Passive knee joint bionic track exoskeleton

Abstract

The invention relates to a passive knee joint bionic track exoskeleton. Comprising a waist part, thigh parts, guide rail constraint assemblies, shank parts and foot parts. The waist part is connected with the thigh parts through bearings; bionic knee joint tracks are arranged at the bottoms of the thigh parts; two guide rail constraint assemblies are arranged on the bionic knee joint track; the guide rail constraint assembly can freely move on a bionic knee joint track and is connected with the shank part through a pin shaft; the shank part is connected with the foot part through a screw. The exoskeleton device solves the problems that an existing exoskeleton device is insufficient in bionic performance, complex in structure and the like, simulates human knee joint tracks in the lower limb movement process through the knee joint bionic track and the double-constraint guide rail, is more suitable for human lower limb movement, and has the advantages of being high in bionic performance, simple in structure, comfortable to wear and the like; and meanwhile, the upper limb exoskeleton or other exoskeleton equipment can assist the user in loading, load support is provided, and the loading capacity of the user is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of exoskeleton robots, specifically relating to a passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton. Background Technology

[0002] The core functions of lower limb exoskeletons include supporting the wearer's weight, enhancing the driving ability of lower limb joints, and reducing the risk of joint injury. Through coordination with human movement, it can effectively assist in tasks such as walking and weight-bearing, significantly reducing fatigue and sports injuries, thereby improving human function. However, most current mainstream passive knee exoskeletons employ single-axis or four-bar linkage designs, exhibiting significant shortcomings in biomimicry. Since the actual movement of the human knee joint is a complex motion combining rotation and sliding, if the exoskeleton's knee joint relies solely on a pure rotational structure, its movement trajectory will deviate from that of the human knee joint, severely impacting wearing comfort and assistive effects.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent application No. 202110836544.1 discloses a passive lower limb exoskeleton that combines load transmission and energy saving during walking. The exoskeleton's knee joint is composed of a shaft, a bearing, and a bearing seat, and can only rotate. During movement, the exoskeleton's knee joint may deviate from the human knee joint's movement trajectory, affecting the user's wearing comfort.

[0004] For example, Chinese patent application No. 202210856610.6 discloses a bionic exoskeleton device based on the structure of the human knee joint. The exoskeleton knee joint is composed of parts such as lead screw, slider, linkage, motor, and non-circular gear mechanism. Although it has a certain degree of bionicity, its structure is relatively complex. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton. Through a ring guide rail constraint system, the relative movement between the thigh and lower leg components of the lower limb exoskeleton mimics the movement trajectory of the knee joint, reducing the movement deviation between the human knee joint and the exoskeleton knee joint during wear and improving the comfort of wearing the exoskeleton.

[0006] The technical solution to achieve the purpose of this invention is: a passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton, including a waist component, a thigh component, a guide rail constraint assembly, a lower leg component, a limiting rod, and a foot component;

[0007] The waist component is rotatably connected to one end of the thigh component at both ends. The other end of the thigh component on one side is provided with a knee joint bionic track. The main body of the thigh component is provided with a slot to limit the movement of one end of the limiting rod. The guide rail constraint assembly is rotatably connected to the lower leg component. The guide rail constraint assembly moves along the knee joint bionic track, thereby driving the movement of the lower leg component. The lower leg component and the foot component are relatively fixedly connected. The other end of the limiting rod is rotatably connected to the lower leg component. The foot component includes a locking mechanism for locking and releasing the exoskeleton knee joint.

[0008] Furthermore, the main body of the waist component is hollowed out and U-shaped to match the human body, and the upper end of the thigh component is rotatably connected to the waist component through a hip joint bearing and a hip joint pin.

[0009] Furthermore, there are two sets of guide rail constraint assemblies on each side, each set including two guide rail constraint assembly bearings I, two cover plates, two guide rail constraint assembly pins and two guide rail constraint assembly bearings II;

[0010] Two guide rail constraint component bearings II are set on the upper and lower sides of the knee joint bionic track through two cover plates and two guide rail constraint component pins, realizing the movement of the guide rail constraint component on the knee joint bionic track; the outer side of the cover plate is equipped with guide rail constraint component bearing I through the mounting shaft, and the lower leg component and the guide rail constraint component are provided with a U-shaped groove. The side wall of the U-shaped groove is equipped with guide rail constraint component bearing I, realizing the rotational connection between the guide rail constraint component and the lower leg component.

[0011] Furthermore, a limiting rod pin is assembled at one end of the limiting rod that connects to the slot, and a slider that slides along the slot is provided inside the slot, with the slider equipped with a limiting rod bearing.

[0012] Furthermore, the shape of the biomimetic track of the human knee joint mimics the shape of the femur end of the human lower limb.

[0013] Furthermore, a protruding journal is provided on the lower outer side of the lower leg component, and the limiting rod is rotatably connected to the journal.

[0014] Furthermore, the foot components include a front end of the sole, a rear end of the sole, a sole pedal, a gas spring support rod, foot pin I, a ball joint rod, a friction plate, a lower ball joint seat, foot pin II, and foot pin III; a vertical connecting rod is connected to the middle of the friction plate;

[0015] A step is provided in the middle of the upper surface of the front end of the sole. One end of the foot pedal is rotatably connected to the step via foot pin III. The rear end of the front end of the sole is rotatably connected to the front end of the rear end of the sole and one end of the gas spring support rod via foot pin II. The other end of the gas spring support rod is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the foot pedal. An upper ball joint is provided at the outer quarter of the rear end of the lower surface of the foot pedal. A guide rail is provided on the upper surface of the rear end of the sole. A lower ball joint guide rail is slidably provided on the guide rail, and the lower ball joint is fixed on the guide rail. The outer end of the lower ball joint guide rail is fixedly connected to the connecting rod of the friction plate. The friction plate is located outside the limiting rod. The two ends of the ball joint rod are connected by the ball head and the ball joint seat. The length of the ball joint rod is greater than 1.5 times the maximum height between the foot pedal and the rear end of the sole, so that the ball joint rod and the lower ball joint form an acute angle outward in the initial state. When the user presses the foot pedal, the lower ball joint causes the friction plate to tighten inward. The friction plate and the lower leg component clamp the limiting rod, making the limiting rod unable to move, thereby locking the exoskeleton knee joint.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the significant advantages of this invention are:

[0017] The advantage of this invention lies in its use of a ring-shaped guide rail constraint system to mimic the movement trajectory of the knee joint between the thigh and lower leg components of the lower limb exoskeleton. This design reduces the movement deviation between the human knee joint and the exoskeleton knee joint during wear, thus improving the comfort of wearing the exoskeleton. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the hip joint assembly of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the knee joint assembly of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the foot structure of the present invention.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0023] 1-Waist component, 2-Thigh component, 3-Guide rail constraint assembly, 4-Lower leg component, 5-Limiting rod, 6-Foot component, 2-1-Hip joint bearing, 2-2-Hip joint pin, 3-1-Guide rail constraint assembly bearing I, 3-2-Cover plate, 3-3-Guide rail constraint assembly pin, 3-4-Guide rail constraint assembly bearing II, 5-1-Limiting rod bearing, 5-2-Limiting rod pin, 5-3-Slider, 6-1-Foot sole front end, 6-2-Foot sole rear end, 6-3-Foot sole pedal, 6-4-Gas spring support rod, 6-5-Foot pin I, 6-6-Ball head straight rod, 6-7-Friction pad, 6-8-Lower ball head seat, 6-9-Foot pin II, 6-10-Foot pin III. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "sleeved / connected," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton includes a waist component 1, a thigh component 2, a guide rail constraint assembly 3, a lower leg component 4, and a foot component 6.

[0027] The waist component 1 and the thigh component 2 are connected by a hip joint bearing-2-1 and a hip joint pin-2-2, allowing the thigh component 2 to rotate freely.

[0028] The guide rail constraint assembly 3 is connected to the lower leg component 4. The lower leg component 4 is connected to the foot component 6 by screws.

[0029] The thigh component 2 has a groove, and a slider 5-3 can slide inside the groove. The upper end of the limiting rod 5 is connected to the limiting rod bearing-5-1 and the limiting rod pin-5-2 is connected to the slider 5-3 inside the groove and fixed by the pin buckle.

[0030] The thigh component 2 has a human knee joint bionic track at its end, and the guide rail constraint assembly 3 moves along the human knee joint bionic track. There are two guide rail constraint assemblies 3 on the knee joint bionic track. Each guide rail constraint assembly 3 includes two guide rail constraint assembly bearings I 3-1, two cover plates 3-2, two guide rail constraint assembly pins 3-3, and two guide rail constraint assembly bearings II 3-4. The two guide rail constraint assembly bearings II 3-4 are located above and below the human knee joint bionic track, respectively, and are sandwiched between the two cover plates 3-2. Each cover plate 3-2 has two holes, and the two guide rail constraint assembly pins 3-3 connect the cover plates 3-2 and the two guide rail constraint assembly bearings II 3-4, allowing the guide rail constraint assembly 3 to slide freely on the knee joint bionic track.

[0031] The shape of the human knee joint bionic track at the end of thigh component 2 is modeled after the shape of the end of the femur knee joint of the human lower limb. At the same time, considering the differences between individuals, thigh component 2 should have different sizes to adapt to various human leg lengths. In addition, the human knee joint bionic track at the end of thigh component 2 is scaled and adjusted proportionally according to the size of thigh component 2.

[0032] The lower leg component 4 is connected to the guide rail constraint component 3 through two guide rail constraint component bearings I3-1. The movement of the lower leg component 4 on the human knee joint bionic trajectory track is realized through the two guide rail constraint components 3. There is a protruding journal under the lower leg component 4. The limiting rod 5 is connected to the journal through the bearing to realize the rotation of the limiting rod 5.

[0033] The foot assembly includes a front end of the sole 6-1, a rear end of the sole 6-2, a foot pedal 6-3, a gas spring support rod 6-4, a foot pin I 6-5, a ball head rod 6-6, a friction plate 6-7, a lower ball head seat 6-8, a foot pin II 6-9, and a foot pin III 6-10; a vertical connecting rod is connected to the middle of the friction plate 6-7.

[0034] The front end 6-1 and rear end 6-2 of the sole, and the gas spring support rod 6-4 are connected by foot pin II 6-9. The rear end 6-2 and the small gas spring support rod 6-4 can rotate around the axis. The front end 6-1 of the sole and the foot pedal 6-3 are connected by foot pin III 6-10. The tail end of the gas spring support rod 6-4 is connected to the foot pedal 6-3 by foot pin I 6-5. When the user steps on the foot pedal 6-3, the foot pedal 6-3 moves downward to fit the front end 6-1 and rear end 6-2 of the sole. When the user releases the foot pedal 6-3, the gas spring support rod 6-4 will support the foot pedal 6-3 to rebound and fit the user's sole. The two ends of the ball joint rod 6-6 are respectively installed at the bottom of the foot pedal 6-3 and the lower ball joint seat 6-8. One end of the guide rail where the lower ball joint seat 6-8 is located is connected to the connecting rod of the friction plate 6-7 by a thread. The lower ball joint seat 6-8 is connected to the rear end of the foot 6-2 through a shaft hole and can slide left and right. There is a ball joint seat under the foot pedal 6-3 at the outer quarter of the pedal. One end of the ball joint rod 6-6 is installed on the ball joint seat of the foot pedal 6-3, and the other end is installed on the lower ball joint seat 6-8. The length of the ball joint rod 6-6 should be more than 1.5 times the height between the foot pedal 6-3 and the rear end of the foot 6-2, so that the ball joint rod 6-6 and the lower ball joint seat 6-8 form an acute angle outward, so that when the user presses the foot pedal 6-3, the ball joint seat 6-8 moves inward. When the user presses down on the foot pedal 6-3, the ball joint rod 6-6 pushes the lower ball joint seat 6-8 to move. The lower ball joint seat 6-8 drives the friction plate 6-7 to tighten inward. At this time, the friction plate 6-7 and the lower leg component 4 clamp the limiting rod 5, making the limiting rod 5 unable to move, thereby locking the exoskeleton knee joint.

[0035] The working process of a passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton: The main function of the passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton is to assist the user in bearing load. When wearing the exoskeleton, when the user lifts his leg and steps forward, the foot pedal 6-3 is lifted, the friction plate 6-7 moves outward, the limiting rod 5 is released, and the knee joint enters a mobile state. After one gait cycle, the user presses down on the foot pedal 6-3, the friction plate 6-7 moves inward, at this time the friction plate 6-7 and the lower leg component 4 clamp the limiting rod 5, the knee joint enters a locked state, and assists the user in bearing load.

Claims

1. A passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton, characterized in that, It includes a waist component (1), a thigh component (2), a guide rail restraint assembly (3), a calf component (4), a limiting rod (5), and a foot component (6); The waist component (1) is rotatably connected to one end of the thigh component (2) at both ends. The other end of the thigh component (2) is provided with a knee joint bionic track. The main body of the thigh component (2) is provided with a slot for limiting the movement of one end of the limiting rod (5). The guide rail constraint assembly (3) and the lower leg component (4) are rotatably connected. The guide rail constraint assembly (3) moves along the knee joint bionic track, thereby driving the movement of the lower leg component (4). The lower leg component (4) and the foot component (6) are relatively fixedly connected. The other end of the limiting rod (5) is rotatably connected relative to the lower leg component (4). The foot component (6) includes a locking mechanism for locking and releasing the exoskeleton knee joint.

2. The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The waist component (1) has a hollow, U-shaped body that matches the human body. The upper end of the thigh component (2) is rotatably connected to the waist component (1) through a hip joint bearing (2-1) and a hip joint pin (2-2).

3. The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton according to claim 2, characterized in that, There are two sets of guide rail constraint components (3) on each side. Each set includes two guide rail constraint component bearings I (3-1), two cover plates (3-2), two guide rail constraint component pins (3-3), and two guide rail constraint component bearings II (3-4). Two guide rail constraint component bearings II (3-4) are set on the upper and lower sides of the knee joint bionic track through two cover plates (3-2) and two guide rail constraint component pins (3-3), so as to realize the movement of the guide rail constraint component (3) on the knee joint bionic track; the outer side of the cover plate (3-2) is equipped with the guide rail constraint component bearing I (3-1) through the mounting shaft. The lower leg component (4) and the guide rail constraint component (3) are provided with a U-shaped groove on one side, and the side wall of the U-shaped groove is equipped with the guide rail constraint component bearing I (3-1), so as to realize the rotational connection between the guide rail constraint component (3) and the lower leg component (4).

4. The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton according to claim 3, characterized in that, The end of the limiting rod (5) connected to the slot is equipped with a limiting rod pin (5-2), and a slider (5-3) that slides along the slot is provided in the slot. The slider is equipped with a limiting rod bearing (5-1).

5. The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton according to claim 4, characterized in that, The shape of the biomimetic track for the human knee joint is modeled after the shape of the femur end of the human lower limb.

6. The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton according to claim 5, characterized in that, The lower outer side of the lower leg component (4) is provided with a protruding journal, and the limiting rod (5) is rotatably connected to the journal.

7. The passive knee joint bionic trajectory exoskeleton according to claim 6, characterized in that, The foot component (6) includes the front end of the sole (6-1), the rear end of the sole (6-2), the sole pedal (6-3), the gas spring support rod (6-4), the foot pin I (6-5), the ball head rod (6-6), the friction plate (6-7), the lower ball head seat (6-8), the foot pin II (6-9), and the foot pin III (6-10); a vertical connecting rod is connected to the middle of the friction plate (6-7); A step is provided in the middle of the upper surface of the front end of the foot (6-1). The step is rotatably connected to one end of the foot pedal (6-3) via foot pin III (6-10). The rear end of the front end of the foot (6-1) is rotatably connected to the front end of the rear end of the foot (6-2) and one end of the gas spring support rod (6-4) via foot pin II (6-9). The other end of the gas spring support rod (6-4) is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the foot pedal (6-3). An upper ball head seat is provided at the outer quarter of the rear end of the lower surface of the foot pedal (6-3). A guide rail seat is provided on the upper surface of the rear end of the foot (6-2). The guide rail seat is slidably provided with a lower ball head seat guide rail. A lower ball head seat (608) is fixed on the guide rail. The outer end of the guide rail and the connecting rod of the friction plate (6-7) are fixedly connected. The friction plate (6-7) is located outside the limiting rod. The two ends of the ball head rod (6-6) are connected by the ball head and the ball head seat. The length of the ball head rod (6-6) is greater than 1.5 times the maximum height between the foot pedal (6-3) and the rear end of the foot (6-2). This makes the ball head rod (6-6) and the lower ball head seat (6-8) form an acute angle outward in the initial state. When the user presses the foot pedal (6-3), the lower ball head seat (6-8) drives the friction plate (6-7) to tighten inward. The friction plate (6-7) and the lower leg component (4) clamp the limiting rod (5), making the limiting rod (5) unable to move, thereby locking the exoskeleton knee joint.

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