Wired Exoskeleton Tension Control for Intuitive Turning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing assistance technologies for guiding users in walking directions either distract users with display screens or fail to provide effective directional assistance through mechanical means, lacking intuitive guidance for turning and movement.
Innovation Solution
An assistance apparatus comprising an upper body belt, knee belts, and a system of wires and motors that apply tension to guide users by assisting leg movements to turn left or right, with specific timing and tension thresholds to facilitate intuitive directional changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a display screen is used to guide users in walking directions, then routing information can be provided to the user, but the user's attention to the external environment decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the visual display screen guidance system with a mechanical assistance system. Motors provide physical assistance to the user's legs, guiding them along the desired route through tactile mechanical force rather than visual information, thereby eliminating the need for the user to look at a screen while walking.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical assistance is provided to assist leg movement, then the user can move more easily, but the user lacks intuitive guidance for turning and directional changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the mechanical assistance system. The motors adjust the timing and magnitude of assistance forces based on the user's gait phase and desired direction changes. By varying the mechanical assistance dynamically during walking, the system provides intuitive directional guidance while maintaining ease of movement.
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
Enables users to move in target directions with increased attention to their environment by providing intuitive and reliable mechanical assistance for turning, enhancing safety and ease of navigation.
Implementation Method 1
the motor generates, when a left leg of the user is in a swing phase and a right leg of the user is in a stance phase, a tension larger than or equal to a first threshold in each of the second wire, the third wire, the sixth wire, and the seventh wire
Data Source
AI summary
An assistance apparatus includes first to eighth wires that couple an upper body belt to be worn on an upper body of a user to a first knee belt and a second knee belt to be worn above a left knee and a right knee of the user, respectively, and a motor. In a case of assisting the user in turning left, the motor generates, when a left leg is in a swing phase and a right leg is in a stance phase, a tension in each of the second, third, sixth, and seventh wires at an identical timing. In a case of assisting the user in turning right, the motor generates, when the left leg is in a stance phase and the right leg is in a swing phase, a tension in each of the second, third, sixth, and seventh wires at an identical timing.