KR101221331B1

KR101221331B1 - Energy storage-emission type of knee-ankle joint in gait assistance device

Info

Publication number: KR101221331B1
Application number: KR1020100106117A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김철웅; 한기봉
Original assignee: (주)트리플씨메디칼
Priority date: 2010-10-28
Filing date: 2010-10-28
Publication date: 2013-01-17
Also published as: WO2012057452A3; KR20120044683A; WO2012057452A2

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the walking assistance device includes a foot worn on the wearer's foot; A foot energy storage unit installed in the foot part and storing energy when the foot moves from the initial ground to the load reactor; One side connected to the foot, the tibia support is disposed to correspond to the tibia of the wearer interlocked with the tibia; A thigh support part rotatably connected to the other side of the tibial support part and disposed to correspond to the thigh part of the wearer and interlocked with the thigh part; And it is installed on the tibia support, and is connected to the foot portion includes a knee energy storage unit for storing the energy when the foot moves from the initial folding to the load reactor.

Description

Knee-ANKLE JOINT IN GAIT ASSISTANCE DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a walking aid device, and more particularly to a walking aid device of the knee-joint energy storage-release method.

As the body walks forward, one leg carries the trnuk and the other leg goes forward. And the legs swap roles with each other. Both feet are attached to the ground while you move your body from one leg to the other. One such continuous cycle by one leg is called the gait cycle.

Since walking is performed by the flow of motion, there is no special starting point or ending point. Therefore, the start of the walking cycle should be chosen. In general, the action of the heel of the foot in contact with the ground is selected as the start of the gait cycle, since most walking patterns are determined at the time of contact with the ground.

7A to 7H are diagrams illustrating typical walking cycles. Referring to Figures 7a to 7h schematically illustrating the walking cycle as follows. The walking cycle is divided into stance phases and swing phases. The stance is used to represent the entire period of time when the plantar is in contact with the ground, and the stator is the time the foot is in the air to move forward. Sculpture starts with the foot lifted from the ground.

7A shows an initial contact (based on dark color below) and shows the action when the sole (or heel) is in direct contact with the ground. FIG. 7B shows the loading response and uses the legs to move the weight forward. The load reactor continues until the legs are lifted up for swing. 7C shows mid stance and begins when the other foot (marked in white) is lifted. FIG. 7D shows terminal stance, which cycle begins with heel raising and continues until the other plantar reaches the ground. FIG. 7E shows the pre-swing and begins by ground contact of the other sole (marked in white). FIG. 7F shows the initial swing and begins with the foot raised from the ground. 7G and 7G show mid swing and terminal swing, which ends when the heel contacts the ground.

Such gait is a continuous result of motion patterns formed by hip joints, knee joints, and ankle joints. Therefore, walking can be performed smoothly only when there is a normal operation of these, and when any one of these is abnormally operated or difficult to operate, the walking may be abnormal or impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a walking assistance device to help walking smoothly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a walking assistance device capable of efficiently storing and consuming energy generated during walking.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a walking assistance device that can be remotely moved for a long time by minimizing energy consumption during walking.

Still other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

The foot is a body portion; A front heel support part connected to the front of the body part and corresponding to the front heel of the foot; And a heel support part connected to the rear of the body part and corresponding to the heel of the foot and switchable to a release position and a storage position by rotation, wherein the foot energy storage unit stores energy generated by rotation of the heel support part. Can be.

The foot energy storage unit may include a lower piston moving in a lower moving space formed along the front and rear of the body portion; A lower elastic body installed in the lower moving space and compressible by the movement of the lower piston; And a lower link connecting the heel support and the lower piston.

The foot energy storage unit may further include a lower fixing lever fixedly installed to the body and restricting movement of the lower piston protrusion through one side.

The front heel support portion is rotatable with respect to the body portion, it may be provided with a lower release lever for allowing the movement of the lower piston projection by pressing the other side of the lower fixing lever by rotation.

The knee energy storage unit may store energy generated by the rotation of the heel support.

The slew energy storage unit is connected to one side of the heel support portion, the drive link is lifted by the rotation of the heel support; An upper piston positioned at the other side of the driving link and moving in an upper moving space formed along the tibia support in an up and down direction as the driving link moves up and down; And an upper elastic body installed in the upper moving space and compressible by the movement of the upper piston.

The sludge energy storage unit may further include an upper fixing lever having one side protruding toward the upper moving space and limiting the movement of the upper piston by the one side.

The slab energy storage unit is connected to the femoral support and the rotating plate interlocked with the femoral support; A release lever which moves along a moving slot formed in the tibial support part and separates the upper fixing lever from the upper moving space and restricts the movement of the upper piston; And one side is connected to the rotating plate and the other side is connected to the upper release lever, it may further include a release link that the one side is lifted by the rotation of the rotating plate.

The sludge energy storage unit may further include an auxiliary piston connected to the other side of the driving link and pressurizing the upper piston as the driving link rises.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the walking can be smoothly provided by providing external energy in addition to the bioenergy such as joints or muscles when walking, and the long-distance or long-distance movement is possible by minimizing the consumption of bioenergy during walking.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a walking assistance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A and 2B are views showing the operation of the foot energy storage unit shown in FIG. 1 in the initial grounding and the load reactor, respectively.
3A and 3 are views illustrating the operation of the sludge energy storage unit shown in FIG. 1 in the initial grounding and the load reactor.
4 is a view showing the operation of the foot energy storage unit shown in FIG.
Figures 5a and 5b is a view showing the operation of the rotating plate and the release link shown in Figure 1 in the stator respectively.
6A to 6C are diagrams respectively illustrating operations of the sleb energy storage unit shown in FIG. 1 in the stator.
7A to 7H are diagrams illustrating typical walking cycles.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6C. The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described below. The embodiments are provided to explain the present invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Accordingly, the shape of each element shown in the drawings may be exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.

On the other hand, the walking cycle mentioned below is only an example for description, and the contents of the present invention should not be limited to being applied to a specific walking cycle. As mentioned above, the walking cycle is made by the flow of the operation, and it is not appropriate to clearly describe the specific period. In addition, the walking cycle may be different from the above-mentioned contents according to the individual's habits, and in particular, the patient may be different from the aforementioned.

Further, the 'front' and 'rear' described below are based on the wearer, for example, the front heel is in the front and the heel is in the rear.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a walking assistance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the walking assistance device includes a foot 10 and a knee 20. The wearer may wear the foot 10 on the leg via the strap B while the foot is placed on the foot 10. The foot 10 includes an heel support 12, a body 14, and a heel support 16. The body portion 14 is located under the sole of the wearer, and the heel support 12 and the heel support 16 are placed under the heel and the heel, respectively. The heel support portion 12 and the heel support portion 16 are rotatably connected to the front and rear of the body portion 14, respectively, and one end of the drive link 18 is rotatably connected to the heel support portion 16 so that the heel support portion The drive link 18 can be elevated when the 16 is rotated.

The knee 20 is connected to the foot 10 through the support bar 19, and includes a tibial support 22 and the femoral support 24. Tibia support 22 is located on one side of the tibia portion of the wearer, is fixed to the tibia through a separate strap (not shown) can be interlocked with the tibia when walking. Similarly, the thigh support 24 is located on one side of the thigh of the wearer, and is fixed to the thigh support through a separate strap (not shown) so that the thigh can be interlocked with the thigh when walking. The tibia support 22 and the femoral support 24 are connected so as to be able to rotate relative to each other, and as described below, the tibia and the femur rotate relative to each other by the bending of the knee joint in the stator.

On the other hand, the rotating plate 26 is fixed to the thigh support 24, and rotates together during the rotation of the thigh support 24. One end of the release link 28 is connected to the rotating plate 26, and one end of the release link 28 is raised and lowered when the rotating plate 26 is rotated. Details of the rotating plate 26 and the release link 28 will be described later.

2A and 2B are views showing the operation of the foot energy storage unit shown in FIG. 1 in the initial grounding and the load reactor, respectively. The walking aid device further includes a foot energy storage unit, and can store energy as well as consume energy through the foot energy storage unit.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the foot energy storage unit includes a lower piston 17, a lower link 176, and a lower elastic body S. Body portion 14 has a lower moving space 15 formed along the front and rear, the lower piston 17 moves along the lower moving space (15). The lower elastic body S is installed in the lower moving space 15 and moves the lower piston 17 by compression or restoration by the movement of the lower piston 17. The lower link 176 has a lower rear link 176a and a lower front link 176b, and the lower piston 17 is connected to the heel support 16 by the lower rear link 176a and the lower front link 176b. Connected.

Meanwhile, the foot energy storage unit further includes a lower fixing lever 172 and a lower auxiliary lever 174. The lower fixing lever 172 is fixed to the lower portion of the body portion 14 is rotatable, and has a fixed lever protrusion 173 at one end. The fixed lever protrusion 173 corresponds to the lower piston protrusion 171 protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the lower piston 17. When the lower elastic body S is compressed by the movement of the lower piston 17, the fixed lever protrusion ( 173 restricts the lower piston protrusion 171 to prevent the lower piston 17 from returning to its original position. Similarly, the lower auxiliary lever 174 is fixed to the lower portion of the body portion 14 is rotatable, one end is in contact with the lower fixing lever 172, the other end to the lower release lever 122 of the front heel support portion 12 I touch it. Details of the lower fixing lever 172 and the lower release lever 122 will be described later.

As described above, the walking cycle begins with the initial folding, with the heel of the wearer first facing the ground. At this time, as shown in Figure 2a, the lower piston 17 is located on the rear side of the lower movable space 15, the heel support portion 16 is bent down so that the bottom surface of the heel support portion 16 is the body portion 14 It is at an angle to the bottom of the bottom (hereinafter referred to as 'release position').

As shown in Figure 2b, when the walking cycle proceeds to the load reactor, the weight is loaded on the sole, while the bottom of the heel support 12 and the body 14, and the heel support 16 is in contact with the ground, the heel The support 16 is rotated clockwise so that the bottom of the heel support 16 is generally parallel with the bottom of the body 14 (hereinafter referred to as a 'storage position'). At this time, the lower rear link (176a) and the lower front link (176b) is rotated by the rotation of the heel support portion 16, thereby, the lower piston 17 is advanced toward the front to compress the lower elastic body (S). . The lower elastic body S is compressed by the lower piston 17 and at the same time relieves the shock (or a sudden increase in load due to the weight) that can be applied to the foot while the weight is carried on the foot.

In the state in which the lower piston 17 is advanced, the fixed lever protrusion 173 restricts the lower piston protrusion 171, which causes the lower piston 17 to return to its original position. Therefore, the compressed lower elastic body S may maintain a state in which energy generated by the rotation of the heel support part 16 is stored. On the other hand, the lower fixing lever 172 and the lower auxiliary lever 174 can maintain the position shown in Figures 2a and 2b by a separate torsion spring (not shown), the lower fixing lever 172 Is temporarily deformed by the advancement of the lower piston 17 and then returned to its original position (or the fixed lever protrusion 173 returns to its original position after temporary movement by the advancement of the lower piston 17). It is possible to limit the reverse of the piston 17. Since the configuration of the torsion spring is already known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

3A and 3B are views showing the operation of the sludge energy storage unit shown in FIG. 1 in the initial grounding and the load reactor, respectively. The walking aid device further includes a sleb energy storage unit, and may not only store energy through the sleb energy storage unit but also consume stored energy.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the sludge energy storage unit includes an upper piston 232, an auxiliary piston 182, a drive link 18, and an upper elastic body S. Tibia support 22 has an upper moving space 23 formed along the vertical direction, the upper piston 232 moves along the upper moving space (23). The upper elastic body S is installed in the upper moving space 23 and is compressed by the movement of the upper piston 232 or moves the upper piston 232 by restoring. The auxiliary piston 182 may be positioned below the upper piston 232 and may be raised together with the upper piston 232 to compress the upper elastic body S or to descend from the upper elastic body S separately. As described above, one end of the drive link 18 is rotatably connected to the heel support 16, and the other end of the drive link 18 is rotatably connected to the auxiliary piston 182. Therefore, the drive link 18 is moved up and down when the heel support portion 16 rotates, and the auxiliary piston 182 may also move up and down together with the drive link 18.

Meanwhile, the slab energy storage unit further includes upper fixing levers 234a and 234b. As shown in FIG. 3A, the upper fixing levers 234a and 234b are positioned at both sides of the upper piston 232 and protrude toward the upper moving space 23. When the upper elastic body S is compressed by the rising of the upper piston 232, the upper fixing levers 234a and 234b protrude toward the upper moving space 23 so that the upper piston 232 returns to its original position. To prevent them.

Meanwhile, as described above, the rotary plates 26a and 26b are fixed to the thigh support 24, and the rotary plates 26a and 26b rotate together when the thigh support 24 rotates. As shown in FIG. 3A, the upper release levers 282a and 282b are disposed on both sides of the auxiliary piston 182. One end of the release link 28a, 28b is connected to the rotating plate 26 and the other end is connected to the upper release levers 282a and 282b. Accordingly, one end of the release link 28a, 28b is raised and lowered when the rotating plate 26 is rotated, and the upper release levers 282a, 282b may also be lifted together with one end of the release link 28a, 28b. Details of the release links 28a and 28b and the upper release levers 282a and 282b will be described later.

As described above, the walking cycle begins with the initial folding and the heel support 16 is in the release position. At this time, as shown in Figure 3a, the upper piston 232 is located below the upper moving space (23).

As shown in FIG. 3B, when the walking cycle proceeds to the load reactor, the weight is loaded on the foot, and the heel support part 16 rotates clockwise so that the bottom of the heel support part 16 is the bottom of the body part 14. It is usually parallel with. At this time, the drive link 18 is raised by the rotation of the heel support portion 16, and thus, the auxiliary piston 182 and the upper piston 232 is raised to compress the upper elastic body (S). The upper elastic body S is compressed by the upper piston 232, and at the same time to mitigate the impact (or a sudden increase in load by weight) that can be applied to the foot while the weight is carried on the foot.

In the state where the upper piston 232 is raised, the upper fixing levers 234a and 234b protrude toward the upper moving space 23 by a separate elastic body (not shown), and the upper piston 232 returns to its original position. Prevent it. Therefore, the compressed upper elastic body S may maintain a state in which energy generated by the rotation of the heel support part 16 is stored.

4 is a view showing the operation of the foot energy storage unit shown in FIG. As described above, the terminal stand begins with lifting the heel (see FIG. 7D). At this time, the weight is loaded on the heel by the operation of lifting the heel. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the front heel portion 12 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the body portion 14.

At this time, the lower release lever 122 of the front heel portion 12 presses one end of the lower subsidiary lever 174, and thus the other end of the lower subsidiary lever 174 is rotated in the clockwise direction. One end of the lower fixing lever 172 is pressed. In conclusion, the fixed lever protrusion 173 releases the restraint of the lower piston protrusion 171, and the lower piston 17 returns to its original position by the lower elastic body S. FIG.

When the lower piston 17 moves backward, the lower rear link 176a and the lower front link 176b rotate, and the lower rear link 176a and the lower front link 176b are the bottom surface of the body portion 14. By being constrained by the heel support 16 is struck down again and placed in the release position. At this time, the elastic force (or restoring force) of the lower elastic body (S) pushes the heel support 16, and consequently, the heel support 16 provides the force to push the ground, so that the wearer lifts the heel in the terminal position Helps to raise. That is, by entering the load reactor to store a certain amount of energy in the lower elastic body (S), by consuming the stored energy in the late standing, it is possible to minimize the body energy required for walking.

As described above, the front heel portion 12 rotates in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the body portion 14, as shown in Figure 4, because of this, the front heel portion 12 is a constant angle ( tilt angle). At this time, the lower subsidiary lever 174 is rotated by the lower release lever 122, thereby the torsion spring (not shown) installed in the lower subsidiary lever 174 can be compressed to store the elastic force. Thereafter, while entering the pre-swing during the walking cycle, the front heel portion 12 rotates clockwise to spur the ground, and at this time, the front heel portion 12 while the elastic force stored in the torsion spring is released. It can help you rotate, and you can hit the ground with little force. In other words, by entering a terminal position, the energy of a certain size is stored in the torsion spring, and the stored energy is consumed in the pre-tilt, thereby minimizing body energy required for walking.

On the other hand, the drive link 18 may be lowered with the heel support 16, in this case, the auxiliary piston 182 may be lowered separately from the upper piston 232. That is, the falling of the auxiliary piston 182 is not restrained by the upper piston 232.

5A and 5B are views showing the operation of the rotating plate and the release link shown in FIG. 1 in the stator respectively, and FIGS. 6A to 6C are views showing the operation of the sleb energy storage unit shown in FIG. to be. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the tibial support part 22 has a moving slot 221, and an upper release lever 282 is installed on the moving slot 221.

As described above, the knee joint flexion (60-70˚) is made in the penile phase (in addition, the knee flexion of 5-10˚ may occur when standing), which causes the tibia and the femur to be relative to each other. Rotate Thus, the tibial support 22 and the femoral support 24 also rotate relative to each other, and the rotating plate 26 rotates with the femoral support 24. At this time, as shown in Figure 5b, due to the rotation of the rotary plate 26, one end of the release link 28 is raised, the upper release lever 282 is raised along the moving slot 221.

Hereinafter, operations of the release link 28 and the upper release lever 282 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6B. First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the upper fixing levers 234a and 234b restrict the movement of the upper piston 232, and the upper release levers 282a and 282b are positioned at both sides of the auxiliary piston 182. At the bottom of the movement slot 221 may be located.

Next, when the knee joint is bent, the rotary plates 26a and 26b rotate with respect to the tibial support 22 together with the femoral support 24, and as shown in FIG. 6B, the upper release levers 282a and 282b are It may rise to the position of the upper fixing levers (234a, 234b). The upper release levers 282a and 282b rise along the outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary piston 182 and the moving slots 221. At this time, the upper release levers 282a and 282b press the upper fixing levers 234a and 234b protruding toward the upper moving space 23, and thus the upper piston 232 is formed of the upper fixing levers 234a and 234b. It may be supported by the upper release levers 282a and 282b (or the auxiliary piston 182) in the released state.

Next, as shown in Figure 6c, the upper piston 232 can be returned (or lowered) to the original position by the upper elastic body (S), thereby, the upper release lever (282a, 282b) (or auxiliary The piston 182 may also return (or descend) together. As the upper release levers 282a and 282b return, the femoral support 24 may also return to its original position, consequently helping the knee (or thigh) to extend. That is, by entering the load reactor to store a certain amount of energy in the upper elastic body (S), by consuming the stored energy to the stir, it is possible to minimize the body energy required for walking.

Although the present invention has been described in detail by way of preferred embodiments thereof, other forms of embodiment are possible. Therefore, the technical idea and scope of the claims set forth below are not limited to the preferred embodiments.

10: foot 12: heel support
14: body portion 15: lower moving space
16: heel support 17: lower piston
18: drive link 19: support bar
20: knee 22: tibia support
23: upper moving space 24: thigh support
26: rotating plate 28: upper release link
122: lower release lever 171: lower piston projection
172: lower fixed lever 173: fixed lever projection
174: lower auxiliary lever 176: lower link
182: auxiliary piston 232: upper piston
282: upper release lever

Claims

A foot worn on the wearer's foot;
A foot energy storage unit installed in the foot part and storing energy when the foot moves from the initial ground to the load reactor;
One side connected to the foot, the tibia support is disposed to correspond to the tibia of the wearer interlocked with the tibia;
A thigh support part rotatably connected to the other side of the tibial support part and disposed to correspond to the thigh part of the wearer and interlocked with the thigh part; And
Is installed on the tibia support, walking aid device characterized in that it comprises a knee energy storage unit is connected to the foot and stores the energy when the foot moves from the initial folding to the load reactor.

The method of claim 1,
The foot,
A body portion;
A front heel support part connected to the front of the body part and corresponding to the front heel of the foot; And
It is connected to the rear of the body portion corresponding to the heel of the foot, and includes a heel support that is switchable to the release position and the storage position by rotation,
The foot energy storage unit is a walk assistance device, characterized in that for storing the energy generated by the rotation of the heel support.

The method of claim 2,
The foot energy storage unit,
A lower piston moving in the lower moving space formed along the front and rear of the body portion;
A lower elastic body installed in the lower moving space and compressible by the movement of the lower piston; And
And a lower link connecting the heel support and the lower piston.

The method of claim 3,
The foot energy storage unit is fixed to the body portion and walk assistance device further comprises a lower fixing lever for limiting the movement of the lower piston protrusion protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the lower piston through one side.

5. The method of claim 4,
The front heel support portion is rotatable assistance device, characterized in that it is rotatable relative to the body portion, the lower release lever for allowing the movement of the lower piston projection by pressing the other side of the lower fixing lever by rotation.

The method of claim 2,
The knee energy storage unit is a walk assistance device, characterized in that for storing the energy generated by the rotation of the heel support.

The method according to claim 6,
The sludge energy storage unit,
A driving link connected to one side of the heel support part and lifted by a rotation of the heel support part;
An upper piston positioned at the other side of the driving link and moving in an upper moving space formed along the tibia support in an up and down direction as the driving link moves up and down; And
And an upper elastic body installed in the upper moving space and compressible by the movement of the upper piston.

The method of claim 7, wherein
The sludge energy storage unit may further include an upper fixing lever having one side protruding toward the upper moving space and limiting the movement of the upper piston by the one side.

9. The method of claim 8,
The sludge energy storage unit,
A rotating plate connected to the thigh support and interlocked with the thigh support;
A release lever which moves along a moving slot formed in the tibial support part and separates the upper fixing lever from the upper moving space and restricts the movement of the upper piston; And
One side is connected to the rotary plate and the other side is connected to the release lever, the walk assistance device further comprises a release link to the one side is lifted by the rotation of the rotary plate.

The method of claim 7, wherein
The sledge energy storage unit is connected to the other side of the drive link and the walk assistance device further comprises an auxiliary piston for pressing the upper piston as the drive link is raised.