RU2734565C1 - Exoskeleton - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: satisfaction of human vital needs.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a system for assisting a person to support and transfer a load, specifically to an exoskeleton, which is particularly designed to support a user suffering a mobility deficit. What is presented is an exoskeleton comprising pelvis (1), two movable hip structures (2), two movable shin (3) structures, two movable structures of foot (4) located, each, opposite to corresponding parts of user's body. Said structures are connected to each other by means of mechanical joints and can be actuated by at least one drive (6). A pelvis design, two movable hip structures, two movable shin structures, two movable foot structures contain means for fastening (5) in them corresponding parts of the user. Each of movable structures includes fixed unit (11) and is turned by means of movable cable (8) passing through this fixed unit. Moving cable is attached by its ends to two movable units (10), each of which is actuated by drive, through at least one fixed unit (9) and rope (7), which together form a power tackle.

EFFECT: reduced load on engines during movement.

3 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to a system for assisting a person to support and transfer a load, namely to an exoskeleton, which is configured, in particular, with the ability to support a user suffering from a mobility deficit.

Known RF patent No. 164649, dated 09/10/2016, which discloses an exoskeleton, which includes a base and drives of translational motion, the base is made in the form of three links, and the stand is hingedly connected to the femoral link, and the femoral link is hingedly connected to the shin link, which is hinged connected to the foot. In this case, the translational drive is made in the form of two independent ball-screw drives, kinematically connected through a belt drive with pulleys rigidly mounted on the rack and shin link, and the ball-screw drive additionally contains an elastic element installed between the nut and the screw stop. The disadvantage of this device is the complexity of the design.

The closest technical solution is RF patent No. 2721543 dated 05/19/2020, which discloses an exoskeleton containing a pelvic structure, two upper and two lower leg structures, two foot structures, two thigh structures, each located opposite the corresponding parts of the user's body, when the said structures are connected to each other by means of mechanical joints and are made with the possibility of being actuated by means of at least one actuator installed on each of said structures. Wherein:

- the foot structure contains a support plane made with the possibility of supporting the user's feet on it,

- the lower leg structure is designed to accommodate the lower part of the user's leg,

- the mechanical knee joint is configured to connect the lower leg structure to the upper leg structure configured to accommodate the user's upper leg therein, the mechanical knee joint has a pivot axis, and

- a mechanical ankle joint connects the foot structure to the lower leg structure, the mechanical ankle joint comprises a first pivot joint having a first pivot axis, said first pivot axis and the mechanical knee joint pivot axis form an angle between 0 ° and 15 °,

also the mechanical articulation of the ankle contains a second pivot joint having a second pivot axis, while the second pivot axis is located in a plane perpendicular to the first pivot axis, and forms an angle with the reference plane between 30 ° and 60 ° when the exoskeleton is standing upright and located at rest. The disadvantage of this device is the need to use sufficiently powerful drives to ensure the mobility of the structure.

The technical result of the proposed device is to reduce the load on the engines while driving.

The technical result is achieved in that the exoskeleton contains a pelvis structure, two movable thigh structures, two movable lower leg structures, two movable foot structures, each located opposite the corresponding parts of the user's body. Where these structures are interconnected by means of mechanical joints and made with the possibility of being actuated by means of at least one actuator. And the structure of the pelvis, two movable structures of the thighs, two movable structures of the lower leg, two movable structures of the foot contain means for fixing the corresponding parts of the user in them. Also, each of the movable structures includes a fixed block and pivots by means of a movable cable passing through this fixed block. In this case, the movable cable is attached at its ends to two movable blocks, each of which is driven by a drive, through at least one fixed block and a cable, which together form a power pulley block.

In addition, the articulations of the pelvic structure and each thigh structure, each thigh structure and the corresponding lower leg structure, each lower leg structure and the corresponding foot structure are made by means of a bearing located coaxially with the fixed block of the corresponding thigh or lower leg or foot structure.

The cable, at least one movable block and at least one fixed block are located inside the plate forming the corresponding thigh structure or lower leg structure or pelvic structure.

The design of the device is shown in Fig. 1-6, where:

- in Fig. 1 shows a general view of the proposed device front view;

- in Fig. 2 shows a general view of the proposed device, rear view;

- in Fig. 3 shows a general view of the proposed device front view;

- in Fig. 4 schematically shows the operation of the device when the foot is turned;

- in Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of the shin structure with all the main elements;

- in Fig. 6 schematically shows the operation of the device, where the movable blocks of the chain hoist are in extreme positions, the leg is fully extended.

The drawings show:

1 - the design of the pelvis;

2 - thigh construction;

3 - shin construction;

4 - foot construction;

5 - means for securing the user's body;

6 - drives;

7 - chain hoist cable;

8 - structure rotation cable;

9.1-9.3 - fixed pulley blocks;

10 - movable blocks of the chain hoist;

11 - fixed block of the exoskeleton rotary structure.

The device shown in Figures 1-6 consists of movable, or rather rotatable, structures of the thigh, lower leg and foot.

Figure 4 shows a schematic operation of the rotation of the foot 4 of the proposed device. The rotation of the foot is carried out through the power system of the pulley block (https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1 % 81% D1% 82) In this case, the system of blocks and cables of the chain hoist is located in the grooves of the lower leg structure 3, made in the form of a flat plate and articulated with the structure of the foot 4 by means of a rolling bearing. The system of blocks and cables of the chain hoist, located in the grooves of the lower leg structure 3, contains 2 sections symmetrically located relative to each other, each of which contains: a fixed block 9.1, a fixed block 9.2, a movable block 10, a fixed block 9.3, a cable 7 and a common cable for turning the structure 8, in this case the feet 4, passed through the stationary block 11 of the rotatable structure of the exoskeleton. The rolling bearing is fixed with an outer ring in the foot structure 4, and with an inner ring in the lower leg structure 3.

To rotate the lower leg, a similar system of pulleys and pulley cables is used, as described above, located in the grooves of the thigh structure 2, also made in the form of a flat plate and articulated with the lower leg structure 3 by means of a rolling bearing.

To turn each hip, a similar system of pulleys and pulley cables can also be used, as described above, located in the grooves of the pelvis structure 1, also made in the form of a flat plate and articulated with the structure of the thigh 2 by means of a rolling bearing, or the engine cables directly turn the fixed block of each thigh construction 2.

The rotation of the foot (lower leg, thigh) 4 is carried out as follows.

The chain hoist cable 7 in the first section is driven by the drive 6 upward, as shown in Fig. 4 with an upward arrow, the chain hoist cable 7 passes through the fixed block of the chain hoist 9.1, then the stationary block 9.2, and displaces the movable blocks of the chain hoist 10. The end of the chain hoist cable 7 passes the stationary block 9.3 , movable blocks of the chain hoist 10 and is fixed in the structure of the tibia groove 3. In this case, respectively, in the second symmetrical section, the chain hoist cable 7 is located similarly and moves in the opposite direction, similarly to the first section. To the movable blocks of the chain hoist 10 of each section is rigidly attached to the rotation cable of the structure 8, in this case the foot, which is passed through the stationary block 11 of the foot, located coaxially with the bearing of the foot. And thus, when moving the movable blocks of the chain hoist 10 in one section upwards, and in the other section downwards, the rotation cable of the structure 8 turns the foot 4. In this case, the rotation cable of the structure 8 is made thicker than the cable of the chain hoist 7 (an asterisk and a chain can be used). The operation of the drive is carried out depending on the user, i.e. while the user makes an effort in one direction or another, the drive works and helps the user.

Similarly, the rotation of the second foot, as well as both lower leg and both thigh structures, is performed. In this case, for work, at least six drives are used, each for turning its own joint.

Claims (3)

1. An exoskeleton containing a pelvic structure, two movable thigh structures, two movable leg structures, two movable foot structures, each located opposite the corresponding parts of the user's body, where these structures are interconnected by means of mechanical joints and are made with the possibility of being actuated when using at least one drive, and the pelvis structure, two movable thigh structures, two movable lower leg structures, two movable foot structures contain means for fixing the corresponding parts of the user in them, characterized in that each of the movable structures includes a fixed block and rotates by means of a movable a cable passing through a fixed block, while the movable cable is attached at its ends to two movable blocks, each of which is driven by a drive, through at least one fixed block and a cable, which together form a power pulley block. 2. The exoskeleton according to claim 1 of the formula, characterized in that the joints of the pelvic structure and each thigh structure, each thigh structure and the corresponding lower leg structure, each lower leg structure and its corresponding foot structure are made by means of a bearing located coaxially with the fixed block of the corresponding thigh structure or shins or feet. 3. The exoskeleton of claim. 1, characterized in that the cable, at least one movable block and at least one stationary block are located inside the plate, which forms the corresponding structure of the thigh or the structure of the lower leg or the structure of the pelvis.

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