A bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for lower limbs based on pneumatic traction

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of exoskeleton technology, specifically to a bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for the lower limbs based on pneumatic traction, comprising a waist ring, a back support, and a pneumatic traction assembly. The back support houses an air pump module and a control module. The pneumatic traction assembly is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the back support, and includes a connecting arm, a bearing, a power supply arm, and a leg ring. One end of the connecting arm has a connecting shaft, and the inner ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft. One end of the power supply arm has a fixed sleeve, which is fixedly connected to the outer ring of the bearing. The leg ring is fixed to the other end of the power supply arm. Pneumatic muscles are located within the connecting arm and are wrapped around the outside of the sleeve. This utility model houses the power assembly in the back support, concentrating the main load on the lower back. By using the pneumatic traction assembly containing pneumatic muscles as the actuator, it separates the driving inertia from the human body, achieving decoupling of weight, inertia, and function, and providing flexible and natural gait assistance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of exoskeleton technology, specifically to a bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for the lower limbs based on pneumatic traction. Background Technology

[0002] Most current mainstream lower limb assistive exoskeletons adopt an external motor design. This design directly drives the mechanical linkages at the hip and knee joints using high-torque-density servo motors and reducers to simulate joint movement. However, this design has certain drawbacks. Because it uses a rigid linkage mechanism, the huge inertia generated by the drive system (motor and reducer) is directly coupled to the distal ends of the user's limbs (thigh and calf). This severely disrupts the natural pendulum motion pattern of the lower limbs during walking, especially during the swing phase which is sensitive to changes in inertia. This forces the user to expend extra metabolic energy to overcome mechanical inertia, resulting in a stiff, sluggish, and unnatural gait.

[0003] Furthermore, this rigid-driven impact poses safety risks. The rigid gear transmission chain cannot effectively buffer impact forces during gait phase transitions (such as from the support phase to the swing phase) or when the foot contacts the ground, easily transmitting impact and vibration to the joints. For rehabilitation patients whose joints are already relatively fragile, this rigid impact may cause the joints to bear excessive shear forces or torsional loads, posing a significant safety hazard of secondary injury.

[0004] Furthermore, existing solutions suffer from non-compliance issues in human-computer interaction. The output characteristics of the motor drive system are rigid, making it difficult to accurately match the complex and non-linear force output characteristics of human muscles under different movement tasks. This non-compliance leads to frequent human-computer interaction conflicts, resulting in a strong feeling of constraint and poor comfort for the wearer. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the technical problems of existing lower limb assistive exoskeleton devices, this utility model provides a bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for the lower limbs based on pneumatic traction. It houses the power assembly in the back section and uses a pneumatic traction component containing pneumatic muscles as the actuator, separating the driving inertia from the human body, thus decoupling weight, inertia and function, and achieving flexible and natural gait assistance.

[0006] The technical solution provided by this utility model is as follows:

[0007] A bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for lower limbs based on pneumatic traction includes a waist ring, a back support, and a pneumatic traction assembly. The waist ring is worn around the waist of the human torso, and the back support is fixed to the middle of the waist ring so that the back support is located on the rear side of the human torso after the waist ring is worn. An air pump module and a control module are disposed inside the back support, and the control module is electrically connected to the air pump module. The pneumatic traction assembly is symmetrically disposed on both sides of the back support, and the pneumatic traction assembly includes a connecting arm, a bearing, a force-supplying arm, and a leg ring. One end of the connecting arm is fixedly connected to the back support, and the other end of the connecting arm is provided with a connecting shaft. The inner ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft. One end of the force-supplying arm is fixedly provided with a sleeve, and the sleeve is fixedly connected to the outer ring of the bearing. The leg ring is fixed to the other end of the force-supplying arm. A pneumatic muscle is disposed inside the connecting arm. One end of the pneumatic muscle communicates with the air pump module, and the other end of the pneumatic muscle is closed and wrapped around the outside of the sleeve and fixedly connected to the outside of the sleeve.

[0008] Optionally, it also includes a positioning bolt. The two sides of the back part are provided with insertion holes, and a protruding insertion seat is fixedly provided around the insertion hole. The insertion seat is provided with a positioning screw hole. The end of the connecting arm passes through the insertion seat and the insertion hole. The positioning bolt is threadedly connected to the positioning screw hole so that the end of the positioning bolt abuts against the connecting arm.

[0009] Optionally, a rigid protective plate is provided in the middle of the waist ring, and the back support is fixedly connected to the waist ring through the rigid protective plate.

[0010] Optionally, the rigid protective plate is densely covered with knitted holes, and the rigid protective plate is sewn onto the waist ring through the knitted holes, with the back support fixedly connected to the rigid protective plate.

[0011] Optionally, one end of the waist ring is provided with a first hook surface, and the other end of the waist ring is provided with a first rough surface; one end of the leg ring is provided with a second hook surface, and the other end of the leg ring is provided with a second rough surface; the first hook surface, the first rough surface, the second hook surface, and the second rough surface all constitute a Velcro structure.

[0012] Optionally, the width of the waist ring is 80mm-120mm, and the circumference of the waist ring is 900mm-1580mm.

[0013] Optionally, the width of the leg ring is 150mm-200mm, and the circumference of the leg ring is 315mm-650mm.

[0014] Optionally, the air pump module includes an air pump, an air supply valve, and a stop valve. The air pump is connected to the stop valve through the air supply valve, and the stop valve is connected to the pneumatic muscle. The control module is electrically connected to the air pump, the air supply valve, and the stop valve.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution provided by this utility model has the following beneficial effects: In view of the technical problems of the defects of existing lower limb assistive exoskeleton devices, this utility model concentrates the main load on the waist and back (the center of the human torso) by housing the power assembly in the back part, and separates the driving inertia from the human body by using a pneumatic traction component containing pneumatic muscles as the actuator, thereby achieving decoupling of weight, inertia and function, and realizing flexible and natural gait assistance.

[0016] Furthermore, by employing pneumatic muscles instead of traditional rigid mechanisms, the problem of coupling driving inertia with limb movement in existing technologies is fundamentally solved. Precise control of the pneumatic muscles can be achieved through the air pump and control modules. Based on the working characteristics of pneumatic muscles, biomechanical compliance is well achieved, and inherent safety is ensured, resulting in a more natural and energy-efficient gait for the user, and a safer and more comfortable wearing experience. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the lower limb structure of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction proposed in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 This is one of the partial schematic diagrams of the lower limb of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction proposed in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 3 This is the second partial schematic diagram of the lower limb of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction proposed in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is the third partial schematic diagram of the lower limb of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction proposed in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 This is the fourth partial schematic diagram of the lower limb of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction proposed in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rigid protective plate proposed in an embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To further understand the content of this utility model, a detailed description of this utility model will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the relevant utility model and not intended to limit the utility model. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the utility model are shown in the accompanying drawings. The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this utility model are provided for the convenience of describing the technical solution of this utility model and have no specific limiting effect; they are all general terms and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of this utility model. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other. In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this utility model. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances. Multiple technical solutions in the same embodiment, as well as multiple technical solutions in different embodiments, can be arranged and combined to form new technical solutions that do not contradict or conflict, all of which are within the scope of protection claimed by this utility model.

[0025] Combined with appendix Figure 1-6 This embodiment proposes a bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for the lower limbs based on pneumatic traction, including a waist ring 1, a back support 2, and a pneumatic traction assembly.

[0026] The waist ring 1 is worn on the waist of the human torso, and the back support 2 is fixed to the middle of the waist ring 1 so that the back support 2 is located on the back of the human torso after the waist ring 1 is worn. The back support 2 is equipped with an air pump module 21 and a control module 20, and the control module 20 is electrically connected to the air pump module 21.

[0027] Pneumatic traction components are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the back section 2. The pneumatic traction components include a connecting arm 3, a bearing 4, a power supply arm 5, and a leg ring 6. One end of the connecting arm 3 is fixedly connected to the back section 2, and the other end of the connecting arm 3 is provided with a connecting shaft 30. The inner ring of the bearing 4 is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft 30. One end of the power supply arm 5 is fixedly provided with a sleeve 50, and the sleeve 50 is fixedly connected to the outer ring of the bearing 4. The leg ring 6 is fixed to the other end of the power supply arm 5. A pneumatic muscle 7 is provided inside the connecting arm 3. One end of the pneumatic muscle 7 is connected to the air pump module 21, and the other end of the pneumatic muscle 7 is closed and wrapped around the outside of the sleeve 50 and fixedly connected to the outside of the sleeve 50.

[0028] For the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton lower limbs in this embodiment, before use, the user needs to wear the waist ring 1 on the waist and hips of the torso and tie the leg ring 6 to the thighs. In a preferred embodiment, both the waist ring 1 and the leg ring 6 can be made of flexible straps made of high-strength nylon or similar fabric materials.

[0029] Specifically, a first hook surface can be provided at one end of the waist ring 1, and a first rough surface can be provided at the other end of the waist ring 1; a second hook surface can be provided at one end of the leg ring 6, and a second rough surface can be provided at the other end of the leg ring 6; the first hook surface, the first rough surface, the second hook surface, and the second rough surface all constitute a Velcro structure. Thus, by using the leg ring 6 and waist ring 1 with Velcro structure, they can be well adapted to the body shapes of different users.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the waist ring 1 has a width of 80mm-120mm, and the leg ring 6 has a width of 150mm-200mm. This width design ensures user comfort. Furthermore, based on the Velcro structure design, the circumference of the waist ring 1 can be controlled between 900mm-1580mm, and the circumference of the leg ring 6 between 315mm-650mm. Specifically, the larger total length of the waist ring 1 or leg ring 6 can be determined first, and the circumference formed after enclosure can be adjusted through the Velcro placement area to better adapt to different user body shapes.

[0031] Based on the wearing form of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for the lower limbs in this embodiment, it can be understood that in this embodiment, the air pump module 21 and the control module 20 are fixed to the waist and hips of the human torso through the backpack-shaped back part 2. This form concentrates and transfers more than 80% of the inertia, which accounts for more than 80% of the total weight of the system, to the vicinity of the human body's center of gravity (CoM), which allows the leg wearable components (i.e., the pneumatic traction components) to be extremely lightweight. Furthermore, since the pneumatic traction components also rely on the connecting arm 3 to transfer part of the weight to the torso through the back part 2, the weight distribution of the legs is further improved.

[0032] Furthermore, this form of wearable device separates the added inertia (mainly referring to the weight of the core components) from the natural swinging inertia of the user's lower limbs, preserving the natural pendulum motion characteristics of the lower limbs to the greatest extent and reducing the metabolic energy consumption of walking.

[0033] Furthermore, the design of the connecting arm 3 and the power supply arm 5 in this embodiment can restrict the inward and outward swinging degrees of freedom of the legs, retaining only the flexion and extension degrees of freedom in the forward and backward directions. This constraint can simplify the control algorithm of the actual product and ensure walking stability.

[0034] In use, the working principle of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for lower limbs in this embodiment is as follows: the control module 20 controls the air pump module 21 to work, the air pump module 21 inflates the pneumatic muscles 7 in the pneumatic traction components on both sides, or controls the pneumatic muscles 7 to deflate, thereby driving the force arm 5 to swing, and thus driving the lower limbs of the human body to swing.

[0035] The pneumatic muscle 7 is an artificial pneumatic muscle, such as a "McKibben-type pneumatic muscle." Its basic principle is as follows: An inflatable rubber hose exists internally, wrapped with an inextensible fiber mesh on the outside. When compressed air is injected into the inner rubber hose, the hose expands radially, forcing the outer mesh to change angle, thus causing axial (length direction) contraction and outputting a strong pulling force. Taking the inflation of the pneumatic muscle 7 as an example, when inflated, the pneumatic muscle 7 expands radially and contracts axially (i.e., in the length direction). Since one end of the pneumatic muscle 7 is closed and wrapped around the outside of the sleeve 50, and fixedly connected to the outside of the sleeve 50, it can drive the force-supplying arm 5 to rotate around the connecting shaft 30, thereby assisting the human lower limb in swinging leg movements.

[0036] Obviously, unlike the concentrated torque applied by the motor at the joint, the pneumatic muscle 7 of the present invention assists the swinging of the lower limbs by inflating and contracting. The contraction of the pneumatic muscle 7 can be controlled by the inflation rate, making the operation more gentle. In this embodiment, the contraction of the pneumatic muscle 7 is only applied to the thigh through the leg ring 6, which can achieve good biomechanical compliance.

[0037] For the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton lower limbs in this embodiment, in order to improve the applicability to users of different body types, in a preferred embodiment, the back part 2 is provided with insertion holes 23 on both sides, and protruding insertion seats 22 are fixedly provided around the insertion holes 23. The insertion seats 22 are provided with positioning screw holes. The end of the connecting arm 3 passes through the insertion seats 22 and the insertion holes 23, and the positioning bolt 80 is threadedly connected to the positioning screw hole so that the end of the positioning bolt 80 abuts against the connecting arm 3.

[0038] In this implementation, the spacing between the pneumatic traction components on both sides can be adjusted by changing the insertion depth of the connecting arm 3, thereby accommodating the pelvic width of users with more body types. During adjustment, after the connecting arm 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 23 to an appropriate depth, the positioning bolt 80 is tightened to make the end of the positioning bolt 80 tightly abut against the outer wall of the connecting arm 3, and the connecting arm 3 is fixed by friction. It is conceivable that multiple positioning bolts 80 and positioning screw holes can be provided along the circumference of the insertion seat 22, thereby achieving a better fixing effect for the connecting arm 3.

[0039] As described above, the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for lower limbs in this embodiment fixes the air pump module 21 and control module 20 near the body's center of gravity (CoM), thereby improving the weight distribution of the entire device when worn on the torso. This configuration places demands on the connection strength between the back support 2 and the waist ring 1, as well as the strength of both components themselves. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, a rigid protective plate 10 is provided in the middle of the waist ring 1, and the back support 2 is fixedly connected to the waist ring 1 via the rigid protective plate 10. In this case, the rigid protective plate 10 improves the local strength of the waist ring 1, providing a rigid support point. Furthermore, the rigid protective plate 10 is preferably made of lightweight engineering plastic or carbon fiber to reduce weight while ensuring strength. The rigid protective plate 10 can also be designed with reference to three-dimensional human body model data to better conform to ergonomics.

[0040] Furthermore, in a further preferred embodiment, the rigid protective plate 10 is densely covered with knitted holes 101, and the rigid protective plate 10 is sewn onto the waist ring 1 through the knitted holes 101. The back part 2 and the rigid protective plate 10 can also be sewn together through the knitted holes 101 to achieve a fixed connection.

[0041] For the back support unit 2, its main structure can be made of flexible or rigid materials. The flexible material can be silicone or high-strength nylon or similar fabric materials with suitable strength, while the rigid material can be lightweight engineering plastic or carbon fiber. In a preferred embodiment, the air pump module 21 inside the back support unit 2 includes an air pump 211, an air supply valve 212, and an air stop valve 213. The air pump 211 is connected to the air stop valve 213 through the air supply valve 212, and the air stop valve 213 is connected to the pneumatic muscles 7. The control module 20 is electrically connected to the air pump 211, the air supply valve 212, and the air stop valve 213. When the lower limbs of the bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton are working, the control module 20 (such as a microcontroller) sends an electrical signal to control the air pump 211, the air supply valve 212, and the air stop valve 213 to work, thereby regulating the contraction or expansion of the pneumatic muscles 7, and thus assisting the swinging of the lower limbs.

[0042] In summary, this embodiment houses the powertrain in the back section 2, concentrating the main load on the lower back (center of the human torso), and uses a pneumatic traction assembly containing pneumatic muscles 7 as the actuator to separate the driving inertia from the human body, thus achieving decoupling of weight, inertia and function. The user's legs have extremely low additional motion inertia, allowing the lower limbs to swing easily and freely, and the gait is closer to the natural mode of a healthy person, significantly reducing the user's physical exertion and achieving flexible and natural gait assistance.

[0043] Furthermore, this embodiment employs pneumatic muscles 7 instead of traditional rigid mechanisms. Based on the flexible output characteristics of pneumatic artificial muscles, it becomes a natural "force buffer," effectively absorbing the impact force from the ground during walking. This fundamentally eliminates the shearing and torsional risks to joints that rigid linkages may cause, providing an "inherently safe" guarantee for human-computer interaction. Moreover, the layout of this embodiment fundamentally solves the problem of coupling driving inertia with limb movement in existing technologies. Through the air pump module 21 and control module 20, precise control of the pneumatic muscles 7 can be achieved. Based on the working characteristics of the pneumatic muscles 7, biomechanical compliance is well achieved, resulting in a more natural and energy-efficient gait for the user, and a safer and more comfortable wearing experience.

[0044] The present invention and its embodiments have been described above illustratively. This description is not restrictive, and the figures shown are only one embodiment of the present invention; the actual structure is not limited thereto. Therefore, if those skilled in the art are inspired by this description and design similar structures and embodiments without departing from the inventive spirit of the present invention, such designs should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pneumatic traction based bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton lower limb, characterized in that, It includes a waist ring (1), a back support (2), and a pneumatic traction assembly; The waist ring (1) is worn on the waist of the human torso, and the back support (2) is fixed in the middle of the waist ring (1) so that the back support (2) is located on the back of the human torso after the waist ring (1) is worn; the back support (2) is provided with an air pump module (21) and a control module (20), and the control module (20) is electrically connected to the air pump module (21); The pneumatic traction assembly is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the carrying part (2). The pneumatic traction assembly includes a connecting arm (3), a bearing (4), a power supply arm (5), and a leg ring (6). One end of the connecting arm (3) is fixedly connected to the carrying part (2), and the other end of the connecting arm (3) is provided with a connecting shaft (30). The inner ring of the bearing (4) is fixedly connected to the connecting shaft (30). One end of the power supply arm (5) is fixedly provided with a sleeve (50), and the sleeve (50) is fixedly connected to the outer ring of the bearing (4). The leg ring (6) is fixed to the other end of the power supply arm (5). The connecting arm (3) is provided with a pneumatic muscle (7). One end of the pneumatic muscle (7) is connected to the air pump module (21), and the other end of the pneumatic muscle (7) is closed and wrapped around the outside of the sleeve (50) and fixedly connected to the outside of the sleeve (50).

2. The lower limb rehabilitative exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes positioning bolts (80), and the back part (2) is provided with insertion holes (23) on both sides. A protruding insertion seat (22) is fixedly provided around the insertion hole (23), and a positioning screw hole is provided on the insertion seat (22). The end of the connecting arm (3) passes through the plug-in seat (22) and the plug-in hole (23), and the positioning bolt (80) is threadedly connected to the positioning screw hole so that the end of the positioning bolt (80) abuts against the connecting arm (3).

3. A bilateral rehabilitation assistive exoskeleton for lower limbs based on pneumatic traction according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A rigid protective plate (10) is provided in the middle of the waist ring (1), and the back part (2) is fixedly connected to the waist ring (1) through the rigid protective plate (10).

4. The lower limb rehabilitative exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rigid protective plate (10) is densely covered with knitting holes (101), and the rigid protective plate (10) is sewn onto the waist ring (1) through the knitting holes (101). The back part (2) is fixedly connected to the rigid protective plate (10).

5. The lower limb rehabilitative exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of the waist ring (1) is provided with a first hook surface, and the other end of the waist ring (1) is provided with a first rough surface; one end of the leg ring (6) is provided with a second hook surface, and the other end of the leg ring (6) is provided with a second rough surface; the first hook surface, the first rough surface, the second hook surface, and the second rough surface all constitute a Velcro structure.

6. The lower limb rehabilitative exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction according to claim 5, characterized in that, The width of the waist ring (1) is 80mm-120mm, and the circumference of the waist ring (1) is 900mm-1580mm.

7. The lower limb rehabilitative exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction according to claim 5, characterized in that, The width of the leg ring (6) is 150mm-200mm, and the circumference of the leg ring (6) is 315mm-650mm.

8. The lower limb rehabilitative exoskeleton based on pneumatic traction according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air pump module (21) includes an air pump (211), an air supply valve (212), and a stop valve (213). The air pump (211) is connected to the stop valve (213) through the air supply valve (212), and the stop valve (213) is connected to the pneumatic muscle (7). The control module (20) is electrically connected to the air pump (211), the air supply valve (212), and the stop valve (213).

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