Ankle joint, mechanical lower limb and robot

Abstract

The application discloses an ankle joint, a mechanical lower limb and a robot, wherein the ankle joint comprises a foot ankle part, a foot part rotatably arranged on the foot ankle part through a connecting part, a damping mechanism arranged on the foot ankle part, the damping mechanism comprising a hydraulic damper, an adjusting motor connected and used for adjusting the hydraulic damper, and an output rod arranged on the hydraulic damper, a control mechanism, the control mechanism being electrically connected with the adjusting motor and used for controlling the adjusting motor to realize damping adjustment, and the output rod being rotatably connected with the connecting part and used for driving the connecting part to rotate relative to the foot ankle part, the hydraulic damper, the adjusting motor and the control mechanism are integrated in the foot ankle part, the output rod is rotatably connected with the connecting part, active adjustment and control of the ankle joint on the rotating behavior of the foot part are realized, and the output resistance is convenient for adjusting and responding to the change and demand of gait.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robot joint structure, and particularly relates to an ankle joint, a mechanical lower limb and a robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] Most of the existing prosthetic ankle joints adopt fixed structures or rely on material elastic deformation to achieve the buffering function, and the structure is simple but passive in response, and it is difficult to adjust the joint behavior in real time according to the gait rhythm, ground slope and the like. In actual use, the prosthetic wearer needs to cope with various uncertain terrains and dynamic actions, and it is difficult to provide stable, safe and natural walking experience only by relying on the deformation ability of the structure itself. Especially in the scenes of uphill and downhill, up and down stairs, the human ankle joint usually dynamically adjusts the support angle and resistance to match the body posture and load changes. However, the traditional structure cannot realize real-time adjustment of the damping characteristics, resulting in stiff gait of the user, increased energy consumption, and even the risk of falling. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application provides an ankle joint, a mechanical lower limb and a robot, which aims to solve the problem that the existing traditional prosthetic ankle joint cannot realize real-time adjustment of the damping.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides an ankle joint, comprising:

[0005] a foot ankle part;

[0006] a foot part rotatably arranged on the foot ankle part through a connecting piece;

[0007] a damping mechanism arranged on the foot ankle part; the damping mechanism comprises a hydraulic damper, an adjusting motor connected and used for adjusting the hydraulic damper, and an output rod arranged on the hydraulic damper;

[0008] a control mechanism; the control mechanism is electrically connected with the adjusting motor and is used for controlling the adjusting motor to realize damping adjustment;

[0009] the output rod is rotatably connected with the connecting piece and is used for driving the connecting piece to rotate relative to the foot ankle part.

[0010] In some embodiments, the connecting piece comprises a mounting seat for connecting the foot part, and an extension part transversely arranged on the upper end of the mounting seat;

[0011] one end of the extension part is rotatably connected with the foot ankle part through a first rotating shaft, and the other end is rotatably connected with the output rod through a second rotating shaft; the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are arranged in parallel.

[0012] In some embodiments, the ankle part comprises a first housing, and the hydraulic damper is arranged in the first housing by a fixed shaft, and the axis of the fixed shaft is in the axial extension direction of the output rod.

[0013] In some embodiments, the output rod is rotatably connected with the connecting piece outside the first housing, and the first housing is provided with a clearance hole corresponding to the rotation track of the output rod and the connecting piece.

[0014] In some embodiments, the fixed shaft is arranged in parallel with the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft.

[0015] The fixed shaft and the second rotation shaft are respectively located on the two sides of the first rotation shaft, and the axes of the fixed shaft and the second rotation shaft are respectively located on the opposite sides in the axial extension direction of the output rod.

[0016] In some embodiments, the adjusting motor is arranged at one end of the hydraulic damper away from the output rod, and the output shaft of the adjusting motor is arranged in parallel with the output rod.

[0017] The side of the hydraulic damper away from the adjusting motor and the inner surface of the first housing form a containing cavity, and a battery electrically connected with the control mechanism is arranged in the containing cavity.

[0018] In some embodiments, a second housing detachably connected with the first housing is further included, and the second housing is used for covering the containing cavity, and the control mechanism is arranged in the second housing.

[0019] In some embodiments, an angle sensor for detecting the angle change between the first housing and the connecting piece is further included, and the angle sensor is electrically connected with the control mechanism.

[0020] Further, the application also proposes a mechanical lower limb, comprising a mechanical lower limb body and an ankle joint arranged on the mechanical lower limb body, and the ankle joint is the above ankle joint.

[0021] Further, the application also proposes a robot, comprising a robot body and an ankle joint arranged on the robot body, and the ankle joint is the above ankle joint.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: The ankle joint structure of this invention integrates a hydraulic damper, an adjusting motor, and a control mechanism into the ankle, and connects them via an output rod and a connecting piece to form a revolute joint, thereby achieving active adjustment and response control of the ankle joint to the rotational behavior of the foot. Unlike traditional ankle joints that rely on material deformation or fixed resistance of mechanical structures, this invention dynamically adjusts the damper through a control mechanism, facilitating the output resistance to adjust to changes in gait, support state, or terrain requirements, effectively simulating the natural transition and buffering control of the human ankle joint to different postures during walking; this invention effectively improves the dynamic compliance of the ankle joint; the compact and reasonable structural layout is conducive to integration into bionic lower limbs or robotic systems. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of an ankle joint according to the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an ankle joint according to the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the ankle joint in a downward rotational state according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the ankle joint in an upward hooked-back position according to the present invention.

[0027] In the picture:

[0028] .

[0029] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0032] It should also be noted that when an element is referred to as being "on" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or can have a middle element therebetween. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or can have a middle element therebetween.

[0033] In addition, the description involving "first", "second" and the like in the present application is only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the technical solutions of various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the realization of ordinary skilled in the art, when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, nor within the protection scope required by the present application.

[0034] The present application provides an ankle joint 100, referring to Figures 1 to 4 , comprising:

[0035] Ankle part 1;

[0036] Foot part 2 rotatably arranged on ankle part 1 through connecting piece 3;

[0037] Damping mechanism 4 arranged on ankle part 1; damping mechanism 4 comprises hydraulic damper 41, adjusting motor 42 connected and used for adjusting hydraulic damper 41, and output rod 43 arranged on hydraulic damper 41;

[0038] Control mechanism 5; control mechanism 5 is electrically connected with adjusting motor 42, and is used for controlling adjusting motor 42 to realize damping adjustment;

[0039] Output rod 43 is rotatably connected with connecting piece 3, and is used for driving connecting piece 3 to rotate relative to ankle part 1.

[0040] In the embodiment, ankle part 1 is the core support unit of the structure, which is used for connecting artificial limb or robot lower limb structure. Foot part 2 is rotatably arranged on ankle part 1 through connecting piece 3, forming the rotation freedom degree of ankle, so that foot part 2 can realize the rotary swing simulating human gait within a certain range relative to ankle part 1.

[0041] The damping mechanism 4 is arranged in the ankle part 1 or on the shell thereof, and comprises a hydraulic damper 41, an adjusting motor 42 for adjusting the damper, and an output rod 43 arranged on the hydraulic damper 41. The hydraulic damper 41 is a key component for providing dynamic resistance in the structure, and the resistance control of the hydraulic oil is achieved by throttling in the hydraulic damper 41, and the adjusting motor 42 is used to drive the throttling structure to change the oil passage diameter, so as to realize the dynamic adjustment of the resistance. The output rod 43 is a power output end of the hydraulic damper 41, and can make reciprocating linear motion along the axial direction.

[0042] The end of the output rod 43 is connected with the connecting piece 3 through a rotary pair, and is used to drive the connecting piece 3 to rotate relative to the ankle part 1. Through the axial pushing action of the output rod 43, the connecting piece 3 is driven to rotate around the ankle part 1, so as to drive the foot part 2 to realize angle adjustment, and simulate the dynamic support and release of the human ankle joint 100 in the gait process.

[0043] The control mechanism 5 is electrically connected with the adjusting motor 42, and is used to control the damping adjustment behavior in real time. Through the preset control strategy, the adjusting motor 42 is instructed to realize closed-loop control of the damping output, so that the ankle joint 100 structure has dynamic response capability and multi-scene adaptability.

[0044] The ankle joint 100 structure of the embodiment realizes stable and reliable rotary buffering function by organically integrating the hydraulic damping, the adjustable motor and the rotary connection structure, can dynamically adjust the resistance of the foot part 2 according to different terrains and gait states, simulate the response behavior of the human ankle joint 100, and integrates the structure in one, which is convenient for assembly, maintenance and module replacement.

[0045] Further, the connecting piece 3 comprises a mounting seat 31 for connecting the foot part 2, and an extension part 32 transversely arranged on the upper end of the mounting seat 31.

[0046] One end of the extension part 32 is rotatably connected with the ankle part 1 through a first rotating shaft 6, and the other end is rotatably connected with the output rod 43 through a second rotating shaft 7; the first rotating shaft 6 and the second rotating shaft 7 are arranged in parallel.

[0047] The structure divides the connecting piece 3 into the mounting seat 31 and the extension part 32, so that the connection of the foot part 2 and the transmission path structure function are clear. The extension part 32 is arranged on the upper end of the connecting piece 3, has clear rotary pair construction function, forms rotary connection with the ankle part 1 through the first rotating shaft 6, forms driving connection with the output rod 43 through the second rotating shaft 7, and forms complete input and conversion path. The parallel arrangement of the two shafts not only ensures the consistency of rotation, but also improves the structural stability.

[0048] In the embodiment, the mounting seat 31 and the extension part 32 are integrally formed to form the connecting piece 3; the integrally formed structure can effectively avoid the tolerance accumulation caused by multi-component assembly, improve the precision and strength of each connecting part. At the same time, the overall structure is enhanced, the relative spatial relationship of the rotating pair is fixed, and the transmission stability and service life are improved. In addition, the integral component is more convenient to process, manufacture and maintain, which is beneficial to modular assembly and later maintenance.

[0049] Further, the ankle part 1 includes a first shell 11, and the hydraulic damper 41 is obliquely arranged in the first shell 11 through a fixing shaft 8; the axis of the fixing shaft 8 is located in the axial extension direction of the output rod 43.

[0050] In the embodiment, the hydraulic damper 41 is obliquely arranged relative to the length direction of the first shell 11, and the purpose of obliquely arranging the hydraulic damper 41 is to make the output direction better correspond to the rotating path of the extension part 32 of the connecting piece 3, thereby improving the force flow consistency and structural integration. The hydraulic damper 41 is obliquely installed through the fixing shaft 8, which provides reliable mechanical support on the one hand and ensures that the output rod 43 always moves on a stable axis on the other hand, thereby avoiding partial load and structural deformation and improving overall precision and service life.

[0051] In the embodiment, the limb connecting part 13 is also provided, which facilitates the butt joint of the ankle part 1 and the external prosthetic thigh segment or lower limb, improves the modular design level of the system, and enhances the assembly convenience and the ability to adapt to various limb sizes of the system.

[0052] Further, the output rod 43 extends out of the first shell 11 and is rotationally connected with the connecting piece 3; the first shell 11 is provided with a relief hole 111 corresponding to the rotating track of the output rod 43 and the connecting piece 3.

[0053] The relief hole 111 structure not only serves for the output rod 43 to pass out, but also provides a movement space during the rotation of the connecting piece 3, so as to avoid interference between the output rod 43 and the first shell 11 during the rotation. By presetting the containing range of the relief hole 111, the full-angle swing freedom of the output rod 43 and the connecting piece 3 during the working process can be guaranteed, thereby improving the smoothness and safety of the ankle joint 100 structure during the actual gait process.

[0054] Further, the fixing shaft 8 is arranged in parallel with the first rotating shaft 6 and the second rotating shaft 7; such a spatial layout forms a symmetrical and stable mechanical structure among the three shafts, which is beneficial to the coordination of the movement path.

[0055] The fixed shaft 8 and the second rotating shaft 7 are located on the two sides of the first rotating shaft 6 respectively, and the shaft centers of the fixed shaft 8 and the second rotating shaft 7 are located on the opposite sides in the axial extension direction of the output rod 43; while ensuring the accuracy of the rotating pair, the entire transmission path can have good symmetry and spatial redundancy, forming a complete and balanced transmission structure path, avoiding the occurrence of partial load and motion jamming, and improving the assembly tolerance adaptability and transmission fluency.

[0056] Further, the adjusting motor 42 is arranged at one end of the hydraulic damper 41 away from the output rod 43, and the output shaft of the adjusting motor 42 is arranged in parallel with the output rod 43; the adjusting motor 42 and the output rod 43 are arranged on the two sides of the hydraulic damper 41 respectively to avoid mutual interference; the output shaft of the adjusting motor 42 is arranged in parallel with the output rod 43, which is used to drive the throttling mechanism in the hydraulic damper 41 to control the output damping size.

[0057] The side of the hydraulic damper 41 away from the adjusting motor 42 and the inner surface of the first shell 11 form a containing cavity 112, and the battery 9 electrically connected with the control mechanism 5 is arranged in the containing cavity 112; the containing cavity 112 structure reasonably embeds the battery 9 in the shell space, which not only improves the compactness of the overall structure, but also facilitates the layout and maintenance of energy supply.

[0058] Further, the second shell 12 detachably connected with the first shell 11 is further included, and the second shell 12 is used to cover the containing cavity 112; the control mechanism 5 is arranged in the second shell 12; the control mechanism 5 arranged in the second shell 12 facilitates the centralized arrangement of the control module and the battery 9, realizes the modular assembly of the system, and improves the maintenance convenience of the whole machine and the protection performance of the electronic components.

[0059] Further, the angle sensor (not shown in the figure) for detecting the angle change between the first shell 11 and the connecting piece 3 is further included, and the angle sensor is electrically connected with the control mechanism 5.

[0060] The angle sensor can monitor the relative angle change between the first shell 11 and the connecting piece 3 of the ankle part 1 in real time, which is an important feedback parameter of the structure motion state. In addition, the present application can further integrate sensing elements such as encoders, IMU inertial measurement units (including three-axis accelerometers and three-axis gyroscopes) to obtain the current gait cycle information and foot movement trend of the wearer.

[0061] Through the above multi-source perception data, the control mechanism 5 can identify the phase of the gait (such as the support phase, the swing phase), and judge the resistance demand according to the current angle position and the dynamic acceleration trend, and send a control signal to the adjusting motor 42 to drive the throttling mechanism in the hydraulic damper 41 to adjust, realize the dynamic change of the damping response of the ankle joint 100 in the gait process, and effectively improve the synchronization and naturalness of the bionic ankle joint 100 to the user's action, so that the walking of the disabled person wearing the prosthesis is closer to the response state of the real ankle, and the comfort and safety are enhanced.

[0062] In actual application, when the user wears the ankle joint 100 of the application and walks, the foot 2 first contacts the ground, and the external reaction force makes the foot 2 rotate relative to the ankle part 1. At this time, the connecting piece 3 is stressed with the sole, and the extension part 32 of the connecting piece 3 starts to rotate around the first rotating shaft 6, driving the output rod 43 connected thereto to produce linear displacement in the axial direction. The axial movement of the output rod 43 is transmitted to the inside of the hydraulic damper 41, and the hydraulic resistance is generated by pushing the internal piston or the throttling structure, so as to realize the buffering and deceleration of the rotation behavior of the sole, thereby simulating the natural support and buffering reaction of the human ankle joint 100.

[0063] In this process, the angle sensor integrated on the ankle joint 100 can detect the relative angle change between the ankle part 1 and the connecting piece 3 in real time; at the same time, the dynamic information of the current gait, such as the gait phase, the foot swing speed, etc., can also be obtained by using the IMU inertial measurement unit.

[0064] The control mechanism 5 judges the time region where the current gait is located according to the data collected by the angle sensor, and sends a control signal to the adjusting motor 42 in combination with the position and rotation trend of the output rod 43. The adjusting motor 42 drives the throttling mechanism inside the hydraulic damper 41 to adjust the opening degree of the damping channel, so as to realize the dynamic adjustment of the damping size, so that the resistance output matches the gait rhythm. When the foot 2 is lifted and the output force is released, the damper returns to the original state, ready for the next grounding action. The whole process runs in a closed loop, continuously and stably, so that the user can obtain the response effect close to the natural ankle in walking, uphill or complex terrain.

[0065] As shown in Figure 3 As shown in Figure 4 As shown in Figure 3 As shown in Figure 4As shown, the foot 2 is in a downward pressing state, at this time, the connecting member 3 drives the foot 2 to rotate clockwise around the ankle 1, for coping with downhill support or load release in gait; improve the naturalness and safety of gait. The structural changes of the two states reflect the dynamic response capability of the ankle joint 100 structure in the application, which can realize the support and buffering of multiple key periods in natural gait.

[0066] In other embodiments, a mechanical lower limb is also proposed, including a mechanical lower limb body and an ankle joint arranged on the mechanical lower limb body, the ankle joint is the above-mentioned ankle joint 100. The integration of the ankle joint 100 structure and the lower limb body can make the whole mechanical lower limb have the ability of gait perception and dynamic response, which is suitable for prosthesis wearing assistance, rehabilitation training robot or multi-degree of freedom lower limb support system.

[0067] In other embodiments, a robot is also proposed, including a robot body and an ankle joint arranged on the robot body, the ankle joint is the above-mentioned ankle joint 100. The integration of the ankle joint 100 structure and the lower limb body can make the whole mechanical lower limb have the ability of gait perception and dynamic response, which is suitable for prosthesis wearing assistance, rehabilitation training robot or multi-degree of freedom lower limb support system.

[0068] The above are only some or preferred embodiments of the application, neither the text nor the drawings can limit the scope of protection of the application, any equivalent structural transformation made by using the content of the specification and drawings, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields under the concept of the whole application are included in the scope of protection of the application.

Claims

1. An ankle joint, characterized by The ankle joint comprises: an ankle part; a foot part rotatably arranged on the ankle part through a connecting part; a damping mechanism arranged on the ankle part, the damping mechanism comprising a hydraulic damper, an adjusting motor connected to and used for adjusting the hydraulic damper, and an output rod arranged on the hydraulic damper; a control mechanism electrically connected to the adjusting motor and used for controlling the adjusting motor to realize damping adjustment; the output rod is rotatably connected to the connecting part and used for driving the connecting part to rotate relative to the ankle part.

2. The ankle joint of claim 1, wherein The connecting part comprises a mounting seat used for connecting the foot part and an extension part transversely arranged on an upper end of the mounting seat; one end of the extension part is rotatably connected to the ankle part through a first rotating shaft, and the other end is rotatably connected to the output rod through a second rotating shaft; the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are arranged in parallel.

3. The ankle joint of claim 2, wherein, The ankle part comprises a first housing, and the hydraulic damper is obliquely arranged in the first housing through a fixed shaft; an axis of the fixed shaft is located in an axial extension direction of the output rod.

4. The ankle joint of claim 3, wherein The output rod extends out of the first housing and is rotatably connected to the connecting part; the first housing is provided with a clearance hole corresponding to a rotation track of the output rod and the connecting part.

5. The ankle joint of claim 4, wherein, The fixed shaft is arranged in parallel with the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft; the fixed shaft and the second rotating shaft are respectively located on two sides of the first rotating shaft, and the axes of the fixed shaft and the second rotating shaft are respectively located on opposite sides in the axial extension direction of the output rod.

6. The ankle joint of claim 3, wherein The adjusting motor is arranged at one end of the hydraulic damper away from the output rod, and an output shaft of the adjusting motor is arranged in parallel with the output rod; a side of the hydraulic damper away from the adjusting motor and an inner surface of the first housing form a containing cavity, and a battery electrically connected to the control mechanism is arranged in the containing cavity.

7. The ankle joint of claim 6, wherein The ankle joint further comprises a second housing detachably connected to the first housing, the second housing being used for covering the containing cavity; and the control mechanism is arranged in the second housing.

8. The ankle joint of claim 3, wherein, The ankle joint further comprises an angle sensor used for detecting an angle change between the first housing and the connecting part; and the angle sensor is electrically connected to the control mechanism.

9. A mechanical lower leg comprising a mechanical lower leg body and an ankle joint arranged on the mechanical lower leg body, characterized in that The ankle joint is the ankle joint according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A robot comprising a robot body and an ankle joint provided on the robot body, characterized by, The ankle joint is the ankle joint according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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