Knee joint assisted exoskeleton robot
By introducing a rotatable mechanism and a waist belt cushioning design into the knee-assisted exoskeleton robot, the problems of wearing discomfort and stiffness in existing technologies have been solved, achieving higher wearing comfort and assistive effect.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing active knee joint assistive exoskeleton robots driven by joint motors suffer from poor adaptability, discomfort when worn, stiff assistance, and poor assistance effect.
A knee-assisted exoskeleton robot structure with a rotatable mechanism was designed. Through the cooperation of joint motors and linkages, the exoskeleton can achieve an adaptive connection with the human knee joint. A cushioning pad and an adjustable buckle structure are set at the waist belt to enhance wearing comfort and assist stability.
It improves wearing comfort and assistive effect, reduces discomfort and stiffness in the thighs and calves, and enhances the coordinated movement ability between the exoskeleton and the human body.
Smart Images
Figure CN224116161U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of exoskeleton robots, specifically relating to a knee-joint assisted exoskeleton robot. Background Technology
[0002] Wearable knee-assisted exoskeleton robots can provide functions such as assistance, protection, and support for the human knee joint. They integrate multiple technologies such as mechanics, electronics, control, and sensing. Through a matched following control strategy, they can drive the system to achieve human-machine collaborative movement, enhance the human knee joint's mobility, and increase the human's endurance in sports scenarios such as going up and down slopes, going up and down stairs, walking on flat ground, and running. They have broad application prospects in many fields such as cultural tourism, industrial production, emergency rescue, and military.
[0003] Existing active knee-assisted exoskeleton robots driven by joint motors typically suffer from problems such as poor adaptability, discomfort when worn, stiff assistance, and poor assistance effect. Utility Model Content
[0004] To improve wearing comfort and assistive effect, this utility model provides a knee joint assistive exoskeleton robot, which includes two identical leg components, each of which includes a leg binding, a joint motor, a thigh link and a lower leg link.
[0005] In each leg component:
[0006] The joint motor, thigh link, and calf link are all located on the outside of the leg restraint, with the thigh link located above the calf link.
[0007] The stator of the joint motor is fixedly connected to one end of the thigh link via a stator connector, and the other end of the thigh link is hinged to the upper part of the leg binding. The rotor of the joint motor is fixedly connected to one end of the lower leg link via a rotor connector, and the other end of the lower leg link is hinged to the lower part of the leg binding. In this way, after wearing the leg binding, the connection between the exoskeleton and the human thigh and lower leg can rotate within a certain angle, forming a rotatable mechanism that can adapt to different inclinations of the thigh and lower leg binding, thus improving wearing comfort.
[0008] The rotor connector is rotatably connected to a knee joint positioning component at one end near the joint motor, and the knee joint positioning component is fixedly connected to the middle of the leg binding component.
[0009] This type of knee-assisted exoskeleton robot structure, with its knee joint positioning component ensuring that the knee joint movement does not become misaligned during human-machine collaborative assistance, also allows the aforementioned rotatable mechanism to give the human thigh and calf a certain degree of freedom in the left and right directions, facilitating muscle relaxation. In other words, while ensuring stable and smooth torque transmission of the joint motor, the knee joint positioning component, through the rotatable mechanism, can reduce the discomfort and stiffness in the human thigh and calf during assistance, thus improving the comfort of assistance.
[0010] Furthermore, the aforementioned knee-assisted exoskeleton robot also includes a waist belt, which is positioned above the two leg components. A cushioning pad is fixedly connected to the inner surface of the waist belt, which provides cushioning when the waist belt is tightened, thereby improving wearing comfort. A first elastic band is fixedly connected to both sides of the waist belt, and multiple slots are arranged on the first elastic band from top to bottom.
[0011] The upper end of the leg binding is connected to a buckle via a second elastic band. The buckle can be placed in the corresponding slot of the first elastic band. Thus, the distance between the leg binding and the waist belt can be adjusted by the buckle and multiple slots to accommodate people of different heights.
[0012] Preferably, the leg binding includes, from top to bottom, an upper thigh binding strap, a lower thigh binding strap, a middle connecting strap, an upper calf binding strap, and a lower calf binding strap, which are connected to each other in sequence. Such a leg binding can increase the binding length with the human leg and make the binding reliable.
[0013] A first hinge seat is fixedly connected to the side of the upper thigh binding strap. A first shaft is installed on the first hinge seat. A first bushing is fixedly connected to the upper end of the thigh connecting rod. The first bushing is sleeved on the first shaft, so that the upper end of the thigh connecting rod is hinged to the upper part of the leg binding piece. The relative rotation between the thigh connecting rod and the first hinge seat is realized, which can increase the stability and reliability of the operation of the rotatable mechanism.
[0014] A second hinge seat is fixedly connected to the side of the lower leg binding strap. A second shaft is installed on the second hinge seat. A second bushing is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower leg connecting rod. The second bushing is sleeved on the second shaft. In this way, the lower end of the lower leg connecting rod is hinged to the lower part of the leg binding piece. The relative rotation between the lower leg connecting rod and the second hinge seat is realized through the second hinge seat, which can increase the stability and reliability of the operation of the rotatable mechanism.
[0015] The knee joint positioning component is fixedly connected to the intermediate connecting strip.
[0016] Preferably, the leg binding is made of multiple layers of fabric sewn together in one piece, which has a certain degree of elasticity and cushioning. The upper thigh binding strap, lower thigh binding strap, upper calf binding strap and lower calf binding strap are each equipped with a built-in elastic thin plate. The elastic thin plate can be bent along the leg circumference direction, which has good adaptability to people with different leg circumferences and leg shapes, while also having good rigidity, so that the leg binding can stably and reliably bind the human leg.
[0017] Furthermore, a first pressure plate is fixedly connected to the thigh link, and a first pressure strip is provided on the inner side of the lower thigh binding strap. The first pressure strip and the first pressure plate are fastened together by fasteners. In this way, the lower thigh binding strap is pressed tightly onto the thigh link by the first pressure strip, which can increase the stability of the joint motor torque transmission.
[0018] A second pressure plate is fixedly connected to the lower leg connecting rod, and a second pressure strip is provided on the inner side of the upper lower leg binding strap. The second pressure strip and the second pressure plate are fastened together by fasteners. In this way, the upper lower leg binding strap is pressed tightly onto the lower leg connecting rod by the second pressure strip, which can increase the stability of the joint motor torque transmission.
[0019] Preferably, a knee joint buffer rubber strip is provided between the thigh link and the lower leg link. Specifically, the knee joint buffer rubber strip is fixedly connected to the upper end face of the lower leg link to buffer the collision between the lower leg link and the thigh link when the knee joint is straightened.
[0020] Through the above technical solutions, this utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:
[0021] The knee-assisted exoskeleton robot described in this application has two joint motors positioned on the outer side of the knee joint. Through the coordinated design of the knee joint positioning component, rotor connector, and joint motors, it prevents misalignment between the exoskeleton and the human knee joint during movement assistance, resulting in better assistance stability, reduced impact from fast running, and improved assistance effect. Furthermore, the rotatable mechanism at the connection point between the exoskeleton and the human thigh and lower leg not only adapts to different inclinations of the thigh and lower leg, improving wearing comfort, but also allows for a certain degree of freedom in the lateral direction of the thigh and lower leg during human-machine collaborative assistance. This facilitates muscle relaxation, reduces discomfort and stiffness in the thigh and lower leg during assistance, and improves the comfort of assistance.
[0022] In the preferred embodiment, the leg binding consists of upper thigh binding straps, lower thigh binding straps, a middle connecting strap, upper calf binding straps, and lower calf binding straps. This increases the connection length between the human leg and the exoskeleton, making the binding reliable. This leg binding, which is made of multiple layers of fabric sewn together and has an internal elastic thin plate, not only increases the rigidity of the binding but also allows for bending in the leg direction, improving adaptability and wearing comfort for people of different body types. Furthermore, by stably and reliably binding the human leg, this leg binding allows the exoskeleton to reliably transmit a large torque to the human knee joint, thereby improving the assist effect. Attached Figure Description
[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, which only illustrate the basic structure of this utility model in a schematic manner. Therefore, they only show the components related to this utility model.
[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a knee-assisted exoskeleton robot as described in the embodiments of this application.
[0025] Figure 2 This is a partial schematic diagram of the knee-assisted exoskeleton robot described in the embodiments of this application at the first elastic band and the second elastic band.
[0026] Figure 3 This is a partial and internal structural diagram of the knee-assisted exoskeleton robot described in the embodiments of this application;
[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A structural diagram from another perspective. Detailed Implementation
[0028] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, they are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms describing positional relationships are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting this patent. If terms such as "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, they should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.
[0029] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "equipped with," "connected," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be 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; it can be a connection within two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.
[0030] refer to Figures 1 to 4 The knee-assisted exoskeleton robot comprises two identical leg components, each of which includes a leg harness 1, a joint motor 2, a thigh link 3, and a lower leg link 4.
[0031] In each leg component:
[0032] The joint motor 2, thigh link 3 and calf link 4 are all located on the outside of the leg binding 1, with the thigh link 3 located above the calf link 4.
[0033] The stator of the joint motor 2 is fixedly connected to one end of the thigh link 3 via the stator connector 6, and the other end of the thigh link 3 is hinged to the upper part of the leg binding 1; the rotor of the joint motor 2 is fixedly connected to one end of the lower leg link 4 via the rotor connector 7, and the other end of the lower leg link 4 is hinged to the lower part of the leg binding 1; thus, after wearing the leg binding 1, the connection between the exoskeleton and the human thigh and lower leg can rotate within a certain angle, forming a rotatable mechanism that can adapt to different inclinations of the thigh and lower leg binding, improving wearing comfort;
[0034] The rotor connector 7 is rotatably connected to a knee joint positioning component 9 at one end near the joint motor 2, and the knee joint positioning component 9 is fixedly connected to the middle of the leg binding component 1.
[0035] In this knee-assisted exoskeleton robot structure, the knee joint positioning component 9 ensures that the knee joint movement does not become misaligned during human-machine collaborative assistance. The aforementioned rotatable mechanism also allows the human thigh and calf to have a certain degree of freedom in the left and right directions, which facilitates muscle relaxation. In other words, while ensuring stable and smooth torque transmission of the joint motor 2, the knee joint positioning component 9 can reduce the discomfort and stiffness of the human thigh and calf during assistance through the rotatable mechanism, thereby improving the comfort of assistance.
[0036] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2The knee-assisted exoskeleton robot also includes a waist belt 5, which is positioned above the two leg components. A cushioning pad 501 is fixedly connected to the inner surface of the waist belt 5, which provides cushioning when the waist belt 5 is tightened, thereby improving wearing comfort. A first elastic band 51 is fixedly connected to both sides of the waist belt 5, and multiple slots 5101 are arranged from top to bottom on the first elastic band 51.
[0037] The upper end of the leg binding 1 is connected to a buckle 53 via a second elastic band 52. The buckle 53 can be placed in the slot 5101 corresponding to the first elastic band 51. Thus, the distance between the leg binding 1 and the waist belt 5 can be adjusted by the buckle 53 and multiple slots 5101 to accommodate people of different heights.
[0038] refer to Figure 1 The leg binding 1 includes, from top to bottom, an upper thigh binding strap 11, a lower thigh binding strap 12, a middle connecting strap 13, an upper calf binding strap 14, and a lower calf binding strap 15, which are connected to each other in sequence. This leg binding 1 can increase the binding length with the human leg and make the binding reliable.
[0039] The upper thigh binding strap 11 is fixedly connected to a first hinge seat 21. A first shaft 31 is installed on the first hinge seat 21. A first bushing 41 is fixedly connected to the upper end of the thigh connecting rod 3. The first bushing 41 is sleeved on the first shaft 31. In this way, the upper end of the thigh connecting rod 3 is hinged to the upper part of the leg binding member 1. The leg binding member 1 achieves relative rotation with the thigh connecting rod 3 through the first hinge seat 21, which can increase the stability and reliability of the rotatable mechanism.
[0040] A second hinge seat 22 is fixedly connected to the side of the lower leg binding strap 15. A second shaft 32 is installed on the second hinge seat 22. A second bushing 42 is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower leg connecting rod 4. The second bushing 42 is sleeved on the second shaft 32. In this way, the lower end of the lower leg connecting rod 4 is hinged to the lower part of the leg binding member 1. The leg binding member 1 achieves relative rotation with the lower leg connecting rod 4 through the second hinge seat 22, which can increase the stability and reliability of the operation of the rotatable mechanism.
[0041] The knee joint positioning component 9 is fixedly connected to the intermediate connecting belt 13.
[0042] The leg binding 1 is made of multiple layers of fabric sewn together in one piece, and has a certain degree of elasticity and cushioning. The upper thigh binding strap 11, lower thigh binding strap 12, upper calf binding strap 14 and lower calf binding strap 15 are all equipped with elastic thin plates. The elastic thin plates can be bent along the leg circumference direction, which is both adaptable to people with different leg circumferences and leg shapes, and has good rigidity, so that the leg binding 1 can stably and reliably bind the human leg.
[0043] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 A first pressure plate 61 is fixedly connected to the thigh link 3, and a first pressure strip 71 is provided on the inner side of the lower thigh binding strap 12. The first pressure strip 71 and the first pressure plate 61 are fastened together by fasteners. In this way, the lower thigh binding strap 12 is pressed tightly onto the thigh link 3 by the first pressure strip 71, which can increase the stability of torque transmission of the joint motor 2.
[0044] A second pressure plate 62 is fixedly connected to the lower leg connecting rod 4, and a second pressure strip 72 is provided on the inner side of the upper lower leg binding strap 14. The second pressure strip 72 and the second pressure plate 62 are fastened together by fasteners. In this way, the upper lower leg binding strap 14 is pressed tightly onto the lower leg connecting rod 4 by the second pressure strip 72, which can increase the stability of torque transmission of the joint motor 2.
[0045] refer to Figure 4 A knee joint buffer rubber strip 8 is also provided between the thigh link 3 and the lower leg link 4. In this embodiment, the knee joint buffer rubber strip 8 is fixedly connected to the upper end face of the lower leg link 4 to buffer the collision between the lower leg link 4 and the thigh link 3 when the knee joint is straightened.
[0046] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Based on the present utility model and the above description, relevant personnel can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical concept of the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.
Claims
1. A knee-joint-assisted exoskeleton robot, characterized in that: It contains two identical leg components, each of which includes a leg restraint (1), a joint motor (2), a thigh link (3), and a calf link (4); In each leg component: The joint motor (2), thigh link (3) and calf link (4) are all located on the outside of the leg binding (1), with the thigh link (3) located above the calf link (4). The stator of the joint motor (2) is fixedly connected to one end of the thigh link (3) through the stator connector (6), and the other end of the thigh link (3) is hinged to the upper part of the leg binding (1); the rotor of the joint motor (2) is fixedly connected to one end of the lower leg link (4) through the rotor connector (7), and the other end of the lower leg link (4) is hinged to the lower part of the leg binding (1); The rotor connector (7) is rotatably connected to a knee joint positioning component (9) at one end near the joint motor (2), and the knee joint positioning component (9) is fixedly connected to the middle of the leg binding component (1).
2. The knee-joint-assisted exoskeleton robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a waist belt (5), which is located above the two leg components. A first elastic band (51) is fixedly connected to both sides of the waist belt (5). Multiple slots (5101) are arranged from top to bottom on the first elastic band (51). The upper end of the leg binding (1) is connected to a buckle (53) via a second elastic band (52), and the buckle (53) can be placed in the slot (5101) of the corresponding first elastic band (51).
3. A knee-assisted exoskeleton robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The leg binding (1) includes, from top to bottom, an upper thigh binding strap (11), a lower thigh binding strap (12), a middle connecting strap (13), an upper calf binding strap (14), and a lower calf binding strap (15). The upper thigh binding strap (11) is fixedly connected to a first hinge seat (21) on its side. A first shaft (31) is installed on the first hinge seat (21). A first bushing (41) is fixedly connected to the upper end of the thigh connecting rod (3). The first bushing (41) is fitted onto the first shaft (31). The lower leg binding strap (15) is fixedly connected to a second hinge seat (22) on its side. A second shaft (32) is installed on the second hinge seat (22). A second bushing (42) is fixedly connected to the lower end of the lower leg connecting rod (4). The second bushing (42) is fitted onto the second shaft (32). The knee joint positioning component (9) is fixedly connected to the intermediate connecting belt (13).
4. The knee-joint-assisted exoskeleton robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The leg binding (1) is made of multiple layers of fabric sewn together in one piece. The upper thigh binding (11), lower thigh binding (12), upper calf binding (14) and lower calf binding (15) each have an elastic thin plate built in.
5. The knee-joint-assisted exoskeleton robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: A first pressure plate (61) is fixedly connected to the thigh link (3), and a first pressure strip (71) is provided on the inner side of the lower thigh binding strap (12). The first pressure strip (71) and the first pressure plate (61) are fastened together by fasteners. A second pressure plate (62) is fixedly connected to the lower leg connecting rod (4), and a second pressure strip (72) is provided on the inner side of the upper lower leg binding strap (14). The second pressure strip (72) and the second pressure plate (62) are fastened together by fasteners.
6. A knee-assisted exoskeleton robot according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A knee joint buffer rubber strip (8) is provided between the thigh link (3) and the lower leg link (4).