Walking assistance wearable robot device, control method thereof, and computer program therefor

Abstract

This walking assistance wearable robot device comprises: a main frame having a round shape so as to wrap around the waist; a left driving part and a right driving part each provided on one of two sides of the main frame; a left support part which is connected to the left driving part and which moves forward and backward by means of the left driving part; a right support part which is connected to the right driving part and which moves forward and backward by means of the right driving part; a controller which is mounted on the main frame and which controls operations of the left driving part and the right driving part; a waist-fixed part which is provided inside the main frame, and which is to be fixed to the waist of a wearer; and thigh-fixed parts which are provided at the lower end portion of each of the left support part and the right support part, and which are to be fixed to the thighs of the wearer. At this time, the controller receives driving information from each of the left driving part and the right driving part, recognizes a change in the walking environment of the wearer or a change in the intention of the wearer on the basis of the driving information, and controls a walking assistance rate by means of the left driving part and / or the right driving part on the basis of the recognition result.

Description

Wearable robot device for walking assistance, method for controlling the same, and computer program therefor

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable robot device for assisting walking, a method for controlling the same, and a computer program therefor, and more particularly, to a robot device for assisting walking of patients or the elderly who cannot walk normally due to an accident, illness, etc., and a control technology therefor.

[0002] Recently, advancements in robotics technology have led to the development of rehabilitation assistance devices. Walking assistance devices, in particular, are no exception, and various control methods are being developed.

[0003] Walking assist devices are useful for people who have difficulty walking normally due to weakened lower extremity muscles caused by aging or disability.

[0004] For example, the walking assistance device of Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0111763 is configured to operate a driving motor using a battery and enable walking using the rotational power of the driving motor.

[0005] The walking assistance device of the prior art literature installs a battery and a motor on the back of the human body, and transmits the rotational power of the motor to a driving pulley and a driven pulley to enable walking.

[0006] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and one aspect of the present invention is to provide a robot device that enables a person with reduced muscle strength and difficulty walking to walk by operating a controller on his or her own.

[0007] In addition, another aspect of the present invention is to recognize changes in the walking environment such as slopes, stairs, flat ground, or changes in the user's intention based on movement information collected through the robot device, and to apply the determined information to the robot device based on this, thereby controlling the operation of the robot device in a form optimized for the user's environment.

[0008] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the aforementioned problems. Other technical problems not mentioned will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, as described below.

[0009] The wearable walking assistance robot device according to the present invention can be worn by a user with weakened muscle strength and walk by selecting a pre-programmed walking mode.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a walking assistance wearable robot device comprises: a main frame having a round shape to wrap around a waist; a left driving unit and a right driving unit respectively installed on both sides of the main frame; a left support unit connected to the left driving unit and configured to perform a forward and backward reciprocating motion by the left driving unit; a right support unit connected to the right driving unit and configured to perform a forward and backward reciprocating motion by the right driving unit; a controller mounted on the main frame and configured to control the operations of the left driving unit and the right driving unit; a waist fixing unit installed on the inside of the main frame and configured to be fixed to the waist of a wearer; and a thigh fixing unit installed at a lower end of each of the left support unit and the right support unit and configured to be fixed to the thigh of the wearer.

[0011] The controller is further configured to receive driving information from the left driving unit and the right driving unit, respectively, recognize a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention based on the driving information, and control a walking assistance rate by at least one of the left driving unit and the right driving unit based on the recognition result.

[0012] In one embodiment, each of the left driving unit and the right driving unit includes: a motor control module; a motor configured to rotate based on a control signal of the motor control module; a first sensor configured to detect a rotational speed of the motor; and a second sensor configured to detect a position of the left support unit or the right support unit.

[0013] At this time, the controller includes a driving information processing unit configured to receive the driving information from the left driving unit and the right driving unit and output the control signal to the motor control module; and a walking information analysis unit configured to generate the recognition result indicating a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention using one or more feature values ​​extracted from the driving information, and to generate the control signal to control the walking assistance rate of one or more of the left driving unit and the right driving unit based on the recognition result.

[0014] In one embodiment, the driving information includes the motor rotation speed of the left driving unit, the motor rotation speed of the right driving unit, position information of the left support unit, and position information of the right support unit.

[0015] In one embodiment, the gait information analysis unit is further configured to generate input data by collecting the driving information for a time period corresponding to a gait cycle, and to determine the one or more feature values ​​using the input data.

[0016] In one embodiment, the one or more characteristic values ​​include one or more of a forward maximum vertical separation angle, a rearward maximum vertical separation angle, and a time interval between the forward maximum vertical separation angle and the rearward maximum vertical separation angle of one or more of the left support and the right support during a gait cycle.

[0017] In one embodiment, the one or more characteristic values ​​further include one or more of a difference between a front maximum vertical separation angle of the left support and a front maximum vertical separation angle of the right support, and a difference between a rear maximum vertical separation angle of the left support and a rear maximum vertical separation angle of the right support.

[0018] In one embodiment, the one or more feature values ​​further include information on the change in length of a time interval corresponding to a gait cycle.

[0019] In one embodiment, the gait information analysis unit is further configured to generate the recognition result indicating a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention by inputting the one or more feature values ​​into a pre-learned machine learning-based analysis model.

[0020] A method for controlling a wearable robot device for walking assistance according to one aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of: a controller of the wearable robot device for walking assistance being communicatively connected to a left driving unit and a right driving unit, which are respectively installed on both sides of a main frame of the wearable robot device and configured to move a left support unit and a right support unit back and forth, respectively; a step of the controller receiving driving information from the left driving unit and the right driving unit, respectively; a step of the controller recognizing a change in a wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention based on the driving information; and a step of the controller controlling a walking assistance rate by at least one of the left driving unit and the right driving unit based on a recognition result of the recognizing step.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer program may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium to execute a control method of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to the above-described embodiments in combination with hardware.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present invention, a person with walking difficulties can wear a robotic device and operate a controller to walk independently. Furthermore, by walking with the robotic device, the strength of the human leg muscles can be enhanced. Furthermore, the left and right support units connected to the left and right drive units of the robotic device can be configured to move left and right at a predetermined angle, thereby enhancing the wearer's walking comfort.

[0023] Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, based on movement information collected through a robot device, changes in the walking environment such as slopes, stairs, flat ground, or changes in the user's intention are recognized, and based on this, the robot device is determined and applied to the robot device, thereby controlling the operation of the robot device in a form optimized for the user's environment.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 illustrates a state in which a wearer wears a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 illustrates a controller and a driving unit of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 illustrates a driving unit of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5 illustrates a control flow of a driving unit of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 shows the rotation range of the support part of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing each step of a control method of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 is a graph showing the rotation speed of the left and right driving units among the driving information of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 9 is a graph showing the rotation angles of the left and right support parts among the driving information of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. For convenience of explanation, components depicted in the drawings may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically represented.

[0034] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a wearable robot device for assisting walking that can be worn by a user with weakened muscle strength and allows the user to walk by selecting a pre-programmed walking mode.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] A robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main frame (100) having a round shape to wrap around a waist, left and right driving units (200A, 200B) installed on the left and right sides of the main frame, respectively, left and right support units (300A, 300B) connected to the left and right driving units and reciprocatingly moved forward and backward by the left and right driving units, and a controller (400) mounted on the rear side of the main frame and controlling the operation of the left and right driving units.

[0037] Additionally, the main frame may be provided with a waist fixing belt (500) to enable fixing the main frame to the wearer's waist, and the lower ends of the left and right support members may further be provided with thigh fixing bands (600A, 600B) to enable fixing the main frame to the wearer's left and right thighs.

[0038] Figure 2 illustrates a state in which a wearer wears a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Referring to the drawing, the wearer fastens the waist fixing belt installed on the inside of the main frame to the waist, and fastens the thigh fixing bands provided on the lower ends of the left and right support members to the wearer's left and right thighs, respectively.

[0040] By fastening the waist belt and thigh straps in this manner, the wearer's left and right support parts will move according to the controller's control signals. The wearer can walk according to the controller's preset walking mode.

[0041] The main frame (100) of the wearable robot device for walking assistance is formed into a concave round shape to wrap around the wearer's waist from behind. The main frame includes a rear frame (110), a left frame (120A), and a right frame (120B). The rear frame, left frame, and right frame are formed as one piece and have an overall concave round shape on the front side.

[0042] A controller is mounted on the rear of the rear frame, and a waist fixing belt is provided on the inside of the main frame to firmly secure the main frame to the waist. In addition, left and right drive units are mounted on the left and right frames, respectively.

[0043] Figure 3 illustrates a controller and a driving unit of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] The left and right drive units (200A, 200B) are fixed to the left and right frames, respectively. The left and right drive units are driven according to the control signal of the controller. The left and right drive units include a motor control module (MC), a motor (M), a reducer (R), and a fastener (C). The motor rotates according to the control signal of the motor control module, and the reducer reduces the rotational speed of the motor. The fastener is axially connected to the reducer, and the support unit is fixed thereto.

[0045] The left and right driving units are connected to the left and right support units, respectively, and the left and right support units move back and forth corresponding to the walking motion according to the driving of the left and right driving units.

[0046] FIG. 4 illustrates a driving unit of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 illustrates a control flow of a driving unit of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Referring to the drawing, the motor (M) is connected to the reducer (R) via a belt (V), and a fastener (C) is coupled to the reducer (R). In addition, a first sensor (S1) is installed in the reducer (R), and a second sensor (S2) is installed in the fastener (C).

[0048] The first sensor (S1) detects the rotational speed of the motor (M), and the second sensor (S2) detects the position of the support. The sensing values ​​detected from the first and second sensors are transmitted to the motor control module.

[0049] The motor control module receives the rotation speed of the motor from the sensing value of the first sensor and determines whether the motor rotates at a rotation speed according to the set walking mode. In addition, the motor control module detects the vertical separation angle of the support part from the sensing value of the second sensor and determines the rotation amount of the motor. As an example, the point of reverse rotation of the motor can be calculated from the vertical separation angle of the support part of the second sensor.

[0050] The motor according to the present invention can be configured as a BLDC (Brushless Direct Current) motor, and the motor control module can control the rotational speed of the motor through BLDC phase control and move the support member to a target position. By driving the motor according to the load rate and thigh position selected by the wearer during initial operation, excessive walking load can be prevented.

[0051] The upper ends of the left and right support members (300A, 300B) are connected to the reducers of the left and right drive members, and the lower ends of the left and right support members (300A, 300B) are provided with thigh fixing bands (600A, 600B).

[0052] The wearer uses thigh fixation bands to secure the left and right thighs. This allows the left and right thighs to move in accordance with the movement of the left and right support members. In an embodiment, the fixation bands are made of Velcro, and the position of the fixation bands can be adjusted according to the thigh size.

[0053] Meanwhile, the left and right support parts (300A, 300B) can be manufactured in different sizes, for example, large size, medium size, and small size, and can be configured to be detachable or replaceable to suit the body type.

[0054] Figure 6 shows the rotation range of the support part of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Referring to the drawings, the left and right support members connected to the left and right driving units according to the present invention can move left and right at a predetermined angle. This can increase the wearer's walking comfort.

[0056] The controller (400) is mounted on the rear of the main frame and controls the left and right drive units. The controller can control the left and right drive units via CAN (Controller Area Network) communication. Although not shown in the drawing, a battery for driving the motor can be connected to the controller.

[0057] In one embodiment, the controller (400) includes a driving information processing unit (410), a walking mode selection unit (420), and a display unit (430). The controller receives driving information transmitted from the motor control modules of the left and right driving units, and outputs a control signal to the motor control modules of the driving units.

[0058] The above driving information processing unit (410) receives driving information from the motor control module of the driving unit and outputs a control signal to the motor control module. As an example, the driving information may be information composed of position information of the support unit and rotation information of the motor.

[0059] The above walking mode selection unit (420) receives one or more modes having different walking speeds in advance. The wearer can select a walking mode selected from the display unit.

[0060] The above display unit (430) can display battery charge level, support unit position information, motor load rate, and motor driving information, and can receive a walking mode that determines the wearer's walking speed. The display unit can be configured as a touchpad for the wearer's convenience.

[0061] As an example, the controller outputs control signals to the left and right driving units, respectively. The motor control modules of the left and right driving units perform rotation control of the motors. The motors rotate according to the control signals.

[0062] Meanwhile, the walking mode has different walking speeds and / or walking assistance rates depending on the wearer's walking condition. For example, the walking mode may be slow mode, normal mode, fast mode, etc.

[0063] When the motor rotates according to the motor control module, the reducer reduces the rotational speed of the motor. Accordingly, the support unit connected to the reducer of the driving unit can have a forward and backward movement speed corresponding to the walking speed of the selected walking mode.

[0064] The controller according to the present invention can be controlled via a terminal carried by the wearer. The terminal can transmit and receive signals with the controller via wireless communication. In an embodiment, the wireless communication may be one or more communication methods selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, WCDMA, CDMA, LTE, etc.

[0065] When using a smart device, the wearer can control the controller via a mobile app. The wearer of the robotic device can select a walking mode via the mobile app and view battery charge level, support position information, motor load factor, and motor operation information transmitted by the controller on the display screen.

[0066] In addition, in one embodiment, the controller (400) may be configured to receive driving information transmitted from the left and right driving units (e.g., from the motor control module of each driving unit), recognize a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention based on the driving information, and control the walking assistance rate by the left driving unit and / or the right driving unit based on the recognition information.

[0067] As described above, each of the left driving unit and the right driving unit may include a motor control module (MC), a motor (M) configured to rotate based on a control signal of the motor control module (MC), a first sensor (S1) configured to detect a rotational speed (or rotational speed) of the motor, and a second sensor (S2) configured to detect a position of a corresponding support (i.e., the left support or the right support). The first sensor (S1) may be installed in the reducer (R), and the second sensor (S2) may be installed in the fastener (C).

[0068] At this time, the controller (400) may include a walking information analysis unit (440) configured to receive driving information from each of the left and right driving units, generate a recognition result indicating a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention using one or more feature values ​​extracted from the driving information, and generate a control signal for controlling the walking assistance rate of the left driving unit and / or the right driving unit based on the recognition result.

[0069] In addition, the controller (400) may include a driving information processing unit (410) configured to control the left driving unit and / or the right driving unit by outputting a control signal generated in response to a change in the walking environment or the wearer's intention to the motor control module of the left driving unit and / or the right driving unit.

[0070] In one embodiment, the gait information analysis unit (440) compiles the driving information of the left and right driving units for a time corresponding to the wearer's gait cycle into input data, and can determine the characteristic values ​​of the driving information for generating a control signal through this input data. In this case, the gait cycle refers to a time interval in which the aforementioned steps are completed once in a human gait pattern consisting of, for example, [left foot forward], [left foot step], [right foot forward], and [right foot step].

[0071] In one embodiment, the gait information analysis unit (440) can detect the maximum forward vertical separation angle and the maximum rear vertical separation angle from the rotation angle data of each driving unit included in the driving information of the left and right driving units, thereby specifying the time interval between points where the maximum vertical separation angle appears as a gait cycle.

[0072] Here, the maximum vertical separation angle refers to the angle when the vertical direction is set as the reference direction and the longitudinal direction of the driving unit makes the maximum angle with the vertical direction through the driving of the left and right driving units. In addition, the maximum front vertical separation angle refers to the maximum vertical separation angle when the direction of the angle that the driving unit makes with the vertical direction is the same as the walking direction of the wearer, and the maximum rear vertical separation angle refers to the maximum vertical separation angle when the direction of the angle that the driving unit makes with the vertical direction is the opposite direction to the walking direction of the wearer.

[0073] For example, during the [left foot forward] phase, the vertical separation angle of the left driving unit will gradually increase, and when the [left foot forward] phase ends and the [left foot step] phase begins, the vertical separation angle of the left driving unit will decrease. Therefore, the transition point between the [left foot forward] and [left foot step] phases can be detected through the forward maximum vertical separation angle of the left driving unit. In addition, while the left foot moves forward, the right driving unit will rotate in the direction opposite to the walking direction. Therefore, the transition point between the [left foot forward] and [left foot step] phases can also be detected through the point in time when the vertical separation angle of the right driving unit increases backward and then starts to decrease again.

[0074] Therefore, in terms of the rotation angle, the gait cycle appears in the order of [increase in left drive unit vertical separation angle (decrease in right drive unit vertical separation angle)], [maximum forward vertical separation angle of left drive unit (maximum rearward vertical separation angle of right drive unit)], [increase in right drive unit vertical separation angle (decrease in left drive unit vertical separation angle)], [maximum forward vertical separation angle of right drive unit (maximum rearward vertical separation angle of left drive unit)], so that the gait cycle can be specified by detecting the front-rear maximum vertical separation angle from the driving information of each drive unit, and the driving information during the gait cycle can be driven as an input data set.

[0075] In addition, in one embodiment, the gait information analysis unit (440) extracts the aforementioned front-to-rear maximum vertical separation angle or the difference between the maximum vertical separation angles of the left and right driving units as feature values ​​from the input data, and uses the extracted feature values ​​as input values ​​for a pre-trained machine learning-based analysis model to recognize changes in the wearer's walking environment or changes in the wearer's intention. For example, the gait information analysis unit (440) can receive the classification result of the vector data as a recognition result by converting n feature values ​​(n is an arbitrary natural number) extracted from the driving information into n-dimensional vector data and inputting the converted feature values ​​into the analysis model.

[0076] At this time, a machine learning-based analysis model refers to any software and / or hardware module that can generate a recognition result by classifying a change in the walking environment or intention through deep learning or any other arbitrary machine learning algorithm, and is not limited to using a specific algorithm.

[0077] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing each step of a control method of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 7, the control method of the walking assistance wearable robot device according to the embodiments may be performed by the controller (400) of the walking assistance wearable robot device according to the embodiments described above. First, the controller (400) is installed on each side of the main frame (100) of the walking assistance wearable robot device and may be communicatively connected to the left and right driving units (200A, 200B) configured to move the left and right support units (300A, 300B) back and forth, respectively (S1).

[0079] At this time, the communication connection between the controller (400) and the left and right driving units (200A, 200B) refers to a connection via any electrical connection means, either wired or wireless, and does not necessarily mean a connection via a communication network. For example, the controller (400) and the left and right driving units (200A, 200B) communicating with it may constitute a single physically connected electrical module.

[0080] The controller (400) can receive driving information from the left and right driving units (200A, 200B) (S2). At this time, the driving information refers to a measurement value by one or more sensors provided in each driving unit (200A, 200B), and may include, but is not limited to, the motor rotation speed (or rotation speed) of the left driving unit (200A), the motor rotation speed (or rotation speed) of the right driving unit (200B), position information (e.g., vertical separation angle) of the left support unit (300A), and position information (e.g., vertical separation angle) of the right support unit (200B).

[0081] The controller (400) can recognize changes in the wearer's walking environment or intention based on such driving information. More specifically, the controller (400) can generate input data corresponding to a walking cycle by collecting driving information of the left and right driving units (200A, 200B) during one walking cycle (S3), and can extract one or more feature values ​​for recognizing changes in the walking environment or intention of the wearer from the input data (S4).

[0082] For example, the one or more feature values ​​may include a value of the forward maximum vertical separation angle of the left support and / or the right support during a gait cycle, a value of the rear maximum vertical separation angle, a time interval between the forward maximum vertical separation angle and the rear maximum vertical separation angle, etc. As another example, the one or more feature values ​​may include a difference in the forward maximum vertical separation angle or a difference in the rear maximum vertical separation angle between the left and right support. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the feature values ​​of the driving information may include information on a change in the length of a time interval corresponding to a gait cycle (i.e., a walking speed of the wearer).

[0083] The controller (400) can generate a recognition result that recognizes a change in the walking environment or the wearer's intention using these characteristic values ​​(S5), and control the walking assistance rate by the left driving unit (200A) and / or the right driving unit (200B) based on the recognition result (S6). In the present specification, controlling the walking assistance rate may mean changing the rotation speed (or rotation number) of the motor of the driving unit, such as slow mode, normal mode, fast mode, etc., but is not limited thereto, and may also mean controlling the maximum rotation angle of the motor provided in each driving unit or the point in time when the rotation direction of the motor is initiated (i.e., the point in time of reverse rotation).

[0084] FIG. 8 is a graph showing the rotation speeds of the left and right driving units among the driving information of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention, where graph (801) shows the rotation speed of the left driving unit (i.e., the rotation speed of the motor of the left driving unit), and graph (802) shows the rotation speed of the right driving unit (i.e., the rotation speed of the motor of the right driving unit).

[0085] The left drive unit starts to rotate when the left foot starts to move forward and stops rotating when the left foot steps down. When the left foot stops rotating, the right drive unit starts to rotate when the right foot starts to move forward. Therefore, in graphs (801, 802), the rotational speeds of the two drive units have opposite time sections. In this case, in one embodiment, the drive units can detect the time interval (T1) from the time point at which the rotation of one drive unit starts to the time point at which the rotation of the corresponding drive unit stops and then starts again as one gait cycle.

[0086] In one embodiment, the controller can recognize a change in the walking environment or a change in the user's intention based on whether the time interval (T1) is longer or shorter than before, using the length of this time interval (T1) corresponding to the walking cycle as a characteristic value of the driving information. For example, a lengthening of the time interval (T1) means that the wearer's walking speed is slowing down, and in this case, the controller can control the walking assistance wearable robot device to reduce the walking assistance rate through the left and right driving units in accordance with the slowing of the wearer's walking speed. On the other hand, if the time interval (T1) is shortened, the wearer's walking speed is increasing, and in this case, the controller can increase the walking assistance rate through the left and right driving units.

[0087] As mentioned above, recognizing changes in the walking environment or the wearer's intentions through the feature values ​​of the driving information can be performed by a machine learning-based analysis model. However, when using changes in the time interval (T1) corresponding to the walking cycle as input to the analysis model, even when there is the same change in the environment, how the gait pattern changes may vary depending on the wearer's physiological characteristics (e.g., gender, age, height, leg length, and / or disability). Therefore, in this case, the controller utilizes multiple machine learning analysis models trained using separate training data for each user's physiological characteristics, and by inputting the feature values ​​of the driving information into the analysis models trained using training data suited to the wearer's physiological characteristics, classification of the walking environment or intention can be performed in a manner optimized for the wearer.

[0088] FIG. 9 is a graph showing the rotation angles (or vertical separation angles) of the left and right support parts among the driving information of a walking assistance wearable robot device according to one embodiment of the present invention, where graph (801) shows the rotation angle of the left support part, and graph (802) shows the rotation angle of the right support part. In addition, in the graph of FIG. 9, a positive value indicates that the rotation direction of the support part and the walking direction of the wearer are the same, and a negative value indicates that the rotation direction of the support part and the walking direction of the wearer are opposite.

[0089] Taking the left support as an example, the rotation angle of the left support decreases while the wearer's left foot is behind and the right foot moves forward, reaching a maximum rotation angle backward (i.e., a negative rotation angle) at the point (912) when the right foot touches the floor. Thereafter, as the wearer's left foot moves forward, the rotation angle of the left support increases, and from the point (911) when the left foot touches the floor, the rotation angle decreases again. Therefore, in one embodiment, the controller may calculate a time interval (T2) of a gait cycle through the time interval (interval 911 and 921, or interval 912 and 922) between the points at which the rotation angle of either support reaches a maximum vertical separation angle backward or forward.

[0090] At this time, the controller can recognize changes in the walking environment or the user's intention by using the maximum vertical separation angle rearward of the left support, the maximum vertical separation angle frontward of the left support, the maximum vertical separation angle rearward of the right support, and / or the maximum vertical separation angle frontward of the right support as feature values ​​from the driving information obtained during one walking cycle.

[0091] In one embodiment, the controller may recognize changes in the walking environment or the user's intention based on the difference in the maximum vertical separation angle between the left and right supporting parts as a characteristic value. For example, if the user's right leg suddenly starts to move less than the user's left leg, this may indicate a change in the user's walking environment, such as a slope or an obstacle. In this case, the controller may control the driving unit to reduce the walking assistance rate of the driving unit in the direction of reduced movement, or conversely, to increase the walking assistance rate of the driving unit in the direction of reduced movement, based on the classification result of the walking environment or intention.

[0092] At this time, depending on the wearer, there may be a case where the maximum vertical separation angle between the left and right support parts at the front (or rear) during normal walking may differ significantly due to a physical disability or walking habit. Therefore, when the controller uses the difference between the maximum vertical separation angle between the left and right support parts at the front (or rear) as a feature value, instead of using the absolute value of the angle difference, the controller may recognize changes in the walking environment or the wearer's intention by using the deviation value obtained by subtracting the difference between the maximum vertical separation angles between the left and right support parts during normal walking from the difference between the maximum vertical separation angles between the left and right support parts as a feature value.

[0093] According to the embodiments of the present invention discussed above, since walking modes with different pre-programmed speeds can be selected, the wearer can determine their desired walking speed. Furthermore, the robot device can be used as a reusable walking device for people with walking difficulties, thereby strengthening the wearer's leg muscles. Furthermore, by recognizing changes in the walking environment, such as slopes, stairs, and flat surfaces, or changes in the user's intentions, and applying these changes to the robot device based on these changes, the robot device's operation can be controlled in a manner optimized for the user's environment.

[0094] The operations performed by the control method of the wearable robot device for walking assistance according to the embodiments described above may be implemented at least partially as a computer program and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium on which the program for implementing the operations performed by the control method of the wearable robot device for walking assistance according to the embodiments is recorded includes all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. In addition, the functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the present embodiment may be easily understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present embodiment belongs.

[0095] Above, the present invention has been described in detail through specific examples, but the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications are possible by a person of ordinary skill within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0096] The present invention relates to a wearable robot device for assisting walking, a method for controlling the same, and a computer program therefor, and more particularly, to a robot device for assisting walking of patients or the elderly who cannot walk normally due to an accident, illness, etc., and a control technology therefor.

Claims

1. Main frame with a round shape to wrap around the waist; A left driving unit and a right driving unit installed on each side of the main frame; A left support unit connected to the left driving unit and configured to move back and forth by the left driving unit; A right support part connected to the right driving part and configured to move back and forth by the right driving part; A controller mounted on the main frame and configured to control the operation of the left driving unit and the right driving unit; A waist fixing part installed on the inside of the main frame and fixed to the wearer's waist; and A thigh fixing part is installed at the lower end of each of the left support part and the right support part and is fixed to the wearer's thigh. The above controller, Receive driving information from the left driving unit and the right driving unit, respectively, Based on the above driving information, changes in the wearer's walking environment or changes in the wearer's intention are recognized, A walking assistance wearable robot device further configured to control a walking assistance rate by at least one of the left driving unit and the right driving unit based on the recognition result.

2. In paragraph 1, Each of the above left driving unit and the above right driving unit, motor control module; A motor configured to rotate based on a driving signal of the above motor control module; A first sensor configured to detect the rotational speed of the motor; and a second sensor configured to detect the position of the left support or the right support, The above controller, A driving information processing unit configured to receive the driving information from the left driving unit and the right driving unit and output the driving signal to the motor control module; and A walking assistance wearable robot device including a walking information analysis unit configured to generate the recognition result indicating a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention using one or more feature values ​​extracted from the driving information, and to generate the driving signal to control the walking assistance rate of one or more of the left driving unit and the right driving unit based on the recognition result.

3. In paragraph 2, A walking assistance wearable robot device, wherein the driving information includes the rotation speed of the motor of the left driving unit, the rotation speed of the motor of the right driving unit, the position information of the left support unit, and the position information of the right support unit.

4. In paragraph 2, A walking assistance wearable robot device further configured to: collect the driving information for a time period corresponding to a walking cycle to generate input data; and determine one or more feature values ​​using the input data.

5. In paragraph 4, A walking assistance wearable robot device, wherein the one or more characteristic values ​​include at least one of a forward maximum vertical separation angle, a rear maximum vertical separation angle, and a time interval between the forward maximum vertical separation angle and the rear maximum vertical separation angle of at least one of the left support and the right support during a walking cycle.

6. In paragraph 5, A walking assistance wearable robot device, wherein the one or more characteristic values ​​further include one or more of the difference between the front maximum vertical separation angle of the left support and the front maximum vertical separation angle of the right support, and the difference between the rear maximum vertical separation angle of the left support and the rear maximum vertical separation angle of the right support.

7. In paragraph 5, A walking assistance wearable robot device wherein the one or more feature values ​​further include information on changes in the length of a time section corresponding to a walking cycle.

8. In paragraph 5, A walking assistance wearable robot device further configured to generate the recognition result indicating a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention by inputting the one or more feature values ​​into a pre-learned machine learning-based analysis model.

9. A step in which a controller of a walking assistance wearable robot device is communicatively connected to a left driving unit and a right driving unit, which are installed on each side of the main frame of the walking assistance wearable robot device and are configured to move the left support unit and the right support unit back and forth, respectively; A step in which the controller receives driving information from the left driving unit and the right driving unit, respectively; A step in which the controller recognizes a change in the wearer's walking environment or a change in the wearer's intention based on the driving information; and A control method for a walking assistance wearable robot device, comprising a step of controlling a walking assistance rate by at least one of the left driving unit and the right driving unit based on the recognition result of the recognition step.

10. A computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium configured to execute a control method for a walking assistance wearable robot device according to Article 9 by being combined with hardware.

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