JPS59189843A - Foot neck operating mechanism in power artificial leg - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention relates to an ankle actuation mechanism in a powered prosthetic leg.

In general, conventional prosthetic legs are not structures that actively move the ankle, but only support the foot so that it can move slightly by surrounding the ankle with a cushioning material. Therefore, the foot was always positioned perpendicular to the shin at a fixed position #1, which could perform only a passive function of cushioning the impact upon landing.

For this reason, ■ there is a risk of falling due to your toes hitting the ground when you swing your legs (moving your legs off the ground and swinging them forward) when walking on level ground; ■ there is a risk of falling when climbing a slope or descending stairs. There were problems such as difficulty in walking.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to actively move the ankle by actively utilizing the action during walking motion, thereby improving the ankle movement. It is possible to hold the toes in a dorsiflexed state with the toes raised, thereby solving the problems of (1) and (3) above.

Hereinafter, the content of this invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

1 FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the present invention. The prosthetic leg of this embodiment is a powered prosthetic leg that is equipped with an actuator (not shown) at the knee joint to actively move the lower limb. The robot is controlled to perform a predetermined walking motion.

In this prosthetic leg, the foot 2 is connected to the shin 3 by a pin 4 at the ankle 1, and the foot 2 is oriented in the dorsiflexion (toe-raising motion) and plantarflexion (ankle stretching motion) directions. It has a structure that allows it to rotate freely. The foot portion 2 and the shin portion 3 are constructed by covering bones made of light metal such as duralumin with urethane foam or the like.

In addition, a compression spring 5 is installed between a platinum 3B provided on the rear side of the lower end of the shin part 3 and a recess 2a formed at the upper part of the heel of the foot part 2. It is biased in the direction of dorsiflexion. Further, 6 is a locking mechanism for locking the leg portion 2 at an arbitrary rotational position. The locking mechanism 6 in this case includes a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 7 connected between the platinum 3a of the shin part 3 and the recess 2a of the foot part, a flow path 8 connecting the oil chambers of this cylinder 20, and The solenoid pulp 9 is provided in the flow path of the solenoid pulp 9.

Therefore, when the solenoid pulp 9 is opened and the foot 2 is released from the ground, the foot 2 is always in the dorsiflexed state shown in FIG. Ankle 1 is bent. Further, by closing the solenoid pulp 9, the ankle 1 can be locked at any position.

Next, the motion when walking on a flower-covered ground will be explained with reference to FIG. 3.

First, while keeping the solenoid pulp 9 under pressure, start from the heel as shown in Figure (A), as in normal walking motion, and in this state, close the solenoid pulp 9 to lock the ankle l. Next, from that standing position, start lifting your legs as shown in ). At this time, the tip of the leg portion 2 is elastically deformed, and a pop-out operation is performed along with the elastic reaction force.

The solenoid pulp 9 is then opened at the stage when the multi-pearing process is completed and the foot part 2 is raised from the ground. Perform swing leg movements in that dorsiflexed state. This way, secondly, there is no risk of your toes hitting the ground. Then, the robot walks continuously while repeating the above actions.

In addition, when performing the above-mentioned walking movement, the solenoid pulp 9 is controlled by a signal from a control device that manages walking.

In addition, in the above, since the movement of the ankle l during walking is related to the movement of oil between the cylinder 7 and the solenoid pulp 9 that constitute the lock mechanism 6, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the flow rate in the oil flow path. Yes, you can slow down the movement.

In addition to walking on level ground, when climbing a slope or descending stairs, open solenoid pulp 9 and ankle 1.
By keeping the body in a dorsiflexed state, you can walk easily.

Further, in the above embodiment, a case was shown in which electrical control was performed using the solenoid pulp 9;
Of course, it is also possible to use a hydraulically operated pulp and perform hydraulic control in conjunction with an actuator provided at the knee joint.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the locking mechanism was constructed using a hydraulic cylinder and a solenoid pulp, but the locking mechanism of the present invention is not limited to this in any way, and the locking mechanism of the present invention is not limited to this. Any device with a mechanism that can be locked in the correct position may be used.

As explained above, the present invention supports the foot so as to be dorsiflexible relative to the shin, and provides a spring between the foot and the shin to bias the foot in the direction of dorsiflexion. Since it is provided with a locking mechanism for locking the movement of the ankle, the ankle can be held in a dorsiflexed state as necessary. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent accidents such as falling due to toes hitting the ground when the legs are swinging when walking on level ground, and it is also possible to walk without straining when climbing up a slope or descending stairs. It has nine excellent effects.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 7 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the state of dorsiflexion of the ankle in the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the motion of the same embodiment when walking on a flat ground. It is a diagram. 1...ankle, 2...foot, 3...
...Shin part, 4...Bin, 5...Spring, 6...Lock mechanism, 7...Double acting hydraulic cylinder, 8... ...Flow path, 9...
・Sodonoid pulp.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The foot is supported at the ankle so that it can be dorsiflexed relative to the shin, and a spring is provided between the foot and the shin to bias the foot in the direction of dorsiflexion, and the movement of the foot is inhibited. An ankle actuation mechanism for a power prosthetic leg, characterized by comprising a locking mechanism for the operation of the ankle.