Wearable Motion Assist Device Using Linear Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable movement assisting apparatuses for finger joints are cumbersome and impose a significant load on the wearer due to their complex configuration and weight, with existing weight-reduction methods compromising torque and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A wearable movement assisting apparatus featuring a movement assisting glove with a linear member that transmits driving force from a driving part, detected and controlled by biosignals, allowing for efficient movement assistance with reduced weight and load on the wearer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rotary mechanism is provided in correspondence with each finger joint and a configuration of mechanically transmitting a driving force of the actuators is used, then the finger joints can be driven, but the apparatus has a considerable amount of weight and imposes a large load on the wearer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional rotary mechanism with a linear actuator that directly drives the finger joint through linear motion. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical transmission components (gears, belts, pulleys) and reduces the overall system weight while maintaining the driving capability for finger joint movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary mechanical transmission components from the system. By using a linear actuator that directly connects to the finger joint, the design eliminates intermediate transmission elements, thereby reducing weight and simplifying the structure while preserving the essential driving function.
2Weight of moving object
If the size of the actuators is reduced to reduce weight, then the weight can be reduced, but torque cannot suffice for the weight of the movable parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the motion parameter from rotary to linear, allowing the actuator to generate sufficient force directly along the direction of finger joint movement. This parameter change enables a more compact actuator design that maintains adequate torque/equivalent force output while reducing weight, as the linear actuator can be optimized for direct force application without mechanical advantage losses.
3Reliability
If a conventional wearable type movement assisting apparatus with many components is used, then the finger joints can be assisted, but the configuration is sophisticated and the apparatus is cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the movement assistance function into independent linear actuators for each finger joint, with each actuator being a self-contained unit. This segmentation allows for a simpler overall configuration where each component performs a single function, eliminating the need for complex mechanical linkages that would be required to coordinate multiple rotary actuators.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A
AI summary
A wearable type movement assisting apparatus includes a movement assisting glove including a finger insertion part into which a finger of a wearer is inserted, a driving part arranged on a backhand side of the movement assisting glove and configured to drive the finger insertion part, a linear member arranged along the finger insertion part and configured to transmit a driving force of the driving part to the finger insertion part, a biosignal detection part configured to detect a biosignal that causes the finger of the wearer to move, and a control part configured to output a drive control signal to the driving part based on the biosignal detected by the biosignal detection part. The driving part is configured to move the linear member in an extending direction or a bending direction of the finger insertion part based on the drive control signal from the control part.