Soft exoskeleton with variable stiffness

Abstract

FIELD: passive exoskeletons.SUBSTANCE: used in rehabilitation and recovery procedures for users with musculoskeletal disorders. A soft exoskeleton with variable stiffness consists of a flexible suit designed to fit the body and containing elements of variable stiffness. It also contains a corset equipped with support posts to which hip joints are attached. Hip support posts equipped with hip bandages are attached to the hip joints. The hip supports are attached to the knee hinges. The knee joints also have shin support posts containing bandages attached to them. Support feet with fixation straps are hingedly attached to the support posts of the shins. The support posts consist of hollow bodies divided into separate segments equipped with jaws that orient their position. Inside the housings there are reinforcing cables, attached at one end to the rotation hinges attached to the outer segments of the housings, and at the opposite end to the nuts into which knurled head screws are screwed, located in the holes of the transverse partitions mounted in the upper outer segments of the hollow housings of the support posts. Spring washers are installed between the knurled screws and the cross partition. The corset and bandages are equipped with a textile fastener.EFFECT: easily wearable exoskeleton is achieved with the possibility of its activation or deactivation by the user.1 cl, 2 dwg

Description

[0001] The invention relates to medical equipment, in particular to passive exoskeletons, and can find application in rehabilitation and recovery procedures and in facilitating living conditions in the everyday life of users with musculoskeletal disorders.

[0002] A passive exoskeleton (RU Patent No. 189468) is known. It consists of feet constructed as stirrup-like joints capable of transferring load from a load to a supporting surface. The shins are constructed as adjustable-length levers connecting the foot and knee joints. The knees are designed as brackets with a horizontal and transverse axis of rotation, connecting the shin and thigh joints and are adjustable for X-shaped legs. The shin straps encircle the wearer's shins. The thighs are designed as adjustable-length levers connecting the knee joints and the waist. The waist is a rocker-shaped component, similar to the human pelvic bones, with femoral levers attached to both ends and a back spring in the center, a flat rectangular beam, transferring load from the shoulders and the load hook to the waist. In this case, the shoulders are made in the form of spatial parts that absorb the load from the load placed on the shoulders and transfer the load to the back spring.

[0003] The disadvantages of the well-known exoskeleton include its bulky and heavy design, which requires considerable effort to maneuver and transport. The use of narrow straps to secure the structure to the user's body carries the risk of skin injury, resulting in long-lasting blisters.

[0004] An exoskeleton with an electropneumatic control system is known (RU Patent No. 2565101). It consists of a power frame that includes a support frame with hinges to which support legs are attached. The support legs consist of hip, knee, and ankle joints, and an electropneumatic system. The electropneumatic system comprises a first pneumatic muscle, first, second, third, and fourth two-way, two-position pneumatic valves, a first three-way, two-position pneumatic valve, a pressure regulator, a controller and compressor, a pneumatic accumulator, an electric accumulator, and a control system. The control system consists of a combined microelectromechanical system including an accelerometer, an inclinometer, a gyroscope, and pressure and angle sensors. A specific pressure is set using the pressure regulator, which is adjusted by the degree of spring tension and monitored by a pressure sensor.

[0005] The disadvantages of this well-known device include its complex design, which contains a large number of small parts, and any malfunction, which can cause the device to malfunction. The presence of an external power source significantly increases the cost and adds weight.

[0006] A pneumatic exoskeleton (RU Patent No. 2747593) is known, consisting of a self-activating pneumatic accumulator. The accumulator shell is made of a non-woven, airtight, durable material. Inside the accumulator is an elastic frame made in the form of a folding mesh with x-shaped spring segments made of spring steel. On the outside of the accumulator is an air lock valve and side folding handles. The accumulator is connected to the back of the exoskeleton by a back post, consisting of a back post shell, support plates equipped with back stops, interconnected by hinges, and a flexible pressure plate. Attached to the back post are underarm straps and a lumbar belt, below which are hip hinges on the sides, to which the hip posts are attached.The thigh struts consist of a thigh shell made of a non-woven, airtight, durable material, a flexible compression plate, and thigh strut support plates equipped with back supports and hinges connecting them. The thigh struts are attached via knee hinges to the shin struts, which consist of a shell, shin strut plates equipped with back supports and hinges connecting them. The shin struts are also equipped with flexible compression plates. Shock-absorbing shin strut tips are attached to the lower shin links. The pneumatic exoskeleton includes thigh and shin tie-down straps, as well as air accumulator retention straps.

[0007] The disadvantages of this exoskeleton include its bulky design, which makes it difficult to wear on the user's body in a non-activated position and requires significant physical effort when manually carrying and transporting.

[0008] Of the known technical solutions, the closest in purpose and technical essence to the claimed object is a soft multi-mode exoskeleton (RU Patent No. 2797688) comprising an inner layer adapted to conform to the user's body, presented in the form of a flexible suit. The flexible suit is designed to be worn on at least part of the user's body, a support layer with elastic elements connected to the flexible suit, over which an outer protective layer is located. The flexible suit, adapted to conform to the user's body, is designed as a continuous shell without gaps and capable of enveloping the user's body, at least from the level of the eighth rib to the tips of the toes. The flexible suit contains built-in corrugations at the joint flexures, and each elastic element of the support layer is designed as a cable of variable stiffness.At the same time, at least six elastic elements of variable stiffness are placed on each hip and ankle joint, the fastening of the elastic elements of the hip joint is located above the user's waist, and the outer layer is made in the form of an elastic shell.

[0009] The disadvantages of the existing exoskeleton include its bulky and complex design, which is due to the high material consumption and high cost. The design also requires frequent maintenance.

[0010] The technical result of the proposed invention is the development of an easily wearable exoskeleton with the ability to be activated or deactivated by the user.

[0011] The technical result is achieved by the fact that a soft exoskeleton with variable rigidity is proposed (Fig. 1), consisting of a corset [1] equipped with support posts [2] to which hip hinges [3] are attached. Thigh support posts [4] equipped with thigh bandages [5] are attached to the hip hinges [3] on the side opposite from the support posts [2]. The hip support posts [4] are attached to the knee hinges [6], to which the support posts of the shins [7] equipped with bandages [8] are attached. The support feet [9] equipped with fixation belts

[10] are hingedly attached to the support posts of the shins [7]. The support posts (Fig. 2) [2], [4] and [7] consist of hollow bodies

[11] . In this case, the bodies

[11] are divided into separate segments

[12] . Inside the housings

[11] there are reinforcing cables

[13] which are attached at one end to the rotary hinges

[14] attached to the outer segments

[15] of the housings

[11] and at the opposite end are attached to the nuts

[16] .The upper outer segments

[17] of the bodies

[11] are provided with a transverse partition

[18] in which openings

[19] are made. Screws with a knurled head

[20] are inserted into the openings

[19] and screwed into the nuts

[16] . Spring washers

[21] are installed between the knurled head screws

[20] and the transverse partition

[18] . The corset [1] and bandages [5] and [8] can be made of any material used for the production of corsets and bandages in industry (GOST 29013-91), for example, from nylon in the form of a mesh with a soft lining following the contour of the mesh made of a soft material, for example, foam rubber, and provided with a textile fastener

[22] ("Velcro"). In this case, the segments

[12] are provided with jaws

[23] orienting their position.

[0012] The device operates as follows.

[0013] The user presses the corset to his back and fastens the textile fastener

[22] in front. Then, the user presses the support posts [4], [7] and the corresponding bandages [5], [8] to his thighs and shins one by one and tightly fastens the textile fasteners

[22] on them. Then, the user places his feet on the supporting feet [9] and tightly fixes them using the fixation belts

[10] . During use, when it is necessary to activate the exoskeleton, the user rotates the knurled screws

[20] clockwise, screwing it into the nut

[16] ; this leads to tension of the cables

[13] and pressing the segments

[12] together. During the screwing process, the cable

[13] is tensioned and strongly presses the segments

[12] together, forming a rigid structure of the support posts [2], [4] and [7].Rigid support posts [2], [4] and [7], tightly secured with a corset [1] and bandages [5] and [8] on the user’s body, take on the weight load of the user’s weight or the load being carried, which helps to relieve the user’s musculoskeletal system by redirecting it to the supporting surface of the foot [9].

[0014] During use, the device can be activated in various parts as needed. For example, if pain or fatigue occurs in the knee area, the user can tighten the thumb screws

[20] , thigh support posts [4], and calf support posts [7], allowing the user to activate a specific part of the device.

[0015] The proposed device, attached to the user's body, allows them to move freely, as the structure bends easily without resistance. The user can activate the device or its various parts as needed, stiffening them at a time and place convenient for them. This allows for independent rehabilitation after injuries, adjusting the time of load on different body parts, taking walks, traveling over rough terrain, or performing specific exercises at specific intervals, without being tied to a hospital or outside assistance. For example, they can independently walk a certain distance from the hospital or activate or deactivate the device at a specified time, depending on the instructions of medical personnel.

Claims

A soft exoskeleton with variable rigidity, consisting of a flexible suit made with the ability to fit the body and containing elements of variable rigidity, characterized in that it consists of a corset equipped with support posts to which hip hinges are attached, hip support posts equipped with hip bandages are attached to the hip hinges, wherein the hip support posts are attached to knee hinges, support posts of the shins containing bandages are attached to the knee hinges, support feet with fixation belts are pivotally attached to the support posts of the shins, wherein the support posts consist of hollow bodies divided into separate segments equipped with jaws orienting their position, reinforcing cables are located inside the bodies, which are attached at one end to rotation hinges attached to the outer segments of the bodies, and at the opposite end the cables are attached to nuts into which screws with a knurled head are screwed,wherein the knurled screws are located in the holes made in the transverse partitions mounted in the upper outer segments of the hollow bodies of the support posts, spring washers are installed between the knurled screws and the transverse partition, the corset and bandages are equipped with a textile fastener.

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