Wearable Hand Robot External Wire Routing and Segmented Strap

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wearable hand robots are bulky, costly, uncomfortable to wear, prone to skin penetration by wires, easily contaminated, and have a complex structure that interferes with tactile sensation and stable finger movement.

Innovation Solution

A wearable hand robot design featuring a simplified finger cap structure with external wire paths, a stretchable finger strap with adjustable holders, and a support system that guides wires externally to prevent skin contact and improve comfort, stability, and tactile sensation, while using sensors to measure tension and joint angles for precise control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If actuators are installed on the moving portions of the finger, then the finger can be moved, but the volume and weight of the wearable hand robot are increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefinger movement capabilityVSAvoidvolume of wearable hand robot

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the actuators from the finger structure and relocates them to the wrist or handback area. The wires are routed externally along the back of the finger rather than being embedded within the finger structure, thereby reducing the volume occupied within the finger while maintaining the actuation function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of operation

If actuators are installed on the moving portions of the finger, then the finger can be moved, but the manufacturing cost is increased

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefinger movement capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The wearable hand robot uses a common wire routing structure and support framework that can be applied across different finger actuators. The wire passage structure and external routing system serve multiple fingers simultaneously, reducing per-unit manufacturing complexity and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the wearable hand robot is formed of fiber material, then the structure is flexible, but the wire penetrates into the skin to cause pain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility of structureVSAvoidskin penetration and pain

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces wire guides and protective sheaths as intermediary structures between the actuation wires and the skin. These guides channel the wires along the back of the finger and hand, preventing direct contact with the skin surface and eliminating the harmful penetration effect while preserving structural flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Adaptability or versatility

If the wearable hand robot is formed of fiber material, then the structure is flexible, but the wearable hand robot is easily contaminated by sweat or filth

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility of structureVSAvoidresistance to contamination

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The wearable hand robot is divided into controllable segments: the fiber structure can be removed or washed separately from the electronic components and wiring. The wire routing system allows the fiber portion to be detached for cleaning, enabling maintenance without damaging the functional components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

5Ease of operation

If tubes are provided in the finger cap for wire movement, then the wires can move without interfering with each other, but the structure of the finger cap is complicated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewire movement capabilityVSAvoidstructure of finger cap

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the wire routing from the internal structure of the finger cap and relocates it to the external surface. The wires are guided along the back of the finger using external wire guides rather than internal tubes, thereby simplifying the finger cap structure to a single-layer design without nested tube structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

6Device complexity

If the finger strap is mounted on only the finger knuckles, then the structure is simple, but the finger strap is raised off the finger knuckles when the finger is moved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructure of finger strapVSAvoidstability of finger strap position

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The finger strap is segmented into multiple attachment points distributed along the finger rather than a single mounting location. This segmentation allows the strap to conform to finger movement while maintaining continuous contact and stability across all knuckle positions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11565399B2Wearable hand robot

Publication Date: 2023.01.31 NAT REHABILITATION CENT

AI summary

The inventive concept relates to a wearable hand robot mounted on a finger to bend the finger by an external force transmitted through a wire. The wearable hand robot is capable of preventing an injury to a user's hand by the wire, achieving simplification of the structure of a finger cap and an improvement in a wearing sensation, and stably moving the finger while having a tactile sensation.