driving force, they suffer from one-way energy consumption and short battery life. Energy recovery devices (such as piezoelectric generators) proposed in some studies are inefficient and independent of the active drive system, making closed-loop energy management difficult.

[0009] (3) Structural integration limitations

[0010] The valve control system and drive module of traditional hydraulic prostheses are mostly split-type designs, and the hydraulic pipelines are complex (usually requiring 20-30 independent oil circuits), resulting in overall weight overload, seriously affecting wearing comfort, and posing the risk of oil leakage.

[0011] While recent research has attempted to optimize energy transfer through bionic hydraulic systems (e.g., application number 202011360160.9, which employs a dual-chamber hydraulic cylinder for energy storage), key technologies such as multi-joint energy coupling and dynamic mode switching remain elusive. Therefore, a highly integrated hip joint energy management mechanism that supports optimized cross-joint energy distribution and multi-modal intelligent control is urgently needed to enhance the bionic kinematics and energy self-sustaining capabilities of lower-limb prostheses. Summary of the Invention

[0012] In response to the above problems, the present invention proposes a hip joint energy management mechanism for a lower limb dual-joint collaborative prosthesis. Through an innovative hydraulic system architecture and multi-modal switching technology, it realizes integrated control of cross-joint energy optimization distribution, active drive and energy recovery, and ultimately improves the prosthesis's motion bionics, energy transfer capability and multi-working condition adaptability.

[0013] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0014] A hip joint energy management system for a lower limb double-joint collaborative prosthesis, comprising a hip joint hydraulic cylinder and an energy management module;

[0015] A hip joint hydraulic cylinder, the output end of which is connected to the prosthetic hip joint motion component, and includes an upper hip cavity oil hole and a lower hip cavity oil hole;

[0016] An energy management module, wherein a plurality of hydraulic oil circuits are provided therein and a hip joint flow regulating valve body is rotatably provided therein, wherein the hip joint flow regulating valve body includes a plurality of independent notches;

[0017] The hip joint flow regulating valve body is rotated to connect different hydraulic oil circuits with the upper hip cavity oil hole and the lower hip cavity oil hole through the slots, and each connection state forms a working mode.

[0018] Furthermore, the hip joint hydraulic cylinder includes a hip piston rod, a hip hydraulic cylinder cover, a hip hydraulic piston, a hip hydraulic cylinder body and a hip energy storage spring; the upper end of the hip piston rod can be connected to the prosthetic hip joint motion component; the middle end of the hip piston rod is connected to the hip hydraulic piston by a thread and passes through the hip hydraulic piston, so that the hip joint hydraulic cylinder forms a double-rod hydraulic cylinder; the hip hydraulic cylinder body is divided into a hip hydraulic cylinder upper chamber and a hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber with the hip hydraulic piston as the boundary, the upper chamber part of the hip hydraulic cylinder body is provided with a hip upper chamber oil hole, and the lower chamber part is provided with a hip lower chamber oil hole; the hip energy storage spring is built into the hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber, and the compression and rebound of the hip energy storage spring are realized by the up and down movement of the hip hydraulic piston during the hip joint movement, thereby realizing the energy storage and release of the hip joint movement; the energy management module includes an energy management base, a hip joint flow regulating valve body, a hip 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;

[0019] Furthermore, the energy management base is provided with a hip joint valve body cavity, a knee joint valve body cavity, an energy storage cavity, a hydraulic gear pump cavity, a hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit, a hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit, an active drive oil circuit front section, an energy transmission path and an active drive oil circuit rear section;

[0020] One end of the hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity, one end is in communication with the hip upper cavity oil hole, and one end is in communication with the rear section of the active drive oil circuit; one end of the hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity, and one end is in communication with the hip lower cavity oil hole; one end of the front section of the active drive oil circuit is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity, one end is in communication with the knee joint valve body cavity, and one end is in communication with the inner side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity; one end of the energy transmission pathway is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity, one end is in communication with the knee joint valve body cavity, and one end is in communication with the energy storage cavity; one end of the rear section of the active drive oil circuit is in communication with the outer side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity, one end is in communication with the hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit, and one end is in communication with the knee lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit;

[0021] The hydraulic gear pump is rotatably arranged in the hydraulic gear pump chamber, which is connected to the hydraulic active drive motor 27. It includes two oil ports, both of which are placed between the rear section of the active drive oil circuit and the front section of the active drive oil circuit; when the hydraulic active drive motor rotates, it can drive the hydraulic gear pump to work, convert the mechanical energy of the motor into hydraulic energy, and promote 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 through the forward and reverse rotation of the motor.

[0022] Furthermore, the hip joint flow regulating valve body is a cylindrical structure, and the cylindrical surface is provided with a hip valve body first-position notch, a hip valve body second-position notch and a hip valve body third-position notch; the hip joint flow regulating valve body is arranged in the hip joint valve body cavity, and a motor shaft is provided at the upper end of the hip joint flow regulating valve body, which is connected to the hip joint flow regulating motor module through the motor shaft, and the rotation angle of the hip joint flow regulating valve body can be controlled by the hip joint flow regulating motor module to adjust the connection relationship between different notches on the valve body and different hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base; the hip valve body first-position notch, the hip valve body second-position notch and the hip valve body third-position notch do not interfere with each other, and the planes formed by the midlines of the three and the central axis of the hip joint flow regulating valve body are 90 degrees to each other;

[0023] Furthermore, the first notch of the hip valve body is a short "1"-shaped structure with a one-way valve installed inside. When the centerline of the first notch of the hip valve body coincides with the centerline of the energy management base, the hip joint flow control valve body is in its initial state. In this state, the hydraulic oil circuit of the upper hip chamber is connected to the hydraulic oil circuit of the lower hip chamber, and the one-way valve ensures that the hydraulic oil can flow only in one direction, from the lower chamber to the upper chamber. This means that the hip hydraulic piston can only move downward, thus allowing only one-way extension movement of the hip joint.

[0024] Furthermore, the second notch of the hip valve body is an "E"-shaped structure. When the hip joint flow control valve body is rotated clockwise to 90 degrees from its initial state, the centerline of the second notch of the hip valve body coincides with the centerline of the energy management base, connecting the energy transmission pathway, the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit, and the lower hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit. In this state, energy transmission and flow can be achieved in the hip and knee joints through the energy transmission pathway.

[0025] Furthermore, the three-position notch on the hip valve body is shaped like an inverted "7." When the hip joint flow control valve body is rotated clockwise to 180 degrees from its initial position, the centerline of the three-position notch on the hip valve body coincides with the centerline of the energy management base, connecting the front section of the active drive oil circuit, the energy transmission pathway, and the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit with the lower hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit. In this state, the hydraulic active drive motor rotates, driving the hydraulic gear pump, which promotes the flow of hydraulic oil to drive active hip joint movement. Simultaneously, energy transfer and flow between the hip and knee joints can be achieved through the energy transmission pathway.

[0026] Furthermore, when the hip joint flow control valve body is rotated counterclockwise to 90 degrees from its initial state, the notches on the hip joint flow control valve body no longer overlap with the hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base, and the hydraulic oil circuits are no longer connected. In this state, the hip joint is in locked mode.

[0027] Furthermore, when the energy storage chamber is filled with oil (such as when going down a long slope or stairs), the pressure generated by the hip joint hydraulic cylinder can drive 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, thereby minimizing the energy consumption of the prosthesis.

[0028] Furthermore, by controlling the rotation of the hip joint flow regulating valve body to adjust the degree of deviation between the center line of the first slot of the hip valve body and the center line of the energy management base, the overlapping area of the first slot of the hip valve body and the upper hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit and the lower hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit can be changed, thereby changing the flow area of the hydraulic oil, so that the damping force exerted on the hip joint during unidirectional extension movement can be changed and adjusted.

[0029] The present invention adopts the above technical solution, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0030] (1) Improved cross-joint energy coordination efficiency: Bidirectional energy conduction between the knee and hip joints is achieved through energy transmission pathways, significantly improving prosthetic movement coordination and energy utilization.

[0031] (2) Multi-modal seamless switching: A single valve body integrates four working modes, and the switching time is greatly shortened compared to the traditional multi-valve system, meeting the real-time control needs of scenes such as going up and down stairs and downhill.

[0032] (3) Dynamic damping adjustable feature: By adjusting the overlap area between the notch of the hip valve body and the oil circuit, the cross-sectional area of the hydraulic oil flow can be continuously controlled. This design allows the hip joint extension damping coefficient to be adjusted steplessly within a certain range to meet the personalized needs of users of different weights and exercise intensities;

[0033] (4) Energy self-sustaining and efficiency-enhancing effect: The integration of energy storage springs (hip energy storage springs, energy storage chamber springs) and a hydraulic energy recovery system can recover the dissipated energy during the gait cycle. Combined with the active drive module, the overall energy consumption of the prosthesis is reduced. Especially when descending stairs, the energy recovery system can compensate for the energy consumption of the active drive, achieving zero-power movement.

[0034] (5) Advantages of structural integration: The double-side rod hydraulic cylinder is combined with an integrated energy management base design to integrate the traditional separate damping adjustment, energy storage, and power drive units, which is lighter than the traditional solution. At the same time, the valve body cavity integrated design reduces the complexity of the hydraulic pipeline and improves the system reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 is an overall schematic diagram of the hip joint energy management mechanism for the lower limb dual-joint collaborative prosthesis in this embodiment;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the hip joint hydraulic cylinder in this embodiment;

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an energy management module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the energy management base in this embodiment;

[0039] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the hip joint flow regulating valve body in this embodiment;

[0040] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of different adjustment states of the hip joint flow control valve body in this embodiment;

[0041] Figure 7 This is the internal hydraulic circuit diagram of the energy management module;

[0042] Figure 8 This is the installation diagram of the hydraulic gear pump;

[0043] Figure 9 This is the structural diagram of the hydraulic gear pump;

[0044] Figure 10 This is the structural diagram of the one-way valve.

[0045] Among them, 1-hip joint hydraulic cylinder,

[0046] 11-Hip piston rod, 12-Hip hydraulic cylinder cover, 13-Hip hydraulic piston,

[0047] 14-Hip hydraulic cylinder body, 141-Hip hydraulic cylinder upper chamber, 142-Hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber, 143-Hip upper chamber oil hole, 144-Hip lower chamber oil hole,

[0048] 15- Hip energy storage spring,

[0049] 2- Energy management module,

[0050] 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;

[0051] 22 - hip joint flow regulating valve body, 221 - hip valve body first-position notch, 223 - hip valve body second-position notch, 224 - hip valve body third-position notch; 222 - one-way valve;

[0052] 23-knee joint flow regulating valve body;

[0053] 24-hip 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 DESCRIPTION

[0054] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the hip joint energy management mechanism for the lower limb double-joint collaborative prosthesis of the present invention is specifically explained below in combination with the drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0055] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall hip joint energy management system for lower limb dual-joint collaborative prosthesis.

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown, the hip joint energy management mechanism for the lower limb double-joint collaborative prosthesis includes a hip joint hydraulic cylinder 1 and an energy management module 2.

[0057] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the hip joint hydraulic cylinder.

[0058] like Figure 2 As shown, the hip joint hydraulic cylinder 1 includes: a hip piston rod 11, a hip hydraulic cylinder cover 12, a hip hydraulic piston 13, a hip hydraulic cylinder body 14 and a hip energy storage spring 15;

[0059] The upper end of the hip piston rod 11 can be slidably connected to the prosthetic hip joint motion component; the middle end of the hip piston rod 11 is connected to the hip hydraulic piston 13 by a thread and penetrates the hip hydraulic piston 13, so that the hip joint hydraulic cylinder 1 forms a double-rod hydraulic cylinder, ensuring that the total volume of hydraulic oil in the cylinder remains unchanged when the hip piston rod 11 moves up and down;

[0060] The hip hydraulic cylinder body 14 is divided into a hip hydraulic cylinder upper chamber 141 and a hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber 142 by the hip hydraulic piston 13. The upper chamber of the hip hydraulic cylinder body 14 is provided with a hip upper chamber oil hole 143, and the lower chamber is provided with a hip lower chamber oil hole 144.

[0061] The hip energy storage spring 15 is built into the lower chamber 11 of the hip hydraulic cylinder. The compression and rebound of the hip energy storage spring 15 are achieved by the up and down movement of the hip hydraulic piston 13 during the movement of the hip joint, thereby realizing the energy storage and release of the hip joint movement;

[0062] The reason why the total volume of the hydraulic oil in the hip joint hydraulic cylinder 1 remains unchanged is that the volume occupied by the hip piston rod 11 in the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder and the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder are the same.

[0063] Specifically, the hip energy storage spring 15 is built between the hip hydraulic piston 13 and the lower bottom surface of the hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber 142 and is in a compressed state.

[0064] Specifically, one end of the hip energy storage spring 15 is fixed to the hip hydraulic piston 13, and the other end is fixed to the hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber 142. In other embodiments, the hip energy storage spring 15 is placed between the hip hydraulic piston 13 and the lower bottom surface of the hip hydraulic cylinder lower chamber 142.

[0065] The hip hydraulic cylinder cover 12 is adapted to fit the hip hydraulic cylinder body 14 to seal it.

[0066] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the energy management module;

[0067] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the energy management base.

[0068] 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 hip joint flow regulating motor module 24, 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;

[0069] like Figure 4 、 Figure 7 As shown, 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 hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit 215, a hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit 216, a knee upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit 217, a knee lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit 218, an active drive oil circuit front section 219, an energy transmission path 2110 and an active drive oil circuit rear section 2111;

[0070] One end of the hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit 215 is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity 211 , one end is in communication with the hip upper cavity oil hole 143 , and one end is in communication with the active drive oil circuit rear section 2111 ;

[0071] One end of the hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit 216 is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity 211 and the other end is in communication with the hip lower cavity oil hole 144;

[0072] One end of the active drive oil circuit front section 219 is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity 211 , one end is in communication with the knee joint valve body cavity 212 , and one end is in communication with the inside of the hydraulic gear pump cavity 214 ;

[0073] One end of the energy transmission pathway 2110 is in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity 211 , one end is in communication with the knee joint valve body cavity 212 , and one end is in communication with the energy storage cavity 213 ;

[0074] One end of the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit is in communication with the outside of the hydraulic gear pump chamber 214 , one end is in communication with the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 , and one end is in communication with the lower knee chamber hydraulic oil circuit 218 ;

[0075] The hydraulic gear pump 27 is arranged in the hydraulic gear pump chamber 214, which includes two oil ports, both of which are placed 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, it can drive the hydraulic gear pump 27 to work, convert the mechanical energy of the motor into hydraulic energy, and through the forward and reverse rotation of the motor, it can push the hydraulic oil 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.

[0076] The cylinder of the hydraulic active drive motor 26 is fixed to the base on the energy management base 21 , and the driving shaft and the driven shaft of the hydraulic gear pump 27 are both rotatably arranged on the base.

[0077] like Figures 8-9 : The area where the driving gear and the driven gear of the hydraulic gear pump 27 are meshed, one side of which forms an oil inlet, and the other side forms an oil outlet.

[0078] The driving gear and the driving shaft are connected by a key or are integrally formed; the driven gear and the driven shaft are connected by a key or are integrally formed.

[0079] Figure 5 It is a structural diagram of the hip joint flow regulating valve body;

[0080] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of different adjustment states of the hip joint flow control valve body. Figure 6 In, with Figure 4 The cross-section position of the AA figure is different.

[0081] like Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown, the hip joint flow regulating valve body 22 is a cylindrical structure, and the cylindrical surface is provided with a hip valve body first-position notch 221, a hip valve body second-position notch 223, and a hip valve body third-position notch 224; the hip joint flow regulating valve body 22 is arranged in the hip joint valve body cavity 211, and a motor shaft is provided at the upper end of the hip joint flow regulating valve body 22, which is connected to the hip joint flow regulating motor module 24 through the motor shaft. The rotation angle of the hip joint flow regulating valve body 22 can be controlled by the hip joint flow regulating motor module 24 to adjust the connection relationship between different notches on the valve body and different hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base 21;

[0082] The first notch 221 of the hip valve body, the second notch 223 of the hip valve body, and the third notch 224 of the hip valve body do not interfere with each other, and the planes formed by the midlines of the three and the central axis of the hip joint flow regulating valve body 22 are 90 degrees to each other;

[0083] Figure 6 A is a one-way damping mode, which limits the hip flexion movement through a one-way valve to ensure stability during the stance period. Figure 6 A refers to Figure 6 See Figure A in , and the context is similar.

[0084] like Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown in Figure A, the first notch 221 of the hip valve body is a short "I"-shaped structure, housing a one-way valve 222. When the centerline of the first notch 221 coincides with the centerline of the energy management base 21, the hip joint flow control valve body is in its initial state. In this state, the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 is connected to the lower hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216. The one-way valve 222 allows hydraulic oil to flow only in one direction, from the lower chamber to the upper chamber of the hip joint valve body 211. This allows the hip hydraulic piston 13 to move only downward, thus allowing only unidirectional hip joint extension.

[0085] Furthermore, by controlling the rotation of the hip joint flow regulating valve body 22 to adjust the deviation between the center line of the first slot 221 of the hip valve body and the center line of the energy management base 21, the overlapping area of the first slot 221 of the hip valve body and the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 and the lower hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216 can be changed, thereby changing the flow area of the hydraulic oil, so that the damping force applied to the hip joint during unidirectional extension movement can be adjusted.

[0086] The center line of the energy management base 21 refers to the center line of the joint valve body cavity thereon.

[0087] Figure 6 In A, the flow path of the hydraulic oil: the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder flows into the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder through the lower chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216 of the hip, the one-way valve 222, and the upper chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 of the hip.

[0088] like Figure 10 As shown, regarding the structure of the one-way valve 222:

[0089] The one-way valve 222 includes an elastic element and a ball connected to the elastic element.

[0090] The upper and lower first slots 221 of the hip valve body are connected via a through hole, and the elastic element surrounds the through hole and is fixed to the upper first slot 221 of the hip valve body.

[0091] The inner wall surface of the first notch 221 of the upper hip valve body is an inclined surface. When the ball contacts the inclined surface, the two first notches 221 of the hip valve body are not connected.

[0092] Figure 6 B is the energy cycle mode.

[0093] like Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown in Figure B, the second slot 223 of the hip valve body is an "E"-shaped structure. When the hip joint flow control valve body 22 is rotated clockwise to 90 degrees from the initial state, the centerline of the second slot 223 of the hip valve body coincides with the centerline of the energy management base 21, connecting the energy transmission path 2110, the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215, and the lower hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216. In this state, energy transmission and flow can be achieved in the hip and knee joints through the energy transmission path 2110.

[0094] Figure 6 C is the active drive mode, which combines the active drive of the hydraulic gear pump and the energy release of the energy storage chamber to provide additional joint driving force.

[0095] like Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown in Figure C, the three-position notch 224 of the hip valve body is shaped like an inverted "7." When the hip joint flow control valve body 22 is rotated clockwise to 90 degrees from position 6B, the centerline of the three-position notch 224 of the hip valve body coincides with the centerline of the energy management base 21, connecting the front section of the active drive oil circuit 219, the energy transmission pathway 2110, the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215, and the lower hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216. In this state, the hydraulic active drive motor 26 rotates, driving the hydraulic gear pump 27, thereby promoting the flow of hydraulic oil to drive active hip joint movement.

[0096] Figure 6 In C, due to the action of the hydraulic gear pump 27, the hydraulic oil in the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit increases the circulation speed in the lower hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit 216 and the upper hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit 215, thereby realizing active movement.

[0097] Since the hydraulic gear pump can rotate forward and reverse, the oil in the active drive oil circuit front section 219 flows to the active drive oil circuit rear section 2111 , or flows from the active drive oil circuit rear section 2111 to the active drive oil circuit front section 219 .

[0098] When the hydraulic gear pump is set to rotate forward, the active drive oil circuit rear section 2111 flows to the active drive oil circuit front section 219, and the hydraulic oil flow path is:

[0099] Actively drive the front section 219 of the oil circuit, the three-position notch 224 of the hip valve body, the hydraulic oil circuit 216 of the hip lower chamber, and the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder. At this time, the volume of the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder increases, driving the hip hydraulic piston 13 to move upward;

[0100] The volume of the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder is reduced, so that the hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder flows into the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit through the upper chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 of the hip, completing the closed loop of the hydraulic oil flow.

[0101] Therefore, when the hydraulic gear pump rotates forward, active flexion movement of the hip joint is achieved.

[0102] When amputees walk with prosthetic limbs, the flexion and extension directions of the prosthetic hip joint are determined during different gait phases without external force. This is due to the shift in center of mass as the limbs alternate forward, as well as the inertia of the trunk and prosthetic residual limb. During the stance phase, the forward swing of the unaffected leg and the inertia of the trunk induce natural extension of the hip joint, while during the swing phase, the forward shift of the center of mass induces natural flexion of the prosthetic hip joint. However, without external force, the natural flexion and extension of the hip joint, caused by the coordination characteristics of human gait, may not reach the corresponding flexion and extension levels of healthy individuals in certain gait patterns and gait phases, limiting the biomimetic nature of the gait and causing the amputee to make adaptive adjustments, resulting in increased energy consumption. Therefore, providing an external force source to the hip joint during specific gait phases can assist in natural flexion and extension, making the gait more similar to normal.

[0103] From the above, when the hydraulic gear pump rotates forward, the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit flows to the front section 4519 of the active drive oil circuit, and the flow path of the hydraulic oil is: the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit, the three-position notch 4524 of the hip valve body, the hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit 216, and the hip hydraulic cylinder lower cavity 142.

[0104] When the hydraulic gear pump is set to reverse, the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit flows to the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit. The flow path of the hydraulic oil is:

[0105] Actively drive the rear section 2111 of the oil circuit and the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215. At this time, the volume of hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder increases, driving the hip hydraulic piston 13 to move downward;

[0106] The volume of the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder is reduced, so that the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder flows to the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit through the lower chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216 of the hip and the three-position notch 224 of the hip valve body, completing the closed loop of the hydraulic oil flow.

[0107] Thus, when the hydraulic gear pump is reversed, active extension of the hip joint is achieved.

[0108] In summary, Figure 6 C Complete active hip joint movements, including flexion and extension.

[0109] The flow path of the hydraulic oil during flexion movement is: the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit, the three-position notch 224 of the hip valve body, the lower chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216 of the hip, and the lower chamber 142 of the hip hydraulic cylinder; the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder, the upper chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 of the hip, the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit, and the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit.

[0110] The flow path of the hydraulic oil during stretching exercise is: the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit, the upper chamber hydraulic oil circuit 215 of the hip, the upper chamber 141 of the hip hydraulic cylinder; the lower chamber of the hip hydraulic cylinder, the lower chamber hydraulic oil circuit 216 of the hip, the three-position notch 224 of the hip valve body, the front section 219 of the active drive oil circuit, and the rear section 2111 of the active drive oil circuit.

[0111] Figure 6 As shown in Figure C, the hip and knee joints can simultaneously achieve energy transmission and flow through the energy transmission path 2110; or when the energy storage chamber 213 is filled with oil (such as when going down a long slope or stairs), the pressure generated by the hip 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, thereby minimizing the energy consumption of the prosthesis;

[0112] Figure 6 D is the lock mode.

[0113] like Figure 5 、 Figure 6 As shown in D, when the hip joint flow control valve body 22 is rotated clockwise from position 6C to 90 degrees, the notches on the hip joint flow control valve body 22 no longer overlap with the hydraulic oil circuits in the energy management base 21, and the hydraulic oil circuits are no longer connected. In this state, the hip joint is in locked mode.

[0114] In summary, Figure 6 A is a passive movement, and it is a unidirectional extension damping movement.

[0115] Figure 6 In state B, the active gear pump does not work and it is also a passive movement. It can only support the energy transmission pathway to provide power to the hip joint movement. It does not consider the requirements of the five gait phases when walking on the ground. Figure 9 In position B, both hip flexion and extension movements are possible.

[0116] Figure 6 State C is active movement, both flexion and extension are possible.

[0117] Figure 6 D is the locked state.

[0118] The normal gait patterns of the human body indicate that during walking, the hip joint muscles employ a hybrid active-passive mechanism, providing active driving torque or passive damping torque at different phases of the gait cycle. Based on this, the present invention proposes a hip joint energy management mechanism for a lower limb dual-joint collaborative prosthesis that can achieve active-passive integrated hybrid drive. The hip joint energy management mechanism for a lower limb dual-joint collaborative prosthesis of the present invention achieves the following core functions and effects through an innovative hydraulic energy management architecture:

[0119] (1) Dual-joint energy synergistic management: Through the multi-path oil circuit design and energy transmission path in the energy management module, the hydraulic energy interaction between the hip and knee joints is realized. During the gait cycle, the potential energy of the knee flexion can be transferred to the hip joint energy storage spring in real time through the hydraulic system, forming a dual-joint energy coupling, significantly improving the coordination of prosthetic movement and reducing overall energy consumption;

[0120] (2) Four-mode intelligent switching effect: Based on the rotational positioning control of the hip joint flow regulating valve body, the precise switching of four working modes is creatively achieved: 1) One-way damping mode (initial state) limits the flexion movement of the hip joint through the one-way valve to ensure stability during the support period; Energy circulation mode (B state) establishes an energy transmission channel between joints to achieve optimized distribution of gait energy across joints; 3) Active drive mode (C state) combines the active drive of the hydraulic gear pump with the energy release of the energy storage chamber to provide additional joint driving force; 4) Energy recovery mode (downhill scenario) generates electricity through the reverse drive motor of the hydraulic system to realize the conversion and storage of kinetic energy into electrical energy, so that the prosthesis can intelligently adapt to complex movement scenarios such as walking on flat ground, going up and down stairs, and going downhill.

[0121] (3) Dynamic damping adjustable feature: By adjusting the overlap area between the notch of the hip valve body and the oil circuit, the cross-sectional area of the hydraulic oil flow can be continuously controlled. This design allows the hip joint extension damping coefficient to be adjusted steplessly within a certain range to meet the personalized needs of users of different weights and exercise intensities;

[0122] (4) Energy self-sustaining and efficiency-enhancing effect: The integration of energy storage springs (hip energy storage springs, energy storage chamber springs) and a hydraulic energy recovery system can recover the dissipated energy during the gait cycle. Combined with the active drive module, the overall energy consumption of the prosthesis is reduced. Especially when descending stairs, the energy recovery system can compensate for the energy consumption of the active drive, achieving zero-power movement.

[0123] (5) Advantages of structural integration: The double-side rod hydraulic cylinder is combined with an integrated energy management base design to integrate the traditional separate damping adjustment, energy storage, and power drive units, which is lighter than the traditional solution. At the same time, the valve body cavity integrated design reduces the complexity of the hydraulic pipeline and improves the system reliability.

[0124] This mechanism uses bionic hydraulic energy management to significantly improve energy utilization efficiency while ensuring the naturalness of prosthetic movement. It solves the technical pain points of traditional prosthetic joints, such as severe energy dissipation and poor multi-joint coordination, and provides an innovative solution for energy efficiency optimization of intelligent prostheses.

Claims

1. A hip joint energy management system for a lower limb double-joint collaborative prosthesis, characterized in that: include: A hip joint hydraulic cylinder (1), the output end of which is connected to a prosthetic hip joint motion component, comprising an upper hip cavity oil hole (143) and a lower hip cavity oil hole (144); and an energy management module (2), wherein a plurality of hydraulic oil circuits are provided therein, and a hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is rotatably provided, wherein the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) includes a plurality of independent notches; The hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is rotated to connect different hydraulic oil circuits with the hip upper cavity oil hole (143) and the hip lower cavity oil hole (144) through the notches, and each connection state forms a working mode.

2. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hip joint hydraulic cylinder (1) comprises a hip piston rod (11), a hip hydraulic cylinder cover (12), a hip hydraulic piston (13), a hip hydraulic cylinder body (14) and a hip energy storage spring (15); the upper end of the hip piston rod (11) can be connected to the prosthetic hip joint motion component; the middle end of the hip piston rod (11) is connected to the hip hydraulic piston (13) by a thread and passes through the hip hydraulic piston (13), so that the hip joint hydraulic cylinder (1) forms a double-side rod-out hydraulic cylinder; the hip hydraulic cylinder body (14) is connected to the hip hydraulic piston (13) by a thread. The pressure piston (13) is used as a boundary to divide the hip hydraulic cylinder into an upper chamber (141) and a lower chamber (142) of the hip hydraulic cylinder. The upper chamber (141) of the hip hydraulic cylinder is provided with an upper chamber oil hole (143), and the lower chamber (142) of the hip hydraulic cylinder is provided with a lower chamber oil hole (144). The hip energy storage spring (15) is built into the lower chamber (142) of the hip hydraulic cylinder. The compression and rebound of the hip energy storage spring (15) are achieved by the up and down movement of the hip hydraulic piston (13) during the movement of the hip joint, thereby achieving the energy storage and release of the hip joint movement.

3. The hip joint energy management mechanism for a lower limb dual-joint collaborative prosthesis according to claim 2, characterized in that: The energy management module (2) comprises an energy management base (21), a hip joint flow regulating valve body (22), a hip joint flow regulating motor module (24), 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); 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 hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit (215), a hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit (216), an active drive oil circuit front section (219), an energy transmission path (2110), and an active drive oil circuit rear section (2111); The hip upper cavity hydraulic oil circuit (215) has one end in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity (211), one end in communication with the hip upper cavity oil hole (143), and one end in communication with the active drive oil circuit rear section (2111); The hip lower cavity hydraulic oil circuit (216) has one end in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity (211) and one end in communication with the hip lower cavity oil hole (144); The active drive oil circuit front section (219) has one end in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity (211), one end in communication with the knee joint valve body cavity (212), and one end in communication with the inner side of the hydraulic gear pump cavity (214); The energy transmission path (2110) has one end in communication with the hip joint valve body cavity (211), one end in communication with the knee joint valve body cavity (212), and one end in communication with the energy storage cavity (213); The rear section (2111) of the active drive oil circuit has one end in communication with the outside of the hydraulic gear pump chamber (214) and one end in communication with the upper hip chamber hydraulic oil circuit (215); A hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is disposed in the hip joint valve body cavity (211), and a motor shaft is provided at the upper end of the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22), and the motor shaft is connected to a hip joint flow regulating motor module (24); The hydraulic gear pump (27) is arranged in the hydraulic gear pump chamber (214), which is connected to the hydraulic active drive motor (27), and includes two oil ports, both of which are located between the active drive oil circuit rear section (2111) and the active drive oil circuit front section (219); when the hydraulic active drive motor (26) rotates, it can drive the hydraulic gear pump (27) to work, convert the motor mechanical energy into hydraulic energy, and promote the hydraulic oil from the active drive oil circuit front section (219) to the active drive oil circuit rear section (2111), or from the active drive oil circuit rear section (2111) to the active drive oil circuit front section (219) through the forward and reverse rotation of the motor; An energy storage chamber cover (28) is installed in the energy storage chamber (213), and the energy storage chamber cover (28) is sequentially connected to the energy storage chamber spring (29) and the energy storage chamber piston (210).

4. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 3, characterized in that: The hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is a cylindrical structure, and a hip valve body first position notch (221), a hip valve body second position notch (223), and a hip valve body third position notch (224) are provided on the cylindrical surface; The hip valve body first slot (221), the hip valve body second slot (223), and the hip valve body third slot (224) do not interfere with each other, and the planes formed by their midlines and the central axis of the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) are 90 degrees to each other.

5. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first notch (221) of the hip valve body extends axially and is provided with a one-way valve (222). When the center line of the first notch (221) of the hip valve body coincides with the center line of the energy management base (21), the hip joint flow regulating valve body is in an initial state. In this state, the upper hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit (215) and the lower hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit (216) can be connected, and the one-way valve (222) allows the hip joint to extend in one direction.

6. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second slot (223) of the hip valve body is an E-shaped structure. When the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is rotated clockwise to 90 degrees from the initial state, the center line of the second slot (223) of the hip valve body coincides with the center line of the energy management base 21, and the energy transmission path (2110), the upper hip cavity hydraulic oil path (215) and the lower hip cavity hydraulic oil path (216) can be connected; in this state, the hip and knee joints can realize energy transmission and flow through the energy transmission path (2110).

7. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that: The three-position notch (224) of the hip valve body is an inverted 7-shaped structure. When the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is rotated clockwise from the initial state to 180 degrees, the center line of the three-position notch (224) of the hip valve body coincides with the center line of the energy management base (21), and the front section of the active drive oil circuit (219), the energy transmission path (2110), the upper hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit (215) and the lower hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit (216) can be connected; in this state, the hydraulic active drive motor (26) rotates to drive the hydraulic gear pump (27) to work, thereby promoting the flow of hydraulic oil to drive the active movement of the hip joint, and at the same time, the hip and knee joints can realize energy transmission and flow through the energy transmission path (2110).

8. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) is rotated counterclockwise to 90 degrees from the initial state, the notches on the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) do not overlap with the hydraulic oil circuit in the energy management base (21), and the hydraulic oil circuits are not connected to each other; in this state, the hip joint is in a locking mode.

9. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the energy storage chamber (213) is filled with oil, the pressure generated by the hip 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, thereby maximizing the reduction of prosthetic limb energy consumption.

10. The hip joint energy management system for a lower limb dual-joint coordinated prosthesis according to claim 4, characterized in that: By controlling the rotation of the hip joint flow regulating valve body (22) to adjust the degree of deviation between the center line of the first slot (221) of the hip valve body and the center line of the energy management base (21), the overlapping area of the first slot 221 of the hip valve body and the upper hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit (215) and the lower hip cavity hydraulic oil circuit (216) can be changed, thereby changing the flow area of the hydraulic oil, so that the damping force applied to the hip joint during unidirectional extension movement is changed and adjusted.

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