KR20130102183A - Robot for assistance exoskeletal power - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An intelligent robot for assisting physical strength and walking is provided to prevent the problems such as the power loss or separation risk by integrally combining a driving device, an exoskeleton, and each joint and to easily control the structure by simplifying the same. CONSTITUTION: An intelligent robot for assisting physical strength and walking comprises an exoskeleton (100), a caster walker (200), and an arm lifting device. The exoskeleton comprises a pair of frames, a hip joint unit, a knee joint unit, one or more braces, a hip joint driving unit, and a knee joint driving unit. The caster walker includes a wheel driven by a driving motor. A pair of arms is formed to correspond to a pair of frames and both ends are connected to the exoskeleton and the caster walker. The arm lifting device vertically drives the arm in a horizontal state to assist the standing operation of users.

Description

Robot for Assistance Exoskeletal Power

The present invention relates to an intelligent muscle and gait aid robot, specifically caster-walker (caster-) which is an exoskeleton and walking aid worn on the user's lower body to increase muscle strength of the general public, to walk rehabilitation of the disabled or to assist the elderly The present invention relates to a robot for intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance composed of a walker.

Conventional walking aids have been a simple mechanism that operates according to the wearer's movement, but recently developed walking aids have the advantage of more convenient and strength building effect by combining the computer and ergonomic mechanism. For example, the 'walking aid for strengthening muscle strength and control method thereof' of Korean Patent No. 62031 or the 'intelligent muscle strength and walking aid robot' of Korean Patent No. 716597 wears an exoskeleton to the user's lower body and walk assistance. Disclosed is a technique for driving a exoskeleton by mounting a driving device on an arm of a caster worker, which is a means.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional walking aid includes an exoskeleton 10 worn on a user's lower body, a caster walker 20 driven by a motor, and an arm connecting the exoskeleton 10 and the caster walker 20. It consists of 30. The exoskeleton 10 has the hip joint 12 and the knee joint 13 installed on the left and right leg frames 11, respectively, while the user wears the waist brace 14, the thigh brace 15, and the calf brace 16. Has a configuration that is coupled to the leg frame (11). The caster walker 20 with the wheels 21 is driven by a separate driving motor and has a handle that a user can hold and support by hand. The arm 30 installed in the caster walker 20 and connected to the exoskeleton 10 is driven by a motor and a gear to drive the hip joint 12 and the knee joint 13 of the exoskeleton 10, respectively. It has a built-in device.

The conventional walk assistance device not only walk assistance because the caster walker 20 operates the hip joint 12 and the knee joint 13 of the exoskeleton 10 through the driving device of the arm 30 while driving itself. It can be said to be very useful for rehabilitation through muscle strength.

However, since the position of the driving device is located in the arm 30 installed in the caster walker 20, the conventional walking aids may have the hip joint 12 or the knee joint where the driving force is finally transmitted from the driving device that generates and transmits the driving force. Since the distance to the part 13 (particularly, the distance to the knee joint) is too far to transmit the driving force to the wire or the chain, there is a disadvantage that the power transmission efficiency is lowered.

In addition, the conventional walking aid device is too complicated to operate as a disadvantage in terms of power transmission efficiency and there is a difficulty in controlling due to play.

In addition, the conventional walking aid has a structure in which the arm 30, the drive device is installed is separated from the exoskeleton 10 so that the user can wear the exoskeleton 10, wherein the joints 12, 13 Since the power connection part used in the system must be separated together, power loss due to loose connection is not only a problem, but the power connection part is a high torque transmission part, so it is dangerous when disconnected during operation, and there is a problem such as poor contact due to long-term use. .

In addition, in the conventional walking aid, all power assistance is generated only by a motor mounted on the hip joint 12 and the knee joint 13 of the exoskeleton 10, and thus a standing movement requiring a relatively large torque is required compared to the walking operation. There is a problem that the motor capacity is insufficient to assist.

In addition, the conventional walking aids load the mechanical elements such as gears and bearings of the joints in such a manner as to drive a frame corresponding to the human leg by rotation of the hip joint 12 and the knee joint 13 of the exoskeleton 10. There is a problem that this concentration is high risk of breakage, and unwanted play occurs.

In addition, in the conventional walking aid, the part supporting the user's upper body to the caster walker 20 only has a handle, so that the muscular strength of the upper body is excessively necessary for maintaining the balance, the posture is unstable, and the joystick operation is difficult.

Accordingly, the present invention is to provide an intelligent muscle and walking assistance robot that improves the power transmission efficiency by shortening the power transmission distance between the drive unit and the joint.

In addition, the present invention to simplify the structure of the joint drive device to increase the power transmission efficiency as well as to provide an intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot that can be more easily controlled.

In addition, the present invention is to provide an intelligent muscle strength and walking aid robot that can be coupled to the drive unit and each exoskeleton joint integrally to prevent problems such as power loss or separation risk.

In addition, the present invention allows the arm of the caster worker to be actively controlled by the motor to greatly reduce the joint assistance power required for the standing movement to enable smooth standing movement assistance, as well as intelligent muscle power that can implement a natural pelvic movement during walking And to provide a walking aid robot.

In addition, the present invention is to provide an intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot that greatly reduces the risk of breakage and unwanted play by driving the rotation of the hip and knee joint of the exoskeleton using a linear drive and a link structure.

In addition, the present invention is to provide an intelligent muscle strength and gait aid robot to improve the stability and convenience for maintaining balance and joystick operation by stably improving the part supporting the upper body to the caster worker.

In order to achieve these objects, the present invention provides an intelligent muscle and walking assistance robot of the following configuration.

The robot for intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance according to the present invention comprises: a pair of frames, an exoskeleton having hip joints and knee joints respectively installed on the frames to rotate the frames, and one or more braces fastened to the frames; A caster walker having wheels driven by a traveling motor; A pair of arms corresponding to the pair of frames, each end of which is coupled to the exoskeleton and the caster worker; And a lift device installed on the caster walker to drive the arm up and down, wherein the exoskeleton is installed on the arm, a hip drive device for transmitting rotational driving force to the hip joint, and installed on the thigh frame; A knee joint driving device for transmitting a rotational driving force to the knee joint is provided, and the lift apparatus is characterized in that the arm is driven up and down in a horizontal state in order to assist the user standing up.

In the intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot according to the present invention, the hip joint drive device is a linear joint drive device installed in parallel to the arm, is connected to the hip joint in a link structure to provide a rotational driving force to the hip joint The knee joint driving device may be a straight joint driving device installed in parallel to the thigh frame, and may be connected to the knee joint in a link structure to transmit rotational driving force to the knee joint.

In the intelligent muscle and walking assistance robot according to the present invention, the linear joint drive device constituting the hip joint drive device and the knee joint drive device, the motor housing is installed on the arm or the thigh frame, It may be provided with a motor installed in the motor housing to generate a rotational driving force, and a ball screw module coupled to the rotating shaft of the motor to convert the rotational driving force of the motor into a linear driving force.

In the intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot according to the present invention, the hip joint connects the waist frame and the thigh frame of the frame, the hip joint drive device, the motor housing is installed on the arm and the motor housing It is provided with a motor for generating a rotational driving force, and one end is coupled to the rotary shaft of the motor to convert the rotational driving force of the motor into a linear driving force, the link structure is the first hip link and the second hip joint A first hip link rotatably having a central portion rotatably coupled to the waist frame, one end rotatably coupled to an end of the ball screw and an opposite end rotatably coupled to the second hip link, respectively; 2 hip joint rotates one side to the first hip link and the other to the thigh frame, respectively. When the motor is rotated so that the ball screw moves forward or backward, the thigh frame may rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the hip joint through the first hip link and the second hip link. Can be.

In the intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot according to the present invention, the knee joint portion connects the thigh frame and the shin frame of the frame, the knee joint drive device is installed in the motor housing, the motor housing and the rotational driving force And a ball screw module having one end coupled to the rotary shaft of the motor to convert the rotational driving force of the motor into a linear driving force, wherein the link structure includes the first knee link and the second knee link. The first knee link is rotatably coupled to one side of the shin frame and the other to the motor housing, and the second knee link is coupled to one side of the thigh frame and the other end is connected to the end of the ball screw. Rotatably coupled, the motor rotates to advance the ball screw If reverse, the second may be rotated in the first link through a knee joint around which the frame shanks the knee portion counterclockwise or clockwise.

In the intelligent muscle and walking assistance robot according to the present invention, the lift device is a lift drive device which is installed in the main body of the caster worker to generate a linear driving force, and a pair installed in the vertical direction to the main body of the caster worker And a trimming link rotatably coupled to an upper end of the lift frame and a lower end of the arm, wherein the lift driving device is coupled to one of the trimming links, and the trimming link is connected to the lift link. The arm can be raised or lowered in a horizontal state while being rotated by a linear driving force of the driving device.

In the intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot according to the present invention, the arm may be installed in a wide and flat structure so that the user can support the upper body.

The present invention has the effect of driving the rotation of the hip joint and the knee joint using a linear drive device and a link structure to improve the power transmission efficiency and greatly reduce the risk of breakage and unwanted play of the rotating part.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of simplifying the structure of the hip and knee joint drive device and by integrally installing the drive device at a close distance to the joint part, thereby improving power transmission efficiency and control performance and preventing separation risk.

In addition, the present invention allows the arm of the caster worker to be actively controlled by the motor to significantly reduce the joint assistance power required for the standing movement to enable smooth standing movement assistance, as well as to implement a natural pelvic movement during walking. have.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of stably improving the portion of the user supporting the upper body to the caster walker to improve the stability and convenience for maintaining balance and joystick operation.

1 is a state diagram used in the intelligent muscle strength and walking aid robot according to the prior art.
2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the intelligent muscle strength and walking aid robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the exoskeleton of the intelligent muscle and walking aid robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A and 4B are side views illustrating the operation of the hip joint according to the embodiment of the present invention.
5A and 5B are side views illustrating the operation of the knee joint according to the embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a perspective view showing a caster walker of the intelligent muscle and walking aid robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a side view showing the vertical movement of the arm by the lift device of the caster worker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing the embodiments, the descriptions may be omitted to clearly convey matters that are well known in the art to which the present invention pertains and are not directly related to the present invention without obscuring the core of the present invention.

On the other hand, in the accompanying drawings, some components are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated, and the size of each component does not entirely reflect the actual size. Like reference numerals refer to like or corresponding elements throughout the accompanying drawings.

Intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot of the present invention is largely composed of the exoskeleton 100 and the caster-walker (200, caster-walker) as shown in FIG. Among them, the exoskeleton 100 is illustrated in FIG. 3, and the caster walker 200 is illustrated in FIG. 6.

Referring to Figure 3, the exoskeleton 100 is worn on the lower body of the user is a mechanism for inducing and assisting walking or sitting and standing motion. The exoskeleton 100 includes a pair of frames 110 corresponding to both legs of a person, and the frame 110 includes a thigh frame 111, a shin frame 112, and a waist frame 123 of FIG. 4A. . The hip joint 120 corresponding to the hip joint of a person is installed between the thigh frame 111 and the waist frame 123, and the knee joint 140 corresponding to the knee joint of the person is the thigh frame 111 and the shin frame 112. Installed between). The thigh frame 111 and the shin frame 112 are rotated based on the joints 120 and 140 to implement a walking motion or a sitting and standing motion of a person. Meanwhile, one or more braces 160 worn by the user are fastened to the frame 110, and the ankle joint 170 is fastened to the lower end of the shin frame 112.

In addition, the exoskeleton 100 includes joint drive devices 130 and 150 for driving the respective joint parts 120 and 140. The joint drive device includes a hip joint drive device 130 and a knee joint drive device 150. The structure of the joint drive device is simpler than that of the conventional joint drive device, the power loss is low, and the power of the drive device is large. It has a structure that can.

3, 4A, 4B, the hip drive device 130 is installed on the arm 210 of the caster worker (200 in FIG. 6). Hip joint drive device 130 is a linear drive device consisting of a motor 131, a motor housing 132, a ball screw 133. The motor housing 132 is installed on the arm 210 of the caster walker, and the ball screw 133 has one end coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor 131 to convert the rotational driving force of the motor 131 into a linear driving force. That is, when the motor 131 rotates forward, the ball screw 133 moves forward, and when the motor 131 reverses, the ball screw 133 moves backward. The opposite end of the ball screw 133 is engaged with the first hip link 121. The first hip link 121 converts the linear driving force of the ball screw 133 into the rotation driving force of the hip joint 120 together with the second hip link 122.

The hip joint 120 corresponds to the center of rotation of the human hip joint in the sagittal plane. The hip joint 120 is connected to the arm 210 of the caster worker by the waist frame 123. The center of the first hip link 121 is rotatably coupled to the waist frame 123, one side is rotatably coupled to the end of the ball screw 133, the other side is rotatably coupled to the second hip link 122. One side of the second hip link 122 is rotatably coupled to the first hip link 121 and the other to the thigh frame 111. Thigh frame 111 is a portion corresponding to the human thigh, one side of the upper end is rotatably coupled to the hip joint 120, the other side of the upper end is rotatably coupled to the second hip link 122.

When the motor 131 rotates and the ball screw 133 moves forward, the thigh frame 111 is clockwise around the hip joint 120 via the first hip link 121 and the second hip link 122. It turns up. On the contrary, when the ball screw 133 is reversed, the thigh frame 111 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction about the hip joint 120 to descend. The thigh frame 111 is equipped with a brace connected to the human thighs to assist the power to move the human thighs.

3, 5A, and 5B, the knee joint driving device 150 is a linear driving device including a motor 151, a motor housing 152, and a ball screw 153. The motor housing 152 is rotatably coupled to the first knee link 141 fastened to the side of the shin frame 112. One end of the ball screw 153 is coupled to the rotation shaft of the motor 151 to convert the rotational driving force of the motor 151 into a linear driving force. That is, when the motor 151 rotates forward, the ball screw 153 moves forward. When the motor 151 rotates reversely, the ball screw 153 moves backward. The opposite end of the ball screw 153 is engaged with the second knee link 142. The first knee link 141 and the second knee link 142 convert the linear driving force by the ball screw 153 into the rotational driving force of the knee joint 140.

Knee joint 140 is the point corresponding to the center of rotation of the human knee joint in the sagittal plane. The first knee joint 141 is rotatably coupled to one of the shin frames 112 and the other to the motor housing 152. One side of the second knee link 142 is fixedly coupled to the thigh frame 111 and the other side is rotatably coupled to the end of the ball screw 153. The shin frame 112 is a portion corresponding to the human shin, one side is rotatably coupled to the knee joint 140, the other side is rotatably coupled to the first knee link 141.

When the motor 151 rotates so that the ball screw 153 moves forward, the shin frame 112 rotates counterclockwise about the knee joint portion 140 through the first knee joint link 141. Conversely, when the ball screw 153 is reversed, the shin frame 112 is rotated clockwise around the knee joint portion 140 to descend. The shin frame 112 is equipped with a brace connected to the human shin to assist the power to move the human shin.

The joint driving unit 130, 150 transfers the power of the motors 131, 151 to the joints 120, 140 using the ball screws 133, 153 and the link structures 121, 122, 141, 142, There is an advantage that can greatly reduce the risk of backlash, power loss, component damage due to the bevel gear, universal joint, etc. that the conventional drive device has. In addition, the driving mechanisms 130 and 150 can be installed in parallel with the arm 210 or the thigh frame 111 by the linear driving principle of the ball screws 133 and 153, thereby increasing the volume of the exoskeleton 100. There is an advantage that can be reduced. In addition, by adjusting the pitch of the ball screw (133, 153) and the length of the links (121, 122, 141, 142), the power generated by the motor (131, 151) to the level required for each joint (120, 140) It can be delivered by decelerating or accelerating.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 6, the caster walker 200 is driven by a driving motor to help the user walk. Caster Walker 200 is largely composed of a main body 230, an arm (210, arm), the control unit 250.

The driving motor 240 is mounted inside the main body 230, and a pair of front wheels 243, a pair of rear wheels 241, and a pair of auxiliary wheels 242 are provided below the main body 230. have. The caster walker 200 uses a rear wheel drive method of driving a pair of rear wheels 241 by a motor, and is capable of turning by adjusting the speed of both wheels. In addition, by using the auxiliary wheel 242 has a structure that greatly reduces the risk of overturning the caster walker 200 improves the structural safety.

The arm 210 connects the caster walker 200 and the exoskeleton 100. That is, the left and right legs of the exoskeleton 100 are connected by the left and right arms 210 of the caster walker 200, respectively. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4a, the exoskeleton waist frame 123 is fixed to the end of the arm 210 of the caster walker with a bolt is connected to the exoskeleton and the caster walker. In addition, the arm may be installed in a wide and flat structure so that the user can support the upper body.

The caster walker 200 includes a lift device for adjusting the height of the arm 210. The lift device includes a trimming link 221, a lift driving device 222, and a lift frame 223. The pair of lift frames 223 are erected in the vertical direction on the main body 230, and the trimmer links 221 are rotatably coupled to the upper ends of the lift frames 223, respectively. The trimmer link 221 is rotatably coupled to the lower end of the arm 210 and rotates by receiving a driving force from the lift driving device 222 installed in the main body 230 to vertically drive the arm 210 in a horizontal state. The lift driving device 222 receives a rotational driving force from a motor (not shown) and converts the linear driving force into a linear driving force similar to the joint driving apparatus described above, and includes a motor, a ball screw, and a housing. The end of the ball screw is coupled to one of the trimming links 221. As shown in FIG. 7, when the ball screw moves forward, the trimmer link 221 rotates upward to raise the arm 210, and when the ball screw moves backward, the trimmer link 221 rotates downward to rotate the arm 210. It is driven on the principle of lowering.

In the prior art, the up and down driving of the arm has been used for the purpose of simply adjusting the position of the control unit, in the present invention serves to assist the power required for the standing operation by lifting the upper body of the user supporting the arm. As a result, the motor capacity required for each joint of the exoskeleton can be greatly reduced, thereby reducing the weight and volume of the portion worn by the user. In addition, in the prior art, the arm is simply installed as a structure for combining the caster walker and the exoskeleton, in the present invention, the user is installed in a structure that can support the upper body to the entire arm to balance the user during the walking operation or use the control unit There are convenient features to follow. In addition, the vertical movement of the arm is precisely controlled by the controller is characterized in that the exoskeleton pelvis moves up and down during the walking operation to implement a more natural walking operation.

The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and the drawings are only intended to provide specific examples to easily explain the technical contents and help the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

100: exoskeleton 110: frame
111: thigh frame 112: shin frame
120: hip 121, 122: hip link
123: waist frame 130: hip drive device
131: hip joint motor 132: motor housing
133: ball screw 140: knee joint
141, 142: knee link 150: knee joint drive
151: knee joint motor 152: motor housing
153: ball screw 160: brace
170: ankle joint 200: caster walker
210: arm 221: trimmer link
222: lift drive 223: lift frame
230: main body 240: driving motor
241: rear wheel 242: auxiliary wheel
243: front wheel 250: control unit

Claims (7)

A exoskeleton having a pair of frames, each of which is installed on the frame and has a hip joint and a knee joint to rotate the frame, and one or more braces coupled to the frame;
A caster walker having wheels driven by a traveling motor;
A pair of arms corresponding to the pair of frames, each end of which is coupled to the exoskeleton and the caster worker;
A lift device installed at the caster worker to drive the arm up and down;
Including;
The exoskeleton includes a hip joint driving device installed on the arm to transmit rotational driving force to the hip joint, and a knee joint driving device installed on the thigh frame to transfer rotational driving force to the knee joint,
The lift device is an intelligent muscle and walking assistance robot, characterized in that for driving the arm up and down in a horizontal state to assist the user's standing movement. The method according to claim 1,
The hip drive device is a linear joint drive device installed in parallel to the arm, is connected to the hip joint with a link structure to transmit a rotational driving force to the hip joint,
The knee joint driving device is a linear joint driving device installed in parallel with the thigh frame, and is connected to the knee joint with a link structure to provide intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot, characterized in that to transmit a rotational driving force to the knee joint. . The method according to claim 2,
The linear joint drive device constituting the hip joint drive device and the knee joint drive device, respectively,
A motor housing installed on the arm or the thigh frame;
A motor installed in the motor housing to generate a rotational driving force;
Ball screw module coupled to the rotating shaft of the motor converts the rotational driving force of the motor into a linear driving force
Intelligent muscle strength and walk assistance robot, characterized in that it comprises a. The method according to claim 2,
The hip joint connects the waist frame and the thigh frame among the frames.
The hip joint drive device includes a motor housing installed in the arm, a motor installed in the motor housing to generate a rotational driving force, and one end thereof is coupled to a rotation shaft of the motor to convert the rotational driving force of the motor into a linear driving force. It has a ball screw module
The link structure has a first hip link and a second hip link,
The first hip link is rotatably coupled to a central portion on the waist frame, one end of the ball screw, the other is rotatably coupled to the second hip link,
One side of the second hip link is rotatably coupled to the first hip link and the other to the thigh frame,
When the ball screw is moved forward or backward when the motor rotates, the thigh frame is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise around the hip joint via the first hip link and the second hip link. Robot for strength and walking assistance. The method according to claim 2,
The knee joint portion connects the thigh frame and the shin frame of the frame,
The knee joint drive device includes a motor housing, a motor installed in the motor housing to generate a rotational driving force, and one end coupled to a rotational shaft of the motor to convert the rotational driving force of the motor into a linear driving force. Equipped,
The link structure includes the first knee link and the second knee link,
The first knee link is rotatably coupled to one of the shin frames and the other to the motor housing,
The second knee link is one side is fastened to the thigh frame, the other side is rotatably coupled to the end of the ball screw,
Intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot, characterized in that the shin frame is rotated counterclockwise or clockwise around the knee joint via the first knee link when the motor is rotated to move the ball screw forward or backward. . The method according to claim 1,
The lift device,
A lift driving device installed in the main body of the caster worker and generating a linear driving force;
A pair of lift frames installed in a vertical direction on the main body of the caster worker,
And a trimmer link rotatably coupled to an upper end of the lift frame and a lower end of the arm, respectively.
The lift drive is coupled to one of the trimming links,
The trimming link is an intelligent muscle strength and walking assistance robot, characterized in that for raising or lowering the arm in a horizontal state while rotating by a linear driving force of the lift drive device. The method according to claim 1,
The arm is an intelligent muscle strength and walk aid robot, characterized in that the user is installed in a wide and flat structure to support the upper body.

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