Transverse walking lower limb exoskeleton controlled by single motor

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of robots, and relates to a single-motor-controlled transverse walking lower limb exoskeleton which comprises a waist assembly, a swing assembly, a thigh binding assembly and an electric control assembly. The electric control assembly is fixed to the waist assembly and drives the left swing assembly and the right swing assembly to swing left and right so as to drive the left thigh binding assembly and the right thigh binding assembly to swing left and right. The left thigh binding assembly and the right thigh binding assembly further achieve transverse movement and vertical movement through the left swing assembly and the right swing assembly respectively. The transverse walking lower limb exoskeleton controlled by the single motor can adapt to people of different body types, can provide good wearing comfort, can provide hip joint transverse movement power assistance in the first stage, can precisely regulate and control hip joint transverse movement resistance in the second stage, and can provide hip joint transverse movement power assistance in the second stage. And multi-degree-of-freedom transverse walking rehabilitation training actions of hip joints can be adopted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of robots and relates to a lower limb exoskeleton for lateral walking controlled by a single motor. Background Art

[0002] In rehabilitation training for patients with stroke and spinal cord injury, restoring lateral gait is a key step in rebuilding balance. Parkinson's disease patients often experience "freezing of gait," which manifests as difficulty moving laterally and requires targeted assistance. Lateral walking requires coordination of the hip abductor / adductor muscles, knee lateral stability, and ankle dynamic adjustment, increasing energy consumption by approximately 20%-30% compared to sagittal plane walking. Lack of assistive devices can easily lead to accumulated fatigue and sports injuries. Currently, lateral rehabilitation for these patients consists of two phases. In the first phase, the patient exits the bed and walks back and forth, holding onto the bedrail. During this phase, the patient's hip adductor and abductor muscles are weak, making slow side-to-side walking with the aid of the bed extremely difficult. The second phase, in the later stages of rehabilitation, sees patients having largely regained lower limb function. Lateral resistance is typically provided by a looped elastic rope loop around the lower limbs, allowing the patient to perform lateral walking exercises against this resistance.

[0003] For the first phase, most current lower-limb exoskeletons focus on longitudinal walking rehabilitation or assistance, while the few that assist with lateral walking also have wearer comfort issues. For the second phase, the resistance provided by current circular elastic cords is uncontrollable, requiring customized elasticity levels for individual patients, which hinders precise rehabilitation. Even the few exoskeletons that can assist with lateral lower-limb rehabilitation in these first and second phases have room for improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention proposes a single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton, which can adapt to people of different body shapes and provide good wearing comfort. In the first stage, it can provide power assistance for lateral movement of the hip joint. In the second stage, it can accurately control the lateral movement resistance of the hip joint, and can adopt targeted multi-degree-of-freedom lateral walking rehabilitation training movements for the hip joint.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention to solve the above problems is: a single-motor controlled lower limb exoskeleton for lateral walking, which is special in that:

[0006] It includes a waist component, a swing component, a thigh binding component and an electronic control component; the swing component includes a left swing component and a right swing component, and the thigh binding component includes a left thigh binding component and a right thigh binding component;

[0007] The electric control assembly is fixed to the waist assembly, the left swing assembly and the right swing assembly are arranged on the left and right sides of the waist assembly, and the left thigh binding assembly and the right thigh binding assembly are rotatably connected to the left swing assembly and the right swing assembly respectively;

[0008] The electronic control component drives the left swing component and the right swing component to swing left and right, thereby driving the left thigh binding component and the right thigh binding component to swing left and right. The left thigh binding component and the right thigh binding component can also realize horizontal movement and vertical movement respectively through the left swing component and the right swing component.

[0009] Furthermore, the above-mentioned left swing component includes a transverse linear sliding device and a vertical linear sliding device; the electronic control component is connected to the transverse linear sliding device and drives the transverse linear sliding device to rotate, the vertical linear sliding device is connected to the transverse linear sliding device, and the vertical linear sliding device realizes left and right lateral movement through the transverse linear sliding device, and the left thigh binding component is connected to the vertical linear sliding device, and the left thigh binding component realizes vertical movement through the vertical linear sliding device.

[0010] Furthermore, the waist assembly includes a waist binding, a waist base and a mounting plate, and the waist binding and the mounting plate are fixed on the waist base.

[0011] Furthermore, the above-mentioned electronic control component includes a motor, which drives the intermediate synchronous wheel to rotate, and the intermediate synchronous wheel drives the left synchronous wheel and the right synchronous wheel to rotate through a synchronous belt; the left synchronous wheel and the right synchronous wheel are respectively connected to the clutch through a reducer.

[0012] Furthermore, the left swing assembly and the right swing assembly are structurally symmetrical, and the left thigh binding assembly and the right thigh binding assembly are structurally symmetrical.

[0013] Furthermore, the above-mentioned left swing component includes a swing bracket, a hip main swing component, left and right hip telescopic components and a thigh structure, and the swing bracket is connected to its corresponding clutch.

[0014] The transverse linear sliding device includes a transverse ball linear slide and a transverse ball linear slider that cooperates with it; the vertical linear sliding device includes a vertical ball linear slide and a vertical ball linear slider that cooperates with it; the transverse ball linear slide is fixed on the swing bracket, the transverse ball linear slider is set on the transverse ball linear slide, the hip main swing part is connected to the transverse ball linear slider, one end of the left and right telescopic parts of the hip is connected to the hip main swing part, and the other end is connected to the vertical ball linear slide, and one end of the thigh structure is connected to the vertical ball linear slider.

[0015] Furthermore, the above-mentioned left thigh binding assembly includes a thigh binding, a thigh binding connector, a thigh pulley, a thigh pulley shaft, a thigh pulley shaft seat, a thigh thrust ring, and a right thigh binding assembly; the thigh binding connector is rotatably connected to the thigh binding through a thigh rotating shaft, the thigh pulley shaft seat is fixed on the thigh binding connector, the thigh pulley is installed on the thigh pulley shaft seat through the thigh pulley shaft, and the other end of the thigh structure is connected to the thigh pulley.

[0016] Furthermore, a left slide rail guard is provided on the outer side of the vertical linear sliding device.

[0017] Furthermore, a thigh thrust ring is installed on the thigh pulley shaft to limit the thigh pulley and thigh structure.

[0018] Furthermore, the distance between the above-mentioned hip main swing member and the left and right telescopic members of the hip is adjustable.

[0019] Advantages of the present invention:

[0020] 1) The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton proposed in this invention uses a single motor plus dual clutch and reducer control instead of dual motor control, reducing weight and cost;

[0021] 2) Using ball bearing linear guides and sliders in a single-motor lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton to achieve left-right and up-down structural adaptation;

[0022] 3) Based on the determination of the motor in the single-motor lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton, different harmonic reducers can be transformed to achieve different torque outputs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a human wearing the single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton proposed in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 An overall view of the single-motor controlled lower limb exoskeleton for lateral walking;

[0025] Figure 3 A structural diagram of the lower limb exoskeleton components for lateral walking controlled by a single motor;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a lateral walking gait diagram after wearing a single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of lateral power-assisted walking to the right.

[0028] Among them: waist component 1000, waist base 1200, waist binding 1100, installation plate 1300,

[0029] Left swing assembly 2100, coupling 2110, swing bracket 2120, lateral ball linear guide rail 2131, lateral ball linear slider 2132, hip main swing member 2141, hip left and right telescopic members 2142, vertical ball linear guide rail 2151, vertical ball linear slider 2152, guide rail guard 2153, thigh structure 2160, limit plate 2170, right swing assembly 2200,

[0030] Left thigh binding assembly 3100, thigh binding 3110, thigh shaft 3120, thigh binding connector 3130, thigh pulley 3160, thigh pulley shaft 3150, thigh pulley shaft seat 3140, thigh thrust ring 3170, right thigh binding assembly 3200,

[0031] Electronic control assembly 4000, battery 4110, battery rack 4120, control board 4210, drive board 4220, motor 4311, motor fixing plate 4312, motor fixing column 4313, reducer 4321, intermediate synchronous pulley 4433, synchronous belt 4410, tensioning pulley 4421, left synchronous pulley 4431, clutch 4231. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention for which protection is claimed, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention.

[0033] See attached Figure 1-Figure 3 The present invention provides a single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton, comprising a waist assembly 1000, a swing assembly, a thigh binding assembly, and an electronic control assembly 4000. The swing assembly comprises a left swing assembly 2100 and a right swing assembly 2200, and the thigh binding assembly comprises a left thigh binding assembly 3100 and a right thigh binding assembly 3200. The waist assembly 1000 is secured to the waist of a patient with lower limb dysfunction and is used to mount the electronic control assembly 4000. The thigh binding assembly is secured to the legs of the patient with lower limb dysfunction.

[0034] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3The electronic control component 4000 is fixed on the waist component 1000, the left swing component 2100 and the right swing component 2200 are arranged on the left and right sides of the waist component 1000, and the left thigh binding component 3100 and the right thigh binding component 3200 are rotatably connected to the left swing component 2100 and the right swing component 2200 respectively; the electronic control component 4000 drives the left swing component 2100 and the right swing component 2200 to swing left and right, thereby driving the left thigh binding component 3100 and the right thigh binding component 3200 to swing left and right, and the left thigh binding component 3100 and the right thigh binding component 3200 also realize lateral movement and vertical movement through the left swing component 2100 and the right swing component 2200 respectively.

[0035] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the left swing assembly 2100 includes a transverse linear slide and a vertical linear slide. When using this lower limb exoskeleton, the waist and leg sizes of patients with lower limb dysfunction vary. To this end, the left and right hip telescopic members 2142 and right hip telescopic members of this embodiment are adjustable. The transverse and vertical linear slides are adaptively adjustable, allowing users to dynamically adjust their waist and leg sizes based on their actual size.

[0036] The electronic control component 4000 is connected to the transverse linear sliding device and drives the transverse linear sliding device to rotate. The vertical linear sliding device is connected to the transverse linear sliding device, and the vertical linear sliding device realizes left and right transverse movement through the transverse linear sliding device. The left thigh binding component 3100 is connected to the vertical linear sliding device, and the left thigh binding component 3100 realizes vertical movement through the vertical linear sliding device.

[0037] Specifically, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The waist assembly 1000 includes a waist strap 1100, a waist base 1200, and a mounting plate 1300. The waist strap 1100 and mounting plate 1300 are fixed to the waist base 1200. A battery rack 4120 is formed between the waist base 1200 and the mounting plate 1300. It includes three boards, left, right, and bottom. The battery 4110 is installed in the middle, and the control board 4210 and the drive board 4220 are fixed to the left and right sides.

[0038] Specifically, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The above-mentioned electronic control component 4000 includes a motor 4311, which drives the intermediate synchronous wheel 4433 to rotate. The intermediate synchronous wheel 4433 drives the left synchronous wheel 4431 and the right synchronous wheel to rotate through the synchronous belt 4410; the left synchronous wheel 4431 and the right synchronous wheel are respectively connected to the clutch 4231 through the reducer 4321.

[0039] The motor 4311 is fixed to the mounting plate 1300 by four motor fixing posts 4313 and a motor fixing plate 4312. Two tensioning wheels 4421 are installed in the middle of the synchronous belt 4410 to increase the wrap angle.

[0040] The left swing assembly 2100 and the right swing assembly 2200 are mirror-symmetrical, the left thigh binding assembly 3100 and the right thigh binding assembly 3200 are mirror-symmetrical, and the internal structure of the electronic control assembly 4000 is mirror-symmetrical.

[0041] Taking the left side as an example, the left synchronous wheel 4431 , the left clutch 4231 and the left reducer 4321 are connected together through the left hole of the mounting plate 1300 , and the left reducer 4321 is connected to the left coupling 2110 .

[0042] Specifically, see Figure 3 The above-mentioned left swing component 2100 includes a swing bracket 2120, a hip main swing component 2141, left and right hip telescopic components 2142 and a thigh structure 2160, and the swing bracket 2120 is connected to its corresponding clutch 4231.

[0043] The transverse linear sliding device includes a transverse ball linear slide rail 2131 and a transverse ball linear slider 2132 matched therewith. These two rows of parts constitute the left horizontal adaptive sliding assembly, and a left limit plate 2170 is installed on the outside to ensure that the transverse ball linear slider 2132 will not fall out.

[0044] The vertical linear sliding device includes a vertical ball linear slide rail 2151 and a vertical ball linear slider 2152 matched therewith. These two rows of parts constitute the left vertical adaptive sliding assembly, and the outer side is covered with a left slide rail shield 2153 to prevent interference with the outside world.

[0045] The transverse ball linear slide 2131 is fixed on the swing bracket 2120, the transverse ball linear slider 2132 is set on the transverse ball linear slide 2131, the hip main swing member 2141 is connected to the transverse ball linear slider 2132, one end of the hip left and right telescopic members 2142 is connected to the hip main swing member 2141, and the other end is connected to the vertical ball linear slide 2151, and one end of the thigh structure 2160 is connected to the vertical ball linear slider 2152.

[0046] Furthermore, the distance between the above-mentioned hip main swing member 2141 and the hip left and right telescopic members 2142 is adjustable to accommodate patients of different body shapes.

[0047] Specifically, see Figure 3The main hip swing member 2141 includes a cylindrical structure with fixing holes arranged on the side wall of the cylindrical structure. The left and right hip telescopic members 2142 include a rod with positioning holes arranged on the rod. The rod is inserted into the cylindrical structure. After adjusting the positions of the two, bolts are inserted through the holes of the two to fix them.

[0048] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, see Figure 3 The left thigh binding assembly 3100 includes a thigh binding 3110, a thigh binding connector 3130, a thigh pulley 3160, a thigh pulley shaft 3150, a thigh pulley shaft seat 3140, a thigh thrust ring 3170, and a right thigh binding assembly 3200. The thigh binding connector 3130 is rotatably connected to the thigh binding 3110 via a thigh rotating shaft 3120. The thigh pulley shaft seat 3140 is fixed to the thigh binding connector 3130. The thigh pulley 3160 is mounted on the thigh pulley shaft seat 3140 via a thigh pulley shaft 3150. The other end of the thigh structure 2160 is connected to the thigh pulley 3160. A thigh thrust ring 3170 is mounted on the thigh pulley shaft 3150 to limit the position of the thigh pulley 3160 and the thigh structure 2160.

[0049] In the present invention, the reducer 4321 of the electronic control component 4000 is connected to the coupling 2110 and drives the swing bracket 2120 to swing left and right relative to the waist base 1200, forming an active joint A.

[0050] Among them, the horizontal adaptive sliding component is connected to the left hip main swing member 2141 and the left hip left and right telescopic members 2142, and is connected to the upper end of the left vertical ball linear slide 2151, so that the left vertical ball linear slide 2151 swings back and forth relative to the left hip left and right telescopic members 2142, forming a free joint B.

[0051] In addition, the thigh binding 3110 and the thigh structure 2160 together constitute a passive thigh free joint C, so that the thigh binding 3110 can swing laterally relative to the thigh structure 2160 about the thigh rotation axis 3120 and about the thigh pulley axis 3150.

[0052] In specific rehabilitation training, see Figure 4 , a gait cycle is divided into four gait phases, namely: narrow stance, active leg swing, wide stance, and following leg swing. Taking the right lateral assisted walking as an example, Figure 5 As shown, the working principle is explained.

[0053] When assisting walking to the right, the motor (M) starts and rotates counterclockwise. During the double-leg narrow stance phase, the two electromagnetic clutch switches (S1, S2) are disconnected, and the swing brackets (L1, L2) on both sides do not swing. When entering the active leg swing phase, the right electromagnetic clutch switch (S2) engages, and the right swing bracket (L2) provides power to the active leg, and the walking reaches the left foot support state. When entering the wide stance phase, the two electromagnetic clutch switches (S1, S2) are disconnected, and the swing brackets (L1, L2) on both sides do not swing. When entering the following leg swing phase, the left electromagnetic clutch switch (S1) engages, and the left swing bracket (L1) provides power to the following leg, and the walking reaches the double-leg stance state (narrow stance).

[0054] Similarly, assisted walking to the left, resistance walking to the right, and resistance walking to the left can all be achieved by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the motor and the opening and closing of the two electromagnetic clutches.

[0055] The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton provided by the present invention achieves lateral movement assistance and training assistance for the hip joint through a waist component, a swing component, a thigh binding component and an electronic control component, thereby improving the shortcomings of existing lateral walking rehabilitation exoskeletons: lateral movement is achieved, and the assistance resistance is achieved by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the motor; the use of a single motor plus two electromagnetic clutches not only reduces weight and volume but also reduces costs; a structure that replicates the kinematics of the human skeleton is adopted, with a servo motor fixed to the waist driving the swing component and the thigh binding to provide assistance or resistance to the human body's lateral walking, conforming to the human body and generating almost no shear force on the human body; the rod structure of the exoskeleton through the swing component and the thigh binding component enables the structural dimensions of the exoskeleton to be adaptively adjusted according to the wearer's body shape and wearing position when worn, not only having a certain degree of adaptability to wearers of different body shapes, but also basically avoiding the tedious process of structural adjustment when wearing; in addition, the motor plus the harmonic reducer can have more torque options and more flexible matching; in addition, because the main structure is fixed to the waist component, the system inertia is greatly reduced. Therefore, in the first and second phases of training, it shows better adaptability to wearers of different body shapes, training comfort, and better controllability.

[0056] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention description and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied to other related system fields, are also included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A single-motor controlled lower limb exoskeleton for lateral walking, characterized by: The invention comprises a waist component (1000), a swing component, a thigh binding component and an electric control component (4000); the swing component comprises a left swing component (2100) and a right swing component (2200); and the thigh binding component comprises a left thigh binding component (3100) and a right thigh binding component (3200); The electric control component (4000) is fixed to the waist component (1000), the left swing component (2100) and the right swing component (2200) are arranged on both sides of the waist component (1000), and the left thigh binding component (3100) and the right thigh binding component (3200) are rotatably connected to the left swing component (2100) and the right swing component (2200) respectively; The electric control component (4000) drives the left swing component (2100) and the right swing component (2200) to swing left and right, thereby driving the left thigh binding component (3100) and the right thigh binding component (3200) to swing left and right. The left thigh binding component (3100) and the right thigh binding component (3200) also realize lateral movement and vertical movement through the left swing component (2100) and the right swing component (2200) respectively.

2. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that: The left swing assembly (2100) includes a transverse linear sliding device and a vertical linear sliding device; The electronic control component (4000) is connected to the transverse linear sliding device and drives the transverse linear sliding device to rotate. The vertical linear sliding device is connected to the transverse linear sliding device, and the vertical linear sliding device realizes left and right transverse movement through the transverse linear sliding device. The left thigh binding component (3100) is connected to the vertical linear sliding device, and the left thigh binding component (3100) realizes vertical movement through the vertical linear sliding device.

3. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 2, characterized in that: The waist component (1000) includes a waist binding (1100), a waist base (1200) and a mounting plate (1300), wherein the waist binding (1100) and the mounting plate (1300) are fixed on the waist base (1200).

4. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electronic control component (4000) includes a motor (4311), which drives the intermediate synchronous wheel (4433) to rotate. The intermediate synchronous wheel (4433) drives the left synchronous wheel (4431) and the right synchronous wheel to rotate through a synchronous belt (4410); the left synchronous wheel (4431) and the right synchronous wheel are respectively connected to the clutch (4231) through a reducer (4321).

5. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 4, characterized in that: The left swing assembly (2100) and the right swing assembly (2200) are symmetrical in structure, and the left thigh binding assembly (3100) and the right thigh binding assembly (3200) are symmetrical in structure.

6. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 5, characterized in that: The left swing assembly (2100) comprises a swing bracket (2120), a hip main swing member (2141), hip left and right telescopic members (2142) and a thigh structure (2160), wherein the swing bracket (2120) is connected to its corresponding clutch (4231); The transverse linear sliding device comprises a transverse ball linear slide rail (2131) and a transverse ball linear slider (2132) matched therewith; The vertical linear sliding device comprises a vertical ball linear slide rail (2151) and a vertical ball linear slider (2152) matched therewith; The transverse ball linear slide (2131) is fixed on the swing bracket (2120), the transverse ball linear slider (2132) is set on the transverse ball linear slide (2131), the hip main swing member (2141) is connected to the transverse ball linear slider (2132), one end of the hip left and right telescopic members (2142) is connected to the hip main swing member (2141), and the other end is connected to the vertical ball linear slide (2151), and one end of the thigh structure (2160) is connected to the vertical ball linear slider (2152).

7. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 6, characterized in that: The left thigh binding assembly (3100) includes a thigh binding (3110), a thigh binding connector (3130), a thigh pulley (3160), a thigh pulley shaft (3150), a thigh pulley shaft seat (3140), and a right thigh binding assembly (3200); The thigh binding connector (3130) is rotatably connected to the thigh binding (3110) via the thigh rotating shaft (3120); the thigh pulley shaft seat (3140) is fixed on the thigh binding connector (3130); the thigh pulley (3160) is installed on the thigh pulley shaft seat (3140) via the thigh pulley shaft (3150); and the other end of the thigh structure (2160) is connected to the thigh pulley (3160).

8. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 7, characterized in that: A left slide rail guard (2153) is provided on the outer side of the vertical linear sliding device.

9. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 8, characterized in that: A thigh thrust ring (3170) is installed on the thigh pulley shaft (3150) to limit the thigh pulley (3160) and the thigh structure (2160).

10. The single-motor controlled lateral walking lower limb exoskeleton according to claim 9, characterized in that: The distance between the hip main swing member (2141) and the hip left and right telescopic members (2142) is adjustable.

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