KR20230086842A - Exoskeleton walk assistance apparatus for supporting hip joint and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention, a plurality of pressure sensors (F1, F2) located under the sole of the user; Low power Bluetooth modules (B1, B2) attached to the user's ankle and wirelessly transmitting the pressure data sensed by the pressure sensor; Position sensors (G1, G2) provided to surround the user's thigh and detecting the movement of the user's thigh; An exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support comprising a driving module (M) worn on the user's waist and elevating the user's thigh, and a control unit receiving signals from the pressure sensor and the position sensor to drive the driving module. provide the device. The present invention contributes to psychological stability and improvement in muscle strength by enabling the elderly with reduced mobility to walk, and has the effect of enabling walking by one's own power and improving the quality of life by providing the hip joint exoskeleton equipment necessary for the elderly at a low cost. exerted

Description

Exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support and its control method

The present invention relates to a device for supporting muscular strength of a hip joint in order to assist an elderly person walking, and to a wearable powered exoskeleton robot assisting technology for directly supporting muscular strength in the hip joint.

As society is gradually aging, the proportion of the elderly in the population is gradually increasing. Looking at walking, which is the main means of transportation for the elderly, walking in their 60s actually accounts for 40% and 50% in their 70s. Walking is a very important means of transportation for the elderly, and as the age increases, the number of walking increases gradually. However, most people find it difficult to walk due to decreased muscle strength and reduced ability to maintain equilibrium. Therefore, if independent walking is induced and maintained through the opening of walking aids, it is judged that a healthier aging society will be maintained in the future.

However, even though the 4th industrial revolution is underway, the wearable exoskeleton industry is difficult for the general public to easily approach due to its high price. Existing wearable exoskeleton products are very expensive, so it is necessary to develop an exoskeleton that people can approach without much burden.

An object of the present invention is to provide an exoskeleton walking aid for supporting muscle strength of the hip joint, which can be worn by the elderly on the waist and legs, and which assists and improves the function of the human musculoskeletal system, particularly the hip joint.

The present invention, a plurality of pressure sensors (F1, F2) located under the sole of the user; Low power Bluetooth modules (B1, B2) attached to the user's ankle and wirelessly transmitting the pressure data sensed by the pressure sensor; Position sensors (G1, G2) provided to surround the user's thigh and detecting the movement of the user's thigh; An exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support comprising a driving module (M) worn on the user's waist and elevating the user's thigh, and a control unit receiving signals from the pressure sensor and the position sensor to drive the driving module. provide the device.

The driving module (M), the waist band 10 that surrounds the user's waist; an upper frame 20 provided on the waist band; a lower frame 30 having an upper end coupled to the upper frame via a motor, and a lower end surrounding the user's thigh to apply force to the thigh; and a motor provided on the upper frame and rotating the rotating shaft.

In addition, the present invention is a method for controlling the exoskeleton walking aid,

Step 1 of receiving, by the control unit, pressure data detected by a pressure sensor of an insole sensor located on the sole and movement data of the thigh detected by a position sensor located on the thigh; Step 2 of analyzing the user's gait pattern (also referred to as 'gait assistance') using the received pressure data; a third step of analyzing a user's gait cycle (or 'gait direction') based on the thigh movement data; and a fourth step of operating a motor of the driving module based on the gait pattern and gait cycle analyzed in the second and third steps.

Then, a first step of receiving, by the control unit, the pressure data sensed by the pressure sensor and the thigh motion data sensed by the position sensor; a second step of analyzing the user's weight or the weight of cargo to be transported using the received pressure data; A third step of determining the torque of the motor of the driving module based on the body weight or the weight of the cargo analyzed in the second step and operating the motor may be included.

Then, a first step of receiving, by the control unit, the pressure data sensed by the pressure sensor and the thigh motion data sensed by the position sensor; a second step of analyzing the user's walking will based on the received pressure data and thigh motion data; and a third step of operating a motor of the drive module based on the walking will analyzed in the second step; wherein the walking will analysis in the second step determines whether the user is in an upright state using the pressure data, It is possible to determine whether to start walking by using the degree of movement of the user's legs.

The control unit determines that the user is in an upright state only when the pressure data values of the pressure sensors provided on the soles of both feet in step 2 are greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and does not operate the motor if the pressure data values are less than or equal to the predetermined value. do.

The controller determines the movement of the leg based on the thigh movement data in step 2, but determines that the user starts walking only when the angular velocity of the leg is greater than or equal to a predetermined angular velocity, and if the angle of the leg is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the controller determines that the user starts walking. By not operating the motor, malfunction of the motor due to slight vibration of the user's leg is prevented.

In the control method of the present invention, in order to prevent the angle of the user's leg from deviating beyond a certain range, the motor operates in a forward and reverse direction only within a predetermined angular range, the motor operates in a forward and reverse direction within a predetermined angular range, and the lower frame (30) applies force to the user's thigh forward or backward.

The present invention contributes to psychological stability and improvement in muscle strength by enabling the elderly with reduced mobility to walk, and has the effect of enabling walking by one's own power and improving the quality of life by providing the hip joint exoskeleton equipment necessary for the elderly at a low cost. exerted

1 and 2 are views from the front and rear of a state wearing an exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support according to the present invention,
Figure 3 shows a plurality of pressure sensors located under the sole of the foot in the exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support according to the present invention,
4 and 5 are views of the driving system of the exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support according to the present invention.

Objects, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In addition, the terms used are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to the intention or custom of the user operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout the present specification.

1 and 2 are front and rear views of a person wearing the exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support according to the present invention, and FIG. A plurality of pressure sensors are shown, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are views of the driving system of the exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings of the present invention.

First, looking at the configuration of the exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support according to the present invention, a plurality of pressure sensors (F1, F2) located below the sole of the user's foot, and pressure data attached to the user's ankle and sensed by the pressure sensor low-power Bluetooth modules (B1, B2) for wirelessly transmitting, position sensors (G1, G2) provided to surround the user's thighs and detecting the movement of the user's thighs, and worn on the user's waist to lift the user's thighs. It includes a driving module (M) and a control unit that receives signals from the pressure sensor and the position sensor to drive the driving module. F1 to f7 shown in FIG. 3 represent the distribution of each of the pressure sensors F1 and F2.

And, the driving module (M) assists the operation of the hip joint necessary for the walking process by carrying out an operation such as an upper part worn on the user's waist and a lower part supporting the user's thigh to raise the thigh. Specifically, the drive module M is composed of a waist band 10 that surrounds the user's waist, an upper frame 20 provided on the waist band, and a lower frame 30 connected to the upper frame. The upper end of the lower frame 30 is coupled to the upper frame via a motor (not shown) and a rotating shaft of the motor, and the lower end of the lower frame surrounds the user's thigh to apply force to the thigh. And, at this time, the upper frame is provided with a motor (not shown) that rotates by a battery, and the rotation shaft is rotated by the motor. When the rotating shaft is rotated by the motor, the lower frame rotates along with the rotating shaft to assist the rotational motion of the hip joint necessary for the user's walking process.

In addition, the present invention is characterized by a method of including a control unit for controlling the exoskeleton walking assistance device and controlling the device by the control unit.

Briefly looking at the process in which the control unit controls and operates the exoskeleton walking aid, a first step of receiving pressure data detected by the pressure sensor and thigh motion data detected by the position sensor, and using the received pressure data Step 2 of analyzing the gait pattern of the user, step 3 of analyzing the gait cycle of the user based on the thigh movement data, and step 2 and 3 of the driving module based on the analyzed gait pattern and gait cycle It can include 4 steps to operate the motor. Through this, after analyzing the user's gait pattern and gait cycle in advance, it is possible to control the walking assistance motion according to the pattern and period of the gait motion.

Further, the control method of the walking assistance device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a first step of receiving pressure data detected by the pressure sensor and thigh motion data detected by the position sensor; a second step of analyzing the user's weight or the weight of cargo to be transported using the received pressure data; A third step of determining the torque of the motor of the driving module and operating the motor based on the body weight or the weight of the cargo analyzed in the second step; may be included.

In addition, as a control method of the walking assistance device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the user's intention to walk may be determined and the operation may be controlled. Step 1 of receiving thigh movement data detected by the position sensor; a second step of analyzing the user's walking will based on the received pressure data and thigh motion data; and a third step of operating a motor of the drive module based on the walking will analyzed in the second step, wherein the walking will analysis in the second step determines whether the user is in an upright state using the pressure data, It is possible to determine whether to start walking by using the degree of movement of the user's legs.

The control unit determines that the user is in an upright state only when the pressure data values of the pressure sensors provided on the soles of both feet in step 2 are greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and does not operate the motor if the pressure data values are less than or equal to the predetermined value. do. Through this, the operation of the walking assistance device is prevented when the user is not in an upright state, for example, in a sitting state, and the detection data of the pressure sensor is used to determine whether the user is upright.

And, in the case of the elderly, leg muscles may unintentionally tremble due to unnaturalness of the muscles, such as the legs. It was determined that walking was initiated only when the angular velocity was greater than or equal to the angular velocity. Detecting the angle of the legs is to prevent injury due to the legs being spread apart beyond a certain angle, and detecting the angular velocities of both legs is to determine the angular velocities of the pedestrian with the will to walk. Also, angular velocity was used as the reference value used to avoid movement due to minute muscle tremors. The angle of the user's leg may be determined based on the thigh motion data sensed by the position sensor, and additional sensors may be further provided if necessary to determine the angle.

That is, the control unit determines the movement of the leg based on the thigh movement data in step 2, but determines that the user starts walking only when the angular velocity of the leg is greater than or equal to a predetermined angular velocity, and when the angular velocity of the leg is less than or equal to a predetermined value. In this case, the motor is prevented from malfunctioning due to the slight vibration of the user's leg by not operating the motor.

In addition, the control method of the present invention controls the motor to operate in a forward and reverse direction only within a predetermined angular range in order to prevent malfunction due to the angle of the user's leg deviating from a predetermined range or more. That is, while the motor operates in the forward and reverse directions in a predetermined angular range, the lower frame 30 applies force to the user's thigh forward or backward, so that the lower frame moves the user's thigh forward or backward. It limits the range to apply force backwards.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also made according to the present invention. falls within the scope of the rights of

Claims (9)

A plurality of pressure sensors (F1, F2) located under the user's sole;
Low power Bluetooth modules (B1, B2) attached to the user's ankle and wirelessly transmitting the pressure data sensed by the pressure sensor;
Position sensors (G1, G2) provided to surround the user's thigh and detecting the movement of the user's thigh;
A driving module (M) worn on the user's waist and raising the user's thigh; and
An exoskeleton walking aid for supporting muscle strength of the hip joint, comprising: a control unit that receives signals from the pressure sensor and the position sensor and drives the driving module. The method of claim 1, wherein the driving module (M),
A waist band 10 that wraps around a user's waist;
an upper frame 20 provided on the waist band;
a lower frame 30 having an upper end rotatably coupled to the upper frame and a lower end surrounding a user's thigh to apply force to the thigh; and
An exoskeleton walking aid for hip joint muscle strength support, characterized in that it includes a motor provided on the upper frame and rotating the rotation shaft. In the method for controlling the exoskeleton walking aid according to claim 2,
the control unit,
a first step of receiving pressure data detected by the pressure sensor and thigh motion data detected by the position sensor;
a second step of analyzing a user's gait pattern using the received pressure data;
a third step of analyzing a user's gait cycle based on the thigh movement data; and
and a fourth step of operating a motor of the driving module based on the gait pattern and gait cycle analyzed in the second and third steps. A method for controlling the exoskeleton walking aid according to claim 2,
the control unit,
a first step of receiving pressure data detected by the pressure sensor and thigh motion data detected by the position sensor;
a second step of analyzing the user's weight or the weight of cargo to be transported using the received pressure data;
and a third step of determining the torque of the motor of the driving module based on the body weight or the weight of the cargo analyzed in the second step and operating the motor. In the method for controlling the exoskeleton walking aid according to claim 2,
the control unit,
a first step of receiving pressure data detected by the pressure sensor and thigh motion data detected by the position sensor;
a second step of analyzing the user's walking will based on the received pressure data and thigh motion data;
A third step of operating a motor of the driving module based on the walking will analyzed in step 2;
The analysis of the gait will in the second step,
Using the pressure data, it is determined whether the user is in an upright state,
A method for controlling an exoskeleton walking aid device, characterized in that it determines whether to start walking by using the degree of movement of the user's legs. The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
In step 2, it is determined that the user is in an upright state only when the pressure data values of the pressure sensors provided on both soles are equal to or greater than a predetermined value;
Wherein the motor is not operated when the pressure data value is less than or equal to a predetermined value. The method of claim 5, wherein the control unit,
In step 2, the movement of the leg is grasped based on the thigh movement data, but it is determined that the user starts walking only when the angular velocity of the leg is equal to or greater than a predetermined angular velocity;
By not operating the motor when the angular velocity of the leg is less than a predetermined value,
A control method for an exoskeleton walking aid, characterized in that for preventing malfunction of a motor caused by a slight tremor of a user's leg. According to claim 5,
In order to prevent the angle of the user's leg from deviating beyond a certain range, the motor operates in a forward and reverse direction only within a predetermined angular range. According to claim 8,
The motor operates in a forward and reverse direction within a predetermined angular range, and the lower frame 30 applies force to the user's thigh forward or backward.

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