Passive power-assisted exoskeleton device for waist

Abstract

The utility model relates to a power-assisted exoskeleton, in particular to a waist passive power-assisted exoskeleton device which comprises a back wearing mechanism and two power-assisted assemblies. The power assisting assembly comprises a shell, a rotating body and an elastic energy storage assembly. The lower end of the rocking handle assembly is connected to the thigh in a restrained mode through the leg bandage assembly, and when the rocking handle assembly and the shell are relatively close in the front, the rotating body drives the elastic energy storage assembly to store energy; and when the rocking handle assembly is relatively far away from the shell, the elastic energy storage assembly releases elastic potential energy and acts on the back wearing mechanism. According to the passive assisting exoskeleton device for the waist, gravitational potential energy generated when the upper half body is bent downwards is converted into elastic potential energy of the gas spring through the mechanical energy storage mechanism, and when the upper half body is changed into an upright state from a bent state, the mechanical energy storage mechanism converts the stored elastic potential energy into waist kinetic energy; therefore, the device can be used for the occasion of continuous carrying work, the labor intensity can be remarkably reduced, and a good protection effect on the waist is achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to power assisting exoskeleton, concretely is waist passive power assisting exoskeleton device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Lumbodorsal pain is one of the most common occupational diseases, and people who engage in heavy lifting or repetitive bending work for a long time are particularly susceptible. Although traditional preventive measures such as proper posture education, use of hand tools and wearing protective belts can reduce the risk to some extent, these methods often cannot completely eliminate injuries caused by improper force or excessive load, and although physical therapy and drug treatment can relieve symptoms, they have limited effect on improving patient function and preventing recurrence.

[0003] In recent years, with the progress of robotics and biomechanics research, wearable exoskeletons have received increasing attention as emerging human-robot collaboration tools. Such devices can be attached to the human body surface through mechanical structures to enhance limb strength or assist in completing specific actions. However, existing exoskeleton products mainly focus on strengthening and supporting the limbs, and there are relatively few products specifically designed for the waist, and most existing exoskeletons use modular drives, requiring power batteries, and the overall weight of the device is large, which itself will bring additional pressure to the user, and such devices are expensive and difficult for the public to accept. SUMMARY

[0004] The utility model aims at providing a kind of passive power assisting exoskeleton device for waist without using external power supply, the exoskeleton device structure is light, and the elastic potential energy stored by power assisting assembly when bending is used to assist the waist, thereby solving the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following technical scheme: including back wearing mechanism and two power assisting assemblies symmetrically arranged on both sides of human hip;The power assisting assembly includes a shell, a rotating body and an elastic energy storage assembly positioned and installed in the shell, wherein one end of the elastic energy storage assembly acts on the rotating body, the other end acts on the shell, and the shell is connected to the back wearing mechanism by a power assisting rod;The exoskeleton device further includes a crank handle assembly fixedly connected to the rotating body, the lower end of the crank handle assembly is connected to the thigh by a leg strap assembly, and when the crank handle assembly and the shell are relatively close in front, the rotating body drives the elastic energy storage assembly to store energy;When the crank handle assembly and the shell are relatively far away, the elastic energy storage assembly releases elastic potential energy and finally acts on the back wearing mechanism through a hard rod.

[0006] In the technical scheme, the rotating body in the assisting assembly is connected to the thigh of the user through the handle assembly, when the user performs the action of squatting or bending from the standing state, the rotating body pushes the elastic energy storage assembly through the rotation relative to the shell, thereby storing energy in the elastic energy storage assembly, since the elastic energy storage assembly simultaneously acts on the rotating body and the shell, the elastic energy storage assembly generates the backward force on the shell, the force is transmitted to the back wearing mechanism through the assisting rod, therefore, when the user performs the process of changing from the standing state to the state, the assisting assembly assists the waist through the back wearing mechanism, and the waist force can be effectively reduced.

[0007] As a preferred scheme, the exoskeleton device further comprises a hip wearing mechanism, left and right sides of the hip wearing mechanism are respectively provided with mounting shafts coaxial along the left-right direction, and the assisting assemblies are movably mounted on the mounting shafts respectively. The hip wearing mechanism is fixed on the hip, and can position the assisting assemblies, so that the assisting assemblies are always kept in specific areas on both sides of the hip during the energy storage and release processes, thereby avoiding that the assisting assemblies cannot fully play the assisting function due to excessive displacement, or that the user feels uncomfortable due to the lack of positioning and the change of body shape.

[0008] As a preferred scheme, the shell is provided with an insertion structure, and the lower part of the assisting rod is detachably connected with the insertion structure, so that the user can first wear the back wearing mechanism, then wear the lower assisting assembly and the handle assembly, and then connect the assisting rod with the shell, thereby facilitating the wearing.

[0009] As a preferred scheme, the mounting shaft penetrates the shell, and the rotating body is mounted on the mounting shaft.

[0010] As a preferred scheme, the rotating body is a driving gear, the elastic energy storage assembly comprises a rack engaged with the driving gear, and further comprises an elastic energy storage body arranged in the same direction as the rack. The engagement transmission between the driving gear and the rack is stable and reliable, in the energy storage process, the driving gear drives the rack through the relative rotation, and then pushes the elastic energy storage body.

[0011] As a preferred scheme, the shell comprises a guide shell and a mounting shell, the inside of the guide shell is an energy storage cavity, the inside of the mounting shell is a gear cavity, and the lower part of the energy storage cavity is communicated with the gear cavity; the rack and the elastic energy storage body are located in the energy storage cavity, the driving gear is located in the gear cavity, and the rack is engaged with the driving gear at the communication position between the two cavities, the energy storage cavity and the gear cavity enable the elastic energy storage assembly and the driving gear to be independently mounted, thereby enabling them to be located in independent working environments, and avoiding that the disassembly and assembly of the components affect each other.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the upper part of the guide shell is provided with a pressure regulating knob assembled by a threaded structure. The lower end of the elastic energy storage body is connected to a rack, and the upper end touches the inner end of the pressure regulating knob. By rotating the pressure regulating knob, the original pressure of the elastic energy storage body can be changed, thereby meeting different usage requirements.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the mounting housing has a movable opening on its side, through which the crank assembly moves and is fixedly connected to the drive gear. The movable opening limits the maximum range of motion of the crank assembly, ensuring that the drive gear and the rack maintain a normal meshing relationship.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the crank assembly includes a crank directly connected to the drive gear, and a leg link extending downwards. The upper end of the leg link is hinged to the crank, allowing the leg link to swing left and right under the constraint of the crank. The leg strap assembly is installed at the lower end of the leg link. When worn, the leg link can adapt to leg movement by swinging left and right, avoiding any lateral constraint on the leg.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the leg link is hinged to the crank handle via a mounting head at its upper end. The mounting head has a socket for inserting the leg link and a positioning component for positioning the leg link. The leg link length is adjustable, which can meet the needs of people of different heights and also adjust the force exerted on the legs during waist assistance by adjusting the leg link length. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the passive lumbar support exoskeleton device provided in the embodiments of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the split structure of the middle-assistance component;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the side structure of the power assist component;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional structural diagram of the middle-mounted auxiliary component;

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the disassembled structure of the central rocker arm and the drive gear;

[0022] Figure 6 The connection structure diagram of the leg link and the handle;

[0023] Figure 7 The wearing state diagram of the waist passive power-assisted exoskeleton device is shown. Figure 1 The wearing state diagram of the waist passive power-assisted exoskeleton device is shown.

[0024] In the figure, the back support 1, the hip support 2, the power-assisted assembly 3, the power-assisted rod 4, the handle 5, the leg link 6, the leg binding assembly 7, the guide shell 8, the mounting shell 9, the end cover 10, the mounting hole 11, the driving gear 13, the mounting shaft 14, the shaft sleeve 15, the positioning shaft sleeve 16, the bolt 17, the connecting handle I 51, the connecting handle II 52, the plug-in hole 53, the mounting position 54, the bolt hole III 55, the mounting bolt III 56, the central screw rod 57, the mounting head 61, the adjusting notch 62, the through hole 63, the adjusting bolt 65, the adjusting sliding block 64, the energy storage cavity 81, the gas spring 82, the rack 83, the internal thread 84, the pressure regulating knob 85, the gear cavity 91, the movable port 92, the mounting groove 131, the bolt hole I 132, and the mounting bolt I 133. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with the accompanying drawings and examples, so that the realization process of how the present application applies technical means to solve technical problems and achieves technical effects can be fully understood and implemented.

[0026] Figure 1 For an embodiment of the present application, the waist passive power-assisted exoskeleton device includes a back wearing mechanism and can be seen that the back support 1 part of the back wearing mechanism is shown in the figure, and in addition, it also includes a binding structure (the binding structure is a common technology for wearing an exoskeleton, not shown) mounted on the back support 1. Similarly, the hip mechanism only shows the hip support 2. From the above, it can be seen that the hip support 2 is installed on the user's waist, and the back support 1 is installed on the user's back. Figure 1 As can be seen, the hip support 2 passes from the back of the user, and the power-assisted assembly 3 is installed on the left and right sides of the hip support 2, respectively. The power-assisted assembly 3 is connected to the back support 1 through the hard power-assisted rod 4. The rear of the power-assisted assembly 3 is provided with the handle 5, the end of which is provided with the leg link 6 extending downward, and the leg link 6 is bound to the thigh through the leg binding assembly 7 provided at the lower end. The exoskeleton device of the present embodiment is specially used for providing power assistance to the waist, so that the waist can be more easily upright.

[0027] Specifically, as Figure 2 , the two sides of the hip support 2 are fixedly provided with the mounting shaft 14, which is used to install the corresponding power-assisted assembly 3, and in combination with Figure 3It can be seen that the outer shell of the power assist component 3 includes a guide shell 8 and a mounting shell 9, and the outer side of the mounting shell 9 is constructed to have a detachable end cap 10. A mounting hole 11 is provided through the middle of the entire mounting shell 9 in the left-right direction, and the corresponding mounting shaft 14 is mounted through this mounting hole 11. To reduce friction between the mounting shaft 14 and the mounting shell 9, bushings 15 that movably engage with the mounting shaft 14 are also installed at the mounting hole 11. Figure 2 As can be seen, an internal thread is provided at the end of the mounting shaft 14, which passes through the end cover 10 and is fixed by the bolt 17, thereby ensuring that the assist component 3 will not detach from the mounting shaft 14.

[0028] Combination Figure 4 It can be seen that the interior of the guide shell 8 is an energy storage chamber 81, and the interior of the mounting shell 9 is a gear chamber 91. The lower part of the energy storage chamber 81 is connected to the gear chamber 91, and the upper port of the energy storage chamber 81 has an internal thread 84, on which a pressure regulating knob 85 is threadedly mounted. A rack 83 is movably mounted in the lower part of the energy storage chamber 81, and a gas spring 82 is movably mounted in the upper part. The front end of the gas spring 82 is connected to the rack 83, and the rear end touches the pressure regulating knob 85. A drive gear 13 is provided in the gear chamber 91. The drive gear 13 is mounted on the mounting shaft 14, and positioning bushings 16 are provided on both sides to limit the movement of the drive gear 13. The aforementioned rack 83 and drive gear 13 mesh at the cavity connection point.

[0029] An arc-shaped movable opening 92 is provided at the lower edge of the mounting shell 9. The aforementioned rocker arm 5 passes through the movable opening 92 and is connected to the drive gear 13. In this embodiment, the rocker arm 5 and the drive gear 13 are connected by bolts.

[0030] First, from Figure 5 As can be seen, the crank handle 5 includes a connecting handle I51 and a connecting handle II52. The rear end of the connecting handle I51 is inserted into the insertion hole 53 provided on the connecting handle II52. A bolt hole III55 is provided on the connecting handle II52, penetrating the insertion hole 53. A through hole is provided at the end of the connecting handle I51, directly opposite the bolt hole III55. Therefore, the connecting handle I51 is fixed by the mounting bolt III56. Secondly, the drive gear 13 has a mounting groove 131 on the tooth side, and a bolt hole I132 is provided on the end face of the drive gear 13, penetrating the mounting groove 131. The front end of the connecting handle I51 passes through the movable opening 92 and is fitted into the mounting groove 131. The connecting handle I51 is fixed by the mounting bolt I133.

[0031] The exoskeleton device with the above structure is worn on the body in a wearing state, and the leg connecting rod 6 is constrained on the thigh through the leg strap assembly 7 arranged at the lower end. Different users have different walking habits and different leg distances. In order to avoid the reaction force generated by the leg connecting rod 6 on the thigh in the left-right direction, the leg connecting rod 6 of the embodiment can deflect in all directions of the thigh. As shown in Figure 6 The lower end of the connecting handle II 52 is provided with an n-shaped mounting position 54, the leg connecting rod 6 is mounted at the mounting position 54 through the mounting head 61 arranged at the upper end, and the mounting head 61 is positioned through the central screw 57 (the axis of the central screw 57 extends in the front-rear direction) arranged at the rear end of the connecting handle II 52, so that the mounting head 61 is in a hinged state, thereby meeting the use requirement of left-right deflection of the leg connecting rod 6.

[0032] At the same time, in order to meet the use requirement of different lengths of the leg connecting rod 6 of the user, a insertion hole for the leg connecting rod 6 to be movably inserted is arranged at the middle of the mounting head 61, and an adjusting slot 62 communicating with the insertion hole is arranged at both sides of the mounting head 61, and a through hole 63 opposite to the adjusting slot 62 is arranged at the top end of the leg connecting rod 6; from Figure 6 It can be seen that the adjusting screw 65 and the adjusting sliding block 64 are used to position the leg connecting rod 6. Specifically, the adjusting sliding block 64 is movably arranged in the adjusting slot 62 on one side, and has a screw hole opposite to the through hole 63. The adjusting screw 65 is installed in cooperation with the adjusting sliding block 64 after passing through the through hole 63 from the adjusting slot 62 on the other side. Since the diameter of the nut of the adjusting screw 65 is greater than the width of the adjusting slot 62 on the corresponding side, when the adjusting screw 65 is tightened, the leg connecting rod 6 is positioned by the friction force between the nut and the mounting head 61, thereby realizing the purpose of adjusting the extension length of the leg connecting rod 6 at will.

[0033] The waist passive power-assisted exoskeleton device provided in the embodiment is worn on the body through the back wearing mechanism, so that the back support 1 is attached to the back. The hip support 2 arranged in the wearing state can support the power-assisted assembly 3, so as to avoid excessive displacement of the power-assisted assembly 3. The wearing state diagram is shown in FIG. 7. The exoskeleton device is specially used to provide power assistance for the waist, that is, in the bent state, the back wearing mechanism can reversely support the waist to reduce the stress on the waist, and this upright process continues until the waist is completely upright. For example, in Figure 7When the user bends to the left, the driving gear 13 rotates clockwise relative to the housing of the power assisting assembly 3, i.e. the rack 83 engaged with the driving gear 13 moves towards the housing and compresses the gas spring 82, which realizes the energy storage of the power assisting assembly 3. Since the housing of the power assisting assembly 3 is coaxially installed with the driving gear 13, the elastic potential energy generated by the gas spring 82 acts on the housing to provide a force for the housing to move reversely relative to the driving gear 13, which is finally converted into a force to prevent the waist from bending down by the back wearing mechanism, which can significantly reduce the force on the waist. Although the force gradually decreases when the user changes from the bending state to the upright state, the force will continue to act, thereby realizing the purpose of assisting the waist. The passive waist assisting exoskeleton device can convert the gravitational potential energy when the upper body is bent down into the elastic potential energy of the gas spring 82 through the mechanical energy storage mechanism, and the mechanical energy storage mechanism can convert the stored elastic potential energy into the kinetic energy of the waist when the upper body changes from the bent-down state to the upright state. Therefore, the device can be used in situations where continuous carrying work is performed, which can significantly reduce the labor intensity and provide good protection for the waist.

[0034] As used in the specification and claims, certain terminology is used to describe parts that will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is not intended that the specification and claims be limited by this terminology. The description and claims should not be read to only cover components that incorporate by reference or are otherwise within the prior art. Rather, the description and claims should be read to cover all components whether or not they incorporate by reference or are otherwise within the prior art. As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. "Approximately" means within an acceptable error range for the corresponding function, which will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0035] It should be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be open-ended terms, and include both explicit instances of the stated elements as well as instances where the stated elements are present in an equivalent form. The terms "substantially" and "approximately" are used to describe plus or minus a reasonable range around a value, which will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In the specification and claims, the term "including" is used as an open term, and therefore should be interpreted to cover instances in which alike items, materials, or processes are included, but also not excluded. The term "including" should not be interpreted to be recited limitation as to a set of elements. Nothing in the specification should be construed as indicating any element as essential to avoid obscuring the inventive concept except as described in the following claims.

[0036] The above description shows and describes several preferred embodiments of the present application, but as previously described, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the forms disclosed herein, and should not be considered as excluding other embodiments, but can be used in various other combinations, modifications and environments, and can be modified within the scope of the application conceived herein, by the above teachings or related art or knowledge. Any modification and change made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application shall be within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A passive lumbar support exoskeleton device, characterized in that: The device includes a back-wearing mechanism and two symmetrically arranged assist components on both sides of the hip. Each assist component includes a housing and a rotating body and an elastic energy storage component positioned within the housing. The housing is connected to the back-wearing mechanism via an assist rod, and one end of the elastic energy storage component acts on the rotating body, while the other end acts on the housing. The exoskeleton also includes a crank assembly fixedly connected to the rotating body. The lower end of the crank assembly is constrained to the thigh via a leg strap assembly. When the crank assembly and the housing are relatively close in front, the rotating body drives the elastic energy storage component to store energy. When the crank assembly and the housing are relatively far apart, the elastic energy storage component releases its elastic potential energy, which ultimately acts on the back-wearing mechanism through a rigid rod, thus providing lumbar assistance.

2. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The exoskeleton device also includes a hip wearing mechanism, on which mounting shafts are provided on the left and right sides, coaxially along the left and right direction, and the assist components are movably mounted on the corresponding mounting shafts.

3. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The outer casing is provided with a mounting structure, and the lower part of the assist rod is detachably connected to the mounting structure.

4. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting shaft passes through the housing, and the rotating body is mounted on the mounting shaft.

5. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The rotating body is a drive gear, and the elastic energy storage component includes a rack that meshes with the drive gear, and also includes an elastic energy storage body arranged in the same direction as the rack.

6. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The outer casing includes a guide shell and a mounting shell, wherein the interior of the guide shell is an energy storage cavity, the interior of the mounting shell is a gear cavity, and the lower part of the energy storage cavity is connected to the gear cavity; the rack and the elastic energy storage body are located in the energy storage cavity, the drive gear is located in the gear cavity, and the rack and the drive gear mesh at the connection between the two cavities.

7. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The upper part of the guide shell is provided with a pressure regulating knob assembled by a threaded structure. The lower end of the elastic energy storage body is connected to a rack, and the upper end touches the inner end of the pressure regulating knob.

8. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The mounting housing has a movable opening on its side. The crank assembly moves through the movable opening and is fixedly connected to the drive gear. The movable opening limits the maximum range of motion of the crank assembly.

9. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The crank assembly includes a crank directly connected to the drive gear, and a leg link extending downward, wherein the upper end of the leg link is hinged to the crank, allowing the leg link to swing left and right under the constraint of the crank, and the leg strap assembly is installed at the lower end of the leg link.

10. The passive lumbar support exoskeleton device as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The leg link is hinged to the crank handle via a mounting head at its upper end; the mounting head has a socket for the leg link to be inserted, and a positioning component for positioning the leg link is provided on the mounting head.

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