A pneumatic soft-bodied rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for foot ankle, including foot sole support plate, drive unit being installed in the rear of foot sole support plate, the drive unit is equipped with two pairs of drivers, each pair of drivers includes a cavity, the inside of the cavity is equipped with hollow and is equipped with partition wall, the partition wall divides the cavity into two independent air cavity, the bottom end of each air cavity is closed, top end is open and is connected air passage, the side wall of the cavity and partition wall are equipped with framework, the bottom end of the cavity is connected with foot sole support plate.The utility model carries out rehabilitation to the dorsiflexion / toe flexion movement of foot ankle, whole robot uses pneumatic drive, uses flexible material, so simple structure is good in portability;And the rehabilitation robot is stable when being used, and the lower leg and foot of patient are connected, avoid the rehabilitation effect reduction caused by position change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of rehabilitation medical device technology, specifically to a pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle. Background Technology

[0002] Stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is a major killer threatening human health. Even after treatment and surviving the life-threatening situation, most stroke patients suffer from sequelae such as hemiplegia, impacting their daily lives. Rehabilitation training is an effective way to reduce the impact of hemiplegia. It focuses on training the affected joints to restore their vitality and function. The ankle joint is the most structurally and functionally complex joint in the lower limb, possessing strength, stability, and flexibility. The ankle joint can perform three degrees of freedom of movement: dorsiflexion / digital flexion, inversion / eversion, and adduction / abduction. Dorsiflexion / digital flexion is the most frequently used movement in daily life. The functional recovery of the ankle joint is often neglected or delayed throughout the course of stroke-induced hemiplegia, directly affecting the recovery of the patient's walking ability. If proper training begins early in the treatment process, these abnormal gait patterns can often be completely or partially corrected. Most existing ankle rehabilitation training devices are electrically driven, meaning they are powered by motors. This type of device is generally not portable and is not suitable for patients who want to train anytime, anywhere. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the defects of the existing technology and provide a pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle.

[0004] To achieve the purpose of this utility model, this application provides the following technical solution.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle. The rehabilitation robot includes a foot support plate and a drive unit mounted behind the foot support plate. The drive unit has two pairs of actuators, each pair containing a cavity. The cavity is hollow and has an isolation wall that divides the cavity into two independent air chambers. Each air chamber is closed at its bottom and open at its top, connecting to an air passage. A skeleton is provided within the sidewalls of the cavity and the isolation wall. The bottom of the cavity is connected to the foot support plate. During operation, gas is introduced into the air chamber of one cavity, while air is drawn out of the other cavity in the same actuator. When air is introduced, the air chamber expands outward, but due to the skeleton, radial expansion is limited; therefore, the air chamber can only expand axially, i.e., elongate. When air is drawn out, the opposite occurs: the air chamber contracts inward, but due to the skeleton, radial contraction is limited; therefore, the air chamber can only contract axially, i.e., shorten. Therefore, within the same actuator, the extension of one cavity and the shortening of another can rotate the foot support plate (rotating at a certain angle around the midpoint between the two cavities). As the two cavities continuously switch between inflation and deflation, the foot support plate can flip up and down, simulating dorsiflexion / toe flexion movements. When the patient's legs are placed on the foot support plate, they can be moved by the plate to perform dorsiflexion / toe flexion movements, thus achieving the purpose of rehabilitation exercises.

[0006] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the drive unit includes a retainer mounted on the top of two pairs of actuators. The top of the retainer is provided with an air pipe connection. The interior of the retainer is provided with four air passages, the top of each air passage communicating with the air pipe connection and the bottom of each air passage communicating with an air chamber.

[0007] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the fixator has an openable and closable support door, which forms a ring structure with the fixator. In use, the ring structure is clamped around the patient's lower leg.

[0008] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the inner wall of the annular structure is provided with a flexible pad. This arrangement is to increase comfort and prevent the edges of the fixation device and support door from bumping against the patient's lower leg; on the other hand, by filling with a flexible pad, the annular structure can tightly grip the patient's lower leg, keeping the entire fixation device and the patient's lower leg in a stable position, thereby ensuring that it will not slip during use.

[0009] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the skeleton includes a central partition skeleton and a plurality of annular skeletons symmetrically fixed on both sides of the partition skeleton. The partition skeleton is located inside the isolation wall, and the annular skeletons are disposed on the side wall of the cavity and are located outside the air cavity.

[0010] In one embodiment of the first aspect, when at rest, the length of the cavity is greater than the length of the skeleton, and the bottom of the cavity protrudes from the skeleton.

[0011] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the cavity is made of a flexible material, such as rubber or silicone, and the skeleton is made of a rigid material, such as engineering plastics, stainless steel, or aluminum alloy.

[0012] In one embodiment of the first aspect, the bottom of the cavity is fixed to the foot support plate, which can be done by adhesive or other fixing methods, such as fixing with screws, as long as it can ensure that the two do not separate.

[0013] In one embodiment of the first aspect, a strap is provided in the middle of the foot support plate, which is used to secure the patient's instep. In this application, the support plate and the strap are designed to fix the patient's legs and feet, preventing displacement during training and allowing them to perform dorsiflexion / toe flexion movements with the foot support plate, thereby improving rehabilitation outcomes.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: (1) This application is for rehabilitation of dorsiflexion / flexion of the foot and ankle. The whole robot is pneumatically driven and made of flexible materials, so it has a simple structure and good portability.

[0015] (2) When the rehabilitation robot is in use, it is firmly connected to the patient's lower leg and foot, avoiding the reduction of rehabilitation effect due to position changes. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot of this application.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the driver.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a top view of the skeleton structure.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the skeleton.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a rehabilitation robot in one state.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another state of the rehabilitation robot.

[0022] In the attached diagram, 1 is the foot support plate, 2 is the driver, 3 is the fixator, 4 is the first air inlet, 5 is the second air inlet, 6 is the support door, 7 is the strap, 8 is the airway, 9 is the cavity, 10 is the air chamber, 11 is the ring-shaped frame, 12 is the partition frame, and 13 is the isolation wall. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this specification and claims shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. All values ​​listed herein, ranging from the minimum to the maximum, refer to all values ​​obtained by incrementing the minimum and maximum values ​​by one unit when the difference between the minimum and maximum values ​​is more than two units.

[0024] The following describes specific embodiments of this utility model. It should be noted that, in order to provide a concise description, this specification cannot provide a detailed description of all features of the actual embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model, those skilled in the art can modify and substitute the embodiments of this utility model, and the resulting embodiments are also within the protection scope of this utility model. Example

[0025] The embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below. These embodiments are implemented based on the technical solution of this utility model and provide detailed implementation methods and specific operation processes. However, the protection scope of this utility model is not limited to the following embodiments. Example

[0026] A pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle, its structure is as follows: Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, it includes a foot support plate 1, two pairs of actuators 2 are provided on the rear side of the foot support plate 1 (approximately at the heel position), and a retainer 3 is provided above the two pairs of actuators 2.

[0027] The fixture 3 has four air passages 8 inside. The two air passages 8 closer to the rear have a first air port 4 at their outlets, and the two air passages 8 closer to the front have a second air port 5 at their outlets. A support door 6 is detachably installed on the front side of the fixture 3. Flexible pads, such as silicone pads or cotton pads, are installed on the inner walls of the fixture 3 and the support door 6.

[0028] Each pair of actuators 2 includes a cavity 9, the top of which is inserted into the retainer 3. A partition wall 13 is provided in the middle of the cavity 9, dividing the interior of the cavity 9 into two air chambers 10. The bottom of the air chambers 10 is closed, and the top of the air chambers 10 connects to an air passage 8. One air chamber 10 is connected to a first air port 4 through the air passage 8, and the other air chamber 10 is connected to a second air port 5 through the air passage 8. The actuator 2 also includes a frame, such as... Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the skeleton includes a central partition skeleton 12 and multiple annular skeletons 11 fixed on both sides of the partition skeleton 12. The partition skeleton 12 is distributed along the axial direction of the cavity 9 and is located inside the isolation wall 13. The annular skeletons 11 are installed inside the side walls of the cavity 9 and are distributed on the outer side of the air chamber 10. The bottom of each cavity 9 is fixedly connected to the foot support plate 1.

[0029] The foot support plate 1 has a strap 7 in the middle, which can be adjusted in length or made of elastic material.

[0030] The working principle of this rehabilitation robot is as follows: (1) Place the patient's foot on the foot support plate 1 and fix the foot with the strap 7; place the patient's lower leg into the fixator 3, and then install the support gate 6, so that the support gate 6 and the fixator 3 form a ring structure, which only clamps the patient's lower leg, such as Figure 1 As shown.

[0031] (2) Air is introduced into the first air inlet 4, while air is drawn outward from the second air inlet 5. At this time, the rear air chamber 10 expands outward after being inflated, but due to the presence of the skeleton, the radial expansion of the air chamber 10 is restricted. Therefore, the air chamber 10 can only expand axially, that is, the air chamber 10 elongates. At the same time, the front air chamber 10, since it is drawing air out, does the opposite, the air chamber 10 contracts inward. However, due to the presence of the skeleton, the radial contraction of the air chamber 10 is restricted. Therefore, the air chamber 10 can only contract axially, that is, the air chamber 10 shortens. Therefore, the front end of the entire foot support plate 1 will lift up, as... Figure 5 As shown. In addition, since the partition frame 10 is continuously embedded inside the partition wall 13, the partition wall has a smaller degree of expansion and contraction during inflation and deflation, while the side wall of the cavity has a larger degree of expansion and contraction. Therefore, the cavity will show a slight curvature, but this curvature has little impact on exercise.

[0032] (3) The first air inlet 4 draws air outward and introduces gas into the second air inlet 5. At this time, the rear air chamber 10 will shorten, while the front air chamber 10 will lengthen, causing the front end of the entire foot support plate 1 to press down, as... Figure 6 As shown.

[0033] (4) Repeat steps (3) and (4) alternately, and the patient's foot will perform dorsiflexion / toe flexion movements with the foot support plate 1, which will have the effect of rehabilitation training.

[0034] The above description of the embodiments is intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand and apply this application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be easily made to these embodiments, and the general principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without creative effort. Therefore, this application is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and any improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure of this application without departing from the scope and spirit of this application are within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle, characterized in that, The rehabilitation robot includes a foot support plate and a drive unit installed behind the foot support plate. The drive unit has two pairs of actuators, each pair of actuators containing a cavity. The cavity is hollow inside and has an isolation wall. The isolation wall divides the cavity into two independent air chambers. The bottom of each air chamber is closed, the top is open and connected to an airway. The side walls of the cavity and the isolation wall are equipped with a skeleton. The bottom of the cavity is connected to the foot support plate.

2. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive unit includes a retainer, which is installed on the top of two pairs of drivers. The top of the retainer is provided with an air pipe connection part, and the inside of the retainer is provided with four air passages. The top of each air passage is connected to the air pipe connection part, and the bottom is connected to an air chamber.

3. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The fixator has an openable support door, which forms a ring structure with the fixator. In use, the ring structure is clamped around the patient's lower leg.

4. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The inner wall of the annular structure is provided with a flexible pad.

5. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The skeleton includes a central partition skeleton and multiple annular skeletons symmetrically fixed on both sides of the partition skeleton. The partition skeleton is located inside the isolation wall, and the annular skeletons are disposed on the side wall of the cavity and located outside the air cavity.

6. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When at rest, the length of the cavity is greater than the length of the skeleton, and the bottom of the cavity protrudes from the skeleton.

7. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The cavity is made of a flexible material, while the skeleton is made of a rigid material.

8. The pneumatic soft rehabilitation robot for the foot and ankle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The foot support plate has a strap in the middle, which is used to fasten the strap around the instep of the patient's foot.

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