Intelligent gripper of upper limb carrying exoskeleton robot

Abstract

The utility model discloses an intelligent gripper of an exoskeleton robot for carrying upper limbs, belongs to the field of exoskeleton robots, and aims to solve the problems that the exoskeleton robot adopting an intelligent glove scheme cannot provide assistance for hands and cannot liberate the hands. The device comprises a gripper assembly, a connecting box and a rope, the gripper assembly is used for gripping a heavy object and carrying the heavy object to a destination, the gripper assembly is connected with the rope through the connecting box, and the rope is connected with the exoskeleton robot body; a mounting base is arranged on a gripper lower shell of the gripper assembly, two microswitches are arranged at the front end of the mounting base, two keys are mounted at the front ends of the microswitches through springs, a hook is fixedly connected to the front end of the mounting base, and a strain sensor is attached to each of the two sides of the hook; a PCB is arranged on the mounting base, the strain sensor is used for sensing whether the hook grabs a heavy object or not, and a strain signal of the strain sensor is sent to the exoskeleton robot body through the PCB.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to an intelligent gripper of an exoskeleton robot which can grab and carry heavy objects and measure the weight of the carried objects, and belongs to the field of exoskeleton robots. BACKGROUND

[0002] Exoskeleton originally refers to a kind of hard external structure for protecting the soft organs inside a living body in biology, and now exoskeleton robot refers to a kind of mechanical device which imitates the movement state of human body, strengthens the movement ability of human body, and integrates bionics and ergonomics, and is worn on the outside of human limbs to improve the ability of people in specific aspects such as walking endurance and load-carrying ability. Since exoskeleton robot involves ergonomics, it is required to have strong adaptability, not only to be suitable for wearers of different body types, but also to protect human joints from danger and prevent human body from being damaged during the wearing process. The upper limb exoskeleton robot of the prior art generally adopts an intelligent glove scheme, and the wearer needs to grab and carry the carried object by hand during the carrying process, the glove part cannot provide assistance for the hand, cannot reduce the burden of the hand, and cannot effectively relax the fingers. SUMMARY

[0003] In view of the problem that the exoskeleton robot adopting the intelligent glove scheme cannot provide assistance for the hand and cannot free the hands, the utility model provides an intelligent gripper of an upper limb carrying exoskeleton robot.

[0004] The intelligent gripper of the upper limb carrying exoskeleton robot, comprising a gripper assembly 1, a connecting box 2 and a rope 19.

[0005] The gripper assembly 1 is used for grabbing heavy objects and carrying them to the destination, and the gripper assembly 1 is connected through the connecting box 2 and the rope 19, and the rope 19 is connected with the exoskeleton robot body.

[0006] The gripper assembly 1 comprises a hook 3, a gripper upper shell 4, a gripper lower shell 5, a decorative shell 6, a No. 1 button 7, a No. 2 button 8, a spring 9, a micro switch 10, a strain sensor 11, a PCB circuit board 12 and a connecting groove 20; a mounting base is arranged on the gripper lower shell 5, two micro switches 10 are arranged at the front end of the mounting base, the No. 1 button 7 and the No. 2 button 8 are installed at the front end of the micro switch 10 through the spring 9, the hook 3 is fixedly connected to the front end of the mounting base, and one strain sensor 11 is attached to each side of the hook 3.

[0007] The mounting base is provided with the PCB circuit board 12, the strain sensor 11 is used for sensing whether the hook 3 grabs heavy objects or not, and the strain signal of the strain sensor 11 is sent to the exoskeleton robot body through the PCB circuit board 12.

[0008] The decorative shell 6 and the gripper upper shell 4 are sequentially buckled on the gripper lower shell 5.

[0009] Preferably, the grab hand assembly 1 further comprises an LED lamp 21 and a light guide column 13, the LED lamp 21 is arranged on the PCB circuit board 12 and located at the front end of the mounting base, and the light guide column 13 is arranged above the LED lamp 21, and the working state of the exoskeleton robot is represented by different colors of the light guide column 13 and the light state of the LED lamp 21.

[0010] Preferably, the PCB circuit board 12 is electrically connected with the exoskeleton robot body through a signal line, and the signal line is carried on the rope 19.

[0011] Preferably, the connecting box 2 comprises a connecting hook 14, a connecting box upper shell 15, a connecting box lower shell 16, a tension and pressure sensor 17 and a rope connecting head 18, the tension and pressure sensor 17 is clamped between the connecting box upper shell 15 and the connecting box lower shell 16, one force receiving end of the tension and pressure sensor 17 is provided with the connecting hook 14, the connecting hook 14 is fixedly connected with the bent hook 3, the other force receiving end of the tension and pressure sensor 17 is provided with the rope connecting head 18, and the rope connecting head 18 is used for being fixedly connected with the rope 19; the tension and pressure sensor 17 is used for measuring the weight of the heavy object gripped by the grab hand assembly 1 and feeding back to the exoskeleton robot body through a signal line.

[0012] Preferably, a motor is arranged in the exoskeleton robot body, the stretching and retracting of the rope 19 is controlled by the motor, the No. 1 button 7 is a motor starting key and is used for realizing a heavy object lifting action, the No. 2 button 8 is a motor stopping key and is used for realizing a heavy object hovering action, and the No. 1 button 7 and the No. 2 button 8 are pressed at the same time to realize a heavy object lowering action.

[0013] Preferably, a processor is arranged in the exoskeleton robot body, whether the grab hand assembly 1 grips a heavy object is judged according to a strain signal of the strain sensor 11, the weight of the heavy object is obtained according to the tension and pressure sensor 17, and the motor output force is controlled according to the weight.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the intelligent grab hand of the utility model is applied to an upper limb carrying exoskeleton robot, both hands are freed to operate the buttons on the intelligent grab hand, whether the exoskeleton grips a heavy object can be determined through the strain sensor and the tension and pressure sensor, the intention of a user can be judged, and the No. 1 button and the No. 2 button on the intelligent grab hand can be directly used to realize the actions of lifting, hovering and lowering the heavy object gripped by the exoskeleton.

[0015] This exoskeleton robot can check whether its gripper is grasping an object, measure its mass, and operate with a button-controlled intelligent gripper. During use, the gripper measures the object's mass and transmits real-time data to the exoskeleton itself, enabling the exoskeleton to proactively adjust the amount of assistance and switch between assistance modes. During the lifting process, the hand no longer serves as a support point, allowing the fingers to operate the buttons and move freely, reducing the strain on the hand and effectively relaxing the fingers, thereby reducing the overall burden on the upper limb. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of an intelligent gripper of an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot described in the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the gripper assembly;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the connection box;

[0019] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of a PCB circuit board.

[0020] 1. Gripper assembly, 2. Connection box, 3. Hook, 4. Gripper upper shell, 5. Gripper lower shell, 6. Decorative shell, 7. Button 1, 8. Button 2, 9. Spring, 10. Micro switch, 11. Strain sensor, 12. PCB circuit board, 13. Light guide, 14. Connection hook, 15. Connection box upper shell, 16. Connection box lower shell, 17. Pull pressure sensor, 18. Rope connector, 19. Rope, 20. Connection groove, 21. LED light. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features therein can be combined with each other.

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but they are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0024] Specific implementation method 1: Figures 1 to 4To illustrate the embodiments, the intelligent gripper of the upper limb carrying exoskeleton robot according to the embodiments comprises a gripper assembly 1, a connecting box 2 and a rope 19, as shown in Figure 1

[0025] As shown in Figure 2 The gripper assembly 1 is used to grab heavy objects and carry them to the destination, and is connected through the connecting box 2 and the rope 19, which is connected with the exoskeleton robot body.

[0026] The gripper assembly 1 comprises a hook 3, a gripper upper shell 4, a gripper lower shell 5, a decorative shell 6, a No. 1 button 7, a No. 2 button 8, a spring 9, a micro switch 10, a strain sensor 11, a PCB circuit board 12 and a connecting groove 20. The mounting base is arranged on the gripper lower shell 5, two micro switches 10 are arranged at the front end of the mounting base, the No. 1 button 7 and the No. 2 button 8 are mounted at the front end of the micro switch 10 through the spring 9, the hook 3 is fixedly connected to the front end of the mounting base, and one strain sensor 11 is attached to each side of the hook 3.

[0027] The PCB circuit board 12 is arranged on the mounting base, the strain sensor 11 is used to sense whether the hook 3 grabs heavy objects, and the strain signal of the strain sensor 11 is sent to the exoskeleton robot body through the PCB circuit board 12. The signal line of the strain sensor 11 enters the gripper box body through the wire slot and is electrically connected with the PCB circuit board 12.

[0028] The decorative shell 6 and the gripper upper shell 4 are sequentially buckled on the gripper lower shell 5. The gripper upper shell 4 and the gripper lower shell 5 are fixed through threads and buckles to form a gripper box body. The gripper upper shell 4 and the decorative shell 6 are fixed through buckles.

[0029] The gripper assembly 1 further comprises an LED lamp 21 and a light guide column 13. The LED lamp 21 is arranged on the PCB circuit board 12 and located at the front end of the mounting base. The light guide column 13 is arranged above the LED lamp 21, and the working state of the exoskeleton robot is represented by different colors of the light guide column 13 and the light state of the LED lamp 21. The light guide column 13 is glued and fixed with the gripper upper shell 4.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4 The PCB circuit board 12 is electrically connected with the exoskeleton robot body through a signal line, and the signal line is carried on the rope 19.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3 ​The connecting box 2 comprises a connecting hook 14, an upper connecting box shell 15, a lower connecting box shell 16, a tension and pressure sensor 17 and a rope connecting head 18. The upper connecting box shell 15 and the lower connecting box shell 16 are fixed by screw threads to form a connecting box body. The tension and pressure sensor 17 is clamped between the upper connecting box shell 15 and the lower connecting box shell 16. A force receiving end of the tension and pressure sensor 17 is provided with the connecting hook 14, which is fixed to the bent hook 3. The other force receiving end of the tension and pressure sensor 17 is provided with the rope connecting head 18, which is used to be fixed to the rope 19. The tension and pressure sensor 17 is used to measure the weight of the heavy object gripped by the gripper assembly 1 and feed back to the exoskeleton robot body through a signal line. The tension and pressure sensor 17 is fixed in the connecting box body through a mounting structure and is electrically connected to the exoskeleton robot body through a signal line via a wire inlet groove. The tension and pressure sensor 17 is threadedly connected to the connecting hook 14 and is fixed to the bent hook 3 via a connecting groove 20. The tension and pressure sensor 17 is threadedly connected to the rope connecting head 18. The rope connecting head 18 is fixed to the rope 19. The rope 19 is connected to the exoskeleton robot body.

[0032] The exoskeleton robot body is provided with a motor. The extension and retraction of the rope 19 is controlled by the motor. The No. 1 button 7 is a motor starting button, which is used to realize the lifting action of the heavy object. The No. 2 button 8 is a motor stopping button, which is used to realize the hovering action of the heavy object. The No. 1 button 7 and the No. 2 button 8 are pressed at the same time to realize the lowering action of the heavy object.

[0033] The exoskeleton robot body is provided with a processor. Whether the gripper assembly 1 grips the heavy object is judged according to the strain signal of the strain sensor 11. The weight of the heavy object is obtained according to the tension and pressure sensor 17. The motor output force is controlled according to the weight.

[0034] The utility model discloses button, strain sensor 11 and tension and pressure sensor 17 and other control elements, and the exoskeleton robot body can select the working condition through the button of intelligent gripper, and the function state of exoskeleton is judged through the LED light state on gripper. The strain sensor 11 is used to judge whether the bent hook 3 has gripped the heavy object, and the tension and pressure sensor 17 measures the weight of the heavy object. Through the button, intelligent mode, manual mode and whether the function of both hands are synchronous can be selected. In intelligent mode, whether the exoskeleton grips the heavy object can be determined through the strain sensor 11 and the tension and pressure sensor 17, and the intention of user is judged, realizes the action of lifting, hovering and putting down after gripping the heavy object, and the exoskeleton can also be controlled using the button in intelligent mode. In button mode, the No. 1 button 7 and the No. 2 button 8 on the intelligent gripper are used to realize the action of lifting, hovering and putting down after the exoskeleton grips the heavy object. In intelligent mode, the exoskeleton robot body can realize the differential or synchronous action of both hands according to the strain sensor 11 and the tension and pressure sensor 17. In manual mode, the user can select the differential or synchronous mode of both hands through the button of intelligent gripper.

[0035] The processor in the exoskeleton robot body has two solutions for handling heavy objects, including intelligent mode and manual mode. Each mode can realize single-handed operation and two-handed operation. The exoskeleton robot body is configured with two hands on the side, and an intelligent gripper is installed on each side using two ropes 19. The control process of the processor includes:

[0036] First, initialize and adjust the initial length of the rope 19 according to the length of the human arm. The length adjustment is achieved by pressing button 1 7 and button 2 8. By pressing button 1 7 and button 2 8 at the same time, the rope 19 becomes longer. Press button 1 7 to start the motor and the rope 19 shortens. Press button 2 8 to stop the motor. Through these operations, the length of the rope 19 can be adjusted to match the arm length. The adjustment of the initial length is convenient for manual operation.

[0037] In intelligent mode: when it is determined through the feedback signals of the strain sensor 11 and the tension and pressure sensor 17 that a heavy object is being grabbed, the motor is started to contract the rope 19 to lift the heavy object;

[0038] When any of the following conditions is met, the motor stops and button 1 (7) and button 2 (8) are pressed simultaneously to lower the weight via rope 19:

[0039] Condition 1: reaching the limit, at which point the rope 19 has reached its longest length;

[0040] Condition 2: Press button 2;

[0041] Condition 3: The arm stops lifting the weight. At this time, the arm pushes the weight to the destination, and the pull pressure sensor 17 generates a step-change large signal;

[0042] In intelligent mode, when a heavy object is grabbed, the strain sensors 11 on either side of the hook 3 deform, and their strain signals are sent to the processor of the exoskeleton robot body via the PCB circuit board 12. The processor can determine that the hook 3 has grabbed a heavy object based on the strain signals. If one gripper assembly 1 returns a strain signal, it indicates a unilateral grab. If both gripper assemblies 1 return a strain signal, it indicates a bilateral grab. The corresponding motor starts, and the magnitude of the motor output force is determined based on the data returned by the tension and pressure sensors 17. It can be seen that the user's action intention can be obtained based on the strain sensors 11 and the tension and pressure sensors 17 to control the start and stop of the motors in both arms. When no other action is taken, the motor stops after reaching the limit. The motor stops when the motor is running, or when the user's arm stops moving upward. The motor still provides hovering assistance when stopped. When the user needs to put the object down, they move their arm downward, and the motor reverses, lowering the object to the initial position of the gripper and stopping. Alternatively, the user can simultaneously press the No. 1 and No. 2 buttons on the same side of the intelligent gripper to achieve the lowering action.

[0043] Manual mode: manual control single hand mode or double hand mode, through manually pressing No. 1 button 7 to realize weight lifting action, pressing No. 2 button 8 to realize weight suspension action;

[0044] When any of the following conditions is met, the motor stops, and the No. 1 button 7 and the No. 2 button 8 are pressed simultaneously, and the rope 19 is lowered to the weight:

[0045] Condition 1, reaching the limit, at this time the rope 19 has reached the longest;

[0046] Condition 2, pressing the No. 2 button.

[0047] In the manual mode, the processor can select the single hand differential power mode and the double hand synchronous power mode according to the buttons on the intelligent gripper. In the single hand differential power mode, the exoskeleton can control the two side motors to start according to the No. 1 button of the two side intelligent grippers respectively, and stop when the motor moves to the limit, and the motor still provides suspension power in the stop state. When the user needs to lower the weight, the No. 1 button and the No. 2 button of the intelligent gripper on the same side are pressed simultaneously to realize the lowering action. In the double hand synchronous power mode, after the No. 1 button of the two side intelligent grippers is pressed simultaneously, the exoskeleton controls the two side motors to move synchronously, and stops synchronously when the motor moves to the limit. In the process of motor operation, the No. 2 button of the intelligent gripper is pressed to stop the motor, and the motor still provides suspension power in the stop state. When the user needs to lower the weight, the No. 1 button and the No. 2 button of the intelligent gripper on the same side are pressed simultaneously to realize the lowering action.

[0048] Although the present application is described herein with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely exemplary of the principles and applications of the present application. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications can be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims. It is to be understood that features described under separate embodiments can be used in combination with features described under other embodiments. It is to be understood that features described under separate embodiments can be used in other described embodiments.

Claims

1. An intelligent gripper for an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot, characterized in that: It comprises a gripper assembly (1), a connection box (2) and a rope (19); The gripper assembly (1) is used to grab a heavy object and carry it to a destination. The gripper assembly (1) is connected to a rope (19) via a connection box (2), and the rope (19) is connected to the exoskeleton robot body. The gripper assembly (1) comprises a hook (3), a gripper upper shell (4), a gripper lower shell (5), a decorative shell (6), a No. 1 button (7), a No. 2 button (8), a spring (9), a micro switch (10), a strain sensor (11), a PCB circuit board (12) and a connecting groove (20); a mounting base is provided on the gripper lower shell (5), two micro switches (10) are provided at the front end of the mounting base, the No. 1 button (7) and the No. 2 button (8) are mounted at the front end of the micro switch (10) via the spring (9), the front end of the mounting base is fixedly connected to the hook (3), and a strain sensor (11) is attached to each side of the hook (3); A PCB circuit board (12) is provided on the mounting base, and a strain sensor (11) is used to sense whether the hook (3) has grabbed a heavy object, and a strain signal of the strain sensor (11) is sent to the exoskeleton robot body via the PCB circuit board (12); The decorative shell (6) and the gripper upper shell (4) are buckled onto the gripper lower shell (5) in sequence.

2. The intelligent gripper of an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper assembly (1) further comprises an LED lamp (21) and a light guide column (13), wherein the LED lamp (21) is arranged on a PCB circuit board (12) and is located at the front end of the mounting base, and a light guide column (13) is arranged above the LED lamp (21), and the working state of the exoskeleton robot is represented by the different colors of the light guide column (13) and the light state of the LED lamp (21).

3. The intelligent gripper of an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The PCB circuit board (12) is electrically connected to the exoskeleton robot body via a signal line, and the signal line is carried on a rope (19).

4. The intelligent gripper of an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The connection box (2) comprises a connection hook (14), a connection box upper shell (15), a connection box lower shell (16), a tension and pressure sensor (17) and a rope connector (18); the tension and pressure sensor (17) is clamped between the connection box upper shell (15) and the connection box lower shell (16); a connection hook (14) is provided at one force-bearing end of the tension and pressure sensor (17); the connection hook (14) is fixedly connected to the hook (3); a rope connector (18) is provided at the other force-bearing end of the tension and pressure sensor (17); the rope connector (18) is used to be fixedly connected to a rope (19); the tension and pressure sensor (17) is used to measure the weight of a heavy object grasped by the gripper assembly (1) and to feed back the weight to the exoskeleton robot body through a signal line.

5. The intelligent gripper of an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: A motor is provided in the body of the exoskeleton robot, and the extension and retraction of the rope (19) is controlled by the motor. Button No. 1 (7) is a motor start button for realizing a heavy object lifting action, button No. 2 (8) is a motor stop button for realizing a heavy object hovering action, and button No. 1 (7) and button No. 2 (8) are pressed simultaneously to realize a heavy object lowering action.

6. The intelligent gripper of an upper limb handling exoskeleton robot according to claim 5, characterized in that: A processor is provided in the exoskeleton robot body, which determines whether the gripper assembly (1) has grasped a heavy object based on a strain signal received from a strain sensor (11), obtains the weight of the heavy object based on a tension and pressure sensor (17), and controls the output force of the motor based on the weight.

Images