Exoskeleton Sitting Support via Adjustable Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with lower limb disabilities face challenges in achieving upright mobility and accessing places due to confinement to wheelchairs, leading to physiological and psychological deterioration, and high medical expenses, as existing exoskeleton devices lack integrated sitting support capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An exoskeleton device with adjustable support columns and controllable joints that allow users to transition between standing and sitting configurations, featuring a torso brace, telescoping segments, and a controller that coordinates joint bending and support column length adjustments for stable sitting and standing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If exoskeleton devices enable upright mobility for wheelchair users, then health and quality of life improve, but the devices lack integrated sitting support capabilities causing instability when sitting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sitting support function with the exoskeleton structure by integrating support columns into the brace assembly. The support columns are extendible from the braces and work in coordination with the joints to provide stable sitting support, combining multiple functions (mobility support + sitting support) into a unified system.
Solution Approach 2:
The support columns are designed with adjustable length capability, allowing the system to dynamically adapt between standing and sitting configurations. The controller coordinates the bending of joints with the extension/retraction of support columns, enabling the device to maintain stability across different operational states.
2Reliability
If support columns are extended to provide sitting support, then sitting stability improves, but the device complexity increases due to coordination control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The controller monitors the state of joints and support columns, coordinating their operation to achieve stable sitting configuration. The system adjusts support column extension in response to joint positioning, creating a coordinated control mechanism that manages the complexity of multiple moving parts.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the exoskeleton device transitions between erect and sitting configurations, then mobility and accessibility improve, but safety risks increase during the transition process
Solution Approach 1:
The support columns are extended in advance before the sitting operation begins, and the controller coordinates this extension with the joint bending process. This preliminary support preparation ensures stability is established before full sitting configuration is achieved, reducing transition risks.
Data Source
AI summary
An exoskeleton device includes a plurality of braces that are each attachable to a part of a user. A plurality of joints connects adjacent braces. Each joint is controllable to bend or unbend so as to cause the exoskeleton device to change between an erect configuration and a sitting configuration. At least one support column is extendible from a brace. A length of the support column is adjustable. A controller is configured to adjust the length of the support column in coordination with the bending or unbending of a joint to provide support for the exoskeleton device when in the sitting configuration.