A sliding rail structure for a hip joint assist exoskeleton

Abstract

This application discloses a slide rail structure for a hip-assisted exoskeleton, relating to the field of hip-assisted exoskeleton technology. The slide rail structure for the hip-assisted exoskeleton includes a rear lumbar support component with an arc-shaped groove having a C-shaped cross-section; and a side lumbar support component, which includes a connecting component and a sliding component. The sliding component is connected to the side enclosure via the connecting component and is movably mounted on the arc-shaped groove. By designing the arc-shaped groove on the rear lumbar support component with a C-shaped cross-section, this application effectively reduces the requirements for groove machining accuracy and assembly precision compared to existing dovetail grooves, improving the tolerance for errors in the fit. This ensures that the sliding component can move smoothly and easily on the arc-shaped groove, greatly improving the sliding jamming problem caused by precision deviations and enhancing the smoothness of the side lumbar support's movement on the rear lumbar support.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of hip joint assistive exoskeleton technology, and in particular to a slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton. Background Technology

[0002] A hip-assisted exoskeleton is a wearable device that assists in hip joint movement through a mechanical structure. It is primarily used to improve walking ability, reduce joint load, or promote rehabilitation training. Its core function is to detect the user's movement intention through sensors and provide power support through a drive mechanism, helping individuals with mobility impairments to perform actions such as standing and walking.

[0003] Several hip-assisted exoskeletons have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, invention patent CN120363162B discloses a lightweight hip-assisted exoskeleton, including a waist belt assembly and a power unit. The power unit is disposed on both sides of the waist belt assembly, which includes a rear waist support and side waist supports. The side waist supports are rotatably disposed on both sides of the rear waist support, corresponding to the wearer's lower back and the side waist supports to the wearer's sides. The power unit is disposed at the end of the side waist support away from the rear waist support. A mounting plate is disposed on the side waist support, corresponding to the position of the human hip joint. The mounting plate is rotatably connected to the side waist support, and the rotation axis of the mounting plate is arranged along the length direction of the side waist support. The output shaft of the power unit is disposed on the mounting plate, and the power unit can rotate along the output shaft. The power unit is disposed perpendicular to the side waist support, and a leg strap assembly for fixing the thigh is disposed at the bottom of the power unit. This changes the power distribution and improves the fit.

[0004] The aforementioned hip joint-assisted exoskeleton's lumbar support, specifically designed for the movement of the lateral lumbar support on the lumbar support, utilizes an upper and lower pulley structure on the lateral lumbar support that slides within a dovetail groove on the lumbar support, thus enabling the lateral lumbar support to move left and right. However, this design requires extremely high precision in design and manufacturing because the dovetail groove itself has a slope and the track needs to be designed as an arc. Furthermore, the upper and lower dovetail grooves must be completely consistent and flush, and the shape of the pulley structure must match the groove shape of the dovetail groove. Under these two conditions, if there is even a slight deviation in the manufacturing precision of the dovetail groove and pulley structure, or in the matching precision between the dovetail groove and pulley structure, the pulley structure will not be able to move smoothly within the dovetail groove, thereby reducing the user experience of the product. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the deficiencies in the existing technology, the technical problem to be solved by this application is: how to improve the smoothness of the movement of the lateral waist support on the posterior waist support.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the slide rail structure for a hip joint-assisted exoskeleton provided in this application includes: The lower back support component has an arc-shaped groove with a C-shaped cross-section. A side waist support assembly includes a connecting assembly and a sliding assembly. The sliding assembly is connected to the side enclosure via the connecting assembly and is movably mounted on an arc-shaped groove. A limiting component is provided at the end of the arc-shaped slide groove. The limiting component is used to limit the sliding component.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, a C-shaped arc groove is used instead of the traditional dovetail groove, which not only significantly reduces the processing accuracy requirements of the groove and sliding component, but also improves the fault tolerance of the two; the sliding component can slide smoothly on the C-shaped arc groove, avoiding the jamming problem caused by accuracy deviation, and effectively improving the smoothness of the side waist support moving on the rear waist support.

[0008] In one embodiment, the sliding assembly includes a mounting member and a pulley assembly. The mounting member is arranged around the rear waist support assembly, and the pulley assembly is disposed inside the mounting member and is movably disposed inside the arc-shaped groove.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, the pulley assembly rolls in the arc-shaped groove, converting sliding friction into rolling friction, effectively reducing movement resistance and further improving the smoothness of sliding; at the same time, the mounting component is surrounded on the rear waist support assembly, providing good guidance and coverage for the sliding assembly, preventing the structure from loosening, and enhancing the overall robustness of the slide rail structure.

[0010] In one embodiment, the pulley assembly includes a plurality of balls, and the mounting component has an internal receiving space, with the plurality of balls located between the inner wall of the receiving space and the arc-shaped groove.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, the arrangement of multiple balls can perfectly adapt to the inner wall structure of the C-shaped arc groove, achieving multi-point contact and uniform force distribution; the balls have strong self-adaptability, which can accommodate the small errors that may exist in the groove processing, ensuring smooth and unobstructed sliding process, and reducing wear between components.

[0012] In one embodiment, the pulley assembly includes a plurality of balls, and the mounting component has an internal receiving space. A baffle parallel to the arc-shaped groove is fixed in the receiving space. The plurality of balls are arranged around the baffle, with some balls located between the inner wall of the receiving space and the baffle, and the remaining balls located between the arc-shaped groove and the baffle.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, the baffle divides the receiving space, creating a loop for the rolling balls to circulate. When the sliding component moves, the balls can continuously circulate around the baffle, ensuring continuous smoothness under long stroke movement and effectively dispersing the wear and stress of individual balls, significantly improving the life and reliability of the pulley assembly under high-intensity use.

[0014] In one embodiment, two adjacent balls abut against each other.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, the adjacent balls abut against each other, allowing more balls to be accommodated in a limited space, thereby increasing the bearing area and improving the compressive strength and load-bearing capacity of the slide rail structure; at the same time, the balls are arranged compactly to prevent disorderly movement or collision during sliding, and the balls will push the previous ball in turn to move, ensuring smooth movement.

[0016] In one embodiment, the lumbar support assembly has multiple parallel arc-shaped grooves, and the mounting component has multiple sets of pulley assemblies inside, with the number of pulley assemblies matching the number of arc-shaped grooves.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, multiple sliding grooves and multiple sets of pulley assemblies work in parallel, greatly increasing the number of force support points, effectively dispersing the load and torque transmitted from the side waist of the human body, improving the overall torsional resistance and load-bearing strength of the sliding rail system, and preventing structural deformation during heavy load movement.

[0018] In one embodiment, the number of balls in each group of pulley assemblies is the same.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the number of balls in each pulley assembly is the same, which ensures that the force and resistance on different arc-shaped slides are uniform, avoiding uneven load or sliding jamming caused by uneven force, and further ensuring the smooth and stable movement process.

[0020] In one embodiment, the connecting component is provided with a rotating shaft, and the sliding component is connected to the connecting component through the rotating shaft.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, the connecting component and the sliding component have rotational freedom, which allows the lateral waist support of the exoskeleton to adaptively rotate and adjust with the twisting or tilting of the wearer's waist, improving the fit of human-computer interaction and enhancing the comfort and ergonomic performance of the garment.

[0022] In one embodiment, the rotating shaft has a wiring hole, the sliding component has a wiring space inside, and the rear waist support component has a wiring channel inside. The wires connecting the components pass through the wiring hole, the wiring space, and the wiring channel in sequence.

[0023] By adopting the above technical solution, the space inside the mechanical structure is used to achieve a hidden layout of the exoskeleton's tubing, avoiding safety hazards such as pulling, tangling, or abrasion of external wires during the wearer's movement, and improving the overall safety and appearance of the device.

[0024] In one embodiment, both ends of the rotating shaft are located outside the connecting assembly, and the sliding assembly is mounted on the rotating shaft via a support frame, with the support frame fixedly connected to both ends of the rotating shaft.

[0025] By adopting the above technical solution, the support frame double-fixes both ends of the rotating shaft, forming a double-support force structure, which greatly improves the structural rigidity and bending resistance of the rotating connection part, prevents the rotating shaft from loosening or deforming under long-term high-intensity stress, and improves the durability of the equipment.

[0026] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. This application designs the cross-section of the arc-shaped slide groove on the rear waist support component as C-shaped, which effectively reduces the requirements for the machining accuracy and assembly fit accuracy of the slide groove compared with the existing dovetail groove, and improves the fault tolerance rate of the fit; thereby ensuring that the sliding component can move smoothly and easily on the arc-shaped slide groove, greatly improving the sliding jamming problem caused by accuracy deviation, and improving the smoothness of the side waist support moving on the rear waist support; 2. This application constructs a circulation loop for the balls by setting a baffle inside the mounting component, so that multiple balls can continuously flow back and circulate during the sliding process. This not only transforms sliding friction into rolling friction to greatly reduce resistance, but also effectively ensures the continuous smoothness during long-distance reciprocating sliding, and improves the stability and service life of the equipment during movement. 3. This application uses the mutual abutment of adjacent balls to accommodate a greater number of balls within a limited space, thereby increasing the bearing area and improving the compressive strength and load-bearing capacity of the slide rail structure; at the same time, it makes the balls compact, preventing disorderly movement or collisions during sliding, and the balls will push the previous ball in sequence to move, ensuring smooth movement. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Rear view; Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the sliding component according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connection component in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] In the diagram: 1-Rear waist support assembly, 101-Arc-shaped slide groove, 102-Wayway, 2-Side waist support assembly, 201-Sliding assembly, 2011-Reception space, 2012-Ball bearing, 2013-Baffle, 202-Connecting assembly, 3-Limiting assembly, 4-Support frame, 5-Rotating shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0029] This application provides a slide rail structure for a hip joint-assisted exoskeleton, primarily designed to address the problem that existing exoskeleton sliding structures (such as dovetail groove designs) require extremely high precision in machining and assembly, and even slight deviations can easily lead to jamming of the lateral lumbar support movement. This application, through the combination of a C-groove and a specific sliding component 201, significantly improves the smoothness of sliding while ensuring structural strength. Example

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton mainly consists of a lumbar support component 1, a lateral lumbar support component 2, and a limiting component 3. Specifically: The lower back support component 1 is roughly arc-shaped to conform to the physiological curve of the human lower back, and has an arc-shaped groove 101 on it. The cross-sectional structure of the arc-shaped groove 101 is C-shaped. The characteristic of this C-shaped structure is that the groove opening is relatively narrow and the inner cavity of the groove is relatively wide.

[0031] The lumbar support assembly 2 includes a connecting assembly 202 and a sliding assembly 201. The sliding assembly 201 is connected to the side surround (which is used to fit the lumbar and hip area of ​​the human body and to install related drive units) via the connecting assembly 202. The connection can be made using high-strength bolt fastening or snap-fit ​​connection. The sliding assembly 201 is movably mounted on the aforementioned arc-shaped slide groove 101.

[0032] The limiting components 3 are disposed at both ends of the arc-shaped slide groove 101. In one specific embodiment, the limiting components 3 can be metal blocks or limiting studs that are screwed to the ends of the groove. The limiting components 3 are used to physically block and limit the sliding stroke of the sliding component 201, preventing the sliding component 201 from falling out of the arc-shaped slide groove 101 when the wearer performs large-span movements.

[0033] Further, the sliding assembly 201 includes a mounting member and a pulley assembly. The mounting member is generally a sleeve-shaped or semi-enclosed shell structure, which is sleeved around the outer edge of the rear waist support assembly 1; the pulley assembly is disposed inside the mounting member, and the rolling part of the pulley assembly is movably engaged in the C-shaped internal space of the arc-shaped groove 101. In a specific embodiment, the pulley assembly includes a plurality of balls 2012 (such as steel balls or high wear-resistant ceramic balls), and a dedicated receiving space 2011 is provided inside the mounting member, with the plurality of balls 2012 confined between the inner wall of the receiving space 2011 and the C-shaped arc-shaped groove 101.

[0034] The technical advantages of this embodiment are as follows: By designing the cross-section of the arc-shaped groove 101 on the rear waist support component 1 to be C-shaped, it perfectly fits the internal ball bearings 2012, significantly reducing the requirements for the machining accuracy of the groove and the assembly fit accuracy. The arrangement of the ball bearings 2012 transforms sliding friction into rolling friction. The multi-point contact ball bearings 2012 have extremely strong adaptability, which not only improves the fault tolerance of the fit but also ensures that the sliding component 201 can slide smoothly and without jamming. In addition, the surrounding mounting parts enhance the overall wrapping and firmness of the slide rail structure. Example

[0035] Based on Example 1, this example further optimizes the pulley assembly and force-bearing structure in the slide rail structure to adapt to long-term, high-intensity rehabilitation training or weight-bearing assistance scenarios.

[0036] like Figure 2 , 3 As shown, the pulley assembly employs a circulating loop structure: within the receiving space 2011 inside the mounting component, a baffle 2013 parallel to the extending direction of the arc-shaped groove 101 is fixedly installed. Multiple balls 2012 are arranged around the baffle 2013, forming a closed-loop elliptical or racetrack-shaped rolling track. In terms of specific motion distribution, some balls 2012 are located between the inner wall of the receiving space 2011 and the baffle 2013 (as a return flow zone), while the remaining balls 2012 are located between the arc-shaped groove 101 and the baffle 2013 (as a force-bearing working zone). When the sliding assembly 201 moves, the balls 2012 located in the force-bearing working zone roll and are squeezed into the return flow zone, thus forming a continuous circulating return flow.

[0037] More preferably, two adjacent balls 2012 abut directly against each other, meaning that the pulley assembly does not use a conventional cage structure, but rather a full-ball arrangement design. Depending on the track length, the number of balls 2012 can typically be set to 8, 9, or 10.

[0038] Furthermore, to improve torsional resistance, the rear waist support assembly 1 has multiple parallel arc-shaped grooves 101 (e.g., 2, 3, or 4). Correspondingly, the mounting component has multiple sets of isolated pulley assemblies inside, the number of which matches the number of arc-shaped grooves 101. Preferably, the number of balls 2012 in each set of pulley assemblies is strictly the same.

[0039] The technical effects of this embodiment are as follows: The ball bearing 2012 circulation loop constructed by the baffle 2013 effectively disperses the high-intensity wear of a single ball bearing 2012, ensuring continuous smoothness during long-stroke reciprocating sliding. The "full-ball arrangement" of adjacent balls 2012 abutting each other allows the maximum number of balls 2012 to be accommodated in a limited space, greatly increasing the load-bearing contact area and compressive strength. Multiple parallel grooves (especially the design that matches an equal number of balls 2012) ensure extremely uniform force distribution, thereby effectively resisting the complex torque generated when the human body bends or twists, and preventing the side waist support component 2 from warping or jamming due to uneven load. Example

[0040] Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further solves the problems of exoskeleton wear adaptability and concealed and safe internal pipelines.

[0041] like Figure 3 , 4 As shown, to increase the flexibility of human-computer interaction, the connecting component 202 is provided with a rotating shaft 5 extending in a vertical or inclined direction, and the sliding component 201 is pivotally connected to the connecting component 202 via the rotating shaft 5. To improve the mechanical strength of this connection, both ends of the rotating shaft 5 are located outside the connecting component 202, and the sliding component 201 is mounted on the rotating shaft 5 via a U-shaped support frame 4. The upper and lower extension arms of the support frame 4 are fixedly connected to both ends of the rotating shaft 5 by welding or keying.

[0042] Furthermore, to protect the power lines of the drive motor and sensor signal lines, this embodiment designs a concealed internal wiring system. Specifically, a wiring hole is provided through the axis of the rotating shaft 5, the interior of the sliding component 201 is hollow to form a wiring space, and a wiring channel 102 is provided inside the rear support component 1 (such as in the interlayer). During actual assembly, the cables connecting the inside of the component 202 pass through the wiring hole and the wiring space in sequence, and finally smoothly enter and pass through the wiring channel 102 to reach the main control core.

[0043] The technical advantages of this embodiment are as follows: the double fixation of the support frame 4 to both ends of the rotating shaft 5 forms a dual-support force model, which significantly improves the bending rigidity of the rotating connection parts and ensures that it will not deform when bearing body weight or additional loads. The introduction of rotational freedom allows the exoskeleton to adapt to subtle changes in posture such as anterior and lateral tilt of the human pelvis. At the same time, the structure of the hidden internal wiring holes / channels cleverly utilizes the mechanical cavity, eliminating the risk of pulling, interference, or snagging caused by external "flying wires," and improving the safety and aesthetics of the exoskeleton device in complex construction sites or rehabilitation environments.

[0044] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton, characterized in that, It includes: The rear waist support component (1) has an arc-shaped groove (101) on it, and the cross-section of the arc-shaped groove (101) is C-shaped; The side waist support assembly (2) includes a connecting assembly (202) and a sliding assembly (201). The sliding assembly (201) is connected to the side enclosure through the connecting assembly (202). The sliding assembly (201) is movably disposed on the arc-shaped slide groove (101). A limiting component (3) is provided at the end of the arc-shaped slide (101) and is used to limit the sliding component (201).

2. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The sliding component (201) includes a mounting member and a pulley assembly. The mounting member is arranged around the rear waist support component (1), and the pulley assembly is arranged inside the mounting member and is movably arranged inside the arc-shaped slide groove (101).

3. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The pulley assembly includes multiple balls (2012), and the mounting component has an internal receiving space (2011). The multiple balls (2012) are located between the inner wall of the receiving space (2011) and the arc-shaped groove (101).

4. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The pulley assembly includes multiple balls (2012), and the mounting component has an internal receiving space (2011). A baffle (2013) parallel to the arc-shaped slide groove (101) is fixed in the receiving space (2011). Multiple balls (2012) are arranged around the baffle (2013), and some balls (2012) are located between the inner wall of the receiving space (2011) and the baffle (2013), while the remaining balls (2012) are located between the arc-shaped slide groove (101) and the baffle (2013).

5. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 4, characterized in that: Two adjacent balls (2012) abut against each other.

6. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The rear waist support component (1) has multiple parallel arc-shaped grooves (101), and the mounting component has multiple sets of pulley assemblies inside, the number of pulley assemblies being the same as the number of arc-shaped grooves (101).

7. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The number of balls (2012) in each pulley assembly is the same.

8. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting component (202) is provided with a rotating shaft (5), and the sliding component (201) is connected to the connecting component (202) through the rotating shaft (5).

9. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 7, characterized in that: The rotating shaft (5) has a wiring hole, the sliding component (201) has a wiring space inside, and the rear waist support component (1) has a wiring channel (102) inside. The wires inside the connecting component (202) pass through the wiring hole, the wiring space and the wiring channel (102) in sequence.

10. The slide rail structure for a hip joint assistive exoskeleton as described in claim 8, characterized in that: Both ends of the rotating shaft (5) are located outside the connecting assembly (202). The sliding assembly (201) is mounted on the rotating shaft (5) via a support frame (4). The support frame (4) is fixedly connected to both ends of the rotating shaft (5).

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