Hip joint assisting exoskeleton device with unilateral double active freedom degree

Abstract

The application discloses a hip joint assisting exoskeleton device with single-side double active degrees of freedom, which comprises a waist fixing assembly, left and right inside-outside active joint assemblies and flexion-extension active joint assemblies, a thigh connecting rod and a thigh binding assembly. Two active joints on each side are arranged in series and the rotation axes are substantially orthogonal. The joint series connection arm is used as the output member of the inside-outside active joint and the mounting seat of the flexion-extension active joint, and the thigh connecting rod is used as the output member of the flexion-extension active joint. When the inside-outside active joint moves, the flexion-extension active joint and the downstream assembly are driven to move as a whole, and the flexion-extension active joint transmits the auxiliary action to the human thigh through the thigh connecting rod. The waist fixing assembly is provided with a transverse adjusting and locking assembly, which is used for adjusting and locking the positions of the left and right active joint assemblies. The application can provide active assistance in the inside-outside and flexion-extension directions of the hip joint, and has the characteristics of compact structure, convenient adjustment and good adaptability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the fields of wearable robots and human motion assistance technology, specifically to a hip joint assistive exoskeleton device that simultaneously provides active degrees of freedom of adduction and abduction and active degrees of freedom of flexion and extension on one side of the human hip joint. Background Technology

[0002] The hip joint is an important joint in the kinetic chain of the human lower limbs, capable of performing multi-directional movements such as flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction. Hip-assisted exoskeletons, by placing a drive mechanism between the waist and thigh, transmit the auxiliary force output from the motor to the hip, and can be used in scenarios such as gait assistance, motor ability enhancement, and rehabilitation training.

[0003] Some existing hip exoskeletons primarily feature a single active degree of freedom for flexion and extension movements in the sagittal plane, while passively following, flexibly compensating, or directly constraining adduction and abduction movements in the coronal plane. During walking, lateral weight transfer, and turning, the human body generates certain hip adduction and abduction movements. If the exoskeleton structure cannot provide a matching degree of freedom, it may cause incoordination between the mechanism's axis and the human joint's movements, increasing ergonomic constraints and wearing discomfort.

[0004] Furthermore, the hip joint drive mechanism needs to balance drive capability, structural compactness, lumbar installation space, and adaptability to different body sizes. How to arrange two active joints within the limited space of the lumbar region, corresponding to hip adduction / abduction and flexion / extension movements respectively, while ensuring a clear motion transmission relationship between the two active joints and easy overall adjustment and wearability, are problems that need to be solved in the design of hip-assisted exoskeleton structures. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom. It has adduction and abduction active joint components and flexion and extension active joint components connected in series on the left and right sides of the human body, so that the unilateral hip joint can obtain active assistance in two directions at the same time. At the same time, the number of parts and assembly steps are reduced by the integrated joint series connecting arm and the thigh link which also serves as the output component of the flexion and extension joint. Furthermore, the adaptability under different hip width conditions is improved by the lateral adjustment structure of the waist.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom, including a lumbar fixation component, two adduction and abduction active joint components respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the lumbar fixation component, two flexion and extension active joint components, two thigh linkages, and two thigh binding components.

[0007] The adduction / abduction active joint assembly and the flexion / extension active joint assembly on each side are arranged in series. The adduction / abduction active joint assembly includes a first joint motor, a first joint housing, and a joint series connecting arm. The joint series connecting arm is connected to the output end of the first joint motor and simultaneously constitutes the first joint output component and the mounting base for the flexion / extension active joint assembly. The flexion / extension active joint assembly is mounted on the joint series connecting arm, and its output end is fixedly connected to the thigh link, which also constitutes the output component of the flexion / extension active joint assembly. The rotation axes of the two active joints are substantially orthogonal in space, corresponding to the adduction / abduction movement direction and the flexion / extension movement direction of the human hip joint, respectively.

[0008] When the adduction / abduction active joint assembly rotates, the first joint motor drives the flexion / extension active joint assembly, thigh link, and thigh restraint assembly to rotate as a whole via the joint series connecting arm. When the flexion / extension active joint assembly rotates, its output end directly drives the thigh link and thigh restraint assembly, which also serve as output components, to rotate relative to the joint series connecting arm. Thus, two series active rotational degrees of freedom are formed on each side.

[0009] Furthermore, the lumbar fixation assembly includes a lumbar backplate, a lumbar support plate, a lumbar connecting strap, and a waistband. The lumbar backplate supports the active joint components and control components on both sides. The lumbar support plate is located in the middle of the lumbar backplate. The lumbar connecting strap is connected to the lumbar support plate. The waistband is positioned around the waist to increase the fixation area and wearing stability of the device. The first joint housing extends towards the lumbar backplate to form a sliding connection portion, which can move laterally relative to the lumbar backplate, thereby adjusting the distance between the left and right active joint components.

[0010] Furthermore, a lateral adjustment locking assembly is provided between the sliding connection and the waist back plate. The lateral adjustment locking assembly includes a cam handle and a locking nut located below the cam handle; when the cam handle is in the released state, it allows the active joint assembly to move laterally along the waist back plate, and when the cam handle is in the pressed state, it locks the active joint assembly to the waist back plate.

[0011] Furthermore, the waist belt is detachably connected to the waist connecting belt via fasteners, and the thigh support plate is detachably connected to the thigh connecting rod via fasteners.

[0012] Furthermore, the thigh link is a curved rod extending downwards along the hip and outer side of the thigh. Its upper end is fixedly connected to the output end of the active flexion-extension joint assembly and also serves as the output component of the active flexion-extension joint. Its lower end is connected to the thigh binding assembly. The thigh binding assembly includes a thigh support plate and a thigh strap. The thigh strap is used to wrap around the human thigh and fix the thigh support plate to the human thigh.

[0013] Furthermore, a control assembly is provided on the waist back panel. The control assembly includes a control box housing and a control box cover. The control box housing and the control box cover form a mounting cavity for accommodating the controller, communication module, electrical interface, or power supply interface. The control box cover and the control box housing are detachably connected to facilitate the installation and maintenance of internal components.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1) Each hip joint is equipped with two active degrees of freedom: adduction and abduction, and flexion and extension, so that the exoskeleton can actively output auxiliary force in the two main directions of movement;

[0016] 2) The two active joints are arranged in series, and the arc-shaped joint series connecting arm simultaneously undertakes the output of the first joint and the installation function of the second joint, which clarifies the kinematic chain relationship and reduces the number of independently installed parts;

[0017] 3) The axes of the two active joints are basically orthogonal in space, and can respectively correspond to the adduction and abduction and flexion and extension movements of the human hip joint;

[0018] 4) By setting up a lateral waist adjustment and cam locking structure, the distance between the left and right hip joint drive components can be easily adjusted, improving the fit to human body size;

[0019] 5) The thigh linkage also serves as the output component of the active flexion and extension joint, which can reduce the connection links and assembly gaps; the waist belt, thigh support plate and control box cover are detachable, which facilitates assembly, wearing and maintenance. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is an overall isometric structural schematic diagram of the hip joint assistive exoskeleton device of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the hip joint assistive exoskeleton device of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a side view of the hip joint assistive exoskeleton device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a rear view schematic diagram of the hip joint assistive exoskeleton device of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the single-sided double active joint structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the waist lateral adjustment and cam locking assembly of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7is an exploded schematic structural view of the unilateral drive assembly and the waist transverse adjustment assembly of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 is a schematic view showing the human body wearing state of the hip joint power-assisted exoskeleton device of the present invention;

[0028] Reference numerals of parts and components in the figures: 1, waist fixing assembly; 11, waist back plate; 12, waist support plate; 13, waist connecting belt; 14, waist seal; 15, transverse adjustment locking assembly; 151, cam handle; 152, locking nut; 2, adduction-abduction active joint assembly; 21, first joint motor; 22, first joint housing; 23, joint series connecting arm; 3, flexion-extension active joint assembly; 4, thigh link; 5, thigh binding assembly; 51, thigh support plate; 52, thigh binding belt; 6, control assembly; 61, control box housing; 62, control box cover plate. Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0029] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following embodiments are used to explain the technical solution of the present invention, rather than limiting the protection scope of the present invention. Equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the basic concept of the present invention can all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0030] Refer to Figures 1 to 4 as shown in the figures, this embodiment provides a hip joint power-assisted exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom, comprising a waist fixing assembly 1, two left and right adduction-abduction active joint assemblies 2, two left and right flexion-extension active joint assemblies 3, two left and right thigh links 4, two left and right thigh binding assemblies 5, and a control assembly 6 arranged on the rear side of the waist fixing assembly 1. The structures on the left and right sides can be the same or mirror arranged, and one side will be taken as an example for description below.

[0031] The waist fixing assembly 1 comprises a waist back plate 11, a waist support plate 12, a waist connecting belt 13 and a waist seal 14. The waist back plate 11 is a transversely arranged load-bearing member, and is connected with the control assembly 6, the waist support plate 12 and the adduction-abduction active joint assemblies 2 on the left and right sides; the waist support plate 12 is arranged in the middle of the waist back plate 11, and is used for fitting with the waist of the human body and providing support; the waist connecting belt 13 is connected with the waist support plate 12, the waist seal 14 is arranged around the waist of the human body, is used for increasing the fixing area and wearing stability of the device, and can be detachably connected with the waist connecting belt 13 through locking screws. A transverse adjustment locking assembly 15 is arranged between the waist back plate 11 and the adduction-abduction active joint assemblies 2, and the transverse adjustment locking assembly 15 is used for adjusting and locking the positions of the left and right adduction-abduction active joint assemblies 2 relative to the waist back plate 11.

[0032] Refer to Figure 6As shown, the lateral adjustment locking assembly 15 includes a cam handle 151 and a locking nut 152 matched with the lower end of the cam handle 151. The lower end of the cam handle 151 passes through the corresponding connecting structure and is matched with the locking nut 152; operating the cam handle 151 can change the clamping force, so as to allow the adduction and abduction active joint assembly 2 to move laterally along the waist back plate 11 in the released state, and fix its position relative to the waist back plate 11 in the locked state.

[0033] Refer to Figure 5 As shown, one adduction and abduction active joint assembly 2 and one flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 are arranged on each side. The adduction and abduction active joint assembly 2 includes a first joint motor 21, a first joint housing 22 and a series joint connecting arm 23. The first joint housing 22 is connected to the waist fixing assembly 1, and the first joint motor 21 drives the series joint connecting arm 23 to rotate around a first rotation axis, so as to provide active movement corresponding to the adduction and abduction direction of a human hip joint.

[0034] The series joint connecting arm 23 is an integrated arc-shaped piece, one end of which is connected to the output end of the first joint motor 21, thereby forming the output part of the adduction and abduction active joint assembly 2; the other end is used for installing and supporting the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3, thereby simultaneously forming the mounting base of the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3. The output end of the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 is fixedly connected with the upper end of the thigh link 4. The thigh link 4 does not additionally provide an independent second joint output part, but directly serves as the output part of the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 concurrently.

[0035] The flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 is used to drive the thigh link 4 to rotate around a second rotation axis, so as to provide active movement corresponding to the flexion and extension direction of a human hip joint. The first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are substantially orthogonal spatially. When the adduction and abduction active joint assembly 2 acts, the first joint motor 21 drives the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3, the thigh link 4 and the thigh binding assembly 5 to rotate integrally through the series joint connecting arm 23; when the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 acts, the output end thereof directly drives the thigh link 4 and the thigh binding assembly 5 to rotate relative to the series joint connecting arm 23. Thus, a series dual active rotating joint formed by sequentially connecting the adduction and abduction active joint assembly 2, the series joint connecting arm 23 and the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 is formed.

[0036] The thigh link 4 is a curved rod extending downward along the human hip and the outer side of the thigh, the upper end of which is fixedly connected with the output end of the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 and serves as the output part of the flexion and extension active joint assembly 3 concurrently, and the lower end of which is connected with the thigh binding assembly 5. The curved contour of the thigh link 4 is used to avoid the space of the human hip and the outer side of the thigh, and transmit the assisting effect generated by the two active joints to the thigh binding assembly 5.

[0037] The thigh binding assembly 5 comprises a thigh support plate 51 and a thigh binding strap 52. The thigh support plate 51 is detachably connected to the lower end of the thigh link 4 via a fastener, and the thigh binding strap 52 is threaded through a strap groove or a connecting hole of the thigh support plate 51, and is configured to surround the human thigh for fixation and tightness adjustment.

[0038] The control assembly 6 is mounted on the waist back plate 11, and comprises a control box housing 61 and a control box cover plate 62. A controller, a communication module, a motor driving interface or a power supply interface can be arranged in the control box housing 61, and the control box cover plate 62 is detachably connected to the control box housing 61, and is configured to enclose internal components and facilitate maintenance. The controller can respectively control the first joint motors 21 and the flexion-extension active joint assemblies 3 on the left and right sides, so as to realize independent or coordinated assistance for the left and right hip joints. The specific control strategy may adopt position control, speed control, torque control or compliance control, but the control strategy does not constitute a limitation on the implementation of the present structure.

[0039] Referring Figure 8 as shown, in use, a user fixes the waist fixing assembly 1 to the waist through the waist connecting strap 13 and the waist seal 14; loosens the cam handle 151, transversely adjusts the positions of the left and right adduction-abduction active joint assemblies 2 according to the user's hip width, and presses the cam handle 151 after the adjustment is completed; then fixes the thigh binding assembly 5 to the thigh through the thigh binding strap 52. The controller drives the first joint motor 21 and the flexion-extension active joint assembly 3 according to use requirements, so that the device outputs assistance in the adduction-abduction direction and the flexion-extension direction of the hip joint respectively.

[0040] In this embodiment, the driving units adopted by the first joint motor 21 and the flexion-extension active joint assembly 3 may be integrated joint motors, a combination of a servo motor and a reducer, or other driving units capable of outputting torque; the joint series connecting arm 23 and the thigh link 4 may adopt an integral processing, fixed connection after separate processing, or other structures that can achieve the same load-bearing and transmission functions. The fixed connection between various components can adopt bolt connection, screw connection, flange connection or integral forming according to the actual structure, and the above specific forms should not be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present invention.

[0041] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Equivalent replacements or modifications made by those skilled in the art to the number of components, connection forms, driving unit forms and adjustment mechanism forms without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention shall all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom, characterized in that: It includes a lumbar fixation component, two adduction and abduction active joint components respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the lumbar fixation component, two flexion and extension active joint components respectively connected in series with the two adduction and abduction active joint components, two thigh linkages respectively connected with the two flexion and extension active joint components, and two thigh binding components respectively connected with the two thigh linkages. Each of the adduction and abduction active joint components includes a first joint motor and a joint series connecting arm driven by the first joint motor. The joint series connecting arm simultaneously constitutes the output component of the adduction and abduction active joint component and the mounting base of the flexion and extension active joint component. Each of the aforementioned active flexion-extension joint components is mounted on a corresponding joint tandem connecting arm. The thigh link is connected to the output end of the active flexion-extension joint component and simultaneously constitutes the output component of the active flexion-extension joint component. The rotation axis of the adduction and abduction active joint assembly is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis of the flexion and extension active joint assembly in space. When the adduction and abduction active joint assembly moves, it drives the flexion and extension active joint assembly, the thigh link, and the thigh binding assembly to move as a whole.

2. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two adduction and abduction active joint components, the two flexion and extension active joint components, the two thigh linkages, and the two thigh binding components are respectively located on the left and right sides of the waist fixation component and can be driven independently to provide active assistance to the left and right hip joints of the human body in the adduction and abduction and flexion and extension directions, respectively.

3. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lumbar fixation assembly includes a lumbar back plate, a lumbar support plate disposed in the middle of the lumbar back plate, a lumbar connecting strap connected to the lumbar support plate, and a waist belt disposed around the waist of the human body. The lumbar connecting strap and the waist belt together fix the lumbar fixation assembly to the waist of the human body.

4. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adduction and abduction active joint assembly includes a first joint housing, which extends toward the lumbar back plate to form a sliding connection portion. The sliding connection portion is movable in the lateral direction of the lumbar back plate to adjust the distance between the left and right adduction and abduction active joint assemblies.

5. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 4, characterized in that: A lateral adjustment and locking assembly is provided between the sliding connection and the waist back plate. The lateral adjustment and locking assembly includes a cam handle and a locking nut that engages with the lower end of the cam handle. When the cam handle is in the released state, the sliding connection can move laterally. When the cam handle is in the pressed state, the sliding connection is locked to the waist back plate.

6. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The joint tandem connecting arm is an arc-shaped integral part. One end of it is connected to the output end of the first joint motor and serves as the output component of the adduction and abduction active joint assembly. The other end is used to install the flexion and extension active joint assembly, thus also serving as the mounting base for the flexion and extension active joint assembly.

7. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the thigh link is fixedly connected to the output end of the active flexion-extension joint assembly and serves as the output component of the active flexion-extension joint assembly. The lower end of the thigh link is detachably connected to the thigh binding assembly.

8. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 7, characterized in that: The thigh link is a curved rod extending downward along the hip and outer thigh of the human body to avoid the hip and transmit the auxiliary force generated by the two active joints to the thigh binding assembly.

9. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thigh binding assembly includes a thigh support plate and a thigh strap. The thigh support plate is detachably connected to the thigh connecting rod, and the thigh strap is disposed on the thigh support plate and used to fit and fix the thigh support plate to the human thigh.

10. The hip joint assistive exoskeleton device with unilateral dual active degrees of freedom according to claim 1, characterized in that: A control component is provided on the back plate of the waist fixation assembly. The control component includes a control box housing and a control box cover plate detachably connected to the control box housing. The control box housing and the control box cover plate form a mounting cavity for accommodating a controller, communication module, electrical interface or power supply interface.

Images