KR101630570B1 - Assisting Device for Muscle Strength - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for assisting muscular strength which assists joint movement of the leg joint part of a user, having a first bone part, a second bone part connected to the first bone part through a first joint, and a third bone part connected to the second bone part through a second joint. The apparatus for assisting muscular strength comprises: a first wire coupling member which is worn on the second bone part; a first wire whose one end is fixed to the first wire coupling member; a first wire guide which guides the movement of the first wire; a second wire coupling member which is worn on the third bone part; a second wire whose one end is fixed to the second wire coupling member; a second wire guide which guides the movement of the second wire; and a bearing capacity generator. The bearing capacity generator includes: a base frame; a rotary body which is installed to the base frame to be able to rotate; a wire reel which is coupled to the rotary body so that the first wire can be wound; a wire support spring which provides elastic force to the rotary body to rotate the rotary body in a direction in which the first wire is wound; and a torque adjuster which is installed to the rotary body to be connected to the wire support spring so as to adjust torque generated by the wire support spring with respect to the rotary body by changing the radius to which the elastic force of the wire support spring is applied with respect to the center of rotation of the rotary body according to the movement of the second wire.

Description

{Assisting Device for Muscle Strength}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a muscle force assisting device, and more particularly, to a muscle force assisting device capable of assisting movement of a user's joint using a skeleton of a user as a frame.

Recently, a number of muscle aiding devices have been developed to help people who are unable to move a part of their body due to neurological disorders such as paralysis, although the body remains.

The muscle aiding device has various structures depending on the user's trouble, the type of the joint used, and the like. For example, a muscle assist device for gravity compensation has been developed for a handicapped person or a patient who can not move his / her arm or arm because his or her strength has been reduced due to muscle damage or spinal cord injury.

Conventional muscle aiding devices are fabricated using traditional mechanical techniques, most of which are made of rigid materials. Most muscle aids have a rigid material linkage to support the various parts of the arm, and the device is constructed with a curved support to secure the arms. And we use link joint structure by applying various mechanisms to drive complex human joint structure. It also has a metal spring inside to support muscle strength and has a fastening structure for fixing to an external chair or wall to support the weight of the entire structure. Such a conventional muscle strength assisting device has also been disclosed in Patent Registration No. 1241800 (Mar. 14, 2013).

However, the conventional muscle strength assisting device has a problem in that the structure of the wear part and the volume of the outer supporting part increase due to the nature of the structure. In addition, when a device is manufactured using a rigid material, it is necessary to install the device in a chair or an external structure in order to support the heavy weight of the device itself. In addition, customized production of low cost is required due to the characteristics of the life assisting apparatus which is in a small demand and various cases. However, since the conventional apparatus uses hard material, it is difficult to process, the manufacturing cost is high, and customization is difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a muscle assist device capable of supporting a movement according to a joint motion by worn by an actual user, .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a muscle assisting apparatus comprising a first skeleton portion, a second skeleton portion connected to the first skeleton portion through a first joint, and a second skeleton portion connected to the second skeleton portion and the second joint, A first wire coupling member worn on the second skeleton part to assist the joint movement of the user with the third skeleton part connected to the first skeleton part through the joint part; A first wire having one end fixed to the first wire engagement member; A first wire guide having an inner passage through which the first wire is inserted to guide the movement of the first wire, the first wire being worn on a user's body; A second wire coupling member worn on the third skeleton portion; A second wire having one end fixed to the second wire engagement member; A second wire guide having an inner passage through which the second wire is inserted to guide the movement of the second wire, the second wire being worn on the user's body; A wire reel coupled to the rotating body so that the first wire is wound; and a wire reel installed between the base frame and the rotating body, A wire support spring for applying an elastic force to the rotating body so as to rotate the rotating body in a direction in which the first wire is wound on the rotating body, And a torque regulator having a torque regulator for adjusting a torque generated by the wire support spring with respect to the rotating body by changing a radial distance at which the elastic force of the wire supporting spring acts on the rotation center of the rotating body, The point is characterized.

The muscle force assisting device according to the present invention assists muscular force to move the body part by providing a supporting force to a skeleton part near the body when moving a body part including two skeleton parts connected by a joint. In addition, according to the center of gravity of the body part, which varies according to the joint motion of the other skeleton part connected to the skeleton part close to the body part, the supporting force provided to the body part is made different so that the user can perform soft joint motion with smaller force.

Further, the muscle force assisting device according to the present invention can easily be worn or detached from the body of the user, and provides a supporting force that varies depending on the angle of joint motion in the body part of the user's joint. Therefore, a user with low strength or a user who has to exercise repeatedly can help to reduce the force and perform joint exercises smoothly.

Further, unlike the conventional technique in which the muscle force is assisted through the exoskeleton member of the hard material, the muscle aiding device according to the present invention uses the skeleton of the user as a frame and supports the muscular strength of the user with a flexible material such as wire or wire guide. Simple, custom-made, and low in manufacturing cost, so that various users can easily and conveniently access and use the product.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a muscle force assisting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a user's upper extremity exercise assistant.
2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a bearing force generator of a muscle power assisting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a connection structure between a wire support spring and a torque adjuster of the support force generator shown in FIG. 2. FIG.
Fig. 4 shows a mounting structure of the link mechanism on the rotating body of the bearing force generator shown in Fig. 2;
5 and 6 illustrate the operation of the bearing force generator according to the first joint motion of the user.
FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the operation of the bearing force generator according to the second articulation of the user.

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

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support force generator of a muscle power assisting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a support force generator of a muscle force assisting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; .

1 and 2, the muscle force assisting apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of wire bonding members 101 and 102 and wire guides 104 and 105 A first wire 108 coupled to the first wire coupling member 101; a second wire 109 coupled to the second wire coupling member 102; And a supporting force generator 110 for providing a supporting force to the user's body through the second wire 109. [ The muscle force assisting device 100 assists the joint movement of the user's joints.

In the present embodiment, the muscle force assisting device 100 is used as an example of assisting the upper limb movement of the user. As shown in FIG. 1, the user's articulating part includes a first skeleton part 10, a second skeleton part 20, and a third skeleton part 30. The first skeleton part 10 and the second skeleton part 20 are connected through the first joint 40 so as to be capable of first joint motion. The second skeleton portion 20 and the third skeleton portion 30 are connected to each other through a second joint 50 so as to be capable of a second joint motion. Here, the first skeleton part 10 corresponds to the shoulder of the user, the second skeleton part 20 corresponds to the upper side of the user, the third skeletal part 30 corresponds to the lower part of the user, And the second joint 50 corresponds to the user's elbow joint.

The first wire engagement member 101 is worn on the second skeleton portion 20 of the user and the second wire engagement member 102 is worn on the third skeleton portion 30 of the user. The first wire coupling member 101 is wound around the second skeleton portion 20 while covering the second skeleton portion 20. The first wire coupling member 101 can disperse the load applied to the user's body by the first wire 108 connected to the user's body through the first wire coupling member 101. The second wire coupling member 102 also has a second wire 109 fixed to the second wire coupling member 102 so as to be wound around the third skeleton portion 30 while covering the third framework 30, The load applied to the user's body can be dispersed. The first wire coupling member 101 and the second wire coupling member 102 may be made of a flexible material such as a fiber, which is detachably attached to a user's body by employing a belt or a velcro. When the first wire coupling member 101 and the second wire coupling member 102 are made of a flexible material such as a fiber, it is possible to reduce restriction or inconvenience of movement when worn on the body, It can be used universally.

The wire guides 104, 105 and 106 may include a first wire 108 and a second wire 109 to guide movement of the first wire 108 and the second wire 109, And has an internal passage. The first wire guide 104 is worn on the side of the first skeleton part 10 of the user so that the first wire 108 can move through the inside thereof. The first wire 108 extends from the bearing force generator 110 to the user's second skeleton 20 and is guided by the first wire guide 104. The wire guide 105 and the second wire guide 106 for guiding the second wire 109 are connected such that the second wire 109 extending from the supporting force generator 110 to the user's third frame 30 The first skeleton part 10 and the second skeleton part 20 of the user are worn on the side of the user. The second wire guide 106 is coupled to the first wire engagement member 101 and can be detachably attached to the second skeleton 20 together with the first wire engagement member 101.

The first wire guide 104 and the wire guide 105 worn on the side of the first skeleton part 10 of the user can be detachably attached to the user's body by a belt or a Velcro. These wire guides 104 and 105 worn on the side of the user's first skeleton portion 10 may be worn on the body by being joined to a body protector having a cushioning function such as plastic, rubber, silicone, or fabric. Such a body protector can disperse the load applied to the user's body by the first wire 108 or the second wire 109. These wire guides 104, 105, and 106 may be made of a flexible material, such as fibers, that can be deformed to fit the wearer's body part. Of course, the wire guides 104, 105, and 106 may be made of a hard material.

The first wire 108 extends from the support force generator 110 and is fixed to the first wire engagement member 101 whose one end is worn on the second skeleton portion 20 of the user. The supporting force generated in the support force generator 110 is transmitted to the first wire coupling member 101 through the first wire 108 so that the user can assist the user's muscular strength when the second skeleton portion 20 is moved. The first wire 108 is guided by the first wire guide 104 worn on the side of the first bone member 10 of the user so that when the user performs the first joint exercise to move the second bone member 20, 2, it is possible to stably transmit the supporting force in the direction of movement of the skeleton portion 20.

The second wire 109 extends from the support force generator 110 and is fixed to the second wire engagement member 102 whose one end is worn on the third skeleton part 30 of the user. The supporting force generated in the supporting force generator 110 is transmitted to the second wire coupling member 102 through the second wire 109 so as to assist the user's strength when the user moves the third skeleton portion 30. [ Since the second wire 109 is guided by the wire guide 105 worn on the side of the user's first skeleton 10 and the second wire guide 106 worn on the side of the second skeleton 20, 3, it is possible to stably transmit the supporting force in the direction of movement of the third skeleton portion 30 when performing the second articulation movement in which the skeleton portion 30 is moved. Also, when the user moves the third skeleton portion 30, the tension generated in the second wire 109 can be stably transferred to the support force generator 110. [

1 to 4, the support force generator 110 includes a base frame 111, a wire support spring 120, a wire reel 125, a rotating body 130, and a torque regulator 132 . The support force generator 110 generates a support force for compensating for the weight of the upper limb when the user exercises the joint to lift the limb, and provides the support to the upper limb of the user. The support force generator 110 may be mounted on a desk or a conveying means as shown in the drawing,

The base frame 111 includes a bottom frame 112, a lower support frame 113, an upper support frame 114, and a side frame 115. The bottom frame 112 is provided with a plurality of columns 116 on which the lower support frame 113 and the upper support frame 114 are supported with a height difference. The side frames 115 are disposed on the side of the lower support frame 113 and the upper support frame 114. The side frame 115 is provided with a guide hole 117 for guiding the first wire 108 wound on the wire reel 125 and extending toward the first wire coupling member 101. The first wire 108 is moved through the guide hole 117. The structure of the base frame 111 is not limited to that shown in the drawing and may be various other structures capable of supporting the wire support spring 120, the wire reel 125, the rotating body 130, and the torque regulator 132 can be changed.

The bottom frame 112 is provided with a wire support spring 120. The wire support spring 120 provides an elastic force to the wire reel 125 and the rotating body 130 between the base frame 111 and the rotating body 130. One end of the wire support spring 120 is fixed to the bottom frame 112 and the other end of the wire support spring 120 is coupled to the slider 122 movably installed in the bottom frame 112. The slider 122 is horizontally conveyed along a guide rail 123 provided on the bottom frame 112. The connection wire 133 of the torque regulator 132 is connected to the slider 122 and the slider 122 is moved while the wire support spring 120 is elastically deformed when the connection wire 133 pulls the slider 122. The wire support spring 120 is designed to have a suitable elastic modulus such that the sum of the position energy according to the user's upper limb position and the elastic energy possessed by the wire support spring 120 can be made constant.

The wire reel 125 is rotatably coupled to the upper support frame 114. The first wire 108 is wound on the wire reel 125. Fig. The wire reel 125 rotates together with the rotating body 130 and the first wire 108 is wound on the wire reel 125 or unwound from the wire reel 125 according to the rotating direction of the wire reel 125. [ The elastic force of the wire support spring 120 acts in a direction in which the wire reel 125 winds the first wire 108. [ The wire reel 125 includes a wire winding disc 126 wound around an outer circumferential surface of the first wire 108 and an upper disc 127 and a lower disc 128 disposed respectively above and below the wire winding disc 126, . The upper disc 127 and the lower disc 128 prevent the first wire 108 wound on the wire winding disc 126 from escaping from the wire winding disc 126. Of course, the structure of the wire reel 125 can be changed to various other structures that can wind or unwind the first wire 108.

The rotating body 130 is rotatably installed on the lower supporting frame 113 so as to be coupled with the wire reel 125 and to rotate together with the wire reel 125. The elastic force of the wire support spring 120 is transmitted to the rotating body 130 through the torque adjuster 132 and the tension of the first wire 108 when the user performs the joint motion is transmitted to the rotating body 130 through the wire reel 125, (130).

The torque regulator 132 is installed in the rotating body 130 to be connected to the wire supporting spring 120. The torque adjuster 132 adjusts the torque generated between the wire support spring 120 and the rotating body 130 by the wire support spring 120 against the rotating body 130. The torque regulator 132 includes a connecting wire 133 and a link mechanism 140.

One end of the connection wire 133 is coupled to the slider 122 connected to the wire support spring 120 and the other end thereof is coupled to the connection wire fixing member 135 on the link mechanism 140. The connecting wire 133 is guided by a plurality of connecting wire direction switching guides 136 provided on the lower supporting frame 113 and a connecting wire guide member 137 provided on the link mechanism 140. The connection wire direction changeover guide 136 is formed in a roller shape so that the connection wire 133 contacts the outer circumferential surface thereof, thereby making it possible to smoothly change directions. Of course, the connection wire direction changeover guide 136 may take various other structures that can change the path of the connection wire 133 in addition to the roller structure.

2 and 4, the link mechanism 140 includes four links 141, 142, 143 and 144 connected to the first to fourth joints 145, 146, 147 and 148, And are connected to each other in turn so as to form a closed loop and are capable of linking on the rotating body 130. The first link 141 and the second link 142 are pivotally coupled to the first link connecting member 149 so that a first joint 145 is formed between the first link 141 and the second link 142 do. The third link 143 and the fourth link 144 are pivotally coupled to the second link connecting member 150 so that a second joint 146 is formed between the third link 143 and the fourth link 144 do. The second link 142 and the third link 143 are pivotally connected to the third link connecting member 151 so that a third joint 147 is provided between the second link 142 and the third link 143 . The first link 141 and the fourth link 144 are pivotally coupled to the fourth link connecting member 152 so that a fourth joint 148 is provided between the first link 141 and the fourth link 144 .

The first link connecting member 149 and the second link connecting member 150 are horizontally transportable to the guide rails 153 provided on the rotating body 130, respectively. Therefore, the first link connecting member 149 and the second link connecting member 150 can be brought close to or away from each other by sliding along the guide rails 153. The third link linking member 151 and the fourth link linking member 152 are horizontally transportable to the guide rail 153 and another guide rail 154 vertically provided on the rotating body 130 . Accordingly, the third link linking member 151 and the fourth link linking member 152 can be moved toward or away from each other by sliding along the guide rails 154.

The connecting wire fixing member 135 is coupled to the first joint part 145 that connects the first link 141 and the second link 142, that is, the first link connecting member 149. The connecting link guide member 137 is connected to the second joint part 146 facing the first joint part 145, that is, the second link connecting member 150 connecting the third link 143 and the fourth link 144, . 3 and 4, the connecting wire 133 extending from the wire supporting spring 120 is turned on the connecting wire fixing member 135 while being wound on the connecting wire guide member 137, (Not shown). Therefore, the distance from the rotation center of the rotating body 130 to the connecting wire guide member 137 corresponds to the radius distance R (FIG. 5 (a)) at which the elastic force of the wire support spring 120 acts on the rotation center of the rotating body 130 ). ≪ / RTI > The connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are moved toward or away from each other due to the link movement of the link mechanism 140, The radial distance R at which the elastic force acts is changed. And thereby the torque generated by the wire support spring 120 with respect to the rotating body 130 is adjusted.

The connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are formed in a shaft shape and each upper end extends toward the wire reel 125. 1, a guide rail 156 corresponding to the guide rail 153 on the rotating body 130 is provided on the lower surface of the lower disk 128 of the wire reel 125, A pair of sliders 157 are slidably installed. The upper ends of the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are coupled to the pair of sliders 157 so that the wire reel 125 and the rotating body 130 are coupled. The movement of the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 is guided by the pair of sliders 157.

2 and 3, the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are supported by a shaft guide member 158 provided between the wire reel 125 and the rotating body 130 The movement is guided. A guide groove 159 extending in the same direction as the guide rail 153 on the rotating body 130 is provided in the middle of the shaft guide member 158. The shaft guide member 158 is supported by the pillar 160 coupled to the rotating body 130. The connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are inserted in the guide groove 159 of the shaft guide member 158 and moved along the guide groove 159 at an intermediate portion thereof.

The connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are supported by the lower end, the upper end and the middle portion of the connecting wire fixing member 135 so that they can move stably and the rotating force between the wire reel 125 and the rotating body 130 It can be transmitted stably. Although the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 are shown in the form of shafts in the drawing, their structures may be variously changed.

5, the first wire 108 wound around the wire reel 125 and connected at one end to the second skeleton portion 20 of the user is connected to the wire support spring 120 through the torque regulator 132 And is connected to the connected slider 122. 6, when the user moves the second skeleton portion 20, the tension of the first wire 108 is transmitted to the wire reel 125, and the wire reel 125, the link mechanism 140, The entire body 130 is rotated. At this time, the connection wire fixing member 135 and the connection wire guide member 137 coupled to the link mechanism 140 pull the connection wire 133 and the wire support spring 120 is elastically deformed as the slider 122 moves. The elastic force of the wire support spring 120 is transmitted to the second skeleton part 20 of the user through the torque adjuster 132, the wire reel 125 and the first wire 108 to support the user's upper limb.

2 and 4, the link mechanism 140 is provided with a wire fixing member 162 and a wire guide member 163 for connecting the second wire 109 and a link mechanism 140 for linking the link mechanism 140 The link restoring mechanism 168 is engaged. The wire fixing member 162 and the wire guide member 163 are installed in the third joint 147 and the fourth joint 148 of the link mechanism 140, respectively. The wire fixing member 162 is coupled to the third link connecting member 151 connecting the second link 142 and the third link 143 and the wire guide member 163 is coupled to the first link 141, And a fourth link connecting member 152 connecting the fourth link 144. [ One end of the second wire 109 is fixed to the wire fixing member 162. The second wire 109 extending from the wire fixing member 162 is wound around the wire guide member 163 and guided so as to be changed to the rotation center of the rotating body 130. [

A wire direction switching guide 164 for guiding the second wire 109 is provided on the rotating body 130. The wire direction change guide 164 is supported by the support base 165 coupled to the rotating body 130 so as to be located above the link mechanism 140. [ The wire direction change guide 164 guides the second wire 109 from the rotation center of the rotating body 130 to the second wire engagement member 102 side. The second wire 109 guided by the wire direction switching guide 164 extends through the shaft guide member 158 and the wire reel 125 and the upper support frame 114 and extends toward the second wire engagement member 102 do.

Since the second wire 109 connected to the torque regulator 132 extends from the rotation center of the rotating body 130 toward the second wire engagement member 102 in this way, regardless of the rotation of the rotating body 130, The tension of the wire 109 does not change. That is, even if the user rotates the rotating body 130 by performing the first joint movement to move the second skeleton part 20, the tension of the second wire 109 does not change and the tension of the second wire 109 3 skeleton portion 30 is not affected.

7, since the second wire 109 connected to the link mechanism 140 is coupled to the second wire engagement member 102 worn by the user's third skeleton portion 30, The tension of the second wire 109 is transmitted to the link mechanism 140 when performing the second joint movement to move the skeleton portion 30. [ 8, when the user unfolds the third skeleton portion 30 with respect to the second skeleton portion 20, the tension of the second wire 109 is transmitted to the wire fixing member 162 and the wire guide member 163 In the direction of approaching each other. At this time, the link mechanism 140 causes the third joint 147 and the fourth joint 148 to approach each other and the first joint 145 and the second joint 146 to move away from each other. When the first joint part 145 and the second joint part 146 are moved away from each other, a gap between the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 provided in each of them opens. 7, the radial distance R2 at which the elastic force of the wire support spring 120 acts on the rotational center of the rotating body 130 is smaller than the radial distance R2 of the rotating body 130 before the third skeleton portion 30 is expanded Becomes larger than the radial distance R1 at which the elastic force of the wire support spring 120 acts on the rotation center. As a result, the torque generated by the wire support spring 120 with respect to the rotating body 130 becomes large.

The center of gravity C of the entire upper limb is changed according to the angle of the third skeleton portion 30 with respect to the second skeleton portion 20 in the joint motion in which the user moves the upper limb, 20) is also changed. 7, when the third skeleton portion 30 is bent, the center of gravity C of the entire upper portion is located nearer to the first skeleton portion 10, so that the second skeleton portion 20 is lifted up The force is relatively small. 8, when the third skeleton portion 30 is unfolded, the center of gravity C of the entire upper side is further away from the first skeleton portion 10, so that the force for lifting the second skeleton portion 20 It is relatively large. 7, when the force for lifting the second skeleton portion 20 is relatively small, the support force generator 110 of the present invention generates a torque that the wire support spring 120 generates against the rotating body 130 As shown in Fig. 8, the torque generated by the wire support spring 120 against the rotating body 130 when the force for lifting the second skeleton portion 20 is relatively large This occurs largely in response to this. Therefore, it is possible to stably support the user's joint motion by forming an appropriate bearing force profile according to the joint motion situation in the joints of the user.

The link restoring mechanism 168 serves to restore the link mechanism 140 moved by the second wire 109 to its original state. The link restoring mechanism 168 has a spring structure that connects the first joint part 145 and the second joint part 146 of the link mechanism 140. 8, when the link mechanism 140 is linked by the tension of the second wire 109 such that the first joint part 145 and the second joint part 146 move away from each other, the link restoring mechanism 168 ) Is elastically deformed. 7, when the tension of the second wire 109 is released, the link restoring mechanism 168 moves the link mechanism 140 such that the first joint part 145 and the second joint part 146 approach each other Link exercise.

The link restoration mechanism 168 provides a bearing force to the third skeleton portion 30 via the second wire 109 when the user performs a second joint movement to move the third skeleton portion 30, It also assists with exercise. The user can receive the supporting force generated by the link restoring mechanism 168 through the second wire 109 to keep the third skeleton portion 30 lifted with a small force.

The wire guide member 163, which guides and guides the second wire 109, has a one-way clutch structure capable of rotating in only one direction. The wire guide member 163 rotates only in a direction to unwind the second wire 109 toward the second wire engagement member 102. [ The wire guide member 163 rotates so that the second wire 109 can be released without friction when the second wire 109 is pulled while the user stretches the third skeleton portion 30, When the movement of the part 30 stops, the second wire 109 can be firmly held without rotating. When the user folds the third skeleton portion 30, the second wire 109 becomes loose on the wire guide member 163 and can be slipped. The third joint part 147 and the fourth joint part 148 of the link mechanism 140 move toward each other by the elastic force of the link restoring mechanism 168 and the second wire 109 moves toward the link mechanism 140 Is pulled. The wire fixing member 162 can also take a one-way clutch structure to have the same action as the wire guide member 163.

Hereinafter, the operation of the power assist device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

5 and 6, in a state in which the user wears the plurality of wire bonding members 101 and 102 and the wire guides 104, 105 and 106, The tension of the first wire 108 connected to the second skeleton portion 20 is transmitted to the wire reel 125 so that the wire reel 125, the link mechanism 140, and the rotating body 130 . At this time, the connection wire fixing member 135 and the connection wire guide member 137 coupled to the link mechanism 140 pull the connection wire 133 and the wire support spring 120 is elastically deformed as the slider 122 moves. The elastic force of the wire support spring 120 is transmitted to the second skeleton part 20 of the user through the torque adjuster 132, the wire reel 125 and the first wire 108 to support the user's upper limb.

7 and 8, the tension of the second wire 109 connected to the third skeleton portion 30 when the user performs the second joint movement to move the third skeleton portion 30, The distance between the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 coupled to the link mechanism 140 is changed by the elastic force of the connecting wire guide member 168. The distance between the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 affects the radial distance R at which the elastic force of the wire supporting spring 120 acts on the rotational center of the rotating body 130. [

8, when the user unfolds the third skeleton portion 30, the center of gravity C of the user's upper limb moves away from the first skeleton portion 10 so that the user lifts the second skeleton portion 20 The link mechanism 140 performs a linking motion by the tension of the second wire 109 connected to the third skeleton portion 30 so that the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 130 are connected to each other, (137). When the distance between the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 is increased, the radial distance R at which the elastic force of the wire supporting spring 120 acts on the rotation center of the rotating body 130 becomes large, The torque generated by the support spring 120 against the rotating body 130 also becomes large. Accordingly, it is possible to assist the user's joint motion more stably by providing the user's second skeleton portion 20 with an appropriate-sized supporting force in accordance with the force required for the user to perform the first joint movement.

As described above, the muscle force assisting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment provides a supporting force to a skeleton portion close to the body side when the body portion including two skeleton portions connected by joints is moved, so that the muscle force for moving the body portion is assisted It does. In addition, the supporting force provided to the body part is changed according to the center of gravity of the body part, which changes according to the joint motion of the other skeleton part connected to the body part near the body, thereby allowing the user to perform a soft joint motion with a smaller force.

In addition, the muscle force assisting device 100 according to the present embodiment can be manufactured in accordance with the needs of various users by using a flexible material that is easy to process, such as a fabric or leather, to be worn on the user's body.

In addition, since the existing devices use the rigid material to make the external skeleton, the muscle force assisting device 100 according to the present embodiment requires a large amount of space, whereas the skeleton of the user functions as a frame, Can be dramatically reduced.

In addition, the strength assisting device 100 according to the present embodiment can reduce the inconvenience caused by the generation of unnecessary force by taking a supporting force generating structure that can minimize the unnecessary force in the skeleton portion when generating the supporting force for supporting the strength there was.

In addition, the muscle force assisting device 100 according to the present embodiment can provide a great help to people who are unable to move the upper limb due to insufficient upper body strength and people in the occupation group who have to hold the upper limb for a long time, have. Therefore, it can be usefully used in life support and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

For example, although the figure shows that the muscle strength assisting device 100 according to the present invention is used for assisting the upper limb movement of the user, the muscle strength assisting device according to the present invention can be applied to various body parts It can be used to assist in joint movement.

Also, although the figure shows that the torque regulator 132 has a link mechanism 140 of a four-bar link mechanism structure, the structure of the torque regulator 132 can be variously changed. In addition to the spring structure, the link restoring mechanism 168 may be changed to another structure capable of linking the link mechanism 140.

Although the wire reel 125 and the rotating body 130 are shown as being coupled through the connecting wire fixing member 135 and the connecting wire guide member 137 in the drawing, It is possible to take various other coupling structures that can rotate.

10 to 30: first, second and third skeletal parts 40 and 50: first and second joints
100: muscle force assisting device 101, 102: first and second wire coupling member
104, 106: first and second wire guides 105: wire guides
108, 109: first and second wires 110: bearing force generator
111: base frame 112: bottom frame
113: lower support frame 114: upper support frame
115: side frame 116, 160: column
117: guide hole 120: wire supporting spring
122, 157: slider 123, 153, 154, 156: guide rail
125: wire reel 126: wire winding disc
127: upper disk 128: lower disk
130: Rotor 132: Torque regulator
133: connecting wire 135: connecting wire fixing member
136: connection wire direction change guide 137: connection wire guide member
140: Link mechanism 141 to 144: First, second, third and fourth links
145 to 148: First, second, third and fourth joints
149 to 152: First, second, third and fourth link connecting members
158: Shaft guide member 159: Guide groove
162: wire fixing member 163: wire guide member
164: wire direction switching guide 165:

Claims (8)

A joint part in a joint of a user having a first skeletal part, a second skeletal part connected to the first skeletal part through the first joint, and a third skeletal part connected to the second skeletal part through the second joint, 1. A muscle power assisting apparatus for assisting movement,
A first wire coupling member worn on the second skeleton portion;
A first wire having one end fixed to the first wire engagement member;
A first wire guide having an inner passage through which the first wire is inserted to guide the movement of the first wire, the first wire being worn on a user's body;
A second wire coupling member worn on the third skeleton portion;
A second wire having one end fixed to the second wire engagement member;
A second wire guide having an inner passage through which the second wire is inserted to guide the movement of the second wire, the second wire being worn on the user's body; And
1. A wire reel comprising: a base frame; a rotating body rotatably installed in the base frame; a wire reel coupled to the rotating body so that the first wire is wound; and a wire reel provided between the base frame and the rotating body, A wire support spring for providing an elastic force to the rotating body so as to rotate the rotating body in a direction in which the first wire is wound and a wire support spring installed in the rotating body so as to be connected to the wire support spring, And a torque regulator having a torque regulator for adjusting a torque generated by the wire support spring with respect to the rotating body by changing a radial distance at which the elastic force of the wire supporting spring acts on the rotation center of the rotating body Features a muscle auxiliary device. The method according to claim 1,
The torque regulator of the support force generator includes:
A link mechanism that is connected to the first to fourth joints so as to form a closed loop while the second wire is connected and is capable of linking on the rotating body by the tension of the second wire;
A connection wire connected to the wire support spring,
A connecting wire fixing member installed at the first joint part of the first joint part and the second joint part facing each other of the link mechanism to fix the connection wire,
A connecting wire guide member installed on the second joint to wind the connecting wire extending from the connecting wire fixing member to guide the wire to the wire support spring;
The first joint part and the second joint part are moved away from each other by the tension of the second wire and the third joint part and the fourth joint part are moved to approach each other, And a link restoring mechanism for applying a force to the muscle. 3. The method of claim 2,
The torque regulator of the support force generator includes:
A wire fixing member provided at the third joint part of the third joint part and the fourth joint part facing each other of the link mechanism to fix the second wire,
Further comprising a wire guide member installed on the second joint to wind the second wire extending from the wire fixing member to guide the wire to the second wire engagement member. The method of claim 3,
And the wire guide member is constituted by a one-way clutch structure which is rotatable in one direction to a third joint part of the link mechanism so as to be rotatable only in a direction of unwinding the second wire toward the second wire engagement member Power assist device. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the link restoring mechanism comprises a spring structure that is connected to the link mechanism such that the first joint portion and the second joint portion of the link mechanism approach each other and the third joint portion and the fourth joint portion of the link mechanism move away from each other Wherein the first and second muscular assist devices are configured to be rotated. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the torque regulator further comprises a wire direction switching guide provided on the rotating body so as to guide the second wire from the rotation center of the rotating body to the second wire coupling member. . 3. The method of claim 2,
A slider that is horizontally transportable to the base frame to connect the wire support spring and the connection wire between them; And
Further comprising: a connection wire direction switching guide for guiding the connection wire between the link mechanism and the slider so as to change directions. The method according to claim 1,
The first wire coupling member and the second wire coupling member are worn in the form of winding on the user's body so as to disperse a load applied to the user's body by the first wire and the second wire. .

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