Lower limb assistance assembly for wearable robot and wearable robot equipped with same

Abstract

The present invention provides a lower limb assist assembly for a wearable robot, and a wearable robot equipped with the same, which is provided with a buffer unit having a coil spring at the bottom of the knee joint, even in an exoskeleton robot with a drive mechanism attached to the knee joint, thereby absorbing impact transmitted through the knee joint, providing flexibility, and providing freedom of movement similar to that of the knee joint of the wearer's body, thereby minimizing the sense of strangeness, pain, or inconvenience the wearer may experience when using the exoskeleton robot.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lower limb assist assembly for a wearable robot and a wearable robot including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lower limb assist assembly for a wearable robot that can absorb shock transmitted through the knee joint and provide flexibility in an exoskeleton robot having a drive mechanism attached to the knee joint, and a wearable robot including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, wearable robots have been developed for physically disabled people, patients, or the elderly who are unable to carry out daily life, or for industrial or military use to enhance physical strength or ability.

[0003] In the case of wearable robots for disabled people, patients, or the elderly, they can be classified into wearable robots for completely paralyzed disabled people and wearable robots for the elderly or the partially paralyzed or disabled, depending on their physical ability, the magnitude of the desired assistive force, or their role.

[0004] In the case of such wearable robots, the mainstream configuration includes a main body equipped with a battery and controller, which is attached to the wearer's back, joint drive mechanisms attached to the hip and knee joints to drive each joint, and support units connected to each joint drive mechanism to support the wearer's thighs or lower legs.

[0005] In the case of wearable robots with an exoskeleton structure, a knee joint driver is generally provided at the knee joint, connecting the thigh link and the shank link. A knee joint driver is provided at the knee joint area of ​​the human body, enabling bending and extension movements via the rotation axis of the drive motor, but the knee joint of the human body is capable of not only bending and extension movements but also fine twisting, thereby providing flexibility. Therefore, the wearer of a wearable robot may experience discomfort or pain due to the limited freedom of movement of the knee joint of the wearable robot.

[0006] Furthermore, exoskeleton robots are heavy and lack a separate shock-absorbing structure, as they are equipped with a metal frame, drive mechanism, battery, etc. When a wearable robot walks, the shock or vibration transmitted from the ground through the lower leg can be transmitted to the wearer's knee joints, hip joints, and entire body via various links, drive mechanisms, and frames.

[0007] When certain links are made of flexible materials to reduce or absorb vibrations and shocks transmitted to the wearer, it can be difficult to transmit and accurately control the driving force.

[0008] Therefore, there is a high demand for a new lower limb structure that can provide flexibility to a wearable robot with an exoskeleton structure while absorbing or mitigating impacts and vibrations transmitted from the ground, and a lower limb assist assembly for a wearable robot equipped with the same. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a lower limb assist assembly for a wearable robot that can absorb impact transmitted from the ground through the knee joint by using links that constitute the support structure of the lower limbs of the wearable robot in an exoskeleton robot, and provide flexibility in the knee joint area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention can provide a lower limb assist assembly for a wearable robot, including a thigh unit attached to the outside of a wearer's thigh to assist movement of the wearer's thigh, a knee joint driver attached to the other end of the thigh unit, a lower leg unit attached to the knee joint driver side and attached to the outside of the wearer's lower leg to assist movement of the wearer's lower leg, and a buffer unit connecting the knee joint driver and the lower leg unit and buffering impacts transmitted through the lower leg unit.

[0011] In addition, the lower end of the thigh unit may be attached to the knee joint driver at an angle so that it widens outward toward the wearer's pelvis.

[0012] The inclination angle of the thigh unit relative to the knee joint driver can be 2 to 8 degrees.

[0013] Here, the knee joint actuator may include a drive motor, a drive motor mounting member into which the drive motor is inserted and mounted, and at least one drive member exposed to at least one side of the drive motor and fastened to a rotating drive motor output end.

[0014] In this case, the thigh unit further includes an upper mounting member that connects the lower end of the thigh link that constitutes the thigh unit to the drive motor mounting member of the knee joint driving device, and the lower end of the thigh link can be fastened obliquely to the upper mounting member.

[0015] In addition, the upper mounting member may include a link insertion portion inserted into the inside of the lower end of the thigh link of the thigh unit, a housing fastening portion fastened to the upper surface of the drive motor housing, and a connecting plate portion having the link insertion portion and the housing fastening portion on its upper and lower surfaces and whose thickness decreases toward the outside so that the thigh unit can be tilted relative to the knee joint driver.

[0016] The link inserting portion, which is inserted into the inside of the lower end of the thigh link of the thigh unit provided on the upper surface of the connecting plate portion, can be provided at a position biased outward.

[0017] Here, the buffer unit may further include a plurality of coil springs arranged in the front-to-rear direction, an upper plate member supporting the upper ends of the plurality of coil springs and fastened to the driving member, and a frame member supporting the lower ends of the plurality of coil springs and attached to the lower leg unit.

[0018] In addition, the frame member accommodates the upper plate member to prevent it from coming off upward, and has an opening formed at the top, and both side ends of the opening may have a shape that prevents the upper surface edge of the upper plate member from coming off.

[0019] At least one side of the drive motor of the knee joint drive device may have at least one stopper, and the drive member may have at least one locking portion that locks with the stopper according to the rotation angle of the drive member to limit the rotation of the drive member.

[0020] Here, the stoppers may be provided at two locations on the side of the driving motor, and the locking portions may be provided on the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the driving member, respectively.

[0021] In this case, one of the stoppers may be configured in the form of a metal stopping block, and the other of the stoppers may be configured as a soft stopping member.

[0022] The locking portion may include a locking block attached to the driving member and a gas damper attached to the locking block, and the support end of the gas damper may be configured to be supported by the stopper.

[0023] The device may further include a hip joint driver attached to the upper end of the thigh unit to rotate the thigh unit, and a foot unit attached to the lower end of the lower leg unit to support the wearer's foot.

[0024] In addition, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention can provide a wearable robot including a pair of wearable robot lower limb assist assemblies, and a pair of pelvic units to which the pair of wearable robot lower limb assist assemblies are respectively attached, attached so as to surround the waist region of the wearer, and extending to the lateral regions of the wearer's hip joints. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly and the wearable robot equipped with the same according to the present invention, a buffer unit equipped with a coil spring is provided below the knee joint, thereby making it possible to reduce impact and vibration transmitted to the thigh link or upper body via the knee joint.

[0026] In addition, the wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly and the wearable robot equipped therewith according to the present invention can provide the wearer's knee joint with a degree of freedom of movement similar to that of the knee joint of the body, thereby minimizing the wearer's sense of foreignness, pain, or inconvenience with the exoskeleton structure robot.

[0027] In addition, according to the wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly and the wearable robot equipped with the same according to the present invention, by arranging a plurality of coil springs in the front-to-rear direction inside the buffer unit, it is possible to stably support the wearer's knee joint while minimizing the widthwise thickness of the knee joint area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a wearable robot to which a lower limb assistance assembly for a wearable robot according to the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are perspective and front views of a lower limb assistance assembly of a wearable robot according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a knee joint structure including a knee joint driver and a buffer unit of a lower limb assistance assembly for a wearable robot according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a front view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the shock is absorbed by the buffer unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the shock is absorbed by the buffer unit. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are views showing a stopper for limiting the rotation angle of a knee joint actuator of the lower limb assistance assembly of a wearable robot according to the present invention, and a state in which rotation is limited in both directions by the stopper; [Figure 8]10A and 10B are views showing a stopper for limiting the rotation angle of a knee joint actuator of the lower limb assistance assembly of a wearable robot according to the present invention, and a state in which rotation is limited in both directions by the stopper; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein, and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments described herein are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the specification.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wearable robot 1000 to which a lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention is applied.

[0031] Referring to Fig. 1, the wearable robot 1000 in this specification may be a robot worn on the lower body of a disabled person, an elderly person, or a patient (hereinafter referred to as "wearer") to assist the walking movement. Here, assisting the walking movement means providing a driving force to compensate for insufficient muscle strength in the hip and knee joints so that the wearer, who has some motor function of the lower body, can walk independently.

[0032] The wearable robot 1000 to which the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention is applied basically comprises a main body 900 including a controller for providing control signals and a battery for providing power, pelvic units 600a, 600b attached to the rear of the main body, attached to surround the waist region of the wearer, and extending to the lateral regions of the hip joints of the wearer, and a pair of hip joint drivers 1 attached to both ends of the pelvic units 600a, 600b extending to the lateral regions of the hip joints of the wearer. 00a, 100b, a pair of thigh units 200a, 200b driven by the hip joint drivers and providing rotational assist force to the wearer's thighs, a pair of knee joint drivers 300a, 300b attached to the ends of the thigh units 200, lower leg units 400a, 400b driven by the knee joint drivers 300 and providing rotational assist force to the wearer's thighs, and a pair of foot units 500a, 500b attached to the ends of the lower leg units 400 and supporting the wearer's feet.

[0033] The wearable robot 1000 shown in FIG. 1 is configured in the form of an exoskeleton robot, and can be configured with a pair of lower limb assistance assemblies 1 to support both lower limbs of a wearer.

[0034] In addition, in the case of the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention, in order to absorb impacts from the ground and ensure freedom of movement of the knee joint, each lower limb assistance assembly 1 may be provided with a buffer unit 700 that connects the knee joint driver 300 and the lower leg unit 400 and buffers the impact transmitted through the lower leg unit 400.

[0035] The buffer unit 700 will be described in detail later.

[0036] The wearable robot 1000 can include a main body 900 disposed behind a backboard of the wearer, and a pair of lower limb assistance assemblies 1 extending from the main body 900 to support each leg of the wearer. Each lower limb assistance assembly 1 and the main body 900 can be connected via pelvic units 600a, 600b.

[0037] The pelvic units 600a, 600b have the main body part 900 attached to the rear, and the pelvic units 600a, 600b are attached surrounding the waist region of the wearer and can extend to the lateral regions of the wearer's hip joints, and hip joint actuators 100a, 100b are attached to the lower ends of the pelvic units 600a, 600b extending to the lateral regions of the hip joints, respectively, to provide hip joint assist force or assist torque.

[0038] Here, a driving device for providing driving torque may be provided in the area corresponding to the hip joint and knee joint of each lower limb assistance assembly 1. Each driving device may be configured as a joint driving machine having a driving motor 310.

[0039] Each lower limb support assembly 1 includes a hip joint driver 100, a thigh unit 200 connected to the hip joint driver 100 and attached to the outside of the wearer's thigh to support or assist the wearer's thigh, a knee joint driver 300 connected to the lower end of the thigh unit 200, a buffer unit 700 (see Figure 2 onwards) described below that connects the knee joint driver 300 and the lower leg unit 400 and is provided to buffer the impact transmitted through the lower leg unit 400, a lower leg unit 400 connected to the buffer unit 700 and attached to the outside of the wearer's lower leg to support or assist the wearer's lower leg, and a foot unit 500 connected to the lower end of the lower leg unit 400 to support the wearer's foot.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 1, the joint actuators 100 and 300 may be installed at the hip joint and knee joint of the wearer, respectively. Here, the hip joint actuator 100 may be installed at a location facing the pelvis and thigh, and the knee joint actuator 300 may be installed at the knee area at the boundary between the thigh and lower leg. Although the wearable robot 1000 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with joint actuators 100 only at the hip joint and knee joint of the wearer, a separate actuator may also be provided at the ankle joint, if necessary.

[0041] Each of the thigh unit 200 and the lower leg unit 400 may include at least one wearable unit 800 for fixing the wearer's thigh and lower leg to the thigh unit 200 and the lower leg unit 400, and the driving force provided from each joint actuator 100 may be transmitted to the wearer's thigh or lower leg via the wearable unit 800 to assist the wearer in walking. A separate suit, belt, or band (not shown) may be connected to the wearable unit 800 and the backboard support unit 920 attached to the front of the main body, allowing the wearer to wear the wearable robot 1000 and transmitting the driving force of the joint actuator.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, each of the pair of lower limb support assemblies 1 is positioned along the side of the wearer, and the aforementioned main body part 900 is positioned behind the upper body backboard of the wearer, so that the main body part is attached to the rear via the pelvic units 600a, 600b, and the pelvic units 600a, 600b are attached surrounding the waist region or hip joint region of the wearer, and both ends of the pelvic units 600a, 600b can be configured to extend to the lateral regions of the wearer's hip joints.

[0043] As mentioned above, such a wearable robot 1000 is provided with a knee joint driver 300 in the knee joint area of ​​the human body, allowing bending or extension rotation through the rotation axis of the drive motor 310. In the case of a human knee joint, in addition to bending, extension, and axial rotation, slight twisting is also possible. However, the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 cannot fully provide such degrees of freedom, and therefore the wearer may experience inconvenience or pain when walking depending on their physical disability or walking habits. In the case of an exoskeleton robot, the robot itself is heavy and does not have a separate structure to reduce or absorb impact. Therefore, when a wearer wearing the wearable robot 1000 walks, the impact or vibration transmitted from the ground through the lower leg is transmitted to the wearer's knee joint, hip joint, and entire body via various links, drivers, and frames, resulting in loud noise and vibration, which may cause pain or injury to the wearer.

[0044] Therefore, the present invention provides flexibility to the wearable robot 1000 having an exoskeleton structure and also provides a buffer unit 700 between the knee joint actuator 300 and the lower leg unit 400 to absorb or mitigate shocks and vibrations transmitted from the ground, thereby absorbing shocks transmitted through the knee joint, providing flexibility, and enabling the wearer to walk stably. Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given with reference to Fig. 2 onwards.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view and a front view of the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention, FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the knee joint structure including the knee joint driver 300 and the buffer unit 700 of the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG. 3.

[0046] The lower limb support assembly 1 shown in FIG. 2 is shown in a state where all of the cover housings have been removed from the completed product state shown in FIG. 1 to make it easier to observe the internal configuration.

[0047] The lower limb assist assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention shown in Figure 2 comprises a thigh unit 200 attached to the outside of the wearer's thigh to assist the movement of the wearer's thigh, a knee joint driver 300 attached to the other end of the thigh unit 200, a lower leg unit 400 attached to the knee joint driver 300 and attached to the outside of the wearer's lower leg to assist the movement of the wearer's lower leg, and a buffer unit 700 that connects the knee joint driver 300 and the lower leg unit 400 and buffers the impact transmitted through the lower leg unit.

[0048] Normally, the width of the pelvic region of the body is larger than the width of the knee joint and lower leg region, and if this characteristic of the body is ignored and the internal width of the lower limb support assembly 1 is configured to correspond to the size of the pelvis, the lower leg unit 400 will not be in close contact with the wearer's lower leg and will transmit support force to band members, etc., which may reduce safety and cause unnecessary pain to the wearer's lower leg, etc.

[0049] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the lower end of the thigh unit 200 can be attached obliquely to the knee joint driver 300 so that it widens outward as it approaches the wearer's pelvis.

[0050] Therefore, the lower limb assist assembly 1 according to the present invention can stably support the lower limbs by minutely changing the angle of the thigh unit 200 connected to the knee joint driver 300, reflecting the shape characteristics of the body.

[0051] Specifically, it is preferable that the inclination angle θ of the thigh unit 200 shown in FIG. 2(b) relative to the knee joint driver 300 is set to about 2 to 8 degrees.

[0052] In Figure 2, each joint drive device is shown as having at least one wearable unit 800, but each wearable unit 800 can also be attached to the thigh unit 200 or the lower leg unit 400, and the number can be increased or decreased.

[0053] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a knee joint structure including a knee joint driver 300 and a buffer unit 700 of the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG. 3.

[0054] The knee joint actuator 300 may include a drive motor 310, a drive motor mounting member 320 into which the drive motor 310 is inserted and mounted, and at least one drive member 330 fastened to a drive motor output end 340 that is exposed to at least one side of the drive motor 310 and rotates.

[0055] The fastening portion 320c of the driving member 330 is fastened to the driving motor output end 340, and is configured to transmit an auxiliary force or auxiliary torque to the lower leg link side when the motor rotates, and is configured in the shape of a plate ring corresponding to the driving motor output end 340, and can be fastened by a fastening member such as a bolt. A pair of the driving members 330 can be configured to be fastened to both sides of one knee joint driving device.

[0056] The thigh unit 200 further includes an upper mount member 220 that connects the lower end of the thigh link constituting the thigh unit 200 to a drive motor mounting member 320 of the knee joint driver 300, and the lower end of the thigh link constituting the thigh unit 200 can be obliquely fastened to the upper mount member 220.

[0057] In order to fasten the lower end of the thigh link obliquely to the upper mounting member 220, the upper mounting member 220 may include a link insertion portion 221 inserted into the inside of the lower end of the thigh link of the thigh unit 200, a housing fastening portion 225 fastened to the upper surface of the housing of the drive motor 310, and a connecting plate portion 223 on whose upper and lower surfaces the link insertion portion 221 and the housing fastening portion 225 are provided and whose thickness decreases toward the outside so that the thigh unit 200 is inclined relative to the knee joint driving device 300.

[0058] That is, as a method of fastening the lower end of the thigh link to the upper mount member 220 at an angle, the method of forming an inclined surface on the thigh link and the drive motor mounting member 320 was not applied, but an upper mount member 220 having a connecting plate portion 223 whose thickness decreases as it goes outward was applied.

[0059] Furthermore, the lower limb assist assembly according to the present invention can mitigate impacts or vibrations from the ground when walking via a buffer unit (to be described later) and provide various degrees of freedom of movement.

[0060] In addition, the link insertion portion 221 inserted into the inside of the lower end of the thigh link of the thigh unit provided on the upper surface of the connecting plate portion 223 may be provided in a position biased outward. Specifically, the link insertion portion 221 of the mount member 220 attached to the upper surface of the drive motor mounting member 320 constituting the knee joint actuator 300 is provided in a region of the connecting plate portion 223 where the thickness is thin, rather than in the center of the connecting plate portion 223. This allows the buffer unit 700 to primarily buffer impacts or vibrations transmitted from the ground during walking, and secondarily reduces the transmission efficiency of vibrations or impacts by shifting the central axis of the thigh unit connected to the knee joint actuator relative to the knee joint actuator.

[0061] In this way, in order to form the inclination of the thigh unit 200, it is not necessary to distinguish the shape of the thigh link etc. from the lower leg link, or to design and manufacture the drive motor mounting member 320 that constitutes the knee joint drive device 300 separately from the drive motor mounting member that constitutes the hip joint drive device, thereby reducing manufacturing costs, etc.

[0062] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a buffer unit 700 is provided between the knee joint driver 300 and the lower leg link that constitutes the lower leg unit 400, and the buffer unit 700 includes a plurality of coil springs 720 arranged in the front-to-rear direction, an upper plate member 730 that supports the upper ends of the plurality of coil springs 720 and is fastened to the drive member 330, and a frame member 710 that supports the lower ends of the plurality of coil springs 720 and is attached to the lower leg unit 400.

[0063] The coil spring 720 may be configured to connect the knee joint actuator 300 and the lower leg link to absorb shock and provide various degrees of freedom of movement.

[0064] In the embodiment shown in Figures 3 and 4, by arranging two coil springs 720 in the front-to-rear direction, the width of the cushioning unit 700 in the width direction of the knee joint can be minimized while providing sufficient elastic force for shock absorption and supporting force for connecting and supporting the knee joint driver and the lower leg unit.

[0065] An upper plate member 730 is provided on the upper part of the coil spring 720. The upper plate member 730 supports the upper end of the coil spring 720 and is configured to mount a driving member 330 fastened to an output end 340 of the driving motor 310 exposed on the side of the driving motor 310. The upper plate member 730 is configured to connect the lower leg link constituting the lower leg unit 400 and the knee joint driving device 300 to each other by the elastic force of the coil spring 720.

[0066] The buffer unit 700 includes a frame member 710 that supports the lower ends of the coil springs 720 and is attached to the lower leg unit 400, and the frame member 710 accommodates the upper plate member 730 to prevent the upper plate member 730 from coming off, and has an opening 715 formed on the upper side, with both side ends of the opening 715 configured to support the upper edge of the upper plate member 730.

[0067] The frame member 710 is configured to be fastened to the lower leg link, and the coil spring 720 is attached to the inside of the frame member 710. An upper plate member 730 supporting the coil spring 720 is connected to the knee joint actuator 300 via a driving member 330.

[0068] Therefore, the buffer unit 700 connects the knee joint driver 300 and the lower leg link, and the coil spring 720 as a connecting core contracts and relaxes in response to the wearer's movement or external force, absorbing impact from the ground or providing a wider range of freedom of movement, and the coil spring 720 itself can serve as a connecting axis connecting the knee joint driver and the lower leg unit.

[0069] The upper plate member 730 of the buffer unit 700 can move with multiple degrees of freedom by compressing or relaxing the coil springs 720, but the range of movement can be limited by the frame member 710.

[0070] The both side ends 711 of the opening 715 of the frame member 710 are bent into a shape that supports the upper edge of the upper plate member 730, thereby preventing excessive movement or separation of the upper plate member 730.

[0071] Therefore, when a wearer wearing the wearable robot is standing upright or during normal walking, the upper plate member 730, which supports both side ends 711 of the opening 715 of the frame member 710 and the coil spring 720 and is fastened to the driving member 330, is maintained in a non-contact state, and it is preferable that the upper plate member 730 is supported by both side ends 711 of the opening 715 of the frame member 710 to prevent separation only when the coil spring deviates from its normal operating range, such as due to excessive deformation or twisting.

[0072] The frame member 710 may be configured to have an overall square-shaped cross section and an opening 715 formed at the top, but the shape may be varied in various ways.

[0073] A lower mounting member 740 may be provided at the lower part of the frame member 710. The lower mounting member 740 may also include a link insertion portion 741 inserted into the inside of the upper end of the lower leg link constituting the lower leg unit, a frame insertion portion 745 seated inside the fastening hole 713 of the frame member 710, and a connecting plate portion 743 having the link insertion portion 741 and the frame insertion portion 745 on the lower and upper surfaces, respectively, and the connecting plate portion 743 of the lower mounting member 740 may be configured to have a uniform thickness.

[0074] The link insertion portion 741 is configured in the shape of a protrusion, pillar, etc., and is fastened in a seating groove or seating hole provided on the underside of the frame member 710, thereby improving the safety of the assembled state of the buffer unit or coil spring.

[0075] A washer member 760 may be provided between the inner bottom surface of the buffer unit 700 and the lower end of the coil spring to prevent adhesion or corrosion of the coil spring.

[0076] 5 shows a front view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG. 3 in a state where it is cushioned by the cushioning unit 700, and FIG. 6 shows a side view of the knee joint structure shown in FIG.

[0077] As shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6, when the impact or vibration transmitted to the knee joint of the robot wearer via the lower leg link includes a force or torque component in the left-right or front-back direction of the wearer, or when left-right or front-back movement of the wearer's knee joint occurs, the coil spring 720 of the buffer unit 700 compresses or expands within the allowable movement range of the frame member 710, thereby absorbing the impact and allowing movement of the knee joint.

[0078] Since such external shocks or vibrations include both vertical and horizontal components, each coil spring 720 can also act as a shock absorber that buffers the shocks or vibrations.

[0079] In this case, each coil spring 720 does not have a fixed direction of compression or extension, and therefore, as described above, the buffer unit 700 can provide multiple degrees of freedom in axes.

[0080] 7 and 8 show a stopper for limiting the rotation angle of the knee joint actuator 300 of the lower limb assistance assembly 1 of the wearable robot 1000 according to the present invention and a bidirectional damping state by the stopper.

[0081] The lower limb assist assembly 1 according to the present invention has an object to absorb the shock or vibration transmitted from the ground during walking in the knee joint area or to provide freedom of movement for the knee joint structure through the buffer unit 700, but if the knee joint driver provides a rotational assist force or torque for the knee joint that exceeds the rotation range of the knee joint of the body, serious injury may occur.

[0082] In other words, the knee joint of the body cannot be allowed to extend and rotate any further when standing upright, or to bend any further than when the knee joint is folded.

[0083] In order to prevent the knee joint actuator 300 from providing auxiliary torque beyond this rotation range, stoppers 351 and 353 may be provided to physically limit the rotation angle of the knee joint actuator 300 and the buffer unit 700.

[0084] At least one stopper 351, 353 may be provided on at least one side of the driving motor 310 constituting the knee joint driving device 300 constituting the lower limb assist assembly 1 according to the present invention, and locking portions 361, 363 may be provided on the inner or outer peripheral surface of the driving member 330 to engage with the stopper depending on the rotation angle of the driving member 330 and limit the rotation of the driving member 330.

[0085] The driving motor 310 constituting the knee joint driving device 300 is fixedly mounted to a driving motor mounting member 320 connected to the thigh link, and the driving member 330 constituting the knee joint driving device 300 is mounted to an output end 340 provided on the side of the driving motor 310 and is rotated.

[0086] As a result, the stoppers 351, 353 are provided together on the side of the drive motor 310, i.e., the side where the output end 340 of the drive motor 310 is exposed, in order to limit the rotation range of the drive member 330, and the locking portions 361, 363 that are attached to the stoppers 351, 353 to limit the rotation range of the drive member 330 may be provided on the outer surface or inner surface of the rotationally driven drive member 330.

[0087] In the knee joint driver 300 shown in Figure 7, a stopper on the outer surface of the driver member 330 (hereinafter referred to as "extension limit stopper 351") limits the extension angle of the knee joint, preventing the knee from spreading excessively, and a stopper shown in dotted lines in Figure 8 (hereinafter referred to as "flexion limit stopper 353") limits the flexion angle of the knee joint, preventing the knee from bending excessively.

[0088] Therefore, in the lower limb assisting assembly 1 according to the present invention, the stoppers 351 and 353 may be provided at two locations on the side of the driving motor 310, and the locking portions 361 and 363 may be provided on the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the driving member 330, respectively.

[0089] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the extension limit stopper 351 and the bending limit stopper 353 are attached to the side of the driving motor 310 at intervals of approximately 180 degrees, the extension limit locking portion 361 corresponding to the extension limit stopper 351 is attached to the outer surface of the driving member 330, and the bending limit locking portion 363 corresponding to the bending limit stopper 353 is attached to the inner surface of the driving member 330.

[0090] The extension limit stopper 351 and the flexion limit stopper 353 are installed at intervals of approximately 180 degrees, but depending on the positions of the extension limit locking portion 361 and the flexion limit locking portion 363, the rotation range of the drive member 330 can be essentially limited to approximately 0 to 100 degrees based on the upright state, thereby providing a sufficient knee joint rotation range for normal walking.

[0091] One of the stoppers may be configured in the form of a stopping block made of a metal material, and the other may be configured as a stopping member made of a soft material. Specifically, in relation to the knee rotation range, since the rotation range of the extension movement must be more strictly limited than the rotation range of the flexion movement to prevent injury or pain, the extension limit stopper 351 may be configured as a metal block, and the flexion limit stopper 353 may be configured as a stopping member made of a material such as urethane.

[0092] On the other hand, the bending limit of the drive member 330 relative to the drive motor 310 is limited to about 100 degrees by the bending limit stopper 353, and since this rotation range is within the normal bending range of a knee joint and is not designed to prevent large forces or impacts, the bending limit stopper 353 and the engaging portion may be made of a flexible material.

[0093] Of the locking parts, the extension limit locking part 361 includes a locking block 361B attached to the driving member 330 and a gas damper 361S attached to the locking block 361B, and is configured so that the support end of the gas damper 361S is supported by the extension limit stopper 351, thereby providing a smooth operating feel and a stable rotation range limiting function even when the knee joint is fully extended and the stopper and the locking part come into contact.

[0094] Although the present specification has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be able to implement the present invention with various modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Therefore, any modified embodiment that basically includes the elements of the claims of the present invention should be considered to be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. a thigh unit attached to the outside of the wearer's thigh to assist the wearer's thigh movement; a knee joint driver attached to the other end of the thigh unit; a lower leg unit attached to the knee joint drive unit and attached to the outside of the wearer's lower leg to assist the movement of the wearer's lower leg; a buffer unit that connects the knee joint driver and the lower leg unit and buffers shock transmitted through the lower leg unit.

2. 2. The lower limb assistance assembly for a wearable robot according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the thigh unit is attached to the knee joint actuator at an angle so as to widen outward as it approaches the wearer's pelvis.

3. 3. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 2, wherein the inclination angle of the thigh unit relative to the knee joint driver is 2 to 8 degrees.

4. 3. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly of claim 2, wherein the knee joint actuator includes: a drive motor; a drive motor mounting member into which the drive motor is inserted and mounted; and at least one drive member exposed on at least one side of the drive motor and fastened to a rotatable drive motor output end.

5. the thigh unit further includes an upper mount member connecting a lower end of the thigh link constituting the thigh unit to a drive motor mounting member of the knee joint actuator; 5. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 4, wherein the lower end of the thigh link is fastened to the upper mount member at an angle.

6. 5. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 4, wherein the upper mount member includes: a link insertion portion inserted into an inside of a lower end of the thigh link of the thigh unit; a housing fastening portion fastened to an upper surface of the drive motor housing; and a connecting plate portion having the link insertion portion and the housing fastening portion on its upper and lower surfaces, the connecting plate portion having a thickness that decreases outward so that the thigh unit is inclined relative to the knee joint actuator.

7. 7. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 6, wherein a link insertion portion inserted into the inside of a lower end of the thigh link of the thigh unit provided on the upper surface of the connecting plate portion is provided at a position biased outward.

8. 2. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 1, wherein the buffer unit further includes: a plurality of coil springs arranged in a front-rear direction; an upper plate member supporting upper ends of the plurality of coil springs and fastened to the driving member; and a frame member supporting lower ends of the plurality of coil springs and attached to the lower leg unit.

9. 9. The lower limb assistance assembly for a wearable robot according to claim 8, wherein the frame member houses the upper plate member to prevent the upper plate member from coming off upward, and has an opening formed at the top, and both side ends of the opening have a shape that prevents an upper edge of the upper plate member from coming off.

10. 2. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one side of the drive motor of the knee joint driver is provided with at least one stopper, and the drive member is provided with at least one locking portion that locks with the stopper according to a rotation angle of the drive member to limit rotation of the drive member.

11. 11. The lower limb assistance assembly of claim 10, wherein the stoppers are provided at two locations on a side of the driving motor, and the locking portions are provided on an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface of the driving member, respectively.

12. 2. The lower limb assistance assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the stoppers is configured as a stopping block made of a metal material, and the other of the stoppers is configured as a stopping member made of a soft material.

13. 2. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 1, wherein the locking portion includes a locking block attached to the driving member and a gas damper attached to the locking block, and a support end of the gas damper is configured to be supported by the stopper.

14. 2. The wearable robot lower limb assistance assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: a hip joint driver attached to an upper end of the thigh unit for rotationally driving the thigh unit; and a foot unit attached to a lower end of the lower leg unit for supporting the wearer's foot.

15. A pair of wearable robotic lower limb assistance assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 14; a pair of pelvic units to which the pair of lower limb assistance assemblies of the wearable robot are respectively attached, the pelvic units being attached so as to surround a waist region of a wearer and extending to lateral regions of a hip joint of the wearer.

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