CN112873184A

CN112873184A - Exoskeleton joint assembly and exoskeleton device

Info

Publication number: CN112873184A
Application number: CN202110302237.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 于随然; 霍宇飞; 王正陶; 丁远涛
Original assignee: Shanghai Jiaotong University
Current assignee: Shanghai Jiaotong University
Priority date: 2021-03-22
Filing date: 2021-03-22
Publication date: 2021-06-01

Abstract

The invention provides an exoskeleton joint assembly and an exoskeleton device, wherein the exoskeleton joint assembly comprises: the joint main body comprises a first bracket and a driving motor; the first bracket comprises a first connecting part and a second connecting part; the driving motor comprises a first part and a second part which are connected in a rotating mode, wherein the first part is fixedly arranged on the first connecting part; the first link includes a first end portion and a second end portion arranged opposite to each other in a length direction, and the first link is detachably mounted on the second connecting portion through the first end portion, or the first link is detachably mounted on the second portion through the second end portion. According to the embodiment of the invention, the joint main body and the first connecting rods can be combined in quantity as required through the detachable connecting structure between the joint main body and the first connecting rods, so that the use flexibility is effectively improved.

Description

Exoskeleton joint assembly and exoskeleton device

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments and medical rehabilitation instruments, in particular to an exoskeleton joint assembly and an exoskeleton device.

Background

It is well known that patients with certain diseases may develop limb dysfunction; for example, a patient with cerebral palsy may exhibit characteristics including spasticity, stiffness, coordination ability, and impaired motor control. Limb dysfunction caused by certain diseases can be generally recovered by repeatedly providing stimulation of certain intensity to neuromuscular.

Generally, the stimulation of the neuromuscular function may be achieved by the therapist giving the infant a specific action repeatedly, or by the exoskeleton device repeatedly pulling the infant. The former puts higher demands on the working strength of therapists; in the latter case, the existing exoskeleton devices are generally complex and fixed in structure and have poor flexibility in use.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the defects in the prior art, the invention aims to provide an exoskeleton joint assembly and an exoskeleton device, so as to solve the problems that the existing exoskeleton device is relatively complex and fixed in structure and relatively poor in use flexibility.

According to the present invention there is provided an exoskeleton joint assembly comprising:

the joint main body comprises a first bracket and a driving motor; the first bracket comprises a first connecting part and a second connecting part; the driving motor comprises a first part and a second part which are connected in a rotating mode, wherein the first part is fixedly arranged on the first connecting part;

a first link including a first end portion and a second end portion arranged opposite to each other in a length direction, the first link being detachably mounted on the second connecting portion through the first end portion, or the first link being detachably mounted on the second portion through the second end portion.

Optionally, the first bracket comprises a cylindrical portion and a radial receiving portion;

an accommodating space is arranged in the cylindrical part and communicated with an external space through an axial side opening, the first connecting part is positioned on the cylindrical part, and the first part is mounted to the first connecting part through the axial side opening;

the radial receiving portion is fixedly connected with the cylindrical portion or integrally formed, the radial receiving portion is connected to the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion, and the second connecting portion is located on the radial receiving portion.

Optionally, a rotation limiting structure is arranged on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical part;

the rotation limiting structure limits a rotation angle of the first link in a case where the first link is detachably mounted at the second portion through the second end portion.

Optionally, a first flange is disposed on the first connecting rod, and the first flange is located between the first end and the second end;

and a first binding band is arranged on the first flange.

Optionally, the exoskeleton device further comprises a foot orthotic comprising a second brace and a foot orthotic body fixedly connected;

the second bracket is removably mounted to the second portion.

Optionally, the exoskeleton device further comprises a controller, the drive motor configured with an encoder; the driving motor and the encoder are both connected with the controller;

the controller includes:

a receiving module for receiving a mode selection input;

the acquisition module is used for acquiring the displacement signal acquired by the encoder and the acquisition time thereof when the mode selection input instruction is a first mode;

the generating module is used for generating a motor control strategy according to the displacement signal and the acquisition time thereof;

and the control module is used for controlling the driving motor according to the motor control strategy when the mode selection input instruction is a second mode.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides an exoskeleton device, including: a waist coupling assembly and the exoskeleton joint assembly;

the exoskeleton joint assembly is detachably mounted on the waist connection assembly.

Optionally, the waist connecting assembly comprises a fixedly connected waist pocket, at least two flexible connecting plates and a main connecting plate;

the at least two flexible connecting plates are fixedly mounted on the waist pocket belt, the main connecting plate is connected with the at least two flexible connecting plates, and the main connecting plate is used for adjusting the distance between the at least two flexible connecting plates.

Optionally, the waist strap is connected to the exoskeleton joint assembly via a second link;

the second connecting rod includes third tip and the fourth tip of relative arrangement in length direction, third tip demountable installation be in on the second connecting portion, be provided with Y shape structure on the third tip, the one end of Y shape structure articulates fourth tip, the other both ends of Y shape structure are provided with the wear-to-establish hole, waist pocket area wears to establish in the wear-to-establish hole.

Optionally, the exoskeleton joint assemblies are two in number;

each set of exoskeleton joint assemblies comprises three joint bodies, namely a first joint body, a second joint body and a third joint body;

the first joint main body is connected with the waist connecting component through the second connecting rod; the first joint main body and the second joint main body, and the second joint main body and the third joint main body are respectively connected through corresponding first connecting rods; the third joint body is connected with a foot orthotic.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects:

the exoskeleton joint assembly provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises: the joint comprises a joint main body and a first connecting rod, wherein the joint main body comprises a first bracket and a driving motor; the first bracket comprises a first connecting part and a second connecting part; the driving motor comprises a first part and a second part which are connected in a rotating mode, wherein the first part is fixedly arranged on the first connecting part; the first link includes a first end portion and a second end portion arranged opposite to each other in a length direction, and the first link is detachably mounted on the second connecting portion through the first end portion, or the first link is detachably mounted on the second portion through the second end portion. According to the embodiment of the invention, the joint main body and the first connecting rods can be combined in quantity as required through the detachable connecting structure between the joint main body and the first connecting rods, so that the use flexibility is effectively improved.

Drawings

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading of the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a joint body according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a first link according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the connection of a joint body to a foot orthotic in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an exoskeleton joint assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention in an application scenario;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an exoskeleton joint assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention in another application scenario;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the exoskeleton equipment provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a lumbar attachment assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view of the lumbar connection assembly connected to the joint body via the second link according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The figures show that: the joint body 100, the first bracket 110, the cylindrical portion 111, the rotation limiting structure 1110, the radial receiving portion 112, the driving motor 120, the first portion 121, the second portion 122, the first shell 130, the first link 200, the first end 211, the second end 212, the first flange 220, the first strap 230, the second shell 240, the foot orthotic 300, the second bracket 310, the foot orthotic body 320, the lumbar connection assembly 400, the lumbar strap 410, the flexible web 420, the main web 430, the second link 500, the third end 511, the fourth end 512, the Y-shaped structure 520, and the controller 600.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to specific examples. The following examples will assist those skilled in the art in further understanding the invention, but are not intended to limit the invention in any way. It should be noted that variations and modifications can be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. All falling within the scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplicity of description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, an exoskeleton joint assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention includes:

a joint main body 100, the joint main body 100 including a first bracket 110 and a driving motor 120; the first bracket 110 includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion; the driving motor 120 comprises a first part 121 and a second part 122 which are rotatably connected, wherein the first part 121 is fixedly mounted on the first connecting part;

a first link 200, wherein the first link 200 includes a first end 211 and a second end 212 oppositely arranged in a length direction, the first link 200 is detachably mounted on the second connecting portion through the first end 211, or the first link 200 is detachably mounted on the second portion 122 through the second end 212.

In the present embodiment, the joint body 100 may be regarded as a structure having a certain degree of motion automation, and may be a structure capable of generating a certain degree of rotational freedom, for example. In combination with some practical application scenarios, the rotational degree of freedom may correspond to actions like bending legs, stretching legs, or bending elbows, stretching elbows, and the like.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, in order to realize the above rotational degree of freedom, the joint main body 100 may include a drive motor 120; the driving motor may be, for example, a disk motor, a servo motor, or another type of motor, and may perform a rotational output by a relative movement between the rotor and the stator.

It will be readily appreciated that the drive motor 120, which is capable of producing a rotational output, generally has two portions that are capable of relative rotation, such as the rotor and stator described above. In this embodiment, the driving motor 120 includes a first portion 121 and a second portion 122, and assuming that the first portion 121 is a stator, the second portion 122 may be a rotor; and vice versa.

The driving motor 120 may be mounted on a first bracket 110 included in the joint body 100, and the first bracket 110 has a first connecting portion for fixedly mounting a first portion 121 of the driving motor 120; for example, the first connection part may be a structure having a screw hole for bolt-fixedly connecting the driving motor 120; alternatively, the first connection portion may be a snap for engaging the driving motor 120; alternatively, the first connecting portion may be a pre-welded member for welding the driving motor 120, etc., which are not listed here.

As indicated above, the first bracket 110 may further include a second connecting portion, and the driving motor 120 may further have a second portion 122 for outputting a rotational motion. In this embodiment, the second connecting portion and the second portion 122 may be a structure in which the joint main body 100 is connected to other elements.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the exoskeleton joint assembly can include a first link 200, the first link 200 including a first end 211 and a second end 212 disposed opposite to each other in the length direction, the first end 211 can be configured to mate with the second link, and the second end 212 can be configured to mate with the second portion 122.

In other words, with the present embodiment, two joint main bodies 100 may be connected by one first link 200; or, two first links 200 are connected by one joint body 100; or a plurality of first links 200 are alternately connected to a plurality of joint bodies 100.

The joint body 100 and the first link 200 may be detachably connected, and may be one or more of a fastener connection, a snap connection, a screw connection, and the like, for example, and are not limited in particular.

In combination with some practical application scenarios, when the exoskeleton joint assembly is used on the legs of a human body, the number of the joint main bodies 100 and the number of the first connecting rods 200 are selected, so that the exoskeleton joint assembly can be used for knee joint traction, can be used for simultaneously performing knee joint traction and hip joint traction, and the like, thereby greatly improving the use flexibility of the exoskeleton joint assembly.

The exoskeleton joint assembly provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises: a joint main body 100 and a first link 200, wherein the joint main body 100 includes a first bracket 110 and a driving motor 120; the first bracket 110 includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion; the driving motor 120 comprises a first part 121 and a second part 122 which are rotatably connected, wherein the first part 121 is fixedly mounted on the first connecting part; the first link 200 includes a first end 211 and a second end 212 which are opposite to each other in a length direction, and the first link 200 is detachably mounted on the second connection portion through the first end 211, or the first link 200 is detachably mounted on the second portion 122 through the second end 212. According to the embodiment of the invention, the joint main body 100 and the first connecting rods 200 can be combined in quantity as required through the detachable connecting structure between the joint main body 100 and the first connecting rods 200, so that the use flexibility is effectively improved.

In addition, the exoskeleton joint assembly provided in the embodiment of the present invention can assemble the joint body 100 and the first link 200 according to different requirements, thereby effectively avoiding the situation of redundant functions of the existing exoskeleton device and reducing the volume and configuration cost of the exoskeleton device.

Optionally, the first bracket 110 comprises a cylindrical portion 111 and a radial receiving portion 112;

an accommodating space is provided in the cylindrical portion 111 and communicates with an external space through an axial side opening, the first connecting portion is located on the cylindrical portion 111, and the first portion 121 is mounted to the first connecting portion through the axial side opening;

the radial receiving portion 112 is fixedly connected or integrally formed with the cylindrical portion 111, the radial receiving portion 112 is connected to the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 111, and the second connecting portion is located on the radial receiving portion 112.

Referring to fig. 1, the main body portion of the first bracket 110 may be cylindrical and may be adapted to the shape of a general motor, for example, when the driving motor 120 is a disc motor, the cylindrical portion 111 may be adapted to the outer shape of the disc motor.

Specifically, an accommodating space may be provided in the cylindrical portion 111, and may be used for accommodating the driving motor 120, wherein the first connecting portion may be located in the accommodating space, for example, the first connecting portion may be a screw hole provided on an end surface of the shaft on the other side of the opening of the shaft side of the cylindrical portion 111, and a configured fastener, and is connected to the driving motor 120 through the screw hole and the fastener; or the first connecting part can be a clamping structure arranged on the corresponding inner wall of the accommodating space. The first portion 121 of the driving motor 120 may be mounted to the first connection portion through the shaft side opening described above.

Further, on the circumferential surface on the cylindrical portion 111, a radial receiving portion 112 may be integrally molded or fixedly connected, and the second connecting portion is located on the radial receiving portion 112.

For example, with reference to fig. 1, the radial receiving portion 112 may be provided with a rectangular opening for receiving the first end portion 211 of the first link 200; after the first end portion 211 is inserted into the rectangular opening, the first end portion 211 and the radial receiving portion 112 may be fixed by inserting bolts from screw holes perpendicular to the axial direction of the rectangular opening. Accordingly, the second connecting portion may be configured to correspond to a screw hole or the like therein.

Of course, the connection manner between the radial receiving portion 112 and the first link 200 is only illustrated here, and the specific connection manner may be set according to actual needs.

The arrangement of the first bracket 110 in this embodiment helps to ensure that the first link 200 and the driving motor 120 can be reliably mounted on the first bracket 110, thereby improving the assembly convenience of the exoskeleton joint assembly.

Optionally, a rotation limiting structure 1110 is disposed on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 111;

the rotation limiting structure 1110 limits the rotation angle of the first link 200 in a state where the first link 200 is detachably mounted to the second portion 122 through the second end 212.

With reference to fig. 1, a wedge-shaped groove may be further formed on the annular end surface of the cylindrical portion 111 on which the axial side opening is formed; the wedge-shaped groove can be considered as extending along an arc line, and two ends of the wedge-shaped groove in the extension direction of the arc line form a limiting surface; if the second end 212 is also provided with the first link 200, the rotation angle of the first link 200 is limited by the limiting surface.

Of course, the rotation limiting structure 1110 may be not only a wedge-shaped groove, but also a wedge-shaped groove obtained by heightening the annular end surface except for the position of the wedge-shaped groove.

In other words, the rotation restricting structure 1110 may also be a projection provided on the shaft-side end surface of the cylindrical portion 111; for example, the position outside the wedge-shaped groove is integrally protruded, or only two limit points needing rotation angle limit are respectively provided with a protruded piece.

In addition, in practical applications, the second portion 122 of some of the driving motors 120 may not be connected to the first link 200, and the rotation limiting structure 1110 may also be used to limit the angular stroke for other structures.

In this embodiment, by providing the rotation limiting structure 1110, the excessive angle stroke of the driving motor 120 can be avoided, and the actual bending condition of the human joint can be better adapted.

Optionally, referring to fig. 2, a first flange 220 is disposed on the first connecting rod 200, and the first flange 220 is located between the first end 211 and the second end 212;

a first strap 230 is mounted on the first flange 220.

In this embodiment, a first flange 220 may be provided on the first link 200, and a first strap 230 may be mounted on the first flange 220.

In combination with some practical application scenarios, the position of the first link 200, which may correspond to the position of the thigh or the calf of the human body, can be more tightly connected to the first link 200 by arranging the first strap 230.

The primary purpose of the first flange 220 may be considered as a fixed connection structure between the first strap 230 and the first link 200, or the first flange 220 may be used to connect the first strap 230 to the first link 200 more reliably.

For example, a screw hole may be provided on the first link 200, and the first flange 220 may be connected to the first link 200 by a bolt; of course, in practical applications, the structure of the bolt hole may be replaced by a structure in the form of a snap or the like.

In addition, the structure of the first flange 220 and the first strap 230, in conjunction with fig. 2, may be that a C-shaped structural member is connected to the first flange 220, and both ends of the structural member are provided with openings for the first strap 230 to pass through. Of course, in other possible embodiments, the first strap 230 may be connected to the first flange 220 by sewing or gluing.

For the first strap 230, in order to facilitate the binding and detachment with the human body, a structure like a hook and loop fastener, a lace, or the like may be configured, and is not particularly limited herein.

In an alternative embodiment, the first flange 220 may be slidably connected to a kidney-shaped hole in the first link 200, and may be switched to a sliding or fixing state with the first link 200 by a structure such as a bolt.

Optionally, to further enrich the functionality of the exoskeleton joint assembly, the exoskeleton joint assembly can further comprise a foot orthotic 300, the foot orthotic 300 comprising a second bracket 310 and a foot orthotic body 320 fixedly connected;

the second bracket 310 is removably mounted to the second portion 122.

As described above, as for the joint main bodies 100, the number thereof may be selected as needed, and the joint main bodies 100 may be connected with other elements by the second connecting portion or the second portion 122 of the driving motor 120. Thus, it will be readily appreciated that in some applications, the corresponding second portion 122 of the joint body 100 may be used in conjunction with a foot orthotic 300 to achieve traction or training of the ankle joint.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a structure of a foot orthotic 300, and the foot orthotic 300 may include a second brace 310 and an orthotic foot body 320. The second bracket 310 may be removably attached to the second portion 122, such as by fasteners, or by threads, etc. While the orthopedic foot body 320 can be used for penetration of a human foot to achieve relative securement to the foot.

In some examples, the particular connection structure may be removably attachable as the joint body 100 is connected to the first support 200, or to the foot orthotic 300. Thus, different dimensional specifications can be designed for the first support 200 or foot orthotic 300 to accommodate the use of persons of different heights or sizes.

For example, a plurality of first brackets 200 can be configured, and the lengths of the first brackets can be different, and then the corresponding first brackets 200 can be selected according to the length of the leg of the human body. Of course, in other examples, the first bracket 200 itself may be a length-adjustable structure.

Optionally, the exoskeleton joint assembly further comprises a controller 600, the drive motor 120 configured with an encoder; the driving motor 120 and the encoder are both connected to the controller 600;

it is easy to understand that the encoder may be a device for measuring the rotation angle, the specific structure may be selected according to actual needs, and the corresponding working principle is not described herein.

The driving motor 120 is connected to the controller 600, which may be connected through a wire, or may be connected through communication modules such as bluetooth, WiFi, or ZigBee. The controller 600 may be used to control the rotation of the driving motor 120, and related rotation parameters, such as the rotation speed or the rotation angle, may be configured by a human-machine interaction device configured by the controller 600 or by communicating with an external terminal such as a mobile terminal; alternatively, the rotation parameters may be preset.

As for the control of the rotation of the driving motor 120 by the controller 600, it can be realized by the prior art and will not be described herein.

In addition, in this embodiment, an encoder may be further connected to the controller 600, which is helpful for the controller 600 to monitor the rotation process of the driving motor 120.

In one example, the rotation parameters may also be obtained by way of teaching. The process of obtaining the rotation parameters by the teaching method can be exemplified by referring to fig. 4 and 5. The therapist fixes the exoskeleton joint assembly at the knee part or the ankle part of the patient. The therapist can select a mode on the controller 600 and enter a teaching mode, and in this mode, the therapist can directly perform traction movement on the knee joint or the ankle joint of the patient, so that the driving motor 120 correspondingly rotates, and the rotating angle and the like can be obtained through the encoder; the controller 600 may derive the motor control strategy by recording these rotational angles. In subsequent applications, for example, when the automatic mode is selected, the controller 600 may automatically control the driving motor 120 to operate according to the motor control strategy, thereby greatly reducing the workload of the therapist while ensuring the exercise traction effect.

Accordingly, to implement the teaching process described above, the controller 600 includes:

a receiving module for receiving a mode selection input;

a control module configured to control the driving motor 120 according to the motor control strategy when the mode selection input indicates the second mode.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides an exoskeleton device, as shown in fig. 6, the exoskeleton device may include: the lumbar connection assembly 400 and the exoskeleton joint assemblies described above;

the exoskeleton joint assembly is removably mounted to the lumbar connection assembly 400.

The exoskeleton device provided by the embodiment can be fixed on the waist of a human body through the waist connecting assembly 400, and the exoskeleton joint assembly is connected to the waist connecting assembly 400, so that the exoskeleton joint assembly can be reliably fixed with the human body, and the guiding effect of the exoskeleton device on the actions of the human body is improved.

It is emphasized that in connection with the above embodiments relating to the exoskeleton joint assembly, the exoskeleton joint assembly may also be used alone, e.g., solely for traction on the ankle or knee joints, etc. In this embodiment, the exoskeleton device further comprises a waist connection assembly 400, which can further enrich the functions of the exoskeleton device.

Optionally, the lumbar connection assembly 400 includes a fixedly connected lumbar strap 410, at least two flexible webs 420, and a main web 430;

the at least two flexible connecting plates 420 are fixedly installed on the waist pocket 410, the main connecting plate 430 is connected with the at least two flexible connecting plates 420, and the main connecting plate 430 is used for adjusting the distance between the at least two flexible connecting plates 420.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the lumbar connection assembly 400 is further defined.

Referring to fig. 7, in particular, for the waist pocket 410, it can be used to surround the waist of a human body; the flexible connecting plate 420 can be connected with the waist belt 410 to adjust the tightness of the waist belt 410 while ensuring the comfort of human body contact.

The main connecting plate 430 is connected to the two flexible connecting plates 420, and may be used to adjust a distance between the at least two flexible connecting plates 420, that is, the tightness of the waist belt 410 may be adjusted by the two flexible connecting plates 420 through the main connecting plate 430.

In one example, the main connection plate 430 may be connected to the flexible connection plate 420 by a structure such as a bolt or a snap.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 8, the waist belt 410 is connected to the exoskeleton joint assembly via a second link 500;

the second connecting rod 500 comprises a third end portion 511 and a fourth end portion 512 which are oppositely arranged in the length direction, the third end portion 511 is detachably mounted on the second connecting portion, a Y-shaped structural member 520 is arranged on the third end portion 511, one end of the Y-shaped structural member 520 is hinged to the fourth end portion 512, through holes are formed in the other two ends of the Y-shaped structural member 520, and the waist pocket 410 is arranged in the through holes in a penetrating mode.

In this embodiment, the exoskeleton joint assembly can be more reliably connected to the waist belt 410 by providing the second link 500.

In addition, in this embodiment, the Y-shaped structure 520 may be hinged to the second connecting rod 500, so that a certain adaptive movement may be performed between the Y-shaped structure 520 and the waist of the human body, thereby improving the comfort of the human body. In addition, a through control is provided on the Y-shaped structural member 520, which facilitates a reliable connection between the waist pocket 410 and the Y-shaped structural member 520.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 6, the exoskeleton joint assemblies are two in number;

each set of exoskeleton joint assemblies comprises three joint bodies 100, a first joint body, a second joint body and a third joint body;

the first joint body is connected with the lumbar connection assembly 400 through the second link 500; the first joint main body and the second joint main body, and the second joint main body and the third joint main body are connected through corresponding first connecting rods 200; the third joint body is connected to a foot orthotic 300.

In this embodiment, in order to adapt to the leg characteristics of a general human body, two sets of exoskeleton joint assemblies may be provided, and each exoskeleton joint assembly may include three joint bodies 100 corresponding to hip joints, knee joints and ankle joints of the human body.

The first joint body and the second joint body, and the second joint body and the third joint body are connected by corresponding first connecting rods 200, wherein the first connecting rods 200 can correspond to thigh and shank parts; it is easily understood that the first link 200 may be detachably connected to the joint main body 100, and thus, by configuring the first links 200 with different lengths in advance, some of the first links 200 with different lengths may be selected for assembly to accommodate the use of persons with different heights.

Through the configuration, the embodiment can basically meet various movement traction requirements of the whole or local part of the lower limb of the human body, and greatly enriches the application range of the exoskeleton device. It is easy to understand that only part of proper parts can be selected for use on the human body corresponding to the movement traction of local parts, so that the complexity and the weight of the exoskeleton device in application are reduced, and the exoskeleton device is more beneficial to users at different ages.

The exoskeleton device provided by the embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the following practical application scenarios. In this application scenario, the exoskeleton device may be designed primarily for lower limb rehabilitation of children.

Specifically, referring to fig. 6, the exoskeleton device can include an exoskeleton back connection structure (equivalent to lumbar connection assembly 400), modular exoskeleton joints (equivalent to joint body 100), a serialized joint link (equivalent to first link 200), a foot orthotic (i.e., foot orthotic 300 described above);

the exoskeleton back connecting structure fixes the two sets of exoskeleton leg structures which are bilaterally symmetrical on an external rack, and plays a role in connecting and supporting the whole training system; the modularized exoskeleton joint comprises a disc motor and a motor support, wherein an encoder and a driver are integrated in the disc motor, one end of the motor support is provided with a square groove, a serialized joint connecting rod can be inserted into the square groove for quick positioning and quick fixing through a hand-screwed screw, a cylindrical groove is arranged below the serialized joint connecting rod for accommodating and fastening the motor through a bolt, and the circumferential surface of the serialized joint connecting rod is provided with a wedge-shaped protruding surface (equivalent to a rotation limiting structure 1110) so as to achieve the purpose of limiting the movement range of the joint connecting rod; the serialized joint connecting rod comprises a connecting rod body and a leg binding band mechanism for connecting the human body and the exoskeleton, can drive corresponding joints of a child patient to complete rehabilitation movement in a sagittal plane, can be integrally manufactured, can be not provided with a length adjusting mechanism, and can realize the matching with the limb length of the child patient by providing a series of connecting rods with the length for a therapist to select; the foot orthotic may be coupled with a modular exoskeleton joint.

The exoskeleton back connecting structure, the modular exoskeleton joints, the serialized joint connecting rods and the foot orthosis can be integrally assembled for standing posture training, and the modular exoskeleton joints can also be freely selected to be assembled with one or more modules of the exoskeleton back connecting structure, the serialized joint connecting rods and the foot orthosis for single or multiple joint training in prone position and sitting position.

Referring to fig. 7, the exoskeleton back connecting structure ensures that the distances between the symmetrical leg structures on the left and right sides of the exoskeleton can be freely adjusted while connecting the leg structures on the two sides of the exoskeleton, and specifically, the exoskeleton back connecting structure can be composed of a waist belt, a left back flexible connecting plate, a main connecting plate and a right back flexible connecting plate.

The waist pocket belt can be of an annular structure and can be made of pearl cotton elastic materials, and the purpose is to ensure the comfort of the waist of a user. When in training, the hip joints of the two sides of the human body and the hip joints of the exoskeletons of the two sides are fixed by tightening the waist pocket belts. The left and right lower limb exoskeletons are connected with the waist belt through a waist belt fixing flange (equivalent to a Y-shaped structural part 520) to ensure that the heights of the exoskeletons on the two sides are consistent; the waist pocket belt fixing flange is integrally of a Y-shaped structure, one end of the waist pocket belt fixing flange is hinged with the hip connecting rod, the other end of the waist pocket belt fixing flange is attached to and surrounded by the waist of the infant in an arc form, and the waist pocket belt penetrates through a through square groove on the arc line to form limiting fit.

The left and right back flexible connecting plates connect the left and right lower limb exoskeleton through the main connecting plate. The left and right back flexible connecting plates are made of resin materials, have certain toughness so as to meet the requirement that the hip joint of a child patient can move in a small range, and have enough strength so as to ensure the connection reliability and limit the non-sagittal plane movement of the hip joint to achieve the aim of orthopedics. The straight notch arranged on the rear side of the connecting plate is matched with the bolt hole on the main connecting plate, so that the distance of the two sides of the exoskeleton lower limb can be changed, and the connecting piece can be relatively fixed through positive pressure generated by bolt pressing. The side of the flexible connecting plate at the left side and the right side and the back is provided with a plurality of rectangular through holes so as to ensure the air permeability worn by the sick children and improve the training comfort level.

Referring to fig. 1, the modular exoskeleton joint mainly comprises a motor bracket (corresponding to a first bracket 110), a disc motor (corresponding to a driving motor 120), and a joint housing (corresponding to a first housing 130), wherein a square groove is formed at the upper end of the motor bracket, the lower end of the serialized joint connecting rod can be inserted into the square groove to be rapidly positioned and matched and connected through a hand-screwed screw, a cylindrical groove is formed at the lower end of the motor bracket to accommodate the motor and is connected with an inner rotor of the disc motor through a bolt, and a wedge-shaped protruding surface is formed on the circumferential surface of the motor bracket so as to limit the range of motion of the serialized joint connecting rod. The output end of the disc type motor is connected with the upper end of the serialized joint connecting rod through a hand-screwed screw, and the output of the disc type motor is used as the rehabilitation movement of the joint. The joint shell is made of 3D printing materials, a countersunk hole is formed in the surface of the joint shell, and the joint shell is connected with the motor support through a screw and can seal the disc type motor.

Referring to fig. 2, the serialized joint connecting rod mainly includes a connecting rod body, a strap connecting flange (equivalent to the first flange 220) and a connecting rod casing (equivalent to the second casing 240), wherein the strap connecting flange is U-shaped, can be fitted to the leg, and is fixedly connected to the connecting rod body through screws. The side of the utility model is provided with a through square slot hole for limiting the position of the leg bandage. The leg bandage is used for ectoskeleton leg connecting rod to provide drive moment for the infant joint, adopts the form of magic subsides to be convenient for wearing to take off of ectoskeleton, and the inside lining adopts soft cotton material in order to reduce the contact surface pressure and improve the training comfort level. According to the principle of aligning three joints of the lower limbs of a human body, the height of the leg bandage connecting flange is set to be the minimum height which can be attached to the outer diameter of the corresponding leg of the infant patient.

The foot orthosis is designed according to the shape of the human foot, so that the foot orthosis is fully attached to the human foot. The device can be divided into three layers of a sole buffer layer, a middle orthopedic connection layer and a top binding layer, and is fixedly connected with an inner rotor of the disc motor through a foot connecting rod. The material of the laminating layer and the buffer layer is rubber, so that the shock absorption of the sole in contact with the ground in the training process is realized. The orthopedic connecting layer is made of aluminum alloy, so that the connecting strength is realized, and the orthopedic effect is ensured.

Aiming at the modularized exoskeleton device, a rehabilitation training method matched with the modularized exoskeleton device can be provided.

The gait training in the standing posture comprises the following steps:

s11, the therapist fixes the assembled whole exoskeleton device shown in fig. 6 on an external table and wears the exoskeleton device on the infant patient.

S12: the exoskeleton device is internally stored with a curve of the angle change of each joint of a healthy child along with time when the healthy child walks, the angle change of the joint is collected from the healthy child, and after a therapist starts the exoskeleton, the modularized exoskeleton joints drive a child patient to do rehabilitation motion according to the curve and a fixed track.

The standing training in the standing position comprises the following steps:

s21: the therapist fixes the assembled integrated exoskeleton device shown in fig. 6 to an external table and wears the integrated exoskeleton device on the infant patient.

S22: the therapist sets the expected angle of each joint in the standard standing position, the expected angle of each joint in the standard standing position is collected from standing position angle data of healthy children, and the therapist is allowed to finely adjust according to actual conditions.

S23: after a therapist starts the exoskeleton, when the actual angle of each joint is within the range of +/-5 degrees of the expected angle of each joint in the standard standing posture, the modularized exoskeleton joints do not interfere with the movement of the infant patient, the infant patient can achieve stability by relying on the modularized exoskeleton joints, and when the actual angle of each joint exceeds the range of +/-5 degrees of the expected angle of each joint in the standard standing posture, the modularized exoskeleton joints slowly pull the infant patient back to the initial standing position to start training again.

Rehabilitation training in other postures comprises the following steps:

take the rehabilitation training of the prone knee joint as an example shown in fig. 4.

S31: a therapist selects a modularized exoskeleton joint as knee joint drive according to the rehabilitation requirement of the knee joint, selects two serialized joint connecting rods suitable for the limb length of an infant patient to form a knee joint modularized exoskeleton device and wears the knee joint modularized exoskeleton device on the infant patient limb.

S32: and then the therapist switches the control mode of the modularized exoskeleton device into a teaching mode, and the therapist drives the exoskeleton device and the infant to finish a rehabilitation training action of the knee joint. The modular exoskeleton device records the joint angle value of the training action according to an internal encoder and sends the joint angle value to the control box in the process.

S33: during subsequent rehabilitation training, the modularized exoskeleton device can repeatedly complete recorded rehabilitation training actions to replace a therapist to drive the knee joint of the child patient to perform repeated rehabilitation actions.

Taking the sitting posture ankle rehabilitation training shown in fig. 5 as an example, the rehabilitation training comprises the following steps:

s41: the modular exoskeleton device is characterized in that a therapist selects a modular exoskeleton joint as an ankle joint drive according to rehabilitation requirements of the ankle joint, selects a serialized joint connecting rod suitable for the length of a shank of an infant patient and a foot orthosis to form the modular exoskeleton device of the ankle joint and wears the modular exoskeleton device on an affected limb of the infant patient.

S42: and then the therapist switches the control mode of the modularized exoskeleton device into a teaching mode, and the therapist drives the exoskeleton device and the infant to finish a rehabilitation training action of the ankle joint. The modular exoskeleton device records the joint angle value of the training action according to an internal encoder and sends the joint angle value to the control box in the process.

S43: during subsequent rehabilitation training, the modularized exoskeleton device can repeatedly complete recorded rehabilitation training actions to replace a therapist to drive the ankle joint of the child to perform repeated rehabilitation actions.

Based on the description of the application scenario, the exoskeleton device provided by the embodiment of the invention can achieve the following beneficial technical effects compared with the prior art:

1. aiming at the problems of small limb size, complex functional mechanism and limited layout space of a driving module of a child, the invention provides a modularized and serialized exoskeleton device based on a compact integrated design scheme of multi-degree-of-freedom mechanism distributed driving. Through structural topology optimization, redundant mechanisms are removed, unnecessary structures are combined, the structure is compact, and the mass and the volume are reduced. Because the limbs of the children are small in size, and the muscles of the human body and the elastic bandage have deformability, the serialized joint connecting rod can meet requirements only by designing a plurality of lengths for selection, and meanwhile, the length serialized connecting rod is adopted to replace a complex rod length adjusting mechanism, and a quick dismounting interface is designed, so that the size and the quality can be reduced to a great extent, and the use difficulty of a therapist is reduced.

2. According to the modularized exoskeleton device provided by the invention, in the rehabilitation training process, a therapist can be integrally assembled for training in a standing posture according to the rehabilitation requirement of a child patient, a plurality of exoskeleton joints can be selected according to the requirement, a serialized joint connecting rod with a proper rod length is selected according to the length of the child patient limb, and the individual training of the plurality of joints is carried out, so that the modularized exoskeleton device can be matched with the therapist to complete various rehabilitation techniques, and the labor burden of the therapist is reduced. Because the therapist needs to disassemble and assemble the exoskeleton device for multiple times to complete the training of different joints in one round of rehabilitation training, the external skeleton device can be assembled in a short time through the serialized joint connecting rods and the quick disassembling and assembling interfaces of the modularized exoskeleton joints, so that the rehabilitation time is saved, and the rehabilitation efficiency is improved.

3. The rehabilitation training method adaptive to the exoskeleton device provided by the invention can correct abnormal walking postures through the driving mechanisms of the three joints of the lower limbs in the standing posture walking training to assist a patient to finish normal gait, can also help the patient to feel the process of balanced standing in the standing posture standing training to obtain the capability of stable standing, and can also record and repeatedly finish the rehabilitation action of a therapist by finishing the teaching action once for the therapist in other postures.

The foregoing description of specific embodiments of the present invention has been presented. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and that various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. The embodiments and features of the embodiments of the present application may be combined with each other arbitrarily without conflict.

Claims

1. An exoskeleton joint assembly, comprising:

a joint main body (100), the joint main body (100) including a first bracket (110) and a drive motor (120); the first bracket (110) comprises a first connecting part and a second connecting part; the driving motor (120) comprises a first part (121) and a second part (122) which are connected in a rotating mode, wherein the first part (121) is fixedly installed on the first connecting part;

a first link (200), the first link (200) including a first end portion (211) and a second end portion (212) arranged opposite to each other in a length direction, the first link (200) being detachably mounted on the second connecting portion through the first end portion (211), or the first link (200) being detachably mounted on the second portion (122) through the second end portion (212).

2. An exoskeleton joint assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first bracket (110) comprises a cylindrical portion (111) and a radial receiving portion (112);

an accommodating space is provided in the cylindrical portion (111), and the accommodating space communicates with an external space through an axial side opening, the first connecting portion is located on the cylindrical portion (111), and the first portion (121) is mounted to the first connecting portion through the axial side opening;

the radial receiving part (112) is fixedly connected with or integrally formed with the cylindrical part (111), the radial receiving part (112) is connected to the circumferential surface of the cylindrical part (111), and the second connecting part is located on the radial receiving part (112).

3. An exoskeleton joint assembly as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the cylindrical portion (111) is provided with a rotation limiting structure (1110) on its circumference;

the rotation limiting structure (1110) limits a rotation angle of the first link (200) in a state where the first link (200) is detachably mounted to the second portion (122) through the second end portion (212).

4. An exoskeleton joint assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first link (200) is provided with a first flange (220), the first flange (220) being located between the first end (211) and the second end (212);

a first strap (230) is mounted on the first flange (220).

5. The exoskeleton joint assembly of claim 1, further comprising a foot orthotic (300), the foot orthotic (300) comprising a second bracket (310) and a foot orthotic body (320) fixedly connected;

the second bracket (310) is removably mounted to the second portion (122).

6. An exoskeleton joint assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 further comprising a controller (600), the drive motor (120) being configured with an encoder; the driving motor (120) and the encoder are both connected with the controller (600);

the controller (600) comprising:

a receiving module for receiving a mode selection input;

a control module to control the drive motor (120) according to the motor control strategy when the mode selection input indicates a second mode.

7. An exoskeleton device, comprising: a lumbar connection assembly (400) and the exoskeleton joint assembly of any one of claims 1 to 6;

the exoskeleton joint assembly is removably mounted to the lumbar connection assembly (400).

8. An exoskeleton device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the waist connection assembly (400) comprises a fixedly connected waist pocket (410), at least two flexible webs (420) and a main web (430);

the at least two flexible connecting plates (420) are fixedly installed on the waist pocket belt (410), the main connecting plate (430) is connected with the at least two flexible connecting plates (420), and the main connecting plate (430) is used for adjusting the distance between the at least two flexible connecting plates (420).

9. The exoskeleton device of claim 8, wherein the waist strap (410) is connected to the exoskeleton joint assembly via a second link (500);

the second connecting rod (500) comprises a third end portion (511) and a fourth end portion (512) which are oppositely arranged in the length direction, the third end portion (511) is detachably mounted on the second connecting portion, a Y-shaped structural member (520) is arranged on the third end portion (511), one end of the Y-shaped structural member (520) is hinged to the fourth end portion (512), penetrating holes are formed in the other two ends of the Y-shaped structural member (520), and the waist pocket belt (410) penetrates through the penetrating holes.

10. The exoskeleton device of claim 7 wherein the number of exoskeleton joint assemblies is two;

each set of exoskeleton joint assemblies comprises three joint bodies (100) including a first joint body, a second joint body, and a third joint body;

the first joint body is connected with the lumbar connection assembly (400) through the second link (500); the first joint main body and the second joint main body, and the second joint main body and the third joint main body are respectively connected through corresponding first connecting rods (200); the third joint body is connected to a foot orthotic (300).