Unpowered Knee Exoskeleton Using Bowden Cable Gait Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current walking assistance devices for the elderly and individuals with lower extremity disabilities are often heavy, cumbersome, and require external power, making them uncomfortable and impractical for daily use.
Innovation Solution
An unpowered wearable walking assistance knee equipment with gait self-adaptivity that utilizes the user's body weight as a driving force through a lever principle and crank block structure, combined with Bowden cables to provide torque for knee joint assistance, eliminating the need for external power sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If exoskeleton robots with rigid mechanisms are used for knee joint walking assistance, then walking assistance function is provided, but the device has large volume and weight, and the rigid mechanisms have large inertia causing poor comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid exoskeleton mechanisms with flexible Bowden cables that transmit force through a flexible transmission system. The cable-driven mechanism allows the device to be lightweight while maintaining walking assistance function, eliminating the large inertia problems of rigid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes traditional rigid mechanical exoskeleton systems with a cable-driven mechanical system. The Bowden cables transmit muscular force from the ankle to the knee joint, replacing the need for heavy rigid linkages and joints while maintaining the assistance function.
2Reliability
If powered walking assistance devices are used, then walking assistance function is provided, but external power sources are required making the device heavy and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The device utilizes the user's own muscular force as the power source, eliminating the need for external power sources. The Bowden cables transmit the user's ankle muscle force to assist knee joint movement, making the system self-powered and significantly reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the power source component from the system by using the user's body as the power source. This removes batteries, motors, and control systems, leaving only the passive cable transmission mechanism.
3Device complexity
If unpowered cable-driven mechanism is used, then device is lightweight and simple, but the mechanism requires user's upper limb strength which makes people feel laborious when walking
Solution Approach 1:
The device serves multiple functions: it assists knee joint movement during walking, utilizes force from ankle muscles, and works passively without requiring user control. The cable-driven mechanism automatically engages and disengages based on the walking gait cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the user's body weight and gravitational force into beneficial assistance torque at the knee joint. The cable tension is generated passively by the user's own movement and body mechanics, transforming what would be resistive forces into assistive forces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The equipment is lightweight, portable, and comfortable, enabling effective walking assistance without external energy input, improving muscle vitality and self-care abilities for users with decreased motor ability or sports injuries.
Implementation Method 1
Bowden cables as a medium for transmitting the driving force
Implementation Method 2
based on lever principle and crank block structure principle
Implementation Method 3
based on lever principle and crank block structure principle
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses an unpowered wearable walking assistance knee equipment with gait self-adaptivity comprising a left foot power output assembly, a right foot power output assembly, a left leg knee joint assistance execution assembly, a right leg knee joint assistance execution assembly and a driving force transmission device. The equipment of the present disclosure is based on lever principle and crank block structure principle and adopts an operation mode of combining ipsilateral parallel driving input and different sides cross driving input. The self-weight of the human body is utilized as a driving force during the walking process to enable the left foot power output assembly to provide the left leg knee joint assistance execution assembly with a pulling force for its stretching and to provide the right leg knee joint assistance execution assembly with a pulling force for its bending, and to enable the right foot power output assembly to provide the right leg knee joint assistance execution assembly with a pulling force for its stretching and to provide the left leg knee joint assistance execution assembly with a pulling force for its bending, so that a torque for assisting the stretching and bending of the left leg knee joint and the right leg knee joint is generated according to a gait cycle regularity during the walking process, and the goal of walking assistance is achieved.