KR101537962B1

KR101537962B1 - Air-powered prosthetic legs

Info

Publication number: KR101537962B1
Application number: KR1020150043171A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 박동일
Original assignee: 박동일
Priority date: 2015-03-27
Filing date: 2015-03-27
Publication date: 2015-07-23

Abstract

The present invention relates to a walking assist device using a pneumatic system, and a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention is a walking aiding device for assisting walking by wearing on a lower body of a wearer, An upper body attached to the side of the thigh, a lower body attached to the side of the wearer's knee and ankle, and an air pump installed at the waist of the wearer, wherein the air pump includes a cylinder having an air outlet at an upper portion thereof, A piston moving up and down in the cylinder and a piston rod having an upper end coupled to the piston and extending downwardly through the lower end surface of the cylinder and an upper end hinged to the lower end of the piston rod, And an upper body coupled to the upper body, A connecting member for hinging in a forward and backward direction around the joint portion with the tone rod as a center of rotation, and a joint positioned at a side of the wearer's knee, the joint portion being coupled with a lower end of the upper body, A joint part having an air inlet and an air hose connecting the air outlet and the air inlet, and a rotary part coupled to an upper end of the lower body and rotatable about the rotary shaft, And a rotation driving unit that is installed in the inside of the joint part to communicate with the rotating part when the air is injected through the air inlet, and applies rotational force to the rotating part by air pressure.

Description

{AIR-POWERED PROSTHETIC LEGS}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a walking assist device, and more particularly, to a walking assist device using a pneumatic system that allows an elderly person or a lower body to easily walk by using a pneumatic system without using an electric force.

A cane is a thin, long tool that can be held in a hand, often made of wood, about the length of a person's leg, but recently it is made of plastic or metal.

However, since the cane puts the weight of the upper body in one hand or two hands, a considerable amount of arm goes to the arm, the performance and efficiency are not good, and the accident that falls down during use is frequent, .

The most commonly used walking aids are wheelchairs, wheelchairs are wheels that are installed to allow people who can not move their legs to move, and movement devices used by people with disabilities to participate in social, work, and leisure activities . The structure of the wheelchair consists of a frame, a seat, a large wheel, a front auxiliary wheel, a wheel handle, a brake, a backrest, an armrest, a footrest, and a footrest. There are manual wheelchairs and automatic wheelchairs, and there are outdoor and indoor wheelchairs depending on the application. Other special purpose sports wheelchairs, dedicated wheelchairs for cutters, and wheelchairs with one hand. When choosing a wheelchair, consider the width, height and depth of the seat, the height of the backrest, and the height of the armrest.

However, electric wheelchairs are so expensive that elderly people are not able to purchase them directly, and it is difficult to find a way to cope with stairs or obstacles. When there is no pusher behind them, It is not easy to use indoors, and in the case of electric wheelchairs, it is difficult to use delivery or transportation.

On the other hand, the robot leg orthosis which many companies invest in recently has the merit of being able to freely utilize in a variety of situations and more efficient than a cane or a wheel chair since the elderly and the disabled who can not walk can be saved from the difficulty of walking.

However, since the price is so high as several tens to hundreds of times more than an electric wheelchair, the buyer does not have to pay for the purchase of the socially weak person such as the elderly or the handicapped and it is difficult to wear alone because the weight is 20 to 50 kg, There is a problem that it may go. Also, because it uses fuel like electricity or petroleum, it moves for 3 ~ 4 hours, so it has a disadvantage that it has not been put to practical use because it is difficult to use.

The present invention has been conceived to solve the problems of the prior art. The present invention requires a motor and a battery when the electric power is used, so that it is heavy, expensive, expensive, It is an object of the present invention to provide a pedometer using a pneumatic system which uses a pneumatic system so that there is no disadvantage in using electricity because there is a problem, and a pneumatic system using cheap, environmentally friendly and energy efficient air pressure.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a walking assist device for assisting walking by wearing on a lower body of a wearer, the walking assist device comprising: A lower body attached to a side of a portion between a knee and an ankle of the wearer; and an air pump installed at the waist of the wearer, wherein the air pump includes a cylinder having an air outlet at an upper portion thereof, And a piston rod having an upper end connected to the piston and extending downwardly through a lower end surface of the cylinder, an upper end hinged to a lower end of the piston rod, and a lower end connected to the upper body So that the engagement between the piston rod and the upper portion of the upper body A joint member which is located on the side of the wearer's knee, the joint member having a fixing part to be engaged with a lower end of the upper body, a rotary shaft to be engaged with the fixing part, And a rotary part coupled to an upper end of the lower main body, the air hose connecting the air exhaust port and the air inlet, and the air hose connecting the air inlet and the air inlet, And rotation driving means for applying rotational force to the rotating portion by air pressure when air is injected through the air inlet.

The rotation driving means includes a valve body which is coupled to the fixed portion so as to communicate with the air inlet, an air pressure cylinder which is coupled to the fixed portion and has an inlet formed at one end thereof and an exhaust port formed at one side thereof, An operating piston reciprocating in the pneumatic cylinder and one end engaged with the operating piston and rotatably engaged with an edge of the rotating part spaced apart from the rotating shaft through one end face of the pneumatic cylinder, And an air tube connecting the valve body and the suction port. When air flows into the suction port through the valve body and the air tube, the operation piston moves The rotating portion is rotated by the connecting rod It is preferred that the group operating piston is configured after the exhaust port so as to get out the air in the pneumatic cylinder out through the exhaust port.

In addition, a pair of the pneumatic cylinder, the operating piston, the connecting rod, and the air tube are provided, and a pair of the connecting rods are pushed alternately to rotate the rotating parts in opposite directions .

In addition, a left protruding wall and a right protruding wall opposed to each other with an interval therebetween are provided at the edge of the rotating portion, and a part of the valve body is reciprocated within the valve body and a remaining portion protrudes outside the valve body And a switch portion disposed between the left protruding wall and the right protruding portion and formed with an air passage groove extending in the left-right direction and always communicating with the air inlet, wherein the valve body is provided with a pair of When the switch portion is pushed by the left protruding wall or the right protruding wall to move to the right end or the left end, the air passage groove communicates with any one of the pair of valve holes, and the other one It is blocked from the valve hole so that air can be fed to only one of the pneumatic cylinders. It is preferable.

Preferably, the upper body is vertically adjustable.

It is also preferred that the upper body is associated with a belt tied to the wearer's thigh, and the lower body is associated with a belt tied to the calf portion of the wearer.

Preferably, the air pump is mounted on the waist of the wearer so that the air pump can be tilted as the upper body is inclined.

As described above, according to the walking assist device using the pneumatic system according to the present invention, the conventional leg orthosis such as a cane or a wheelchair is inefficient and has a limitation in use, and the robot leg orthosis, which is generally available, is expensive and practically inferior The present invention solves the problem, and the pedometer using the pneumatic system according to the present invention can be used as an eco-friendly, efficient, high-weight, lightweight and long- There are advantages.

1 is a perspective view showing a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are front views illustrating a walking assist system using a pneumatic system according to the present invention. FIG.
4 is a front sectional view showing a joint portion of a walking assist device using the pneumatic system according to the present invention.
5 is a side cross-sectional view showing the joint portion of the walking aid using the pneumatic system according to the present invention.
6A and 6B are front sectional views showing a valve body of a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention.
7 is a sectional view showing an air pressure cylinder of a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are front views showing a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention.

The pedometer according to the present invention wears a pair of legs on the left leg and the right leg and includes an upper body 100, a lower body 200, an air pump 300, a connecting member 400, (500), a rotation driving means (600), an air hose (700), and a belt (800).

The upper body 100 is a bar-shaped member extending vertically in the vertical direction. The upper body 100 has a telescopic type configuration in which the lower tube is inserted into the upper tube, so that the length of the upper body 100 can be adjusted . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of adjustment holes 110 are formed at regular intervals in the vertical direction when viewed from the front, and are installed inside the upper body 100 to move elastically, The engaging member which is not caught by the adjusting hole 110 is selectively inserted into one of the adjusting holes 110 so that the adjustment of the length of the upper body 100 is completed and then the length of the upper body 110 So as not to change. Since the structure for adjusting the length of the upper body 100 is generally applied to a length adjusting method of a desk leg or the like, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The lower main body 200 is connected to the upper main body 100 by the joint part 500 and extends long under the joint part 500.

A Velcro type belt 800 that can be worn around the user's thigh is coupled to the upper body 100 and a Velcro type belt 800 that can be worn around the user's calf is coupled to the lower body 200, The upper body 100 and the lower body 200 are also bent or expanded by bending or stretching the legs.

The joint part 500 is composed of a fixing part 510 and a rotation part 530 which is rotatable about a rotation axis 520 which is coupled to the fixing part 510. The fixing part 510 includes a fixing part 510, And the rotary part 530 is engaged with the upper end of the lower main body 200 and the leg is bent or extended so that the rotation part 530 and the lower main body 200 of the joint part 500 are fixed to the fixing part 510 and the upper main body 200, (100).

Rotary driving means 600 is provided in the joint part 500 to apply a force to rotate the rotary part 530 of the joint part 500 clockwise or counterclockwise according to the operation of the air pump 300.

As shown in Fig. 1, the upper body 100 and the air pump 300 are attached to the waistband of the user. The air pump 300 includes an upper cylinder 310 and a piston reciprocating up and down in the cylinder 310 and a piston rod 330 coupled to a lower surface of the piston and extending downwardly through a lower end surface of the cylinder 310 ).

The connecting member 400 is a rod-shaped member for connecting the lower end of the piston rod 330 to the upper body 100. The upper end of the connecting member 400 and the lower end of the piston rod 330 are hinge- As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the air pump 300 and the upper body are separated from each other, the connecting member 400 rotates about the lower end of the piston rod 330 while being axially rotated, Pull the rod 330 down. Accordingly, when the user repeats the stepping motion, the piston connected to the piston rod 330 reciprocates up and down to perform the air pumping action.

3, the air pump 300 is attached to the back of the user. When the thigh is lifted as shown in FIG. 3, the air pump 300 maintains the attached state behind the waist of the user, 300 are installed so that they can be inclined.

An air inlet hole 511 is formed in the front surface of the fixing portion 510 of the joint portion 500 so that the air hose 700 And connects the air outlet 311 and the air inlet 511 with each other. The air compressed and discharged from the air pump 300 flows into the valve body 610 of the rotary driving means 600 in the joint part 500 through the air inlet 700 through the air inlet port 511.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a joint part of a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a joint part of a walking assist device using a pneumatic system according to the present invention.

5, the fixing part 510 and the rotation part 520 are superposed to form an inner space surrounded by the fixing part 510 and the rotation part 520, And is rotatable around a rotation axis 520 coupled to the center. A bearing may be provided at a portion surrounding the rotating shaft 520 for smooth rotation. The air hose 700 is installed to communicate with the air passage groove 612 of the valve body 610 through the air inlet 511 formed in the fixing portion 510.

4, the rotation driving means 600 includes a valve body 610, an air pressure cylinder 620, an operation piston 630, a connecting rod 640, and an air tube 650.

7 shows an arrangement of the pneumatic cylinder 620, the connecting rod 640 and the operation piston 630. The pneumatic cylinder 620 has an inlet port 621 at the lower end side of the pneumatic cylinder 620, And an exhaust port 622 is provided on a side surface of a portion slightly away from the lower portion. When the operation piston 630 reaches the position of the exhaust port 622 by the air introduced into the air intake port 621 by this structure and the operation piston 630 is lifted up, the air beneath the operation piston 630 is exhausted through the air exhaust port The pressure of the air below the operation piston 630 in the space inside the pneumatic cylinder 620 is low so that the operation piston 630 can be easily lowered.

6A and 6B show the construction and operation principle of the valve body 610. The valve body 610 is provided with a pair of valve holes 611 and 612 at a portion apart from the air inlet 511 in the left and right sides, (613) are formed. The switch portion 611 has a fan shape and has a portion that reciprocates right and left in the inner space of the valve element 610 and a portion that extends in a straight line shape to the outside of the valve element 610. The switch portion 611 The air passage groove 612 is formed in a circular arc shape on the surface facing the air inlet 511. [

6A, since the air passage groove 612 communicates only with the air inlet 511 and does not communicate with any valve hole 613, air can escape through the valve hole 613 none.

However, if the user moves the calf part, the rotation part 530 rotates and the left protrusion wall 531 or the right protrusion wall 532, which is integrally coupled with the rotation part 530 and protruded outward, The switch portion 611 rotates to one side as shown in FIG. 6B, so that the air passage groove 612 is communicated with one of the two valve holes 613. As a result, as shown in FIG. The air introduced through the air inlet port 511 is allowed to pass through the air passage groove 612 to the valve hole 613.

4, the left valve hole 613 is connected to the inlet 621 of the left pneumatic cylinder 620 and the air tube 650, and the right valve hole 613 is connected to the right pneumatic cylinder 620 When the left valve hole 613 is opened by the intake port 621 and the air tube 650 and the left valve hole 613 is opened and the right valve hole 613 is opened, the right operating piston 630 is moved up . The lower end of the connecting rod 640 is engaged with the operation piston 630, and the upper end thereof is rotatably engaged with the edge of the rotation part 530.

4, when the left operating piston 630 rises, the rotating portion 530 rotates clockwise, and when the right operating piston 630 rises, the rotating portion 530 rotates counterclockwise.

The operation of the walking assist system using the pneumatic system according to the present invention constructed as described above will be described below.

The waistband 900 is attached to the waist and the waist belt is worn on the left and right legs of the left and right legs of the present invention. The belt 800, which is made of a Velcro type structure and can be boiled and tied, To the legs.

3, the connecting member 400 moves forward to pull the piston rod 330 forward, and the piston rod 330 is extended. When the leg is extended as shown in FIG. 2, the piston rod 330 returns to its original state, The air inside the pneumatic cylinder 620 having an internal piston on the piston is discharged to the air hose 700 through the air discharge port 311 and flows into the valve body 610 through the air inlet port 511 .

On the other hand, when the wearer moves the leg portion under the knee back and forth, the left protruding wall 531 or the right protruding wall 532 rotates the switch portion 611 to one side so that air entering through the air inlet 511 flows into the air passage groove 612 to the valve hole 613 so that the operating piston 630 rises and the connecting rod 640 rotates the rotary portion 530 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to cause the wearer to walk It adds strength.

For example, when the wearer pushes his / her foot to lift the stairs and starts to open the legs, the air sent from the air pump 300 operates the rotation driving means 600 to rotate the rotation unit 530 in the direction in which the legs are extended, So that the stairs can be climbed with little force.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying drawings. And modifications are within the scope of the appended claims.

100: upper body 110: adjusting hole
200: lower body 300: air pump
310: cylinder 310: cylinder
311: Air outlet 330: Piston rod
400: connecting member 500: joint part
510: fixing portion 511: air inlet
520: rotating shaft 530: rotating part
531: left protruding wall 532: right protruding wall
600: rotation drive means 610: valve body
611: Switch part 612: Air passage groove
613: valve hole 620: pneumatic cylinder
621: Inlet port 622: Exhaust port
630: Working piston 640: Connecting rod
650: air tube 700: air hose
800: Belt 900: Belt

Claims

1. A walking assist device for worn on a wearer's lower body to assist walking, comprising:
Wherein the walking-
An upper body attached to a side surface of the thigh of the wearer;
A lower body attached to a side of a portion between a wearer's knee and ankle;
The air pump according to claim 1, wherein the air pump includes a cylinder having an air outlet at an upper portion thereof, a piston moving upward and downward in the cylinder, and an upper end coupled to the piston, An air pump including a piston rod;
A connecting member hinged to a lower end of the piston rod and coupled to the upper body to hinge in a forward and a backward direction around the connecting portion with the piston rod in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the upper body;
And a joint part located on the side of the knee of the wearer, wherein the joint part has a fixing part to be engaged with a lower end part of the upper body, a rotation shaft to be engaged with the fixing part, A joint portion including a rotating portion and an air inlet formed therein;
An air hose connecting the air outlet and the air inlet; And
And a rotation driving unit installed in the joint part to communicate with the air inlet and applying rotational force to the rotary part by air pressure when air is injected through the air inlet.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the rotation driving means comprises:
A valve body coupled to the fixed portion to communicate with the air inlet;
A pneumatic cylinder coupled to the fixed portion, having an inlet formed at one end thereof and an exhaust port formed in a side wall thereof;
A working piston reciprocating in the pneumatic cylinder and
Wherein one end of the pneumatic cylinder is engaged with the operating piston and is rotatably engaged with an edge of the rotating part that is spaced apart from the rotating shaft by passing through one end face of the pneumatic cylinder to convert the linear reciprocating motion of the operating piston into rotational motion of the rotating part road; And
And an air tube connecting the valve body and the inlet,
When the air flows into the suction port through the valve body and the air tube, the operating piston rotates and rotates the rotating part by the connecting rod. When the operating piston passes the exhaust port, air in the pneumatic cylinder exits through the exhaust port Wherein the pneumatic system is configured to move out of the pneumatic system.

3. The method of claim 2,
The pair of assemblies including the pneumatic cylinder, the actuating piston, the connecting rod, and the air tube are provided, and a pair of the connecting rods are pushed alternately to rotate the rotating parts in opposite directions A walking assist device using a pneumatic system.

The method of claim 3,
A left protruding wall and a right protruding wall facing each other with an interval therebetween,
Wherein the valve body is partly reciprocated inside the valve body and the remaining part protrudes outside the valve body and is positioned between the left projecting wall and the right projecting part, And a switch portion having an air passage groove formed therein,
Wherein the valve body is provided with a pair of valve holes communicating with the different air tubes,
When the switch portion is pushed by the left protruding wall or the right protruding wall to move to the right end or the left end, the air passage groove is communicated with any one of the pair of valve holes and clogged with the other valve hole Wherein the pneumatic cylinder is configured such that air can be conveyed only to any one of the pneumatic cylinders.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the upper body is vertically adjustable. &Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 8. < / RTI >

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The upper body is engaged with a belt that binds to the thigh of the wearer,
Wherein the lower body is coupled with a belt tied to the calf portion of the wearer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the air pump is installed on the waist of the wearer so that the air pump can be tilted with the inclination of the upper body.