Rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation awakening exoskeleton for hemiplegic patient and application thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation awakening exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients and application of the exoskeleton. The exoskeleton comprises a lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, an upper limb flexible rope driving module and a chest power supply central control module. The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module is composed of a rigid structure and a flexible rehabilitation assistive device, the rigid structure is used for providing overall stability, and the flexible rehabilitation assistive device is attached to a human body to be worn and connected through structural coupling; the chest power supply central control module and the upper limb flexible rope driving module are combined through a connecting device and then are installed on a base provided by the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module. A rigid-flexible coupling structural design is adopted, the flexible unit fits the anatomical form of the human body, the adaptive capacity of the device to different body types and postures is improved, local pressure is remarkably reduced, the comfort of a patient in the wearing process is improved, and the device is suitable for long-time continuous use and particularly suitable for early intervention and waking-up intervention in a neural rehabilitation scene.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the field of medical or rehabilitation products, and particularly relates to a rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients and application thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, tens of millions of brain injury patients are added every year in the world, and these patients live in a state of consciousness-motor disorder or plant for a long time, and long-term bed rest brings a huge burden to families and society. The wake-up rehabilitation can be realized by assisting the patients in lifting hands and feet through an exoskeleton. Common rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeletons mainly have three configurations: a traditional bed rest rehabilitation training exoskeleton, a pure rigid exoskeleton and a pure flexible exoskeleton. Considering the body size difference of different hemiplegic patients and the rehabilitation needs of different rehabilitation parts, and the need for bed wearing equipment, a single configuration exoskeleton is difficult to meet the rehabilitation needs of different patients. For the hemiplegic patient population, a special exoskeleton needs to be designed. The traditional rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton device has problems of poor physiological compatibility, heavy equipment, low equipment integration and the like, which may cause discomfort, effect discount and even secondary injury. Therefore, how to design a lightweight, personalized adaptive and stable and reliable rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients has become a technical problem to be solved in the field of rehabilitation and wake-up.

[0003] The traditional bed rest rehabilitation training exoskeleton has two types of bed body integrated type and single side arrangement type. The former can realize whole body wake-up, but the disadvantage is that the exoskeleton must be supported by a sick bed, resulting in heavy equipment. The latter has low equipment integration and cannot achieve the effect of whole body wake-up. In addition, the pure rigid exoskeleton has good rigidity and strong support for the patient, but due to the rigid structure, the physiological compatibility of the patient is poor, and the joint axis is easily mislocated, causing harm to the patient's body. The pure flexible exoskeleton can meet higher compatibility with the human body, but it does not support the limbs enough, and there is a certain safety hazard in the use process of the patient, and it cannot meet the power demand of the hemiplegic patient for movement assistance. SUMMARY

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients and application thereof, which solves the problems of heavy equipment, poor human physiological adaptability, low equipment integration and insufficient personalized adaptation of the common configuration in the prior art.

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients and application thereof, which solves the problems of heavy equipment, poor human physiological adaptability, low equipment integration and insufficient personalized adaptation of the common configuration in the prior art.

[0006] A rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients, comprising a lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, an upper limb flexible rope driving module, and a chest power supply and control module; the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module is composed of a rigid structure and a flexible rehabilitation aid, the rigid structure is used to provide overall stability, and the flexible rehabilitation aid is worn on the human body and connected through structural coupling; the chest power supply and control module and the upper limb flexible rope driving module are combined through a connecting device and then installed together on a base provided by the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, and an electrical connection interface matched with the power supply and control module is arranged on the base.

[0007] The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module comprises a hip joint support, a stepping servo motor, a hip motor connecting piece, a joint motor bracket, a joint motor, a knee joint connecting rod, a lower limb Bowden cable, a lower leg protector, an ankle joint connecting rod, and a foot protector; the hip joint support serves as a base, and symmetrically arranged from top to bottom on both ends of the base are the stepping servo motor, the hip motor connecting piece, the joint motor bracket, the joint motor, the knee joint connecting rod, the lower limb Bowden cable, the lower leg protector, the ankle joint connecting rod, and the foot protector; all the motors are connected to the electrical connection interface through built-in wires.

[0008] The upper limb rigid-flexible coupling module comprises symmetrically arranged chest-mounted rigid supports, flexible straps, pulleys, servo motors, Bowden cables, flexible sleeve, and quick interfaces; the chest-mounted rigid support is a rigid skeleton that fits the front chest of the human body, the servo motor is arranged below the rigid skeleton, the output shaft of the servo motor is connected to the positioning pulley, the second pulley is arranged on the upper middle part of the rigid skeleton, one end of the Bowden cable is fixed to the positioning pulley, and the other end of the Bowden cable is connected to the flexible sleeve after passing through the second pulley; the lower part of the quick interface is matched and connected to the electrical connection interface on the base, and the rear part of the quick interface is provided with a support rod, which forms four supporting points with the upper end of the chest-mounted rigid support.

[0009] The chest power supply and control module is installed at the middle position of the lower part of the two chest-mounted rigid supports, and provides power supply for all devices through internal lead wires.

[0010] The chest power supply and control module is internally provided with a battery power supply unit and an exoskeleton control unit.

[0011] The exoskeleton has six degrees of freedom, two independent motors of the upper limb change the length of the Bowden cable through forward and reverse rotation, and tighten the Bowden cable to control the lifting action of the hand; the hip joint motor of the lower limb drives the thigh joint assembly to make rotary motion, and the thigh joint assembly is fixed together with the thigh of the patient through a bandage; the exoskeleton and the wearer's limbs are matched together to form a four-bar linkage mechanism by adjusting the length of the knee joint connecting rod and the lower limb Bowden cable.

[0012] The distance between the center point of the joint motor and the center point of the knee joint is approximately equal to the length of the lower limb Bowden cable, and the distance between the connecting point of the lower limb Bowden cable and the lower leg protector and the center point of the knee joint is approximately equal to the length of the knee joint connecting rod.

[0013] The detachable combination interface is adopted between the modules, and the modules are supported to be customized and combined according to requirements.

[0014] The rigid-flexible coupling type hemiplegic patient rehabilitation promoting wakefulness exoskeleton adopts light materials.

[0015] The rigid-flexible coupling type hemiplegic patient rehabilitation promoting wakefulness exoskeleton is applied to various scenes including a ward and a rehabilitation center.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. The rigid-flexible coupling structure design is adopted, the flexible unit is attached to the human anatomical form, the adaptability of the device to different body types and postures is improved, the local pressure is significantly reduced, the comfort of the patient during wearing is improved, and the device is suitable for long-time continuous use.

[0018] 2. The light materials and the optimized structure layout are selected, the light weight of the device is realized. Compared with the traditional wakefulness promoting equipment integrated with a bed body, the present application is more easy to carry, deploy and store, and is suitable for flexible use in various application scenes such as a ward and a rehabilitation center.

[0019] 3. The detachable combination of multiple functional modules is supported, including a battery control module, an upper limb flexible rope drive module and a lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, the flexible configuration can be carried out according to the patient state, the intervention site and the treatment target, and the clinical application range and the expansion ability of the system are improved.

[0020] 4. The joint design of rope drive + four-bar linkage mechanism is adopted, the natural joint motion path of the human body is accurately simulated, the problems of motion trajectory deviation and joint ectopia are effectively avoided, the biomechanical rationality and operation safety in the training process of the patient are ensured, and the early intervention and wakefulness promoting intervention in the neural rehabilitation scene are particularly suitable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Figure 1 It is several common rehabilitation wakefulness exoskeletons at present, a is single-sided arrangement, b is a pure rigid exoskeleton, and c is a bed body integrated type.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a rigid-flexible coupling exoskeleton schematic diagram of the present application.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module structure schematic diagram of the present application.

[0024] Figure 4 It is an upper limb rigid-flexible coupling module structure schematic diagram of the present application.

[0025] Figure 5The application is a schematic diagram for the exoskeleton to pull the patient's moving limbs.

[0026] Figure 6 The application is a schematic diagram for the joint motor to pull the knee joint to rotate.

[0027] In the figure, the marks are as follows: 1-lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, 2-upper limb flexible rope drive module, 3-chest power supply and control module, 101-hip joint support, 102-stepping servo motor, 103-hip motor connecting piece, 104-joint motor support, 105-joint motor, 106-knee joint connecting rod, 107-lower limb Bowden cable, 108-calf protector, 109-ankle joint connecting rod, 110-foot protector, 211-chest-mounted rigid support, 212-flexible strap, 213-second pulley, 214-servo motor, 215-upper limb Bowden cable, 216-flexible sleeve, and 217-quick interface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The structure and working process of the application will be further described below in combination with the drawings.

[0029] The application aims to provide a rigid-flexible coupling rehabilitation exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients, to help patients promote rehabilitation, and has the advantages of compact overall structure, light weight, good human physiological adaptability, high equipment integration, easy to assemble and disassemble, wide application population, and can be extended to different rehabilitation parts of different patients, strong power assistance effect, good comfort, and the like. Therefore, the application makes efforts to seek a new structure, and is committed to solving the problems of the above common configurations, such as bulkiness, poor human physiological adaptability, low equipment integration, and insufficient personalized adaptation.

[0030] A rigid-flexible coupling rehabilitation exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients is provided, which comprises a lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, an upper limb flexible rope drive module, and a chest power supply and control module. The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module is composed of a rigid structure and a flexible rehabilitation aid, the rigid structure is used to provide overall stability, and the flexible rehabilitation aid is worn on the human body and connected through structural coupling. The chest power supply and control module and the upper limb flexible rope drive module are combined through a connecting device and then installed together on a base provided by the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, and an electrical connection interface matched with the power supply and control module is arranged on the base.

[0031] A specific embodiment is shown in Figures 1 to 6

[0032] The rigid-flexible coupling rehabilitation exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients described in the embodiment has the overall structure as shown in Figure 2 ​As shown by the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module 1, the upper limb flexible rope drive module 2, and the chest power supply central control module 3, the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module is composed of a rigid motor driven joint and a flexible rehabilitation aid, and the chest power supply central control module and the upper limb flexible rope drive module are installed together on the base provided by the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module after being combined through a connecting device.

[0033] As shown in the figure, Figure 3 The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module mainly includes a hip joint support 101, a stepping servo motor 102, a hip motor connecting piece 103, a joint motor support 104, a joint motor 105, a knee joint connecting rod 106, a lower limb Bowden cable 107, a lower leg protector 108, an ankle joint connecting rod 109, and a foot protector 110. The main body of the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module is a symmetrical structure, and the thickness of all connecting pieces and supports is moderate, taking into account lightweight and structural strength. The hip joint support 101 serves as a base, and its two ends are symmetrically provided with the stepping servo motor 102, the hip motor connecting piece 103, the joint motor support 104, the joint motor 105, the knee joint connecting rod 106, the lower limb Bowden cable 107, the lower leg protector 108, the ankle joint connecting rod 109, and the foot protector 110 connected in turn from top to bottom. All motors are connected to the electrical connection interface through the built-in wires.

[0034] During installation, the hip motor connecting piece 103 is fixed to the stepping servo motor 102 through a screw according to the positioning hole, then the stepping servo motor 102 is fixed to the hip joint support 101 through the positioning hole of the motor output shaft, then the joint motor 105 is inserted into the joint motor support 104, rotated to the positioning hole, and screwed, then the outer extension boss of the hip motor connecting piece 103 is inserted into the joint motor support 104, and the two are fixed by screwing in a screw, the knee joint connecting rod 106 is fixed to the output shaft of the joint motor 105 through a screw according to the positioning hole, the lower limb Bowden cable 107 is connected to the knee joint connecting rod 106 and the lower leg protector 108, the lower leg protector 108 is connected through the ankle joint connecting rod 109 and the foot protector 110. The ankle joint connecting rod 109 can effectively prevent the position of the lower leg protector 108 from shifting when worn.

[0035] As shown in the figure, Figure 4As shown, the upper limb rigid-flexible coupling module includes symmetrically arranged chest-mounted rigid support 211, flexible back strap 212, positioning pulley, second pulley 213, servo motor 214, upper limb Bowden cable 215, flexible sleeve 216 and quick interface 217; wherein the chest-mounted rigid support 211 is a rigid skeleton that fits the human chest, with a through hole in the lower part of the chest, the servo motor 214 is placed in the through hole, and the servo motor 214 is in transition fit with the chest-mounted rigid support 211, and the outer ring of the servo motor 214 is fixed with the chest-mounted rigid support 211 by screws. The servo motor 214 is connected to the positioning pulley through the positioning hole of the output shaft, and the servo motor 214 is fixed by tightening the screw. The upper limb Bowden cable 215 is wound around the positioning pulley connected to the servo motor 214, and then the upper limb Bowden cable 215 is pulled to pass through the second pulley 213 (upper half) and is connected to the flexible sleeve 216. The quick interface 217 has two functions, the lower interface can be connected to the hip joint support 101 to combine the upper and lower limb modules into a whole, and the rear support rod can form four supporting points with the chest-mounted rigid support 211 to reduce the weight of the device and the pressure on the patient's chest in the patient's bed scene. The upper limb rigid-flexible coupling module is completely symmetrical on both sides, and the middle part is connected to the two sides of the device through the chest power supply central control module 3 to form a complete set of equipment.

[0036] The upper limb rigid-flexible coupling module and the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module of the present embodiment are independently assembled. After being assembled according to the foregoing operation, the two are assembled through the quick interface 217 and the hip joint support 101. The complete set of rigid-flexible coupling type hemiplegic patient rehabilitation promoting wake-up exoskeleton device has six degrees of freedom. The two independent motors of the upper limb can change the length of the Bowden cable by forward and reverse rotation, and tightening the Bowden cable can help the patient complete the lifting hand action such as Figure 5 As shown, the lower limb hip joint motor drives the thigh joint assembly to rotate, and the thigh joint assembly is fixed with the patient's thigh through the binding belt, so that when the hip joint motor rotates, the patient's thigh is also lifted up as shown in Figure 5 When the hip joint motor works, the joint motor 105 controls the rotation of the knee joint connecting rod 106 to pull the patient's calf to move with the thigh. When designing the traction mechanism of the knee joint rotation, by adjusting the length of the knee joint connecting rod 106 and the lower limb Bowden cable 107, the distance from the center point of the joint motor to the center point of the knee joint is approximately equal to the length of the Bowden cable, and the distance from the connection point of the Bowden cable and the calf protector to the center point of the knee joint is approximately equal to the length of the knee joint connecting rod, so as to form a four-bar mechanism close to a parallelogram as shown in Figure 6 Such design helps to accurately control the rotation angle of the human knee joint by adjusting the rotation angle of the output shaft of the joint motor.

[0037] The motion control of the exoskeleton can be controlled by a control unit in a chest power central control module, can be automatically controlled according to a preset program, or can be manually operated, and different control schemes are selected according to different needs of patients.

[0038] In summary, the key points and effects of the present application are as follows:

[0039] The rigid support structure and the flexible adaptive unit are adopted, the rigid structure is used to provide overall stability, the flexible unit is attached to the human body, the structure is coupled and connected, so that the device has good deformation compliance under the premise of ensuring sufficient bearing capacity, thereby improving the physiological adaptability in the use process, improving the adaptability of the device to different body shapes and postures, reducing the local pressure, improving the wearing comfort, and being suitable for long-term continuous use of patients with different body shapes.

[0040] The present application adopts light materials and structure optimization design, so that the overall device has the characteristics of light weight. Compared with the wake-up device integrated with the bed body in the prior art, the structure of the present application is more compact, the quality is lighter, the operation is more convenient and the deployment is more convenient, especially suitable for multiple scene mobile applications such as wards and rehabilitation centers, and the operation flexibility and clinical adaptability are significantly improved.

[0041] The manufacturing process of the specific structure adopts 3D printing, the rigid support part adopts nylon and carbon fiber material, the appearance shell adopts PLA, and reasonable flexible binding and Bowden cable transmission arrangement also ensure the light weight of the device. The specific light weight material and manufacturing process can be flexibly set according to the specific situation, and the person skilled in the art can make adaptive adjustment settings.

[0042] The present application is composed of multiple functional modules, the modules include but are not limited to battery control module, upper limb flexible rope drive module and lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, the modules are connected through detachable combination interface, support on-demand customization and combination configuration, so as to realize personalized application for different patient states, intervention sites and treatment targets, and improve system expansibility and clinical applicability.

[0043] The motion execution structure of the present application adopts a combination design of rope drive and four-bar linkage mechanism, the rope drive is used to simulate the tendon traction mode of human body, the four-bar linkage mechanism is set according to the joint motion trajectory of human body, and is highly matched with the natural motion path of the limb, so that the joint automatic coordination can be realized in the motion process of the limb, the problems of motion trajectory deviation and joint ectopia are avoided, the biomechanical rationality and training safety in the use process are guaranteed. Especially suitable for early intervention and wake-up intervention in the scene of nerve rehabilitation.

[0044] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like in the description and in the claims of the present application and the above-described accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0045] In the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "middle", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. These terms are mainly used to better describe the present application and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to have a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0046] In addition, in addition to indicating the orientation or positional relationship, the above-mentioned partial terms can also be used to indicate other meanings, for example, the term "upper" can also be used to indicate a certain dependent relationship or connection relationship in some cases. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of these terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0047] In addition, the terms "mount", "set", "provided with", "connected", "connected", "sleeved" should be broadly understood. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or a monolithic structure; it can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or internal communication between two devices, elements or components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

Claims

1. A rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients, characterized in that: The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, the upper limb flexible rope drive module, and the chest power supply and control module are included. The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module is composed of a rigid structure and a flexible rehabilitation aid, the rigid structure is used to provide overall stability, and the flexible rehabilitation aid is worn on the human body and is connected through structural coupling. The chest power supply and control module and the upper limb flexible rope drive module are combined through a connecting device and are installed together on a base provided by the lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module, and an electrical connection interface matched with the power supply and control module is arranged on the base.

2. The rigid-flex coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower limb rigid-flexible coupling module includes a hip joint support, a stepping servo motor, a hip motor connecting piece, a joint motor support, a joint motor, a knee joint connecting rod, a lower limb Bowden cable, a lower leg protector, an ankle joint connecting rod, and a foot protector; the hip joint support serves as a base, and symmetrically arranged from top to bottom on both ends of the base are the stepping servo motor, the hip motor connecting piece, the joint motor support, the joint motor, the knee joint connecting rod, the lower limb Bowden cable, the lower leg protector, the ankle joint connecting rod, and the foot protector; all the motors are connected to the electrical connection interface through built-in wires.

3. The rigid-flex coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper limb rigid-flexible coupling module includes symmetrically arranged chest-mounted rigid supports, flexible straps, pulleys, servo motors, Bowden cables, flexible sleeves, and quick interfaces; the chest-mounted rigid supports are rigid skeletons that fit the front chest of the human body, the servo motors are arranged below the rigid skeletons, the output shafts of the servo motors are connected to the positioning pulleys, the second pulleys are arranged on the upper middle parts of the rigid skeletons, one end of each Bowden cable is fixed to a positioning pulley, and the other end of each Bowden cable is connected to a flexible sleeve after passing through a second pulley; the lower part of each quick interface is matched with the electrical connection interface on the base, and a support rod is arranged at the back of each quick interface to form four support points with the upper end of the chest-mounted rigid support.

4. The rigid-flexible coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 3, characterized in that: The chest power supply and control module is installed at the lower middle part of the two chest-mounted rigid supports and provides power supply for all the devices through internal wires.

5. The rigid-flex coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 4, characterized in that: The chest power supply and control module is internally provided with a battery power supply unit and an exoskeleton control unit.

6. The rigid-flexible coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exoskeleton has six degrees of freedom, the two independent motors of the upper limb change the length of the Bowden cable through forward and reverse rotation, and tightening the Bowden cable controls the lifting action of the hand; the hip joint motor of the lower limb drives the thigh joint assembly to make rotary motion, the thigh joint assembly is fixed together with the thigh of the patient through a bandage; the exoskeleton and the wearer's limbs are matched together to form a four-bar linkage mechanism by adjusting the length of the knee joint connecting rod and the lower limb Bowden cable.

7. The rigid-flex coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 5, characterized in that: The distance between the center point of the joint motor and the center point of the knee joint is approximately equal to the length of the lower limb Bowden cable, and the distance between the connecting point of the lower limb Bowden cable and the lower leg protector and the center point of the knee joint is approximately equal to the length of the knee joint connecting rod.

8. The rigid-flex coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that: The modules are connected through detachable combination interfaces, and the modules can be customized and combined as needed.

9. The rigid-flexible coupled hemiplegic patient rehabilitation and wakefulness promoting exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients is made of light materials.

10. The application of rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation promoting wakefulness exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients, characterized in that: The rigid-flexible coupling type rehabilitation and wake-up exoskeleton for hemiplegic patients is applied to various scenes including wards and rehabilitation centers.

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