Shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on human-like motion mechanism

Abstract

The present application relates to medical rehabilitation training and power-assisted equipment, in particular to a shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanism. The device comprises a back plate, a shoulder joint mechanism and a functional electrical stimulation system. The shoulder joint mechanism is arranged on one side or both sides of the back plate. The shoulder joint mechanism comprises a fixed shoulder joint, a driving wheel, a scissor-type scapula following mechanism and a shoulder support. The fixed shoulder joint is arranged on the back plate. The driving wheel is installed on the fixed shoulder joint through a center of symmetry shaft. One end of the scissor-type scapula following mechanism is connected with the center of symmetry shaft, and the other end is connected with the shoulder support. The scissor-type scapula following mechanism is used for passively following the protraction and retraction movement of the human scapula. By rotating the driving wheel, the abduction and adduction movement of the shoulder joint is realized. The functional electrical stimulation system is used for assisting the activation of target muscles. The present application has simple structure, is easy to wear and portable, can realize active movement and electrical stimulation collaborative rehabilitation, and effectively improves the rehabilitation efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to medical rehabilitation training and assistive devices, specifically a shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanisms. Background Technology

[0002] The first three months of rehabilitation training after a stroke are crucial for the recovery of a patient's motor function. Rehabilitation assistive robots can help patients perform long-term training tasks, which can not only reduce the demand on rehabilitation therapists, but also improve the efficiency of motor recovery.

[0003] The shoulder joint is one of the most complex joints in the human upper limb, possessing three degrees of freedom of movement: sagittal flexion / extension, coronal abduction / adduction, and horizontal rotation. For stroke patients with hemiplegia, restoring shoulder joint function is a crucial aspect of upper limb rehabilitation. However, existing upper limb rehabilitation exoskeletons have the following problems:

[0004] First, most existing exoskeletons use a fixed joint rotation center design, while the rotation center of the human shoulder joint will float with the movement of the scapula, resulting in a human-machine resistance force between the exoskeleton and the human body, causing discomfort when wearing it or even secondary injury.

[0005] Second, research shows that as the humerus is elevated, the clavicle rotates and the scapula slides along the chest wall, all of which cause horizontal displacement of the glenohumeral joint rotation center. Existing exoskeletons have failed to effectively solve this kinematic matching problem.

[0006] Third, existing designs that use springs for gravity compensation produce nonlinear drag characteristics, resulting in "transparency" in the transmission of influence and reducing the patient's proprioception. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of existing upper limb rehabilitation exoskeletons, the purpose of this invention is to provide a shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanism to meet the needs of stroke hemiplegic patients to carry out autonomous shoulder joint rehabilitation in rehabilitation training and daily life.

[0008] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0009] This invention provides a shoulder exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanisms, comprising a backplate, a shoulder joint mechanism, and a functional electrical stimulation system. The backplate is used to fix the device to the human torso. The shoulder joint mechanism is located on one or both sides of the backplate and includes a fixed shoulder joint, a drive wheel, a scissor-type scapula following mechanism, and a shoulder support. The fixed shoulder joint is located on the backplate. The drive wheel is mounted on the fixed shoulder joint via a symmetrical center pivot. One end of the scissor-type scapula following mechanism is connected to the symmetrical center pivot, and the other end is connected to the shoulder support. The shoulder support is used to fix the device to the human shoulder. The scissor-type scapula following mechanism passively follows the extension and retraction movements of the human scapula. By rotating the drive wheel, abduction and adduction movements of the shoulder joint are achieved. The functional electrical stimulation system is used to assist in activating target muscles.

[0010] The scissor-type scapula following mechanism is a parallelogram or rhomboid structure and a planar linkage mechanism capable of horizontal extension and retraction.

[0011] The scissor-type scapula following mechanism includes two long shoulder rods and four short shoulder rods. The middle of the two long shoulder rods is hinged to the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot, and the two ends of the two long shoulder rods are respectively hinged to the four short shoulder rods. The ends of the two short shoulder rods located on the inner side are respectively fixedly connected to and rotatably connected to the symmetry center pivot, and the ends of the two short shoulder rods located on the outer side are hinged to the shoulder support through a common shoulder pivot.

[0012] The shoulder abduction and adduction pivot is used to realize the abduction and adduction movements of the shoulder joint. The rotation axis of the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot is aligned with the coronal plane rotation axis of the human shoulder joint, and the rotation range is 0° to 180°.

[0013] The horizontal extension range of the scissor-type scapular following mechanism is 0 to 30 mm.

[0014] The functional electrical stimulation system includes a stimulation electrode and an electrode pulse releaser, wherein the electrode pulse releaser is disposed on the back plate, the stimulation electrode is attached to the surface of the target muscle group of the upper limb of the human body and is connected to the electrode pulse releaser through a wire, and the electrode pulse releaser is used to generate and control electrical stimulation pulses.

[0015] The electrode pulse releaser synchronously triggers electrical stimulation based on the motion signal of the shoulder joint mechanism, assisting the target muscle contraction and achieving synergistic rehabilitation of active movement and electrical stimulation.

[0016] The backplate is made of lightweight, high-strength material and is bound to the human torso via adjustable straps.

[0017] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows: The shoulder exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanisms provided by this invention passively adapts to the movement of the human scapula through a scissor-type scapular following mechanism, solving the problem of floating rotation center of the glenohumeral joint and avoiding human-machine resistance; the absence of a gravity compensation spring ensures transparent force transmission, helping patients obtain accurate proprioceptive feedback; the integrated functional electrical stimulation system can simultaneously activate target muscles to achieve synergistic rehabilitation, and the simple structure, made of lightweight and high-strength materials and equipped with adjustable straps, has good wearability, portability and adaptability, making it convenient for patients to use at home or in medical institutions for long-term use, effectively compensating for insufficient medical resources and improving the efficiency and effect of rehabilitation training.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the written description and the accompanying drawings.

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a rear view of a shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanisms after being worn by a human body, according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the scissor-type scapular following mechanism in this invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a stress analysis diagram of the scissor-type scapular following mechanism in this invention.

[0024] In the diagram: 1 is the fixed shoulder joint, 2 is the drive wheel, 3 is the stimulation electrode, 4 is the common shoulder pivot, 5 is the long shoulder rod, 6 is the short shoulder rod, 7 is the electrode pulse release device, 8 is the back plate, 9 is the symmetry center pivot, 10 is the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot, and 11 is the shoulder support component. Detailed Implementation

[0025] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0026] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0027] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a shoulder exoskeleton device based on humanoid movement mechanisms, including a backplate 8, a shoulder joint mechanism, and a functional electrical stimulation system. The backplate 8 is worn on the patient's torso by straps, serving as the main support structure of the entire exoskeleton. The shoulder joint mechanism is located on one or both sides of the backplate 8. The shoulder joint mechanism includes a fixed shoulder joint 1, a drive wheel 2, a scissor-type scapular following mechanism, and a shoulder support 11. The fixed shoulder joint 1 is located on the backplate 8. The drive wheel 2 is mounted on the fixed shoulder joint 1 via a symmetrical central pivot 9. One end of the scissor-type scapular following mechanism is connected to the symmetrical central pivot 9, and the other end is connected to the shoulder support 11. The shoulder support 11 is used to fix the human shoulder. The scissor-type scapular following mechanism is used to passively follow the forward and backward movements of the human scapula. By rotating the drive wheel 2, the abduction and adduction movements of the shoulder joint are realized. The functional electrical stimulation system is used to assist in activating target muscles.

[0028] In embodiments of the present invention, the scissor-type scapula following mechanism is a parallelogram or rhomboid structure and a planar linkage mechanism capable of horizontal extension and retraction.

[0029] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the scissor-type scapula following mechanism includes two long shoulder rods 5 and four short shoulder rods 6. The middle of the two long shoulder rods 5 is hinged through a shoulder abduction and retraction pivot 10. The two ends of the two long shoulder rods 5 are respectively hinged to the four short shoulder rods 6 through hinge pivots. The end of the short shoulder rod 6 located on the upper inner side is fixedly connected to the symmetry center pivot 9, and the end of the short shoulder rod 6 located on the lower inner side is rotatably connected to the symmetry center pivot 9. The ends of the two short shoulder rods 6 located on the outer side are hinged to the shoulder support member 11 through a common shoulder pivot 4, thereby forming two linked parallel four-bar linkages.

[0030] Specifically, the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot 10 is fixedly connected to one of the shoulder long rods 5, while the other shoulder long rod 5 is rotatably connected to the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot 10 via a bushing. The shoulder abduction and adduction pivot 10 is used to realize the abduction and adduction movements of the shoulder joint. The rotation axis of the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot 10 is aligned with the coronal plane rotation axis of the human shoulder joint, and the rotation range is 0° to 180°. The scissor-type scapular following mechanism solves the technical problem of the floating center of rotation of the glenohumeral joint. As the arm is raised, the rotation of the clavicle and the sliding of the scapula cause the center of rotation of the shoulder joint to shift horizontally. The scissor mechanism can passively follow this change, achieving real-time alignment between the exoskeleton joint center and the human joint center, avoiding the generation of human-machine resistance forces.

[0031] In this embodiment, to compensate for the displacement of the glenohumeral joint rotation center, a scissor-type scapular following mechanism is used to achieve scapular extension and retraction following. When the human scapula extends or retracts, the scissor-type scapular following mechanism adaptively extends and retracts in the horizontal direction; that is, when the human scapula extends, the scissor-type scapular following mechanism extends forward; when the human scapula retracts, the scissor-type scapular following mechanism retracts backward. This passive following mechanism allows the exoskeleton's shoulder joint rotation center to track the displacement of the human glenohumeral joint rotation center in real time, maintaining kinematic consistency and eliminating human-machine kinematic conflicts.

[0032] Furthermore, the scissor-type scapular follower mechanism has a horizontal extension range of 0 to 30 mm, matching the physiological range of motion of the human scapula. The human shoulder joint is a complex ball-and-socket joint system, and its center of rotation is not a fixed point. Studies have shown that as the humerus elevates, the rotation of the clavicle and the sliding of the scapula along the chest wall both cause a horizontal displacement of the glenohumeral joint's center of rotation, with a displacement range of approximately 0 to 30 mm. If the exoskeleton's joint center does not align with the human anatomical joint center, it will create resistance to movement and ergonomic conflicts, leading to discomfort and even limiting the range of motion.

[0033] The scissor-type scapula following mechanism of the present invention achieves kinematic coupling without providing any active assistance or gravity compensation. Its function is only to passively follow the movement of the human scapula, ensuring the kinematic compatibility between the exoskeleton and the human body.

[0034] See Figure 1 As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, the functional electrical stimulation system includes a stimulation electrode 3 and an electrode pulse releaser 7, wherein the electrode pulse releaser 7 is disposed on a back plate 8, the stimulation electrode 3 is attached to the surface of the target muscle group of the upper limb (such as the deltoid muscle, biceps brachii, etc.) and is connected to the electrode pulse releaser 7 through a wire, and the electrode pulse releaser 7 is used to generate and control electrical stimulation pulses.

[0035] Furthermore, the electrode pulse releaser 7 synchronously triggers electrical stimulation based on the motion signals of the shoulder joint mechanism to assist the target muscle contraction and achieve synergistic rehabilitation of active movement and electrical stimulation.

[0036] Specifically, the backplate 8 is made of lightweight, high-strength materials, such as carbon fiber composites or aluminum alloys. The backplate 8 is secured to the human torso via flexible straps of adjustable length. The straps can be made of silicone or fabric, providing a comfortable and breathable fit against the skin. The length of the straps can be adjusted according to the patient's anthropometric parameters to ensure a secure and comfortable fit, adapting to the needs of patients of different body types.

[0037] See Figure 3 As shown, a finite element stress analysis was performed on the scissor-type scapular following mechanism to verify that its structural strength meets the usage requirements. The analysis results show that under normal operating conditions, the equivalent stress distribution of the shoulder long rod 5 and the shoulder short rod 6 is uniform, with the maximum equivalent stress of 151.69 MPa occurring at the hinge of the common shoulder pivot 4. This stress is far below the yield strength of the material, ensuring the reliability and durability of the mechanism.

[0038] This invention eliminates the use of springs for gravity compensation in the shoulder joint area, ensuring maximum transparency in force transmission. This facilitates accurate proprioceptive feedback for the patient and promotes the stimulation of neural plasticity. The invention integrates a functional electrical stimulation system consisting of a stimulation electrode 3 and an electrode pulse releaser 7, which can simultaneously activate target muscles and enhance rehabilitation effects. The invention is simple in structure, lightweight, and highly wearable and portable, making it convenient for patients to use long-term in daily life and at home.

[0039] This invention is particularly suitable for the following applications: home rehabilitation training for stroke-induced hemiplegia patients, assisted rehabilitation treatment in medical institutions, and daily living assistance for patients with upper limb motor dysfunction. Due to its lightweight design, patients can wear it for extended periods in daily life, significantly increasing the duration and frequency of rehabilitation training. It is expected to effectively promote the recovery of motor function and improve functional independence through repetitive and task-oriented training.

[0040] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, this invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on human-like movement mechanisms, characterized in that, The device includes a backplate (8), a shoulder joint mechanism, and a functional electrical stimulation system. The backplate (8) is used to fix the device to the human torso. The shoulder joint mechanism is located on one or both sides of the backplate (8). The shoulder joint mechanism includes a fixed shoulder joint (1), a drive wheel (2), a scissor-type scapula following mechanism, and a shoulder support (11). The fixed shoulder joint (1) is located on the backplate (8). The drive wheel (2) is mounted on the fixed shoulder joint (1) via a symmetrical center pivot (9). One end of the scissor-type scapula following mechanism is connected to the symmetrical center pivot (9), and the other end is connected to the shoulder support (11). The shoulder support (11) is used to fix the device to the human shoulder. The scissor-type scapula following mechanism is used to passively follow the forward and backward movements of the human scapula. By rotating the drive wheel (2), the abduction and adduction movements of the shoulder joint are realized. The functional electrical stimulation system is used to assist in activating the target muscles. The scissor-type scapula following mechanism is a parallelogram or rhomboid structure and a planar linkage mechanism that can extend and retract in the horizontal direction. The scissor-type scapula following mechanism includes two shoulder long rods (5) and four shoulder short rods (6). The middle of the two shoulder long rods (5) is hinged through a shoulder abduction and adduction pivot (10). The two ends of the two shoulder long rods (5) are respectively hinged to the four shoulder short rods (6). The ends of the two shoulder short rods (6) located on the inner side are respectively fixedly connected and rotatably connected to the symmetry center pivot (9). The ends of the two shoulder short rods (6) located on the outer side are hinged to the shoulder support (11) through a common shoulder pivot (4). The functional electrical stimulation system includes a stimulation electrode (3) and an electrode pulse releaser (7), wherein the electrode pulse releaser (7) is disposed on the back plate (8), the stimulation electrode (3) is attached to the surface of the target muscle group of the upper limb of the human body and is connected to the electrode pulse releaser (7) through a wire, and the electrode pulse releaser (7) is used to generate and control electrical stimulation pulses. The electrode pulse release device (7) synchronously triggers electrical stimulation according to the motion signal of the shoulder joint mechanism to assist the target muscle contraction and achieve synergistic rehabilitation of active movement and electrical stimulation.

2. The shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on humanoid movement mechanisms according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shoulder abduction and adduction pivot (10) is used to realize the abduction and adduction movements of the shoulder joint. The rotation axis of the shoulder abduction and adduction pivot (10) is aligned with the rotation axis of the coronal plane of the human shoulder joint, and the rotation range is 0° to 180°.

3. The shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on humanoid movement mechanisms according to claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal extension range of the scissor-type scapular following mechanism is 0 to 30 mm.

4. The shoulder joint exoskeleton device based on humanoid movement mechanisms according to claim 1, characterized in that, The backplate (8) is made of lightweight and high-strength material and is bound to the human torso by straps of adjustable length.

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