KR101815989B1 - Front wearing stand-up assistance robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a front-standing standing-up assistance robot, and more particularly, it relates to a front-standing standing assistant robot which can automatically balance an external force by using an actuator of an ankle part and can predict and assist the next operation by grasping a user's intention, To a wearable standing-up standing-up robot.
The front-standing standing-up assistant robot includes a plurality of auxiliary legs each of which includes a plurality of ankle joint actuators and a first pelvic joint actuator, each of which provides a degree of freedom in a first or second direction and is spaced apart from each central axis; A plurality of support bars connected to the first pelvis joint actuator at the first end and each of which is bent to open the rear surface of the body surrounding the front surface of the user and connected to the second end of the support bar, A body portion including a second pelvis joint actuator for providing an operation degree of freedom in the second direction; And an operation control module for continuously sensing the center of gravity of the user and controlling the plurality of ankle joint actuators to hold the center of gravity.

Description

{FRONT WEARING STAND-UP ASSISTANCE ROBOT}

The present invention relates to a front-standing standing assistant robot, and more particularly, it relates to a front-standing standing assistant robot which can automatically balance an external force by using an actuator of an ankle portion and can predict and assist the next operation by grasping a user's intention, To a wearable standing-up standing-up robot.

The walking assist robot is a robot that assists the elderly or the handicapped in walking. It is mainly used for the rehabilitation therapy for general medical use, and for the independent activity of the elderly or the handicapped in the indoor / outdoor walking environment .

The walking assist robot is manufactured in a form that can be worn on the user's body, and detects the motion of the user's arm or leg, thereby moving the arms or legs of the robot equipped with the actuator, It refers to robot. These walking-assist robots are being developed to overcome the disadvantages of existing walking-assist robots, which have limitations in the application of self-rehabilitation treatment, and are being developed in a form that can be worn on the user's body in order to help the user's self- .

The conventional walking-assist robot has a disadvantage in that it is constructed in a form of being worn on the rear side or on the ground so that the user's assistance and assistance of the standing person should be a prerequisite.

The conventional walking-assist robot suffers from difficulties in self-balancing and power control due to the simple operation and algorithm of the driving module for maintaining a complicated force balance state when an external force is applied during walking. Therefore, it is possible to precisely estimate the balance of the robot itself based on the external force and the user's force that can be generated when the robot is walking, accurately predict the intentions of the user's movement such as sitting or stopping, The robot has to be developed.

Korean Patent No. 10-1497673 proposes a walking assist device capable of driving an efficient and natural walking motion with a simple structure and configuration and not only secures a balance for maintaining stability and posture while walking, To provide a ride-on bipedal walking aid which can relieve passengers' feeling of ride and stability.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2015-0142794 discloses a method for determining whether a leg is a supporting process or a swing process through a measurement value of a force sensor provided at a sole of foot and a dynamic compensating torque A walking control method and a walking system of a wearing robot including a supporting step of applying a perfect torque of a virtual spring-damper model will be introduced.

Korean Patent No. 10-0716597 relates to a robot for intelligent muscular strength and a gait, which is a removable robot which can be easily put on and taken off by a user because the weight is light and the volume is small, , A caster walker that allows you to balance your body by placing your hands or arms on the front monitor to see various body and situational information and a robot that is mounted on a caster walker to transmit power for movement The power transmission device having a high weight and a large volume is mounted on the caster walker which can be pushed by the user unlike the conventional device in which the power transmission device is mounted on the wearer's part of the wearer, And the volume can be greatly reduced.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1497673 (Registered on February 22, 2015) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0142794 (published Dec. 12, 2015) Korean Patent No. 10-0716597 (registered on May 3, 2007)

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide an intelligent auxiliary robot that automatically balances an external force by using an actuator of an ankle.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an auxiliary motion control module that instantly senses a user's movement through an operation control module including various sensors such as a multi-axis force-torque sensor and an EMG sensor, accurately predicts a user's next behavior, We want to provide robots.

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a front-standing standing-up assistance robot which can be worn forward and can assist a user in self-wearing and assist standing up without the assistance of others.

In embodiments, the front-standing standing-up assistant robot may include a plurality of ankle joint actuators, each of which includes a plurality of ankle joint actuators and a first pelvic joint actuator each providing a degree of freedom in a first or second direction, Auxiliary legs; A plurality of support bars connected to the first pelvis joint actuator at the first end and each of which is bent to open the rear surface of the body surrounding the front surface of the user and connected to the second end of the support bar, A body portion including a second pelvis joint actuator for providing an operation degree of freedom in the second direction; And an operation control module for continuously sensing the center of gravity of the user and controlling the plurality of ankle joint actuators to hold the center of gravity.

Each of the plurality of joint actuators and the second pelvis joint actuators (hereinafter, the gait assistant actuators) may include a multi-axis force-torque sensor for sensing motion of the joint generated according to the user's motion.

The body part applies a balance algorithm based on force-torque measurements of the multiaxial force-torque sensor and estimates force-torque variations of the multiaxial force-torque sensor necessary to maintain balance of the central axle, And an operation control module for controlling the operation of the display device.

And the operation control module controls the walking assist driver by predicting the following operation on the basis of a force-torque change amount generated by the user's operation through the multi-axis force-torque sensor.

The operation control module predicts the following operation based on the amount of the electrical signal measured through the muscle force measuring sensor capable of measuring an electrical signal applied to the user's muscles before the operation of the user occurs, And controlling the driving units.

The auxiliary leg portion may further include a footrest disposed on the foot of the user and connected to the second ankle joint driver.

The auxiliary leg may further include a knee joint actuator that provides an operation degree of freedom in the first direction corresponding to the knee joint of the user.

The auxiliary leg may further include linkers connecting the plurality of joint actuators.

The body portion may further include a gripper rod connected to one surface of the body plate opposite to the user and extending in a direction parallel to the ground so as to be gripped by the user's hand.

The body may further include a body plate coupled with the plurality of support bars and the second pelvis joint actuators.

The disclosed technique may have the following effects. It is to be understood, however, that the scope of the disclosed technology is not to be construed as limited thereby, as it is not meant to imply that a particular embodiment should include all of the following effects or only the following effects.

The front-standing standing assistant robot according to an embodiment of the present invention can automatically balance the user against an external force by using a driver of the ankle part.

The front-standing standing assistant robot according to an embodiment of the present invention accurately detects motion of a user through an operation control module including a multi-axis force-torque sensor and an EMG sensor to predict the next behavior, The operation can be controlled.

The front-standing standing-up assistant robot according to the embodiment of the present invention can be worn forward, so that it is easy for the user to self-wear and assist in standing up without the assistance of other persons.

1 is a diagram showing a user wearing an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view 2a, a front view 2b, and a side view 2c showing the configuration of the front-standing standing-up auxiliary robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The description of the present invention is merely an example for structural or functional explanation, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described in the text. That is, the embodiments are to be construed as being variously embodied and having various forms, so that the scope of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents capable of realizing technical ideas. Also, the purpose or effect of the present invention should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention, since it does not mean that a specific embodiment should include all or only such effect.

Meanwhile, the meaning of the terms described in the present application should be understood as follows.

The terms "first "," second ", and the like are intended to distinguish one element from another, and the scope of the right should not be limited by these terms. For example, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element, but there may be other elements in between. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between. On the other hand, other expressions that describe the relationship between components, such as "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to" should be interpreted as well.

It is to be understood that the singular " include " or "have" are to be construed as including the stated feature, number, step, operation, It is to be understood that the combination is intended to specify that it does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

In each step, the identification code (e.g., a, b, c, etc.) is used for convenience of explanation, the identification code does not describe the order of each step, Unless otherwise stated, it may occur differently from the stated order. That is, each step may occur in the same order as described, may be performed substantially concurrently, or may be performed in reverse order.

The present invention can be embodied as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium, and the computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices for storing data that can be read by a computer system . Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and also implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet) . In addition, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-connected computer systems so that computer readable codes can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

All terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used predefined terms should be interpreted to be consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and can not be interpreted as having ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application.

1 is a view illustrating a front-standing standing-up assistance robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1A shows a process of wearing a front-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 in a sitting position, and the front-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 can form a posture in which a user can sit and wear.

In order to wear the front-standing standing-up auxiliary robot 100, the following processes can be performed.

First, the user places his sole on the foot plate 114 and, if necessary, uses the leg strap 130a to join the foot to the linker 112. The user puts his / her hand on the gripper rod 122 and grasps it, and applies a force to change the front-wear standing-up assistant robot 100 to a sitting and wearable posture. The user uses the leg strap 130b to join the thigh to the linker 112 and attach the upper body to the body plate 124 by utilizing the upper body strap 130c.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user can wear the front-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 himself or herself without assistance of the other person in a sitting position.

1B shows a process in which the user walks using the front wear standing assistant robot 100. The front wear standing assistant robot 100 predicts the next operation based on a small amount of motion of the user, And the second pelvic joint actuators 128 (hereinafter, the gait assistant drivers) to assist the user's walking.

For the operation of the front-standing standing-up assistance robot 100, the following processes can be performed.

First, when an electric signal applied to the user's muscle is applied by the user before the motion is generated by the user, the front-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 uses the muscle force measurement sensor mounted in the motion control module 140, To a muscle force measurement value. Then, the operation control module 140 computes the current state by applying the gait algorithm based on the muscle force measurement values, and calculates the current state of the leg joint actuators 116 and the second pelvis joint actuators 128, So that the user can stand up or start walking. Then, when the user's action occurs, the front-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 measures a force-torque change amount using a multi-axis force-torque sensor mounted on the gait assistant drivers and predicts the next action of the user based on the measured force- The walking assist can be assisted by operating the walking assist driver. Further, the operation control module 140 predicts and drives the motion of the walking aiding actuators necessary to maintain balance by applying a balance algorithm based on the amount of change in the force-torque, thereby maintaining the overall balance and assisting the walking of the user have.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view (FIG. 2A), a front view (FIG. 2B), and a side view (FIG. 2C) showing the configuration of the front-standing standing-up assistance robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the front-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 may include a plurality of auxiliary legs 110 and a body 120.

The plurality of auxiliary legs 110 may each include a plurality of ankle joint actuators and a first pelvis joint actuator each of which provides a degree of freedom in the first or second direction and is spaced apart from each central axis. The plurality of ankle joint actuators and the first pelvis joint actuators may be represented by a leg joint actuator 116. More specifically, the leg joint drivers 116 include first pelvis joint actuators 116a each corresponding to the user's pelvic joints to provide a degree of freedom in a first direction, And a first ankle joint driver 116c for providing an operation degree of freedom in a first direction corresponding to the ankle joints of the user, And a second ankle joint driver 116d that provides a degree of freedom of motion in the direction of the second ankle joint. The first ankle joint driver 116c and the second ankle joint driver 116d are spaced apart from each other by their center axes to provide a wide freedom of motion and are controlled by an operation control module It is possible to perform an operation of controlling and maintaining a full balance.

Each of the walking assist drivers including the leg joint actuators 116 corresponds to the joints of the user and provides a certain degree of freedom of operation. The motion of the robot joint corresponding to a specific direction is a direction in which the robot moves in a linear direction toward the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, that is, the three-dimensional space of X, Y, Z or the direction in which the axis is rotated about the X, (Roll, Pitch, Yaw). The direction orthogonal to the left and right sides of the robot is placed on the X axis, and the direction of rotation about the robot corresponds to the pitch. The axis orthogonal to the front and the back is positioned on the Y axis, and the direction of rotation about the Y axis corresponds to the roll. The direction in which the axis is placed on the Z axis and which rotates about it is Yaw. Accordingly, the first pelvis joint actuators 116a, the knee joint actuators 116b, and the first ankle joint actuators 116c can provide the degree of freedom in the pitch direction corresponding to the corresponding joints, The joint actuators 116d and the second pelvis joint actuators 128 may provide an operational degree of freedom in the Roll direction.

Each of the gait assistant drivers may include a driver for obtaining the rotational force using electric power, a sensor for sensing external conditions by analyzing sensory related signals, and a peripheral module. Here, the driver means a driver designed to provide first and second operating degrees of freedom, in particular, performing similar functions in correspondence with the joints of a person, and in the present invention, But the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include various kinds of motors, hydraulic actuators and pneumatic actuators, which are used for driving the robots and which can be used in industry. Among them, the motors mainly used as actuators are capable of outputting the maximum torque quickly. Therefore, the AC motor used mainly for driving the wheels, the DC motor having the strength in the short duty cycle, the stepping motor which is easy to control, Servo motors capable of driving precision, and hybrid digital motors of these types. In addition, the sensor includes an acceleration sensor for measuring the inclination with respect to the surface of the ground to detect the three-dimensional motion, a multi-axis force-torque sensor comprising the combination of the acceleration sensor for measuring the angular velocity and the gyro sensor for measuring the inclination, And a muscle force measuring sensor capable of measuring an electrical signal before a user's movement appears as an external force. Signals sensed by the plurality of sensors may be transmitted to the motion control module 140 and then used to maintain overall balance through a balance algorithm and may be used to predict the next motion through a gait algorithm. The contents thereof will be described in more detail in the description of the operation control module 140.

The auxiliary leg portions 110 may further include a footrest 114 disposed on the user's foot for connection with the second ankle joint driver 116d. Accordingly, the leg joint actuators 116, each formed along the outside of the user's legs in the auxiliary leg portions 110, can be connected to the footrest 114 at the lower end of the legs. The foot plate 114 may be formed in a plate shape to support the weight of the user and to assist walking by being joined with the second ankle joint driver 116d.

The auxiliary legs 110 may further include linkers 112 connecting the plurality of joint actuators. Here, the linker 112 corresponds to a bar-shaped auxiliary module that physically connects the leg joint drivers 116 that are connected to the legs of the user along the legs to correspond to the joints, And may further include circuit modules for signal transmission and amplification inside and outside. The auxiliary legs 110 may further include leg straps 130a and 130b as fixing means for stably supporting the user's legs.

The body part 120 is connected to the first pelvis joint actuators 116a of the leg joint actuators 116 at the first end and includes a plurality of support bars (not shown) which are bent to open the rear face of the body, support bars 126 and second pelvis joint actuators 128 each coupled to second ends of the plurality of support bars 126 to provide a degree of freedom in a second direction.

The body part 120 may further include a body plate 124 combining the plurality of support bars 126 and the second pelvis joint actuators 128. The body plate 124 refers to an auxiliary module that is combined with a plurality of support bars that are formed in a plate shape to fix and support the upper body of the user and are connected to the second pelvis joint actuators. The body plate 124 may further include an upper body strap 130c as a fixing means for stably supporting the upper body of the user.

The body part 120 may further include a gripping rod 122 connected to one surface of the body plate 124 opposite to the user and extending in a direction parallel to the ground so as to be gripped by a user's hand. The user can utilize the part of the grip rod 122 as a means for wearing the forward-standing standing-up assistant robot 100 by grasping a part of the gripper by hand and applying a force to pull the gripper rod 122 by hand, To assist the desired operation by operating the leg joint actuators 116 and the second pivot joint actuators 128 through manual control such as holding a part of the gripping rod 122 by hand and applying or rotating the force in a specific direction can do. In addition, the user may lift a load with a weight on a portion of the grip rod 122, in which case the weight of the load is sensed by a plurality of sensors in the motion control module 140, Lt; / RTI > Here, the gripper rod 122 uses the term rod, which means round the circumference, but it is not limited thereto and may include various forms that can be grasped by the user's hand similarly to the described function.

The body part 120 may include a large-capacity battery pack 135 mounted on one side of the body plate 124 opposite to the user to supply power to the inside of the front-standing upright supporting robot 100, 135 may be made detachable and portable.

Each of the gait assistant drivers may include a multi-axis force-torque sensor for sensing the movement of the corresponding joint generated according to the user's operation. Here, the multi-axis force-torque sensor may be composed of a combination of an acceleration sensor for measuring the tilt with respect to the surface of the ground to detect three-dimensional motion and a plurality of gyro sensors for measuring the tilt with information obtained by measuring the angular velocity For example, a six-axis force-torque sensor including three gyro sensors and three acceleration sensors and configured to have six degrees of freedom. The signals sensed by the multi-axis force-torque sensor can be used to balance the overall balance algorithm.

The body part 120 may include an operation control module 140 that continuously detects the center of gravity of the user and controls the plurality of ankle joint actuators to hold the center of gravity.

The motion control module 140 applies the balance algorithm based on the force-torque measurements of the multi-axis force-torque sensor and predicts the force-torque variations of the multi-axis force-torque sensor necessary to maintain balance of the central axis, And controlling the driving units.

In addition to the multi-axis force-torque sensor for measuring the external force when the user applies force, the operation control module 140 includes an encoder for measuring an angle change when the joint is moved, a force-sensing resistor (FSR) ) Sensor, a muscular force measuring sensor such as an EMG (Electromyograph) sensor capable of measuring an electrical signal applied to the user's muscles, and a plurality of sensors, and performs comprehensive computing based on the information measured by the sensors And a micro controller unit (MCU). Here, the MCU refers to a computer that has a microprocessor and an I / O module formed into a single chip, performs a predetermined function, has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) core and a memory, and has programmable inputs and outputs. You can write machine code.

The operation control module 140 can calculate the present balance state by applying a balance algorithm based on the values measured from the plurality of sensors, predicts the amount of operation change of the walking assist driver required to maintain the balance of the central axis The walking assist driver can be controlled.

The operation control module 140 may control the walking assist drivers by predicting the following operation based on the values measured from the plurality of sensors. For example, it is possible to control the walking aiding actuators by predicting the following actions on the basis of the amount of force-torque change generated by the user's operation via the multi-axis force-torque sensor, The gait assistant drivers can be controlled by predicting the following actions based on the amount of electrical signals measured by the muscle force measuring sensor capable of measuring electrical signals applied to the user's muscles before they appear.

The motion control module 140 may apply an algorithm capable of distinguishing and recognizing the gait pattern in the next motion prediction. Since the walking pattern of the person has a continuous step of walking in 7 stages of Foot Flat → Midstance → Terminal Stance → PreSwing → Initial-Swing → Midswing → TerminalSwing in order to assist the walking of the user, It is necessary to take different support methods accordingly. Accordingly, the operation control module 140 can recognize the current walking step by calculating the current state of the user based on the measured values converted from the plurality of sensors such as the multi-axis force-torque sensor and the muscle force measuring sensor. The operation control module 140 can predict the next step according to the recognized current walking step and assist the walking of the user by controlling the walking assist drivers so as to support the user's strength continuously.

In addition to the balance algorithm and the general gait pattern algorithm, the motion control module 140 may control the wearing and releasing algorithms of the front-standing standing assistant robot 100, the stair walking aiding algorithm, the backward walking algorithm, the left and right motion algorithm, It is possible to control the gait assistant drivers based on the next operation predicted according to the complex intention of the user by applying various algorithms to comprehensively understand the intention of the gait related to the motion.

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 or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

100: Front worn standing assist robot
110: auxiliary leg
112: Linker
114: Scaffolding
116: Leg joint actuator
116a: First pelvic joint actuator
116b: a knee joint actuator
116c: first ankle joint actuator
116d: second ankle joint actuator
120:
122: Finger Jib
124: Body plate
126: Support bar
128: second pelvic joint actuator
130: Strap
130a: Leg strap
130b: leg strap
130c: upper body strap
135: Battery pack
140: Operation control module

Claims (10)

A plurality of ankle joint actuators each providing a degree of freedom in a first or second direction and spaced apart from each central axis and a first pelvic joint actuator each providing a degree of freedom of motion in the first direction, Legs;
A plurality of support bars connected to the first pelvis joint actuator at the first end and surrounding the front surface of the user's body and bent to open the rear surface of the body and each of the support bars connected to the second end of the support bar, A body portion including a second pelvis joint actuator for providing a motion freedom in a second direction; And
And an operation control module for continuously sensing the center of gravity of the user and controlling the plurality of ankle joint actuators to hold the center of gravity,
Each of the plurality of joint actuators and the second pelvis joint actuators (hereinafter, the walking assistant actuators) includes a multi-axis force-torque sensor for sensing a movement of the joint generated according to the user's operation,
The operation control module predicts the following operation based on the amount of the electrical signal measured through the muscle force measuring sensor capable of measuring an electrical signal applied to the user's muscles before the operation of the user occurs, Torque sensors are used to assist the user's standing or initial walking, and when the user's action is generated, a force-torque change amount generated by the user's operation is measured using the multi-axis force-torque sensor, Wherein the walking assistant actuators are operated by predicting the next operation of the user, thereby assisting the walking of the user.
delete 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body
And controlling the walking assist driver by predicting the force-torque variation amounts of the multi-axis force-torque sensor necessary to maintain the balance of the central axis by applying a balance algorithm based on the force-torque measurement values of the multi-axis force- torque sensor Further comprising a motion control module that is characterized by:
delete delete 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary leg
Further comprising: a footrest mounted on the foot of the user and connected to the plurality of ankle joint actuators.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary leg
And a knee joint actuator for providing a degree of freedom in the first direction in correspondence with the knee joint of the user.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the auxiliary leg
Further comprising linkers connecting the plurality of joint actuators.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the body
Further comprising a body plate coupled to the plurality of support bars and the second pelvis joint actuators.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the body
Further comprising a gripper rod connected to one surface of the body plate opposite to the user and extending in a direction parallel to the ground so as to be gripped by the user's hand.

Images