KR20120076101A - Waist support structure, and robot suit for wearable robot for assisting the muscular strength of lower extremity using thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A waist support structure and a robot suit for assisting the muscular strength of the lower body are provided to make the movement of a wearer wearing the suit free. CONSTITUTION: A waist support structure comprises L-type right and left connection rods(800), right and left connection plates(850), and right and left waist supports(900). The L-type right and left connection rods are pivotally connected around right and left joints and a vertical shaft. The right and left waist supports are perpendicularly connected to the connection plate. The connection plates are connected by bolts through a penetration hole of a rod. The right and left waist supports comprises a support plate and a coupler.

Description

WAIST SUPPORT STRUCTURE, AND ROBOT SUIT FOR WEARABLE ROBOT FOR ASSISTING THE MUSCULAR STRENGTH OF LOWER EXTREMITY USING THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a robot suit, and more particularly, a movement after the wearer is more free, and can flexibly respond to the entire movement of the suit, and has a waist support structure having a stable and convenient fastening structure and lower extremity muscle support using the same. It is about a robot suit.

In general, the human body wearable muscle strength support robot is divided into a bio signal input type, a force sensor input type, a muscle hardness sensor input type, and a sensor mixed type robot according to the type of the synchronization signal that the wearer wants to move. Depending on the type of motor-driven, hydraulic cylinder-driven, artificial muscle-driven and the like.

In terms of the wearer's synchronization signal input, the biosignal input type can expect fast response because it uses the wearer's direct muscle signal. However, when the exoskeleton robot is worn, there is a cumbersome problem of additionally wearing attachments for acquiring a biosignal.

In addition, since the muscle sensor input type is used as a robot synchronous signal by measuring the degree of expansion of the muscle, the wearer's movement signal can be obtained directly, but the degree of muscle expansion is not constant for each wearer. There is a problem that can not secure a certain level of operation performance.

In addition, in the classification by the mounted actuator, the hydraulically driven actuator system realizes a high degree of freedom in one joint or a wide range of joint movements such as the shoulder joint in terms of converting the linear movement of the hydraulic cylinder into the rotational movement of the joint. There is a limitation, and the system equipped with artificial muscle has a problem of causing interference with the peripheral devices of the wearer and the exoskeleton robot when the actuator is inflated because it uses the length shrinkage characteristic through the expansion of the actuator.

As described above, in the conventional wearable leg muscle support robot suit, there is a problem that it is not easy to configure the measuring device for measuring the movement and the muscle support actuator through the same.

In addition, it is not easy to selectively block power transmission with the actuator for natural walking, and a damping structure for mitigating a shock caused by a sudden change in a wearer's body has a slow response and a difficulty in easily adjusting the damping force. There was this.

In addition, the waist support structure of the conventional lower limb muscle support robot suit is fixed and fastened, and the wearer's movement is unnatural, and the flexibility of the size change that can be shared by other people's height or body shape is inferior, After wearing it is not easy to fasten fixed, there was a disadvantage that takes a lot of time.

An object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to provide a robot suit having a more free movement after the wearer wears, can flexibly respond to the overall movement of the suit, and has a stable and convenient fastening structure.

In addition, it is to provide a robot suit that can prevent unnecessary energy waste and reduce the discomfort felt when wearing a suit, and can reduce the operating time of the drive motor.

The first feature of the present invention for solving the above problems is in the structure that is connected to the hip joint of the exoskeleton in the walking aid to support the waist of the human body, the L-shaped left and right connection connected to the left and right hip joints rotated about a vertical axis rod; Left and right connecting plate that can be fastened by adjusting the other end and the height of the bar; And left and right waist supports connected vertically with the connecting plate and connected to each other so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis.

Here, the connecting plate is preferably bolted through any one of the through holes and the through hole of the rod of the plurality of through holes arranged vertically, the waist support is a support plate connected to the connecting plate, and the support plate It is preferable to include a fastening portion which is pivotally connected to the horizontal axis and fastened to another support.

In addition, preferably, the fastening part may be engaged with another fastening part, and may be rotatable around the fastening pin.

And, the second feature of the present invention is a support mechanism for wrapping and wearing the lower body of the human body; It is fastened to the outside of the support mechanism, the exoskeleton consisting of the joint portion and the upper skeleton, lower skeleton and hip joint portion of the knee position; A lower skeletal actuator coupled to the outside of the joint to rotate the upper or lower skeleton; An upper skeletal actuator coupled to the hip joint and the hip joint connecting the upper skeleton and the lower back support to drive the rotation of the upper skeleton; An MR damper part connected to the joint part at a side of the upper skeleton to selectively adjust a damping force when the lower skeleton is rotated; A lever installed in the upper and lower skeleton actuators to selectively rotate the upper and lower skeletons; An L-shaped left and right connecting rod pivotally connected about the left and right hip joints and a vertical axis; Left and right connecting plate that can be fastened by adjusting the other end and the height of the bar; And left and right waist supports connected vertically with the connecting plate and connected to each other so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis.

The actuator may include a motor, a disk fixedly connected to the motor, and a caliper capable of selectively compressing the disk. The MR damper part may be positioned at an upper portion of the lower skeletal actuator and filled with an MR fluid. cylinder; A piston rod inserted into the cylinder and vertically moving when the lower skeleton rotates about the joint; At least one branch tube connected to upper and lower parts of the cylinder; And a magnet part capable of selectively applying a magnetic field to a portion of the branch tube.

In addition, the magnet portion preferably includes a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, it is preferable that a solenoid valve is mounted on any part of the branch tube to selectively drive the lower skeletal portion rotation of the joint portion, the connecting plate is It may be connected to the bolt through any one of the through holes and the through hole of the rod of the plurality of vertically arranged through holes.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the waist support includes a support plate connected to the connecting plate, and a fastening part pivotally connected to the support plate in a horizontal axis, and fastened to another support, and the fastening part is engaged with another fastening part and fastened. It is preferable that the rotation is possible around the engagement fastening pin.

According to the present invention, since the height of the waist varies depending on the height of the wearer, the movement after wearing by the wearer is more free, and can flexibly cope with the overall movement of the suit, and have a stable and convenient fastening structure. do.

In addition, it is possible to easily adjust the height of the support for supporting and supporting the waist, it is possible to provide a suit for a variety of robots.

In addition, by adopting passive and active mode setting methods that can selectively support or increase muscle strength, unnecessary waste of energy can be prevented, and the inconvenience of wearing a suit and the operation of the driving motor are reduced. You can save time.

1 is a view showing a perspective view of the waist support structure according to the present invention,
2 is a view showing a structure in which the connecting rod 800 and the support plate 910 is connected by the connecting plate 850 in the waist support structure according to the present invention;
3 is a view showing a connection structure of the left and right support 900 in the waist support structure according to the present invention,
Figure 4 is a view showing the entire configuration of the lower limb muscle support robot suit using a waist support structure according to the present invention.

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

1 is a view showing a perspective view of the waist support structure according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the waist support structure according to the present invention is connected to the hip joint 700 of the exoskeleton in a walking aid to support the waist of the human body, centering on the left and right hip joint 700 and a vertical axis. L-shaped left and right connecting bar 800 connected to the rotation; Left and right connecting plate 850 that can be fastened by adjusting the other end and the height of the bar (800); And a left and right waist support 900 connected vertically with the connecting plate 850 and fastened to be rotatable about a vertical axis with each other.

Wherein the left and right L-shaped connecting rod 800 is connected to the hip joint portion 700 of the exoskeleton located on the side when wearing a robot suit is a folded bar-shaped structure extending by the length of the waist width of the wearer. The rod 800 is pivotally connected to the hip joint 700, and is connected to a vertical axis of the hip joint 700 to pivot. When the wearer wears a suit, the wearer is given a degree of freedom in a certain direction to give a natural fit, and to prevent the movement after wearing.

The connecting plate 850 is a plate-shaped structure of a rectangular shape, the through-holes are arranged perpendicular to a portion. This is a structure for connecting the connection bar 800 and the waist support 900, by selectively bolting the through hole and the support 900, there is an advantage that the height can be adjusted to suit the height of the wearer.

That is, since the height of the waist varies depending on the height of the wearer, by adjusting the height of the waist support 900 that supports and supports it, it is possible to provide a robot suit suitable for various people.

The waist support 900 is vertically fixed to the connecting plate 850. The connection is bolt-type fastening, in addition, it is possible to fasten in various ways. And, the support 900 is composed of a support plate 910, and a fastening portion for fastening with the other support (900). The fastening part is connected to the support plate 910 so as to rotate about a horizontal axis, and the connection through the fastening part 930 of the left and right supporters 900 is a toothing structure, and can be rotated around the fastening pin. .

As such, in the waist support structure according to the present invention, the connection with the hip joint 700 can be rotated about a vertical axis, and the fastening portion 930 of the support 900 can be rotated about a horizontal axis, and both left and right fastenings are possible. It is possible to rotate around the fastening pin in the engagement of the part 930 has a three degree of freedom of rotation. By proposing a structure having three rotational degrees of freedom, the wearer has a merit that the movement after wearing is more free and can flexibly cope with the overall movement of the suit, and has a stable and convenient fastening structure.

In addition, the support can be fastened by adjusting the height of the position 900, the waist height is different depending on the wearer, it can be worn by a variety of people in that it can be selectively adjusted to suit the height to wear easily There is this.

2 is a view showing a structure in which the connecting rod 800 and the support plate 910 is connected by the connecting plate 850 in the waist support structure according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the connecting plate 850 is a rectangular plate-like structure, the through-holes are formed perpendicular to a portion, the through-hole and the through-holes of the support plate 910 is selectively bolted, the wearer's The height can be adjusted to suit the height.

In other words, the structure of the present invention is because the height of the waist is different depending on the height of the wearer, by allowing to adjust the height of the waist support 900 to support and support it, to provide a suit for a variety of robots Structure.

Since a plurality of through holes are vertically arranged at an upper portion of the connecting plate 850 and fixedly fastened to the support plate 910 by a bolt at a lower portion thereof, the wearer selectively wears the waist support 900 including the connecting plate 850. By connecting the connection bar 800 with any one of the through holes arranged vertically in accordance with the height of the bolt, it is possible to easily form a wearer wear-support structure.

3 is a view showing a connection structure of the left and right support 900 in the waist support structure according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the waist support 900 includes a support plate 910 and a fastening part 930, and the left and right fastening parts 930 are engaged with each other.

First, the support 900 is connected to the support plate 910 and the fastening portion 930 is rotated around the horizontal axis, which is the fastening portion 930 is located in the center of the back, the fastening portion 930 is engaged with each other This is because the structure makes it possible to engage the teeth more easily by providing a certain variation in fitting.

The fastening structure is a fastening part 930 is fitted into each other as a toothed structure and is fastened and fixed vertically by the fastening pin, it is a structure that can be rotated around the fastening pin.

As described above, the fastening structure of both supports 900 of the waist support structure according to the present invention is a rotational connection of the support plate 910 and the fastening part 930, the rotational connection by the engagement between the fastening part 930, two degrees of freedom of rotation. The left and right supports 900 are connected to the structure. Because of the two degrees of freedom of rotation, it is possible to wear more appropriately to the body size of the wearer, and is not only easy to wear, but also much more freely the movement of the wearer after wearing.

As such, since the waist support structure according to the present invention is worn by humans and moves together with the user, the robot suit does not follow the user's movements or interferes with the user's movement, and thus the user feels uncomfortable or injured. In order to solve the problem of the conventional suit which has to suggest motion in walking, running, activity, etc., the joint range of motion is 3 degrees of freedom by reducing 3 ° for safety in the average maximum range of motion of human. To propose a structure.

According to the present invention, the human hip joint 700 may be viewed as a ball-socket joint, and a combination of joints should realize three degrees of freedom. By matching the center of rotation to each part of the hip joint 700 of the user, It was conceived to be able to change direction. In addition, the present invention proposes a structure in which the rotation joint is configured from the outside to operate the flexion and extension, the abduction and the adduction of the hip joint 700, so that the two rotating shafts meet at the center of the hip joint 700.

As shown in Figure 2, it is possible to adjust the height according to the length or height of the legs, and in the form of a rail fixed the other two axes except one axis of the three axes and the other one is fixed using a bolt. This is not a complicated process in adjusting the height and height, but it is easy to change by applying a one-touch method and to provide a robot suit suitable for various environments.

Figure 4 is a view showing the entire configuration of the lower limb muscle support robot suit using a waist support structure according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the robot chute according to the present invention support mechanism 100 for wrapping and wearing the lower body of the human body; It is fastened to the outside of the support mechanism 100, the exoskeleton consisting of the joint portion of the knee position and the upper skeleton 300, the lower skeleton 200 and the hip joint 700; A lower skeleton 200 actuator coupled to the outside of the joint to rotate the upper or lower skeleton; An upper skeleton (300) actuator coupled to the hip joint (700) and the hip joint (700) connecting the upper skeleton (300) and the waist support to drive the rotation of the upper skeleton (300); MR damper portion connected to the joint portion on the side of the upper skeleton 300 to selectively adjust the damping force during the rotation of the lower skeleton 200; A lever installed in the upper and lower skeletons 200 actuators to selectively rotate the upper and lower skeletons 200; An L-shaped left and right connecting rod 800 pivotally connected with the left and right hip joint 700 about a vertical axis; Left and right connecting plate 850 that can be fastened by adjusting the other end and the height of the bar (800); And left and right waist supports 900 which are vertically connected to the connecting plate 850 and connected to each other so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis.

Hereinafter, since the waist support structure is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The support mechanism 100 is a wear mechanism that can be worn around the lower body including the foot, and is fastened at joints such as knees to rotate naturally, without interfering with movement of the foot and legs, and the robot. It is formed of a support structure that can support and wear the chute.

Outside the support mechanism 100 is formed with an external skeleton consisting of the joint portion of the knee position and the upper skeleton 300 and the lower skeleton 200, to support the upper and lower centering around the knee, and to rotate the upper and lower skeleton It is a structure that includes a joint portion. The joint portion of the support mechanism 100 has a rotational fastening structure, and an actuator that is capable of forcibly rotating the upper and lower structures by an external power source is installed outside the joint portion.

Actuator is driven through the motor 410, when the motor 410 rotates the disk, the caliper 430 is selectively connected by the compression fastening by the lever 450, the lower skeleton 200 is rotated, Power is transmitted by the disc brake. The caliper 430 is a mechanism for compressing the disk connected to the motor 410 by the disk pad, and is a core device of the disk brake. As such, in the present invention, by forming a structure in which power is transmitted through the disc brake, it is possible not only to react faster than other power transmission mechanisms, but also to provide a simple connection structure.

That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, the lower skeletal actuator 200 of the joint together with the waist support structure is a power transmission method by a disc brake, and the connection with the driving of the motor 410 is selectively connected through the lever 450. This is a key feature. In other words, the disk pad of the caliper 430 is selectively connected to the rotation of the lever 450, so that the power is transmitted by being connected to the motor 410, thereby lifting the leg strength by the external power source. Augmented or supported.

By making it easy to selectively support muscle strength or buildup as described above, there is an advantage in that the wearer can increase muscle strength as needed and is much more convenient than the conventional robot suit and has a wider driving range. That is, in the usual case of selecting natural walking, and in the case of lifting the mountain and heavy load, etc., by rotating the lever 450 and connecting to the motor 410, it is possible to select strength support or strength increase.

In addition, the MR damper unit 500 used in the embodiment of the present invention is located on the upper portion of the actuator 400, the lower skeleton 200, the cylinder 510 filled with the MR fluid; A piston rod inserted into the cylinder 510 to rotate vertically when the lower skeleton 200 rotates about the joint; At least one branch tube 530 connected through upper and lower portions of the cylinder 510; And a magnet part 550 for selectively applying a magnetic field to a part of the branch tube 530.

As described above, the MR damper part 500 of the present invention has the skeleton when the upper skeleton 300 or the lower skeleton 200 is rotated through the joint, or when the posture or motion is excessive to the human body due to a sudden change in each position. By applying a constant damping force to the rotation of the, it provides a structure that can prevent various muscle pains or sprains.

MR damper 500 is preferably installed on the upper skeleton (300). As described above, the damper structure according to the present invention, the piston and vertically connected to the lower skeleton 200 and the cylinder 510 filled with the MR fluid that can be moved up and down, the cylinder 510 penetrates the upper and lower parts It is configured to include a branch tube 530 is connected to the MR fluid and the magnet portion 550 to selectively apply a magnetic field to the branch tube 530.

In more detail, when a sudden large force is applied vertically downward, excessive load is transmitted to the lower extremities of the human body around the joint, and due to this load, a considerable shock can be generated, thereby generating a damping force for mitigating the impact. Structure. In the present invention, when a sudden impact on the lower extremities such as the knee joint is intended to protect by forming a damper structure using MR fluid to support and alleviate it. Here, the damper serves as a shock absorber and is a device for suppressing the movement of the position.

Here, a magneto-rheological (MR) fluid is a suspension in which polar particles of several microns in size are dispersed in a non-conductive solvent. MR fluids are functional fluids whose rheological properties change continuously and reversibly within several msec depending on the externally loaded magnetic field strength. Because of this feature, MR fluids have been applied to various devices such as shock absorbers, vibration isolators and brakes and clutches.

That is, MR fluid refers to a fluid in which particles dispersed in a fluid cause magnetization when an external magnetic field is applied to form a ring-shaped cluster of fibrous structure in a direction parallel to the magnetic field. The coupling force of the clusters has a property of resisting the flow of the fluid or the shear force applied from the outside, the coupling force of the cluster depends on the strength of the applied magnetic field.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the piston rod connected to the lower frame 200 moves vertically when the lower frame 200 rotates, and the cylinder 510 is moved in accordance with the movement of the piston rod 515. ) MR fluid filled in the inside is pressed and pushed to move in the branch tube (530).

When the magnetic field is applied to the flow of the MR fluid through the magnet installed adjacent to the branch tube 530, as described above, the MR fluid causes magnetization and has a ring-shaped fibrous structure in a direction parallel to the magnetic field. Forming a cluster is to create a resistance to the movement of the fluid, by forming the MR damper portion having a selective damping force by adjusting the strength of the magnetic field.

In addition, the magnet is not a permanent magnet, it is also possible to use an electromagnet, in the case of a permanent magnet it is possible to adjust the strength of the magnetic field applied to the adjacent distance to the branch tube 530, in the case of the electromagnet is applied to the coil through an external power source Adjust the strength of the current to adjust the strength of the applied magnetic field. In addition, in the case of the electromagnet, another device is not required, and the strength of the magnetic field can be finely adjusted, and the response speed is very fast by an electrical signal (not shown).

In addition, by installing a solenoid valve 570 on a portion of the branch tube 530, the wearer can selectively stop the movement of the MR fluid to stop the piston movement, thereby stopping the rotation of the lower skeleton 200 connected to the cam. have. Thus, by providing the solenoid valve 570 to the branch tube 530, it is preferable to further provide a braking device that can stop the rotation of the lower skeleton 200 of the joint portion. This is because when forced braking is required in various environments and situations, it is possible to brake quickly and reliably, and the installation configuration is easy.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Anyone with it will know easily.

100: support mechanism, 200: lower frame, 300: upper frame, 410: motor,
430: caliper, 450: lever, 500: MR damper portion, 510: cylinder,
530: branch tube, 550: magnet portion, 570: solenoid valve
700: hip joint, 800: connecting rod, 850: connecting plate, 910: support plate,
930: fastening

Claims (12)

In the walking aid device connected to the hip joint of the exoskeleton to support the waist of the human body,
An L-shaped left and right connecting rod pivotally connected about the left and right hip joints and a vertical axis;
Left and right connecting plate that can be fastened by adjusting the other end and the height of the bar; And
Waist support structure characterized in that it comprises a left and right waist support connected to the connecting plate vertically, rotatably connected to each other about a vertical axis.
The method of claim 1,
The connecting plate is a waist support structure, characterized in that connected through the bolt through any one of the through-hole and the through-hole of the plurality of through-holes arranged vertically.
The method of claim 1,
The waist support,
A support plate connected to the connecting plate,
The support structure is pivotally connected to the support plate in a horizontal axis, characterized in that it comprises a fastening portion 930 is fastened with the other support.
The method of claim 3,
The fastening part 930 is,
Is engaged with other fastening portion is fastened, the waist support structure, characterized in that the pivoting around the fastening fastening pin.
A support mechanism for wrapping the lower body of the human body;
It is fastened to the outside of the support mechanism, the exoskeleton consisting of the joint portion and the upper skeleton, lower skeleton and hip joint portion of the knee position;
A lower skeletal actuator coupled to the outside of the joint to rotate the upper or lower skeleton;
An upper skeletal actuator coupled to the hip joint and the hip joint connecting the upper skeleton and the lower back support to drive the rotation of the upper skeleton;
An MR damper part connected to the joint part at a side of the upper skeleton to selectively adjust a damping force when the lower skeleton is rotated;
A lever installed in the upper and lower skeleton actuators to selectively rotate the upper and lower skeletons;
An L-shaped left and right connecting rod pivotally connected about the left and right hip joints and a vertical axis;
Left and right connecting plate that can be fastened by adjusting the other end and the height of the bar; And
The lower limb muscle strength support robot suit, characterized in that it comprises a left and right waist support connected to the connecting plate and vertically connected to be rotatable about a vertical axis with each other.
The method of claim 5,
The actuator is
And a motor, a disk fixedly connected to the motor, and a lower leg muscle support robot suit comprising a caliper capable of selectively compressing the disk.
The method of claim 6,
The MR damper unit,
A cylinder located above the lower skeletal actuator and filled with MR fluid;
A piston rod inserted into the cylinder and vertically moving when the lower skeleton rotates about the joint;
At least one branch tube connected to upper and lower parts of the cylinder;
The lower leg muscle support robot suit, characterized in that it comprises a magnet portion for selectively applying a magnetic field to a portion of the branch tube.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The magnet portion lower body strength support robot suit, characterized in that it comprises a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.
The method of claim 7, wherein
A solenoid valve is attached to any part of the branch tube to support the lower muscle strength robot suit, characterized in that to selectively drive the lower skeletal portion rotation of the joint.
10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9,
The connecting plate is a lower body strength support robot suit, characterized in that connected via a bolt through any one of the through-hole and the through-hole of the plurality of through-holes arranged vertically.
10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9,
The waist support,
A support plate connected to the connecting plate,
Rotating strength support robot suit characterized in that it comprises a fastening portion which is pivotally connected to the support plate in a horizontal axis, and fastened with another support.
10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9,
The fastening portion
The lower extremity muscle support robot suit, characterized in that the fastening is engaged with the other fastening portion, it is possible to rotate around the engagement fastening pin.

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