Exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with holding function

Abstract

According to the disclosed exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with the maintaining function, one end of a connecting rod is fixedly connected to the output end of a driving motor, and the other end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected with a support; a plurality of ratchets are fixedly arranged on the side face of a machine shell of the driving motor, a pawl is arranged beside the ratchets, the tail portion of the pawl is hinged to a support, the middle of the pawl is fixedly connected with a protruding block, the protruding block is connected to the support through a tension spring, and under the tension of the tension spring, the pawl portion of the pawl can be clamped between every two adjacent ratchets. An electromagnet is arranged beside the protruding block and fixedly connected to the support, the protruding block can be attracted by the electrified electromagnet, the tension spring can be further stretched, and the pawl part of the pawl can be away from the ratchet. The base is installed on a machine shell of the driving motor, the circular cover shell and the connecting rod are arranged on the two sides of the driving motor respectively, the circular cover shell is rotationally connected to the base, and the circular cover shell is further fixedly connected with a support of the connecting rod through the connecting cover shell. The joint mechanism is compact in structure, has a posture keeping function and operates stably.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of power-assisted robots and relates to a robot joint mechanism, in particular to an exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function. Background Art

[0002] Wearable exoskeletons can assist human joints, thereby enhancing movement. They have broad application value in manufacturing, logistics, and transportation, increasing productivity and reducing fatigue. Currently, active exoskeletons mostly use direct motor drive for their joints. These motors continuously adjust output power in real time to accommodate varying joint loads, providing assistance to the joints and aiding movement.

[0003] In actual applications, there may be situations where the exoskeleton robot moves to a certain posture and needs to maintain that posture for a period of time before performing the next action. For example, when assisting personnel in carrying goods, the upper limb joints of the exoskeleton robot need to remain in the carrying state, and can only perform the unloading action after walking a certain distance to the designated location. For example, when assisting personnel in welding operations, the exoskeleton robot needs to maintain the welding posture for a certain period of time, and can only change the action to the next welding after the welding is completed.

[0004] In the above-mentioned application scenarios, the joints of the exoskeleton robot need to remain stationary, and the existing joint mechanisms directly driven by motors usually do not have a locking function. Therefore, in order to keep the load stationary, the motor needs to continuously output a certain torque to maintain balance. However, since there is no mechanical movement, all the electrical energy is converted into heat energy in this case, which will cause the motor to generate a lot of heat, shorten the service life of the motor, and is not conducive to energy conservation, reducing the system endurance.

[0005] For example, the joint drive motors of an assisted upper limb exoskeleton (CN 112847313A) produced by Shanghai Aosha Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. and an active waist assisted exoskeleton (CN 112621722 A) produced by Maibao Intelligent Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. both use direct drive and have no posture maintenance function. In application scenarios where the human body needs to maintain a certain posture, the motor always needs to match the load to output a certain balanced torque, but there is no relative rotation, which will cause the motor to heat up severely, shorten the motor life, waste electricity, and reduce the system's endurance. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the existing exoskeleton robot joint mechanism described in the background technology, the utility model provides an exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function, which has a compact structure, a posture holding function, and stable operation.

[0007] Disclosed is an exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function, which includes a connecting rod, a drive motor, a support, a ratchet, a pawl, a tension spring, and an electromagnet;

[0008] One end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the output end of the drive motor. The connecting rod is arranged perpendicular to the output end of the drive motor. Under the drive of the drive motor, the connecting rod can swing with the output end of the drive motor as the axis. The other end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the support.

[0009] A plurality of ratchets are arranged and fixed on the side surface of the housing of the driving motor, and the plurality of ratchets can be fixedly connected to the arc-shaped housing plate, and the plurality of ratchets are installed on the side surface of the housing of the driving motor through the arc-shaped housing plate. A pawl is provided next to the ratchet, and the tail of the pawl is hinged to the support, and the middle part of the pawl is also fixedly connected to a protrusion, and the side surface of the protrusion is connected to the support through a tension spring. Specifically, tension spring screws can be respectively installed on the support and the side surface of the protrusion, and the two ends of the tension spring are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding tension spring screws. Under the tension of the tension spring, the claw of the pawl can be stuck between the corresponding two adjacent ratchets, so that the connecting rod is limited and cannot swing downward, thereby preventing the output end of the driving motor from rotating downward due to the load, thereby realizing the downward locking and holding function;

[0010] An electromagnet is provided next to the protrusion of the pawl, and the electromagnet is fixedly connected to the support. The tension of the tension spring is less than the attraction force of the energized electromagnet. The protrusion can be attracted by the energized electromagnet, so that the tension spring can be further stretched and the claw of the pawl can be away from the ratchet teeth, and the entire joint mechanism can restore the free movement and power-assisted state.

[0011] Preferably, the driving motor is an inner rotor joint driving servo motor capable of forward and reverse rotation.

[0012] Preferably, a rotating shaft is installed on the support, and a mounting hole is opened at the tail of the pawl. The pawl is installed on the rotating shaft through the mounting hole at the tail, so that the tail of the pawl can move around the rotating shaft as the axis, thereby realizing that the tail of the pawl is hinged to the support.

[0013] Furthermore, a limit block is fixed on the side of the driving motor housing close to the connecting rod, and the limit block is located next to the end ratchet. The limit block can also be fixedly connected to the arc-shaped shell plate, and the limit block is fixedly installed on the driving motor housing through the arc-shaped shell plate. The limit block can limit the swing angle of the connecting rod, that is, it is used to limit the rotation angle of the joint mechanism to prevent the operating angle of the robot joint mechanism from exceeding the range that the human joint can bear, causing damage to the human joint.

[0014] Furthermore, the exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function also includes a base, a circular cover and a connecting cover. The base is fixedly mounted on the housing of the drive motor, and the circular cover and the connecting rod are respectively arranged on both sides of the drive motor. The circular cover is rotatably connected to the base. The circular cover is also fixedly connected to the support of the connecting rod through the connecting cover, that is, the circular cover and the connecting cover are integrally connected, and the connecting cover is fixedly mounted on the support. Under the drive of the drive motor, the circular cover can rotate simultaneously and coaxially with the output end of the drive motor on the base. In this way, under the cooperative "clamping" of the circular cover, the movement of the connecting rod can be more stable and will not shake. In addition, cables are arranged in the circular cover and the connecting cover, so that the cables can be hidden inside the joint mechanism, which plays a better protection and aesthetic role. Compared with the traditional fixed cover, the cables can move synchronously with the connecting rod, the connecting cover and the circular cover, so that the internal cables can automatically distribute and pass through the joint rotation center due to bending stress during joint movement, which can well avoid the problem of excessive bending and stretching of the cables due to joint movement.

[0015] Preferably, the base is integrally connected to a circular body at the corresponding position of the circular cover, and a plurality of arc-shaped sliding bars are integrally connected and arranged circumferentially on the circular cover. The outer arc surface of the arc-shaped sliding bar is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the circular body, so that the circular cover is rotatably connected to the base, so that the circular cover can rotate along its own axis.

[0016] Furthermore, the joint mechanism of the exoskeleton robot with a holding function also includes a guide member, an annular guide groove is provided on the side of the circular cover, and a guide block matching the annular guide groove is integrally connected to the guide member. The guide block of the guide member is placed in the annular guide groove of the circular cover, and the side of the base is integrally connected with a mounting seat. One operating component of the exoskeleton robot is fixedly connected to the mounting seat and the guide member at the same time, and another operating component of the exoskeleton robot is fixedly installed on the connecting rod. When the two operating components move relative to each other, the guide block of the guide member can only move in the annular guide groove of the circular cover. In this way, the movement of the circular cover is restricted by the guide member, which can avoid the circular cover from offsetting during rotation, thereby further improving the stability of the connecting rod movement and making the relative movement of the two operating components of the exoskeleton robot smoother.

[0017] Through the above technical solution, the utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0018] The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function described in the present application has a compact structure. The connecting rod, drive motor, support, ratchet, pawl, tension spring and electromagnet and other components are integrated on the drive motor, so that the opening and closing of the pawl can be controlled by controlling the power supply and de-power supply of the electromagnet to realize the mechanical locking function and the unlocking and recovery movement and power-assisting function, so that the exoskeleton robot joint mechanism has a posture holding function; the posture holding function prevents the joint from moving downward by mechanical locking, so that the human body can maintain a fixed posture for a long time. For carrying scenarios and a series of posture-maintaining operation scenarios, through mechanical locking in the direction of gravity, the drive motor does not need to continuously output torque to maintain the posture, which reduces the control difficulty. The use of a low-power drive motor can increase the load and impact resistance of the joint in the direction of gravity, and especially avoids the serious heating caused by the drive motor outputting the holding torque for a long time and without relative rotation in the non-mechanical locking state. This not only increases the service life of the motor and battery, but also saves electricity and increases the system endurance.

[0019] In a further solution, through the coordinated design of components such as the base, circular cover, connecting cover and guide parts, the movement of the connecting rod can be smoother and will not shake, so that the joint mechanism of the exoskeleton robot with a holding function can operate stably. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function described in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function described in an embodiment of the present application from another perspective;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function described in an embodiment of the present application, in which the circular cover and the connecting cover are hidden;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the partial internal structure of the exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function described in an embodiment of the present application at the joints between the pawl, ratchet, and electromagnet, with the support and connection cover hidden in the figure;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the circular cover and the connecting cover described in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. These drawings are all simplified schematic diagrams, which only illustrate the basic structure of the present invention in a schematic manner, and therefore only show the components related to the present invention.

[0026] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", etc. indicating directions or positional relationships, they are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operate in a specific direction. Therefore, the terms describing the positional relationship are only used for illustrative purposes and cannot be understood as limiting this patent; if there are terms such as "first", "second", etc., they are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0027] In the description of the utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "provided with," "connected," etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model based on specific circumstances.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] refer to Figures 1 to 4 An exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function, comprising a connecting rod 1, a drive motor 2, a support 3, a ratchet 4, a pawl 5, a tension spring 6 and an electromagnet 7;

[0030] The drive motor 2 is an inner rotor joint drive servo motor capable of forward and reverse rotation. One end of the connecting rod 1 is fixedly connected to the output end of the drive motor 2. The connecting rod 1 is arranged perpendicular to the output end of the drive motor 2. Under the drive of the drive motor 2, the connecting rod 1 can swing around the output end of the drive motor 2 as the axis. The other end of the connecting rod 1 is fixedly connected to the side of the support 3;

[0031] A plurality of ratchets 4 are arranged and fixed on the side surface of the casing of the driving motor 2, and the plurality of ratchets 4 can be fixedly connected to the arc-shaped shell plate 401, and the plurality of ratchets 4 are installed on the side surface of the casing of the driving motor 2 through the arc-shaped shell plate 401. A pawl 5 is provided next to the ratchet 4, and the tail of the pawl 5 is hinged to the support 3. The middle part of the pawl 5 is also fixedly connected to a protrusion 501, and the side surface of the protrusion 501 is connected to the support 3 through a tension spring 6. Specifically, tension spring screws 601 can be respectively installed on the support 3 and on the side surface of the protrusion 501, and the two ends of the tension spring 6 are respectively fixedly connected to the corresponding tension spring screws 601. Under the tension of the tension spring 6, the claw of the pawl 5 can be stuck between the corresponding two adjacent ratchets 4, so that the connecting rod 1 is limited and cannot swing downward, thereby preventing the output end of the driving motor 2 from rotating downward due to the load, thereby realizing the downward locking and holding function;

[0032] An electromagnet 7 is provided next to the protrusion 501 of the pawl 5, and the electromagnet 7 is fixedly connected to the support 3. The pulling force of the tension spring 6 is less than the suction force of the energized electromagnet 7. The protrusion 501 can be attracted by the energized electromagnet 7, so that the tension spring 6 can be further stretched and the claw of the pawl 5 can be away from the ratchet 4, and the entire joint mechanism can restore the free movement and power-assisted state.

[0033] In this specific embodiment:

[0034] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 A rotating shaft 8 is installed on the support 3, and a mounting hole is opened at the tail of the pawl 5. The pawl 5 is installed on the rotating shaft 8 through the mounting hole at the tail, so that the tail of the pawl 5 can move around the rotating shaft 8 as the axis, thereby realizing the hinged connection of the tail of the pawl 5 to the support 3.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 The housing of the driving motor 2 is fixed with a limit block 9 on one side close to the connecting rod 1. The limit block 9 is located next to the end ratchet 4. The limit block 9 can also be fixedly connected to the arc-shaped shell plate 401. The limit block 9 is fixedly installed on the housing of the driving motor 2 through the arc-shaped shell plate 401. The limit block 9 can limit the swing angle of the connecting rod 1, that is, it is used to limit the rotation angle of the joint mechanism to prevent the operating angle of the robot joint mechanism from exceeding the range that the human joint can bear and causing damage to the human joint.

[0036] Example 2

[0037] This embodiment is based on embodiment 1, with reference to Figure 2The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function also includes a base 10, a circular cover 11 and a connecting cover 12. The base 10 is fixedly mounted on the casing of the drive motor 2. The circular cover 11 and the connecting rod 1 are respectively arranged on both sides of the drive motor 2. The circular cover 11 is rotatably connected to the base 10. The circular cover 11 is also fixedly connected to the support 3 of the connecting rod 1 through the connecting cover 12, that is, the circular cover 11 and the connecting cover 12 are connected as a whole. The connecting cover 12 is fixedly mounted on the support 3. Under the drive of the drive motor 2, the circular cover 11 on the base 10 can be synchronized with the output end of the drive motor 2. When the joint mechanism is in motion, the connecting rod 1 is rotated coaxially, so that under the cooperation and "clamping" of the circular cover 11, the movement of the connecting rod 1 can be more stable and will not shake; in addition, cables are arranged in the circular cover 11 and the connecting cover 12, so that the cables can be hidden inside the joint mechanism, which plays a better role in protection and beauty. Compared with the traditional fixed cover, the cables can move synchronously with the connecting rod 1, the connecting cover 12 and the circular cover 11, so that the internal cables can automatically distribute and pass through the joint rotation center due to the bending stress when the joint moves, which can effectively avoid the problem of the cables being excessively bent and stretched due to the joint movement.

[0038] refer to Figure 3 The base 10 is integrally connected with a circular ring 1001 at the corresponding position of the circular cover 11, referring to Figure 5 A plurality of arc-shaped sliding bars 1102 are arranged in a circle and connected to the circular cover 11. The outer arc surface of the arc-shaped sliding bar 1102 is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the annular body 1001, so that the circular cover 11 is rotatably connected to the base 10, so that the circular cover 11 can rotate along its own axis.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function also includes a guide member 13. An annular guide groove 1101 is provided on the side of the circular cover 11. A guide block 1301 that cooperates with the annular guide groove 1101 is integrally connected to the guide member 13. The guide block 1301 of the guide member 13 is placed in the annular guide groove 1101 of the circular cover 11. The side of the base 10 is integrally connected with a mounting seat 1002. One operating component of the exoskeleton robot is fixedly connected to the mounting seat 1002 and the guide member 13 at the same time. The other operating component of the exoskeleton robot is fixedly installed on the connecting rod 1. When the two operating components move relative to each other, the guide block 1301 of the guide member 13 can only move in the annular guide groove 1101 of the circular cover 11. In this way, the movement of the circular cover 11 is restricted by the guide member 13, which can prevent the circular cover 11 from deviating during rotation, thereby further improving the stability of the movement of the connecting rod 1 and making the relative movement of the two operating components of the exoskeleton robot more stable.

[0040] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Based on the present invention and the above description, relevant personnel can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function, characterized in that: It comprises a connecting rod (1), a driving motor (2), a support (3), a ratchet (4), a pawl (5), a tension spring (6) and an electromagnet (7); One end of the connecting rod (1) is fixedly connected to the output end of the driving motor (2), and the other end of the connecting rod (1) is fixedly connected to a support (3); A plurality of ratchets (4) are arranged and fixed on the side of the housing of the driving motor (2), a pawl (5) is provided next to the ratchet (4), the tail of the pawl (5) is hinged to the support (3), and the middle of the pawl (5) is also fixedly connected to a protrusion (501), and the protrusion (501) is connected to the support (3) through a tension spring (6). Under the tension of the tension spring (6), the claw of the pawl (5) can be stuck between two corresponding adjacent ratchets (4); An electromagnet (7) is provided next to the protrusion (501) of the pawl (5), and the electromagnet (7) is fixedly connected to the support (3). The protrusion (501) can be attracted by the energized electromagnet (7), so that the tension spring (6) can be further stretched and the claw of the pawl (5) can be away from the ratchet (4).

2. The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving motor (2) is an inner rotor joint driving servo motor capable of forward and reverse rotation.

3. The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rotating shaft (8) is mounted on the support (3), a mounting hole is provided at the tail of the pawl (5), and the pawl (5) is mounted on the rotating shaft (8) through the mounting hole at the tail.

4. The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting block (9) is fixed on a surface of the housing of the driving motor (2) close to the connecting rod (1), and the limiting block (9) is located next to the terminal ratchet (4).

5. The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The invention also includes a base (10), a circular cover (11) and a connecting cover (12), wherein the base (10) is fixedly mounted on the housing of the driving motor (2), the circular cover (11) and the connecting rod (1) are respectively arranged on both sides of the driving motor (2), the circular cover (11) is rotatably connected to the base (10), and the circular cover (11) is also fixedly connected to the support (3) of the connecting rod (1) through the connecting cover (12), so that the circular cover (11) can rotate on the base (10) coaxially with the output end of the driving motor (2).

6. The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function according to claim 5, characterized in that: The base (10) is integrally connected to a circular ring (1001) at a corresponding position of the circular cover (11), and a plurality of arc-shaped sliding bars (1102) are integrally connected and arranged circumferentially on the circular cover (11), wherein the outer arc-shaped surfaces of the arc-shaped sliding bars (1102) are in sliding contact with the inner side surface of the circular ring (1001).

7. The exoskeleton robot joint mechanism with a holding function according to claim 5, characterized in that: The invention also includes a guide member (13), wherein an annular guide groove (1101) is provided on the side of the circular cover (11), and a guide block (1301) that matches the annular guide groove (1101) is integrally connected to the guide member (13), and the guide block (1301) of the guide member (13) is placed in the annular guide groove (1101) of the circular cover (11), and a mounting seat (1002) is integrally connected to the side of the base (10), and an operating component of the exoskeleton robot is fixedly connected to the mounting seat (1002) and the guide member (13) at the same time.

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