CN217091335U - Knee joint moving mechanism, leg module and exoskeleton system - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses a knee joint moving mechanism, a leg module and an exoskeleton system, which relate to the technical field of mechanical joints and comprise a first leg member, a second leg member and a moving assembly, wherein the first leg member and the second leg member are pivotally connected through the moving assembly; a linkage gap for the relative movement of the first leg member and the second leg member is formed between the first linkage piece and the second linkage piece; the outside of first leg component and second leg component is equipped with the shielding piece, and the shielding piece is used for sheltering from the linkage clearance. The linkage clearance on the movable assembly is sheltered from to the shielding piece, has avoided taking place the condition of interfering with the foreign object, has improved man-machine compliance, effectively prolongs module system's life, reduces its damage risk, also lets the security of wearing under the state obtain improving.

Description

Knee joint moving mechanism, leg module and exoskeleton system

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of mechanical joints, in particular to a knee joint moving mechanism, a leg module and an exoskeleton system.

Background

The mechanical joint is a mechanical component which can assist the limb movement of a wearer when the joint components are worn on each part of a human body through the pivoting connection among the joint components.

In the application of the mechanical joint in the human knee joint, because the human knee joint belongs to a pulley joint and is internally provided with a synovial membrane structure, the instantaneous center (instantaneous rotation center) of the knee joint can be continuously changed in the flexion and extension movement process of the knee joint, and the total length of thighs and crus can also be changed along with the change of the bending angle of the joint. In order to match the motion of the knee joint of a human body, the current mechanical knee joint part generally realizes the centrode of the knee joint of a wearer through a four-bar mechanism, so that a human-computer system has higher compliance, and the auxiliary effect of the mechanical joint on the motion process of the joint of the wearer is improved.

However, in the mechanical knee joint part with the four-bar mechanism, the relative position and angle of the two links are changed continuously during the movement process, and the relative angle between the two links is reduced continuously during the flexion of the knee joint, and finally, the two links are in a mutually staggered and overlapped state after being close to and sheared when the knee joint is completely flexed. Therefore, the four-bar mechanism of the mechanical knee joint part can often interfere with a foreign object in the flexing process, if clothes of a wearer are clamped in the four-bar mechanism, the movement fluency of the knee joint is influenced, even the risk of clamping hands exists, certain safety risk exists, and the use experience of the wearer in the normal use process of the exoskeleton system is reduced.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The purpose of the disclosed embodiment is: the technical problem of low human-computer compliance is solved by arranging the movable assembly, and meanwhile, the shielding piece is arranged on the outer sides of the first leg component and the second leg component, so that the technical problem of interference between the movable assembly and a foreign object in the movement process is solved.

In order to achieve the purpose, the following technical scheme is adopted in the disclosure:

in a first aspect, there is provided a knee joint articulation mechanism comprising:

a first leg member, a second leg member, and a movable assembly, the first leg member and the second leg member being pivotally connected by the movable assembly such that the second leg member is swingable about the movable assembly relative to the first leg member;

the movable assembly comprises a first linkage piece and a second linkage piece, and the first linkage piece and the second linkage piece are both pivoted to the first leg component and the second leg component; a linkage gap for the first leg member and the second leg member to move relatively is formed between the first linkage piece and the second linkage piece;

and shielding pieces are arranged on the outer sides of the first leg component and the second leg component and used for shielding the linkage gap.

As an alternative embodiment, the pivot point between the first link and the first leg member and the pivot point connection between the first link and the second leg member form a first swing line;

a pivot point between the second linkage and the first leg member, and a pivot point connection between the second linkage and the second leg member form a second swing line;

the length of the first swinging line is greater than that of the second swinging line, and the first swinging line and the second swinging line are relatively inclined.

In an alternative embodiment, the first linkage is disposed on an outer side of the first and second leg members, and the second linkage is disposed on an inner side of the first and second leg members.

As an alternative embodiment, the shutter is provided to the first linkage member.

As an alternative embodiment, a limiting structure is disposed on the first leg member and/or the second leg member, and the limiting structure is used for limiting the relative swing range of the first leg member and the second leg member.

As an alternative embodiment, the limiting structure comprises an extension limiting block, and the extension limiting block is arranged on one or more of the first leg member, the second leg member and the movable assembly;

the extension stopper is configured to limit a range of motion of the second leg member swinging forward relative to the first leg member.

As an alternative embodiment, the stop structure includes a flexion limiting groove provided in one or more of the first leg member, the second leg member, the movable assembly;

the flexion limiting slot is configured to limit a range of motion of the second leg member swinging backward relative to the first leg member.

As an alternative embodiment, the movable assembly and the first leg member, and the movable assembly and the second leg member are connected by a pin.

In a second aspect, a leg module is provided, including:

in the knee joint movement mechanism described above, each of the first leg member and the second leg member forms a leg wearing space for accommodating a leg of a wearer;

under the condition that the knee joint moving mechanism is bound with the leg of a wearer, the moving component is arranged on the side part of the knee joint of the wearer, and the first leg component and the second leg component can move along the moving track of the leg of the wearer.

As an alternative embodiment, the first leg member includes a first inner side support and a first outer side support, and the first inner side support and the first outer side support are disposed opposite to each other to form the wearing space;

the second leg member comprises a second inner side support and a second outer side support, and the second inner side support and the second outer side support are oppositely arranged to form the wearing space;

the first inner side supporting piece is connected with the second inner side supporting piece through the movable assembly, and the first outer side supporting piece is connected with the second outer side supporting piece through the movable assembly.

As an optional embodiment, a first connecting part is connected between the first inner supporting part and the first outer supporting part;

a second connecting part is connected between the second inner side supporting part and the second outer side supporting part;

an avoiding space for accommodating and moving the knee joint of the wearer is formed between the first connecting part and the second connecting part.

In a third aspect, there is provided an exoskeleton system including a lumbar assembly, a hip joint assembly, and a foot assembly, the lumbar assembly coupled to the hip joint assembly, comprising:

in the leg module, the first leg member is pivotally connected to the hip joint assembly, and the second leg member is movably connected to the foot assembly.

The beneficial effect of this disclosure does: the first leg component and the second leg component of the knee joint moving mechanism are in pivot connection through the moving component, the first leg component, the second leg component and the moving component form a four-bar mechanism, and under the condition that a wearer wears the leg module or the exoskeleton system, the instant center track of the knee joint moving mechanism can be the same as the instant center track of the knee joint movement of the wearer, so that the high compliance of a man-machine system is achieved, and the auxiliary effect of the leg module and the exoskeleton system on the leg joint of the wearer is improved;

set up the shielding piece through the outside at first shank component and second shank component, the linkage clearance on the movable assembly is sheltered from to the shielding piece, in the middle of the linkage clearance can't stretch into from knee joint moving mechanism's the outside to the foreign object, it cuts to be close to the emergence at first linkage and second linkage, overlap, let the in-process that the linkage clearance narrows, the condition of interfering has been avoided taking place with the foreign object, the motion process of movable assembly can be smooth and easy, man-machine compliance has further been improved, effectively prolong the life of module system, reduce its damage risk, also let the security of wearing person under the wearing state obtain improving.

Drawings

The present disclosure is described in further detail below with reference to the figures and examples.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall architecture of an exoskeleton system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the exoskeleton system in an upright position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a partial schematic view of the knee joint articulating mechanism of the present disclosure in an upright extended position (with the covering omitted);

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic view of the knee joint moving mechanism according to the embodiment of the present disclosure in flexion and flexion states (with the covering omitted);

FIG. 5 is one of an isometric view in partial cross-section of a movable assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

figure 6 is a second partial cross-sectional isometric view of a movable element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the figure: 10. a first leg member; 11. a first medial support; 12. a first lateral support; 13. a first connection portion; 14. stretching the limiting block; 15. buckling a limit groove; 20. a second leg member; 21. a second medial support; 22. a second lateral support; 23. a second connecting portion; 30. a movable component; 31. a first linkage member; 311. a first pivot point; 312. a second pivot point; 313. a first swing line; 314. a first pin shaft; 315. a first bushing; 316. an end cap; 32. a second linkage member; 321. a third pivot point; 322. a fourth pivot point; 323. a second swing line; 324. a second pin shaft; 325. a second shaft sleeve; 326. a clamp spring; 33. a linkage gap; 34. a shield; 40. a wearing space; 50. avoiding space; 60. a waist feature; 70. a hip joint assembly; 80. a foot component.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems solved, technical solutions adopted, and technical effects achieved by the present disclosure clearer, the following describes technical solutions of embodiments of the present disclosure in further detail, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments disclosed herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly stated or limited, the terms "connected," "connected," and "fixed" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as being fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrated; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood in specific instances by those of ordinary skill in the art.

In the present disclosure, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may comprise the first and second features being in direct contact, or may comprise the first and second features being in contact, not directly, but via another feature in between. Also, the first feature being "on," "above" and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly on and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature includes the first feature being directly under and obliquely below the second feature, or simply meaning that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

Referring to fig. 1, which is a schematic diagram of an overall structure of a knee joint moving mechanism according to this embodiment, the knee joint moving mechanism is used as one of joint portions of a leg module in an exoskeleton system, and is used for assisting a wearer in movement of a knee joint, i.e., between a thigh and a calf. The effect of the exoskeleton system is that the matching degree and the compliance of a wearer and the exoskeleton system are improved, the failure rate of the system module is reduced, and the safety performance is improved.

Specifically, the knee joint movement mechanism is mainly applied to an exoskeleton system, specifically a passive power-assisted exoskeleton, and can also be applied to active mechanical exoskeleton, the exoskeleton system can drive joint components to assist a wearer to move through a joint module, and the passive components (such as springs) can also assist the wearer to move.

Referring to fig. 1-2, before describing the scheme in detail, it should be noted that, in the present invention, for each of the first leg member 10, the second leg member 20 and the movable assembly 30, in the wearing state of the wearer (not shown), the side of each member close to the leg of the wearer is the inner side of each member, and further, the side of each member located in the wearing space 40 is the inner side of each member; the side of each component away from the wearer's leg is the outside of each component, further, the side of each component away from the wearing space 40 is the outside thereof; in the use state of the exoskeleton system, the forward direction of the wearer towards the front of the wearer is the front side direction of each component in the exoskeleton system, namely the direction of the arrow in the figure, namely the front direction.

In one embodiment, the knee joint articulation mechanism includes a first leg member 10, a second leg member 20, and an articulation assembly 30, the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 being pivotally connected by the articulation assembly 30 such that the second leg member 20 can pivot about the articulation assembly 30 relative to the first leg member 10. The first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 act as members for connection to external other joint means, which in its application to exoskeletal exoskeleton systems, in conjunction with hip joint assembly 70 and foot assembly 80, first leg member 10 and second leg member 20 form a leg-receiving space 40 for receiving the thighs and calves, respectively, of a wearer, and, the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 may be provided with wearing components for being worn around the legs (thighs, calves) of the wearer, such that the first leg member 10 is bound to the thighs of the wearer, the second leg member 20 is bound to the calves of the wearer, and, in the wearing state, the knee joint of the wearer is correspondingly positioned at the inner side of the movable assembly 30, and the hip joint assembly 70, the foot assembly 80 and the waist assembly 60 are matched to assist the hip joint and the knee joint of the wearer to move.

As shown in fig. 3-4, in order to match the characteristics of the human knee joint and increase the compliance of the wearer during the movement, the movable assembly 30 includes a first link 31 and a second link 32, and the first link 31 and the second link 32 are both pivotally connected to the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, so that a four-bar mechanism is formed between the first leg member 10, the second leg member 20 and the movable assembly 30.

Specifically, a first pivot point 311 is formed between the first link 31 and the first leg member 10, a second pivot point 312 is formed between the first link 31 and the second leg member 20, a third pivot point 321 is formed between the second link 32 and the first leg member 10, and a fourth pivot point 322 is formed between the second link 32 and the second leg member 20. The first pivot point 311 and the third pivot point 321, and the second pivot point 312 and the fourth pivot point 322 are spaced apart, so that a linkage gap 33 is formed between the first linkage 31 and the second linkage 32 for relative movement of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20. Furthermore, a first swing line 313 is formed by a connecting line between the first pivot point 311 and the second pivot point 312, a second swing line 323 is formed by a connecting line between the third pivot point 321 and the fourth pivot point 322, the length of the first swing line 313 is greater than that of the second swing line 323, the first swing line 313 and the second swing line 323 are relatively inclined, and the first swing line 313 is inclined towards the second swing line 323 from bottom to top when the knee joint movement mechanism is in an upright state, so that the first swing line 313 and the second swing line 323 are approximately in a shape of a Chinese character 'ba'.

The pivot axes of the first pivot point 311, the second pivot point 312, the third pivot point 321, and the fourth pivot point 322 are parallel to each other and are located outside or inside the knee joint of the wearer in the worn state of the wearer, that is, the pivot axes of the pivot points may be parallel to the swing axis of the knee joint of the wearer, thereby improving the degree of matching between the human joint and the mechanical joint to the maximum extent. The first linkage member 31 is close to the front side of the whole knee joint moving mechanism, and the second linkage member 32 is close to the rear side of the whole knee joint moving mechanism, and is respectively used for matching the movement of the human knee joint with a large swing angle at the front side and the movement of the human knee joint with a small swing angle at the rear side.

During the process of the knee joint moving mechanism moving from the upright extension state to the flexion state of the bent knee, the first linkage part 31 follows the front side of the knee joint of the human body to move and swings to a larger extent along with the front side of the knee of the wearer, and the second linkage part 32 follows the rear side of the knee joint of the human body to move and is combined into a quadrilateral structure capable of rotating backwards. Because the swing amplitude of the first linkage member 31 is larger than that of the second linkage member 32, the equivalent distance between the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 is shortened along with the increase of the rotation angle of the movable assembly 30, so that the real situation of the change of the equivalent length of the large leg and the small leg during the bending of the knee joint of the human body can be fitted, the linkage gap 33 between the first linkage member 31 and the second linkage member 32 is narrowed along with the narrowing of the bending process of the knee joint movable mechanism, the first linkage member 31 and the second linkage member 32 are in shear type fit, and finally, the cross overlapping state is achieved, the transient characteristic of the knee joint in the actual motion process of the human body is better conformed, and good human-computer interaction compliance is achieved.

Since the linkage gap 33 gradually narrows during the flexion of the knee joint moving mechanism, and the first linkage member 31 and the second linkage member 32 are finally overlapped poorly in shearing, there is a risk of interference with a foreign object between the first linkage member 31 and the second linkage member 32 in the process, and if a foreign object (such as clothes, a hand of a human body, and the like) exists in the linkage gap 33, the foreign object is clamped in the linkage gap 33, so that the movement of the knee joint moving mechanism is influenced, the movement of the knee joint of a wearer is further influenced, and a certain potential safety hazard also exists. In order to solve the technical problem, the shielding piece 34 is arranged on the outer sides of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, and the shielding piece 34 can be installed on any one of the members and used for shielding the outer side of the linkage gap 33, so that foreign objects are prevented from entering the linkage gap 33 from the outer side of the knee joint moving mechanism, no foreign objects exist in the linkage gap 33 of the knee joint moving mechanism in the buckling process, the fluency of the exoskeleton system and a wearer in the moving process is ensured, the auxiliary effect of the exoskeleton system on the wearer is improved, and the phenomenon that the hands of the wearer or the hands of other operators are prevented from being accidentally stretched into the linkage gap 33 and being pinched is avoided.

In order to reduce the space occupancy rate of the knee joint moving mechanism and avoid the situation that a wearer wears the leg module and the exoskeleton system is too bulky and affects the action, the first linkage piece 31 is arranged on the outer sides of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, and the second linkage piece 32 is arranged on the inner sides of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, so that the movement between the first linkage piece 31 and the second linkage piece 32 cannot interfere with each other, and the whole knee joint moving mechanism cannot have too large transverse size because the first linkage piece 31 and the second linkage piece 32 are arranged on the same side, thereby ensuring the compactness of the whole structure and improving the space utilization rate of all parts in the knee joint moving mechanism.

In addition to the above, in order to further improve the structural compactness of the knee joint moving mechanism, the shielding piece 34 is provided to the first link 31, specifically, the shielding piece 34 is integrally formed with the first link 31, and in a state where the knee joint moving mechanism is vertically extended, the shielding piece 34 extends toward the second link 32, that is, toward the rear side of the knee joint moving mechanism along the outer sides of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, and shields the link gap 33.

In the present embodiment, the first leg member 10, the second leg member 20, and the movable assembly 30 are preferably made of metal, for example: the preferred mechanical strength of aluminium material, aluminium alloy material, magnalium alloy material, copper alloy material, iron material, stainless steel material, the structure is higher, possesses the section bar structure of certain resistance tangential moment of torsion ability to guarantee the support stability between two components, thereby promote its practicality, reliability and durability, of course, in order to let the ectoskeleton lightweight, some components also can be other hard materials and/or carbon fiber material, also are favorable to hoist mechanism stability more. The exoskeleton system also comprises soft materials, the soft materials are generally used in a binding band structure in the exoskeleton system, so that a limb of a wearer can be worn in the exoskeleton system through the binding band structure, the soft materials can specifically adopt rubber (natural rubber or synthetic rubber can be selected as the rubber) which belongs to completely amorphous polymers, the soft materials are rich in elasticity at room temperature, can generate large deformation under the action of small external force, can recover the original shape after the external force is removed, and can improve the contact area with the limb (to-be-fixed part), thereby improving the stability and comfort of fixation. And a silica gel part (organic silica gel or inorganic silica gel can be selected) can be adopted, the silica gel has better chemical stability and better flexibility, and the contact area with limbs (to-be-fixed parts) can be increased, so that the stability and the comfort of fixation are improved. Or leather is obtained by physical and chemical processing such as depilation and tanning, and is denatured and non-putrefactive. The leather is formed by tightly weaving natural protein fibers in a three-dimensional space, the surface of the leather is provided with a special grain surface layer, the grain surface layer has natural grains and luster, the hand feeling is comfortable, the leather has a better elastic deformation function, and the contact area between the leather and limbs (to-be-fixed parts) can be increased, so that the fixing stability and the comfort are improved.

Furthermore, the metal materials of the first leg member 10, the second leg member 20 and the movable assembly 30 may be formed by one or more of casting, extrusion, punching, bending, etc.

In order to protect the knee joint of the wearer and avoid the knee joint of the wearer from being over-extended and over-bent, the first leg member 10 and/or the second leg member 20 are/is provided with a limiting structure, the limiting structure is used for limiting the relative swinging range of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, and the swinging angle of the second leg member 20 relative to the first leg member 10 is limited within a range which does not hurt the knee joint of the wearer.

As shown in fig. 5, in particular, the limiting structure includes an extension limiting block 14, and as described above, the extension limiting block 14 may be disposed on one or more of the first leg member 10, the second leg member 20, and the movable assembly 30, and is used for limiting the degree of freedom and the range of forward swing of the second leg member 20 relative to the first leg member 10, so as to avoid the over extension of the knee joint of the wearer.

In the present embodiment, the extension stopper 14 is disposed inside the first leg member 10, specifically protruding from the front side of the third pivot point 321, and disposed inside the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20, so that the extension stopper 14 can be prevented from protruding outside the knee joint moving mechanism, the compactness of the knee joint moving member can be improved, and the overall appearance of the mechanism can also be improved. During the process of extending the movable member along with the first and second leg members 10 and 20, the second link 32 swings forward about the third pivot point 321, and when the second link 32 abuts against the surface of the extension stopper 14, the movable assembly 30 cannot move forward, so as to limit the relative movement between the second leg member 20 and the first leg member 10.

As shown in fig. 3-4, the limiting structure further includes a flexion limiting groove 15, and similarly, the flexion limiting groove 15 may be disposed on one or more of the first leg member 10, the second leg member 20, and the movable assembly 30, and is used to limit the degree of freedom and range of the second leg member 20 swinging backward relative to the first leg member 10, so as to avoid over-flexion of the wearer's knee joint.

In order to further ensure the compactness of the whole knee joint moving mechanism, the buckling limiting groove 15 is opened at the rear side of the first leg member 10, the second linkage member 32 swings forwards around the third pivot point 321 in the process that the moving member bends along with the movement of the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, and when the second leg member 20 swings backwards and abuts against the buckling limiting groove 15, the moving assembly 30 cannot continue to move towards the rear side of the knee joint moving mechanism, so that the relative movement of the second leg member 20 and the first leg member 10 is limited.

Of course, a protruding stopper is provided on the rear side of the second leg member 20, which also achieves a close technical effect.

Further, the movable assembly 30 and the first leg member 10, and the movable assembly 30 and the second leg member 20 are connected by pins.

In the present embodiment, the first linkage member 31 and the second linkage member 32 are both of a strip-shaped plate-like structure.

As shown in fig. 5-6, further, a first pin 314 is respectively disposed between each of the opposite ends of the first linkage 31 and the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20, in order to ensure smooth rotation of the first linkage 31, a first bushing 315 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the first pin 314, and the first bushing 315 is made of a wear-resistant material with a low friction coefficient, which is preferably rubber. A shaft head is formed at one end of the first pin shaft 314, a threaded hole is formed at the other end of the first pin shaft 314, and after the first pin shaft 314 is connected to the first linkage 31 and the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20 in a penetrating manner, an end cover 316 is screwed into the threaded hole, so that the first linkage 31 and the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20 are limited on the first pin shaft 314. In order to reduce the friction between the first pin 314 and the first linkage 31, the first leg member 10, and the second leg member 20, thrust washers are respectively sleeved on two ends of the first pin 314.

As shown in fig. 5-6, further, a second pin 324 is respectively disposed between each of the two opposite ends of the second linkage member 32 and the first and second leg members 10 and 20, in order to ensure smooth rotation of the second linkage member 32, a second bushing 325 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the second pin 324, and the second bushing 325 is made of a wear-resistant material with a low friction coefficient, which is preferably rubber. A shaft head is formed at one end of the second pin 324, so as to avoid interference between the second pin 324 and the second leg member 20 and the first link 31, the shaft head of the second pin 324 is embedded into the inner side of the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20 and keeps as flat as possible with the inner side of the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20, a snap spring 326 is fastened to the other end of the second pin 324, and the second pin 324 is fastened to the second link 32 and the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20, and then the snap spring 326 is fastened to restrain the second link 32 and the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20 on the second pin 324. In order to reduce the friction between the first pin 314 and the second linkage 32, the first leg member 10, and the second leg member 20, thrust washers are respectively sleeved on two ends of the second pin 324.

As shown in fig. 1 to 2, a specific structure of the leg module in the present embodiment including the above-described knee joint moving mechanism is explained below, and in order to facilitate the wearing of the leg member by the wearer, the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 are each formed with a leg wearing space 40 for accommodating the leg of the wearer as described above. In the case where the knee joint moving mechanism binds the leg of the wearer, the moving component 30 is disposed at the side of the knee joint of the wearer, and the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 can move along the moving track of the leg of the wearer.

In the present embodiment, in order to further improve the wearing stability between the knee joint moving mechanism and the leg of the wearer, the first leg member 10 includes a first inner side supporting member 11 and a first outer side supporting member 12, and the first inner side supporting member 11 and the first outer side supporting member 12 are disposed to face each other to form the wearing space 40; the second leg member 20 includes a second inner side support 21 and a second outer side support 22, and the second inner side support 21 and the second outer side support 22 are disposed opposite to each other to form a wearing space 40. The first inner support 11 and the second inner support 21 are connected by a movable assembly 30, and the first outer support 12 and the second outer support 22 are connected by a movable assembly 30.

When the wearer wears the leg module, the first inner side supporting member 11 and the first outer side supporting member 12 are respectively located on the inner side and the outer side of the thigh of the wearer, the second inner side supporting member 21 and the second outer side supporting member 22 are respectively located on the inner side and the outer side of the leg, and correspondingly, the inner side and the outer side of the knee joint of the wearer are both provided with the movable components 30.

Further, a first connecting portion 13 is connected between the first inner side supporting member 11 and the first outer side supporting member 12; a second connecting portion 23 is connected between the second inner support 21 and the second outer support 22. An avoiding space 50 for accommodating the knee joint of the wearer is formed between the first connecting part 13 and the second connecting part 23.

The first connecting portion 13 is used for connecting the first inner supporting member 11 and the first outer supporting member 12, and the second connecting portion 23 is used for connecting the second inner supporting member 21 and the second outer supporting member 22, so that the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 form two relatively independent integral members respectively. Furthermore, the first connecting portion 13 is disposed at the front side of the first outer supporting member 12 and the first inner supporting member 11, and the second connecting portion 23 is disposed at the front side of the second outer supporting member 22 and the second inner supporting member 21, so as to form a semi-arc member, which matches with the peripheral structure of the leg of the human body, and when the wearer wears the knee joint, the first leg member 10 and the second leg member 20 at least surround part of the periphery of the leg of the wearer, thereby improving the fitting degree between the knee joint moving mechanism and the human body.

The two ends of the wearing assembly can be connected to the rear sides of the first outer supporting member 12 and the first inner supporting member 11, or connected to the rear sides of the second outer supporting member 22 and the second inner supporting member 21, and surround the wearing space 40 with the first leg member 10 or the second leg member 20, and surround the periphery of the leg of the wearer in a wearing state of the wearer.

The embodiment also provides an exoskeleton system, which is mostly used in the fields of medical rehabilitation, military, construction and the like, is a common one in rehabilitation training in the field of medical rehabilitation, and provides certain power assistance or resistance for a patient in the limb movement process in the wearing training process so as to improve the rehabilitation effect.

The exoskeleton system includes the leg module, the waist assembly 60, the hip joint assembly 70 and the foot assembly 80, wherein the waist assembly 60 is connected to the hip joint assembly 70, the first leg member 10 is pivotally connected to the hip joint assembly 70, and the second leg member 20 is movably connected to the foot assembly 80. The waist assembly 60 is adapted to be secured to the waist of the wearer and serves to stabilize the exoskeleton system as a whole, the hip assembly 70 is adapted to be worn on the hip of the wearer for movement in coordination with the hip joint movements of the wearer, and the step assembly is adapted to be worn on the step of the wearer for movement in coordination with the leg modules for movement in coordination with the ankle and knee joints of the wearer.

After the exoskeleton system of the embodiment adopts the leg module, a foreign object can be prevented from being clamped into the linkage gap 33 of the knee joint moving mechanism, so that a wearer can move more stably, ankle joints of the wearer are effectively protected, and the risk of injury of the wearer is reduced. In addition, the failure rate of the exoskeleton system is also reduced.

In the description herein, it is to be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like are used in an orientation or positional relationship merely for convenience in description and simplicity of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are not to be considered limiting of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used merely for descriptive purposes and are not intended to have any special meaning.

In the description herein, references to the description of "an embodiment," "an example" or the like are intended to mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

Furthermore, it should be understood that although the present description refers to embodiments, not every embodiment may contain only a single embodiment, and such description is for clarity only, and those skilled in the art should integrate the description, and the embodiments may be appropriately combined to form other embodiments as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The technical principles of the present disclosure have been described above in connection with specific embodiments. The description is only intended to explain the principles of the disclosure and should not be taken in any way as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Based on the explanations herein, those skilled in the art will be able to conceive of other embodiments of the present disclosure without inventive effort, which would fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (12)

1. A knee joint articulation mechanism comprising:

a first leg member (10), a second leg member (20) and a movable assembly (30), the first leg member (10) and the second leg member (20) being pivotally connected by the movable assembly (30) such that the second leg member (20) is swingable about the movable assembly (30) relative to the first leg member (10);

the movable assembly (30) comprises a first linkage (31) and a second linkage (32), the first linkage (31) and the second linkage (32) both being pivotally connected to the first leg member (10) and the second leg member (20); a linkage gap (33) for relative movement of the first leg member (10) and the second leg member (20) is formed between the first linkage piece (31) and the second linkage piece (32);

and a shielding piece (34) is arranged on the outer side of the first leg member (10) and the second leg member (20), and the shielding piece (34) is used for shielding the linkage gap (33).

2. Knee articulation mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the pivot point between the first linkage (31) and the first leg member (10) and the pivot point connection between the first linkage (31) and the second leg member (20) form a first swing line (313);

a pivot point between the second linkage (32) and the first leg member (10), and a pivot point connection between the second linkage (32) and the second leg member (20) form a second swing line (323);

the length of the first swing line (313) is greater than that of the second swing line (323), and the first swing line (313) and the second swing line (323) are relatively inclined.

3. Knee articulation mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that said first linkage (31) is arranged on the outside of said first leg member (10) and said second leg member (20) and said second linkage (32) is arranged on the inside of said first leg member (10) and said second leg member (20).

4. A knee articulation mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that said shutter (34) is provided to said first linkage member (31).

5. Knee articulation mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that a limit structure is provided on the first leg member (10) and/or the second leg member (20) for limiting the relative swinging range of the first leg member (10) and the second leg member (20).

6. The knee articulation mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that said limiting structure comprises an extension limiting block (14), said extension limiting block (14) being provided to one or more of said first leg member (10), said second leg member (20), said articulation assembly (30);

the extension stopper (14) is configured to limit a movable range in which the second leg member (20) swings forward relative to the first leg member (10).

7. The knee articulation mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that said stop structure comprises a flexion limiting groove (15), said flexion limiting groove (15) being provided in one or more of said first leg member (10), said second leg member (20), said articulation assembly (30);

the flexion limiting groove (15) is configured to limit the range of motion of the second leg member (20) swinging backwards relative to the first leg member (10).

8. Knee joint articulation mechanism according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the articulation between the articulation assembly (30) and the first leg member (10) and between the articulation assembly (30) and the second leg member (20) is provided by a pin.

9. A leg module, comprising:

knee articulation mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 8, said first leg member (10) and said second leg member (20) each forming a leg-wearing space (40) for accommodating a leg of a wearer;

under the condition that the knee joint moving mechanism binds the leg of a wearer, the moving component (30) is arranged at the side part of the knee joint of the wearer, and the first leg component (10) and the second leg component (20) can move along the moving track of the leg of the wearer.

10. A leg module according to claim 9, characterised in that the first leg member (10) comprises a first medial support (11) and a first lateral support (12), the first medial support (11) being arranged opposite the first lateral support (12) to form the wearing space (40);

the second leg member (20) includes a second medial support (21) and a second lateral support (22), the second medial support (21) and the second lateral support (22) being disposed opposite to each other to form the wearing space (40);

the first inner side supporting piece (11) is connected with the second inner side supporting piece (21) through the movable assembly (30), and the first outer side supporting piece (12) is connected with the second outer side supporting piece (22) through the movable assembly (30).

11. A leg module according to claim 10, characterised in that a first connection (13) is connected between the first medial support (11) and the first lateral support (12);

a second connecting part (23) is connected between the second inner side supporting part (21) and the second outer side supporting part (22);

an avoiding space (50) for accommodating and moving the knee joint of the wearer is formed between the first connecting part (13) and the second connecting part (23).

12. An exoskeleton system including a lumbar assembly (60), a hip joint assembly (70), and a foot assembly (80), the lumbar assembly (60) coupled to the hip joint assembly (70), comprising:

the leg module of any of claims 9-11, wherein the first leg member (10) is pivotally connected to the hip joint assembly (70) and the second leg member (20) is movably connected to the foot assembly (80).

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