KR101849477B1 - Robot for hand rehabilitation - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a hand rehabilitation robot which promotes blood circulation and helps a patient with a paralyzed hand perform rehabilitation exercise by himself/herself to enable continuous rehabilitation treatment under a current environment where therapists lack. For the purpose of the present invention, disclosed is a hand rehabilitation robot comprising a support portion and a finger portion connected to and supported by the support portion to correspond to fingers of the user, wherein the finger portion includes: a support plate connected to the support portion; a motor fixing portion extended from one side of the support plate; a motor fixed on one side of the motor fixing portion to have a rotary shaft extended from the other side thereof; a moving member connected to the rotary shaft of the motor to move backward or forward in a longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft; a first link having one end connected to the moving member to rotate according to backward or forward movement of the moving member; a second link having one end fixed to the support plate and the other end connected to the first link to rotate and controlling the rotation radius of the first link; and an attachment portion connected to the other end of the first link, to which fingers of the user are attached.

Description

ROBOT FOR HAND REHABILITATION [0002]

The present invention relates to a hand rehabilitation robot. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hand rehabilitation robot capable of promoting blood circulation and enabling a patient who is paralyzed by his / her hand to perform rehabilitation exercise by himself / herself, thereby enabling continuous rehabilitation therapy in a current environment lacking a therapist.

Stroke is often referred to as paralysis. It is one of the three major deaths in Korea, along with cancer and heart disease. It is a serious disease with the highest mortality rate in terms of single disease. Stroke has been caused by aging of blood vessels in many middle-aged people. However, recently, dietary changes and increased mental stress have caused irrespective of age and gender. As a result, the number of stroke patients is increasing.

More than 90% of stroke patients present with hemiplegia (hemiplegia) impairment, resulting in affected side arms, hands, and legs. The sudden impairment of stroke patients makes them unable to live independent lives and experiences extreme stress and poor quality of life.

The purpose of stroke rehabilitation is to minimize patient disability so that patients can perform their daily activities without inconvenience. Hand rehabilitation is essential for most daily activities because hand movements accompany the performance. Generally, the rehabilitation of a stroke patient is recovered from joints close to the body. For this reason, hand rehabilitation usually takes place at the last stage, which takes a long time and requires constant effort. If you do not receive continuous rehabilitation treatment from the beginning of the onset, the ring will not be used continuously, and serious aftereffects such as joint formation will remain.

Rehabilitation of stroke patients consists of physical therapy, occupational therapy, functional electric stimulation (FES), drug therapy, and psychotherapy. Physical therapy and occupational therapies require the therapist's workforce to the greatest extent because the therapist must continue to treat the patient 1: 1 during the treatment time. However, the number of therapists is insufficient compared with the number of stroke patients, and the patient is not receiving treatment for a sufficient period of time.

The hand is a very complicated system that simulates a total of 16 degrees of freedom, and it is difficult to mount an actuator and a sensor because its size is smaller than that of an arm or a leg. However, research on hand rehabilitation robots / devices is actively under way. Research on hand rehabilitation robots can be roughly classified into two types depending on how the robot contacts the patient's hand.

The first flow is to contact all the joints of the finger. This study focuses on perfectly portraying the normal finger movements. For example, Gifu University's hand rehabilitation robot in Japan controls all the joints so that individual joints can move independently, and it is possible to move the fingers individually, thereby training various daily activities. However, since it requires the use of an actuator and a sensor for each joint, its structure is very complicated, and it is difficult to wear because each joint of the robot and the anatomical joints of the human must be matched. It is difficult to adjust the link length between joints.

Another flow is a method of touching only one end or one end of a finger. Examples are RIC's IntelliArm and simple CPM (Continuous Passive Motion) equipment with one degree of freedom currently used in hospitals. This method is simple in structure, easy to wear, and only touches the fingertip, so you can adjust the link length of the robot considering only the length of the finger. However, until now, the proposed robots / equipments can not rehabilitate the thumb and four fingers at the same time. In spite of the importance of thumb in daily life operation, it is possible to perform only one action on the thumb, There is a limitation in realizing daily life movement.

Most stroke patients have developed flexor synergy, which keeps the hands on the ring flexed. This bent hands should be repeatedly stretched, and daily activities should be exercised to allow the patient to perform the desired movements independently. As mentioned above, physiotherapy and occupational therapy among the multiple rehabilitation treatments of stroke patients are the most demanded by the therapist.

If it is possible to implement physiotherapy and occupational therapy through robots, it can overcome the problem of insufficient number of therapists and reduce the workforce of the therapist. The patient will be able to receive the treatment for the sufficient time necessary for the recovery and reduce the burden of the treatment cost.

The present invention provides a hand rehabilitation robot capable of promoting blood circulation and enabling a patient who is paralyzed by his / her hand to perform rehabilitation exercise by himself / herself, thereby enabling continuous rehabilitation treatment in a current environment lacking a therapist.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It can be understood.

A hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support portion and a finger portion supported by the support portion and corresponding to the user's finger, the finger portion includes a support plate connected to the support portion, A motor fixing portion, a motor fixed to one end of the motor fixing portion and having a rotation axis extending to the other side, a moving member connected to a rotation shaft of the motor and advancing and retracting in the longitudinal direction of the rotation shaft, A first link connected to the first link and rotated in accordance with forward and backward movement of the moving member, a first end fixed to the support plate and a second end connected to the first link to rotate, A second link, and an attaching portion connected to the other end of the first link and to which a finger end of the user is attached.

Further, a band including a magnet or an iron plate is attached to the end portion of the user's finger, and a magnet, an iron plate, or an electromagnet is formed on the attachment portion, and the finger end portion and the attachment portion of the user can be attached through magnetic force.

In addition, the finger portion is composed of a base finger portion, a ring finger portion, a stop finger portion, a index finger portion and a thumb finger portion, and the base finger, the ring finger finger, the stop finger portion and the index finger portion are provided on the support portion , And the thumb portion may be installed at a lower portion of the support portion.

Further, the user's own finger, ring finger, stop finger, or index finger attached to each of the above-mentioned hold finger, the ring finger, the stop finger, or the index finger is bent with the thumb of the user attached to the thumb So that the pinch operation can be performed.

In addition, the motor fixing portion may be bent at a predetermined angle from the support plate and extend to one side.

The apparatus may further include a guide shaft formed between the rotation shaft of the motor and the motor fixing unit to guide movement of the moving member.

The hand rehabilitation robot according to the present invention can promote blood circulation and enable a patient who is paralyzed by his / her hand to rehabilitate himself / herself, thereby enabling continuous rehabilitation treatment in a current environment lacking a therapist.

It should be understood, however, that the effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs It will be possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, And shall not be interpreted.
1 to 3 are perspective views illustrating a hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side view of a hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

The embodiments of the present invention are described in order to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified into various other forms, It is not limited to the embodiment. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more faithful and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Also, in the following drawings, each configuration is exaggerated for convenience and clarity of description, and the same reference numerals denote the same elements in the drawings. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of any of the listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include singular forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, " comprise "and / or" comprising "when used herein should be interpreted as specifying the presence of stated shapes, numbers, steps, operations, elements, elements, and / And does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, operations, elements, elements, and / or groups.

1 to 3 are perspective views illustrating a hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a side view of a hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, a hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

1 to 4, a hand rehabilitation robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes supports 10, 20 and 30 and finger parts 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500.

The supporting portions 10, 20 and 30 include a fixing member 10, a fixing shaft 20 and a connecting member 30.

The hand rehabilitation robot can be fixed in a single-phase table-like state via the fixing member (10).

The fixed shaft 20 is constituted by a shaft connecting the fixing member 10 and the connecting member 30. [

The connecting member 30 is configured such that the finger units 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 are connected to each other.

The finger units 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 may include a finger unit 100, a finger finger unit 200, a stop finger unit 300, The index finger portion 400 and the thumb finger portion 500 as shown in Fig.

The thumb finger part 100, the thumb finger part 200, the stop finger part 300 and the index finger part 400 are formed on the upper part of the connecting member 30 of the support part, Is formed at the bottom of the member (30).

Here, each of the finger parts 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 has the same configuration as the installation position and the lengths of the respective components are slightly different, and the configuration of the finger unit 100 will be described below .

The base finger portion 100 includes an attachment portion 110, a first link 120, a second link 130, a support plate 141, a moving member 150, and a motor 160.

The attachment portion 110 is attached to the base finger of the user (patient) to transmit the rotational movement of the first link 120 to the user's finger.

The user wears a band (not shown) or glove (not shown) at the end of the finger, and the band or glove has a magnetic or iron plate formed thereon.

In addition, a magnet, an iron plate, or an electromagnet is formed on the attaching portion 110 so that the user's finger is attached thereto.

The other end of the first link 120 is connected to the rear end of the attachment portion 110 and the end 122 of the first link 120 is indirectly connected to the motor 160.

The first link 120 changes the kinetic energy of the motor 160 to rotational motion so that the position of the attachment portion 110 is rotationally changed.

As a result, the end portions of the fingers attached to the attachment portion 110 rotate together, so that the user's fingers can be folded.

Here, referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that one of the finger portions formed on the upper portion of the connecting member 30 rotates so as to be in contact with each other between the finger portion 100 and the thumb portion 500, for example.

This allows the user's thumb and forefinger to touch each other and rehabilitate the pinch operation.

One end 131 of the second link 130 is rotatably fixed to a fixing pin 140 extending on an upper portion of a supporting plate 141 coupled to the connecting member 30 and the other end is fixed to the first link 120, And adjusts the radius of rotation of the first link 120. The first link 120 may include a first link 120,

That is, the length of the second link 130 or the connection area 121 with the first link 120 may be adjusted to appropriately adjust the radius of rotation of the first link 120.

The moving member 150 moves forward or backward at an upper portion of the motor fixing portion 151 extending from the supporting plate 141 to one side.

First and second moving finishing plates 152 and 153 are formed at one end and the other end of the motor fixing portion 151 and a motor fixing plate 154 is formed at an area spaced apart from the second moving finishing plate 153 do.

Here, the motor fixing part 151 is bent at a predetermined angle from the support plate 141 and extends to one side, so that the rotation radius of the first link 120 can be adjusted.

The first moving finish plate 152 and the second moving finishing plate 153 are provided with guide shafts 155 for connecting them to guide the movement of the moving member 150. [

The moving member 150 is connected to the rotating shaft 162 of the motor 160 fixed to the motor fixing plate 154 and can be moved forward or backward according to the rotation of the rotating shaft 162.

The motor 160 may be connected to a control unit (not shown) through a cable 163 and a terminal 164 and may rotate in a forward or reverse direction according to a signal from the control unit.

In addition, the rotational speed of the motor 160 may be controlled according to the input of the control unit.

That is, the rotation of the motor 160 causes the rotation shaft 162 to rotate through the coupling part 161, and the rotation of the rotation shaft 162 causes the movement member 150 to move forward or backward.

In addition, the first link 120 connected to the movable member 150 is rotated, and the user's finger attached to the attachment portion 110 can perform the folding rehabilitation motion.

The above description is only one embodiment for implementing the hand rehabilitation robot according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

10, 20, 30:
100, 200, 300, 400, 500:

Claims (6)

1. A hand rehabilitation robot for performing a rehabilitation by moving a user's hand,
A support; And
And a finger portion connected to and supported by the support portion and corresponding to the finger of the user,
The finger
A support plate connected to the support;
A motor fixing part extending from the support plate to one side;
A motor fixed to one end of the motor fixing portion and having a rotation axis extending to the other side;
A moving member connected to a rotating shaft of the motor and moving forward and backward in the longitudinal direction of the rotating shaft;
A first link connected at one end to the moving member and rotating in accordance with the advancing and retreating of the moving member;
A second link fixed at one end to the support plate and connected at the other end to the first link to rotate, and to adjust a turning radius of the first link; And
An attachment portion connected to the other end of the first link and to which a finger end of the user is attached; And a hand rehabilitation robot.
The method according to claim 1,
A band including a magnet or an iron plate is attached to the end of the finger of the user,
A magnet, an iron plate, or an electromagnet is formed on the attachment portion,
Wherein the finger end portion of the user and the attachment portion are attached through a magnetic force.
3. The method of claim 2,
The finger
A thumb finger portion, a finger finger portion, a stop finger portion, an index finger portion and a thumb finger portion,
Wherein said base finger, said ring finger, stop finger, and index finger are provided on said support,
And the thumb finger is installed at a lower portion of the support portion.
The method of claim 3,
A finger, a finger, a stop finger or a index finger of a user attached to each of the above-mentioned hold finger, the finger, the stop finger or the index finger,
And a pinch operation is performed by bending the thumb with the thumb attached to the thumb.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the motor fixing part is bent at a predetermined angle in the support plate and extends to one side.
6. The method of claim 5,
Further comprising a guide shaft formed between the rotation shaft of the motor and the motor fixing portion and guiding the movement of the moving member.

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