IT202100013229A1 - Portable device for motor assistance of the elbow - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Accompanying a patent application for an industrial invention having for

title:

?Portable Elbow Motor Assistance Device?.

This patent proposal presents a new two-cable device for motor assistance of the elbow joint of the human arm. The device makes it possible to guide the movement of the elbow through a two-wire structure actuated by small motors, easily wearable and of low weight.

Currently, in addition to exoskeletons with rigid elements with articulated mechanisms, there are various devices based on parallel cable mechanisms which perform the function of motor assistance for human arms.

Among them, significant for the proposed invention can? be considered, as a reference device, the CADEL system of the IT patent. 102017000083887 of 2019, developed at the University? of Cassino in Italy by Eng. Ceccarelli and others since 1997, with a solution consisting of a wearable interface ring for positioning on the user's forearm which ? powered by four cables actuated by motors on an arm ring for guided arm movements. This device, taken as a reference for the development of the present invention, is not very easy to use and cumbersome due to its parallel architecture structure with rigid and cumbersome platforms. The CAREX system, developed at Columbia University in New York by prof.

as per patent US9144528B2 of 2008, ? constituted as a wearable exoskeleton with arm inside it with seven-cable actuation. The system ? characterized by rigid systems to be fixed on parts of the arm connected to each other by the seven cables operated from the shoulder support. The 2011 patent ES2370895A1 proposes a mechanical structure with parallel architecture mechanisms operated by cables constituting a robotic structure for a single body exoskeleton with reduced structural and functional slenderness.

The present invention is proposed as an innovative solution for the motor assistance of the elbow joint by means of a two-cable structure that can be easily worn and transported. The description of the device refers to the diagrams in the following figures:

Figure 1 shows a conceptual diagram of the device with indication of its components;

Figure 2 shows the functional kinematic design structure of the device;

Figure 3 presents an example of a constructive solution in its two modules equipped with wearing interfaces with comfortable positioning on the arm.

With reference to figures 1, 2 and 3, the portable two-cable device for motor assistance of the elbow joint ? composed of an upper semicircular wearable annular support (1) equipped via a connector (13) with an inflatable interface (2) connected with a small pump tube (14) (15), a lower semicircular wearable annular support (10) with a glove interface ( 11), two connecting cables (9) between the ring supports (1) and (10), two actuators (5) for the cables with sensors (16), two snap hook connections (12) for connecting the cables to the ring support bottom (10), two drum pulleys (6), two cable tensioners (7), two cable guide rings (8), a battery housing (3), an electronic interface (4) for controlling the actuators (5 ).

The annular supports (1) and (10) consist of a semicircular rigid frame. The upper ring support (1) ? equipped with an inflatable interface, cos? to make the support fixable and adaptable to the size of the user's arm, ensuring its position on the arm with total comfort. In particular, the cable actuators are fixed to the annular support (1) while the carabiner connections (12) are fixed to the annular support (10), to be worn on the user?s forearm through the glove interface (11). of cables. Each cable (9) ? driven by a motor (5) with a pulley-drum element (6) to wind the cable which is kept in tension by a cable-tightening element (7) to ensure continuous tension, and ? guided by a cable guide ring (8) which allows the cable to be in line with the groove of the pulley of the cable tensioner and therefore of the pulley-drum (6). The connection cables (9) are installed as a pair with the characteristic of being positioned laterally to the structure of the arm with synchronized movements to ensure movement of the forearm in the sagittal plane of the arm. On the annular support (1) the motors (5) are installed with the corresponding transmissions with the elements (6), (7) and (8), together with the sensors (16) and the unit? controller (4) and to the battery (3) to power the device without further external connections.

The main advantage of the device consists in its compact and light structure of reduced dimensions with easily wearable portable components, also thanks to the two small servomotors installed on the upper semi-ring annular support equipped with an inflatable interface and adaptable to the user?s arm anatomy. Furthermore, the two-module structure lends itself to construction with light materials of different nature and in various constructive scales of easy construction and easy operation, allowing its use in motor assistance applications of the elbow in physiotherapy and in physical exercise, with possibility? for use in any environment, even non-hospital ones.

The present invention ? described with reference to a predefined embodiment. ? it should be understood that there may exist other embodiments which pertain to the same inventive core, as defined in the scope of protection of the declared claims.

Claims (1)

Claims 1- Portable device for motor assistance of the elbow composed of an upper wearable annular support (1) equipped via a connector (13) with an inflatable interface (2) connected with a tube (14) to a small pump (15), a lower wearable annular support ( 10) with glove interface (11), two connection cables (9) between ring holders (1) and (10), two actuators (5) for cables with sensors (16), two carabiner connections (12) for connecting the cables to the lower annular support (10), two drum pulleys (6), two cable tensioners (7), two cable guide rings (8), a battery compartment (3), an electronic interface (4) of control of the actuators (5), with the structure characterized in that the annular supports (1) and (10) have a semi-ring structure that can be easily worn and capable of assisting the movement of the elbow with a relative motion between the arm and forearm. 2- Portable device for motor assistance of the elbow, in accordance with claim 1, in which the annular supports (1) and (10) consist of a rigid frame with a semi-ring structure shaped for ergonomics of wearing equipped with fixation interfaces consisting in an inflatable band (2) for the upper ring support (1) and a glove (11) fixed on the lower ring support (10), so? to make the ring supports adaptable to the size of the user's arm, ensure their position on the arm and guarantee total comfort. 3- Portable device for elbow motor assistance, in accordance with claim 1, in which the connection cables (9) are installed in pairs with the characteristic of being positioned laterally to the arm structure to operate with synchronized movements to ensure movement of the forearm in the sagittal plane of the arm. 4- Portable device for elbow motor assistance, in accordance with claim 1, in which the cable actuators (5) are installed to serve each cable with a pulley-drum element (6) for winding the cable, a tensioning element -cable (7) and sensors (16) to ensure continuous tension of the cable, and a cable-guide ring (8) which allows the cable to be in line with the groove of the pulley of the cable tensioner with the characteristic that each cable (9) ? fed continuously and taut by the respective actuator (5).