KR20150041361A - Wearable driving device having driving and gait ability - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable moving device with a driving function and a walking aid function, and more specifically, to a wearable movable device having a driving function and a walking aid function, which performs on a driving mode while a user sits when the user puts the device on the lower part of the body and provides a walking aid force while the user stands upright. When the user moves on the level ground while wearing the device, the device can be switched into a driving mode with use of attached wheels. When the user moves up and down the steps or walks on the uneven ground, the device can be transformed into a walking aid device to enhance the force of leg joints of the user.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a wearable mobile device,

The present invention relates to a wearable mobile device in which a walking and aiding function is fused. More particularly, the present invention relates to a wearable mobile device that is capable of traveling while sitting on a lower body of a person, And a wearable mobile device in which a walking assistance function is fused.

In the developed countries, the aged society is entering into the aging society, and the development of the car with the weak physical and the elderly is becoming a key item. Therefore, the advanced automobile makers are developing the elderly friendly wearable robots, We are doing our best.

The most important issue in the research field of the wearable robot, that is, the walking aiding device, is considered to provide a comfortable fit for the elderly or the patient while assisting the weakened muscle easily.

As a conventional technique of the wearable robot, a human body-wearable muscle strength supporting robot has been disclosed in Korea Registration No. 10-0810004 (2008.02.27), and is also disclosed in a publication No. 2012-0053894 (2012.05.29) Type robot structure is disclosed.

In addition, as a conventional technology of a short-distance travel device for the elderly, a traveling device using a saddle and an electric motor, a robot for supporting a personal moving robot of Toyota, and a walking aid for the elderly of Honda have been developed.

However, as described above, conventionally, the walking assist device and the traveling mobile device by the wearable robot have been developed separately, and thus the existing traveling mobile device is effective in the flat field, but has a disadvantage that it is vulnerable to the stairs or the non- In the case of conventional walking aids, it is effective in stairs or non-planar surfaces, but it has disadvantages in ineffectiveness in flat land, and inconvenience is caused when the walking aiding device and traveling mobile device are to be carried separately when not used according to the terrain .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile traveling device capable of being transformed into a wheel- And a wearable mobile device in which a running assistant and a walking assistant function are fused with the walking aiding device.

Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the inconvenience of carrying the user separately from the walking assist device and the traveling mobile device by moving the user by using the image camera when the user is not wearing it.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a modular car that can be folded compactly for easy storage in a vehicle or the like, thereby functioning as a modular car in connection with a vehicle's long distance moving service.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hip joint comprising: a thigh link having a thigh wear band on its inner surface; a calf link having a calf wearing band on its inner surface and a free wheel on its lower end; A walking support device mounted on the inside of the joint and configured to increase muscle strength with respect to the knee joint; A travel moving device mounted on the rear end of the thigh link so as to be able to roll up against the ground in a running state and to be folded when walking; A control board mounted on the inside of the thigh link for performing overall operation control during walking and running, and a battery; And a wearable mobile device in which a running and a walking aiding function is fused.

The traveling device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: a first traveling link and a second traveling link hinged to a rear end of a thigh link in a state where an upper end is folded; A traveling wheel rotatably mounted on a lower outer surface of the first traveling link; A support wheel rotatably mounted on a lower inner surface of the second traveling link; A first support link having one end folded and connected to the lower end of the first main link; A second support link having one end folded and connected to the lower end of the second main link; A drive motor for driving mounted on the hub of the traveling wheel; And the other ends of the first supporting link and the second supporting link are hinged so as to be upwardly folded and vertically foldable so as to define a spreading angle between the first traveling link and the second traveling link .

Advantageously, a camera following the target is mounted on the front of the calf link.

In addition, the calf wearing band is equipped with a steering sensor for sensing the driving direction and the driving will.

In particular, an encoder for internally applying a torque to the muscle-strength-enhancing motor is incorporated in the joint according to the joint angle of the knee.

Through the above-mentioned means for solving the problems, the present invention provides the following effects.

1) It is difficult to use the existing traveling mobile device or the walking aiding device in a vulnerable terrain, but the mobile device of the present invention can be used in various terrains by fusing the traveling moving function and the walking aiding function.

In other words, when the user moves on a flat ground while wearing the apparatus, the apparatus can be transformed into a traveling apparatus of a wheel structure. On the other hand, when the stairs or the non-planar surface move, It is possible to conveniently assist the user in walking on the flat ground as well as on the ground.

2) It is possible to operate freely without using both hands in driving mode, and both hands can be used freely.

3) The unfolding and folding operation can be easily performed by combining semi-automatic wire or latch structure, fully automatic one-touch operation mechanism, and the like.

4) Although the existing traveling mobile device is inconvenient to carry separately when not in use, the mobile device of the present invention can be conveniently moved through joint enhancement with a wearable walking aiding function, Since the user is traced and moved using the video camera, it is possible to reduce the extra transportation work.

5) Since it can be compactly folded for easy storage in a car, it is possible to provide a modular car role in connection with a vehicle's long distance moving service.

1 is a perspective view showing a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function according to the present invention is fused;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a traveling mobile device of a wearable mobile device according to the present invention is fused with a running and aiding function,
FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 are schematic side views showing a walking assist mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function according to the present invention is fused;
6 to 8 are schematic views showing a wearing mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function is fused according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a mode conversion operation of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function according to the present invention is fused;
10 to 12 are schematic views showing an autonomous running mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function is fused according to the present invention,
FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a vehicle-mounted mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function is fused according to the present invention; FIG.

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

The present invention relates to a walking and aiding function capable of being transformed into a traveling apparatus of a wheel structure when the user moves on a flat ground while being worn by a user, The present invention is to provide a wearable mobile device in which a wearer is fused.

1 and 2, the wearable mobile device of the present invention includes a walking assist device 100 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) which is worn on a user's thigh and a calf portion, And a traveling mobile device 200 adapted to allow the user to sit in a traveling state and to be able to roll in a desired direction while being deformed into a state capable of rolling.

The walking assistant device 100 is provided on the lower body of a user (an elderly person with insufficient strength, a patient, etc.) and is able to walk while being assisted with muscle strength during an upright walking. A pair of thigh links 110 And the calf link 120 as a skeleton.

The thigh link 110 is disposed so as to surround the outer side of the user's thigh, and on the inner surface thereof, a thigh wearing band 112, which is worn around the thigh of the user, is mounted.

The calf link 120 is disposed so as to surround the calf outer side of the user. The calf link 120 is equipped with a calf wearing band 122 wrapped around the calf portion of the user on the inner surface thereof, A free wheel 124 is mounted.

A joint 130 is mounted between the lower end of the thigh link 110 and the upper end of the calf link 120 and includes general hinge means for mutual rotation. The joint 130 corresponds to the knee joint of the user. .

Particularly, in the inside of the joint 130, a muscle strength enhancing motor 132 for mounting a muscle force to the knee joint or dispersing a load of the knee joint when the user bends or unfolds the knee joint is mounted.

Preferably, the joint 130 further includes an encoder for applying a torque to the muscle-strength-enhancing motor 132 in accordance with a user's knee angle change.

A control board and a battery 140 for controlling the overall operation of the walking movement assisting device 100 for walking assistance and the traveling mobile device 200 for driving are provided in the thigh link 110, .

Hereinafter, the configuration of the traveling mobile device of the present invention will be described.

The traveling mobile device 200 is mounted on the rear end of the thigh link 110 and is provided with a structure that allows the vehicle to be deployed in a rolling manner with respect to the ground when traveling, and to perform a folding operation when walking.

To this end, the first traveling link 201 and the second traveling link 202 are mounted on the rear end of the thigh link 110 in a state where the upper end thereof is folded.

A traveling wheel 203 is rotatably mounted on an outer surface of a lower end of the first traveling link 201. A traveling wheel 203 is mounted on an inner hub portion of a first traveling link 201 on which the traveling wheel 203 is mounted, A drive motor 207 for driving is provided for providing driving power.

In addition, a support wheel 204, which is in rolling contact with the ground surface, is rotatably mounted on the inner surface of the lower end of the second traveling link 202.

When the first traveling link 201 and the second traveling link 202 are opened and unfolded, the lower side inner surface of the first traveling link 201 (the hub on which the drive motor is mounted, One end of the second supporting link 205 is hinged to the outer surface of the lower end of the second traveling link 202 (the outer surface of the hub) It is hinged.

At this time, the first support link 205 and the other end of the second support link 206 may be folded upward and downward to define a spread angle between the first travel link 201 and the second travel link 202, Stopper means (not shown) for holding the first support link 205 and the second support link 206 in a vertical spread state are formed on the first support link 205, And at the hinge fastening point between the other end of the second support link 206.

A CMOS type camera 126, which follows the target, is mounted on the front surface of the calf link 120. When the user walks in a non-attach state, a marker attached to the user's body by the camera 126 is used. And at the same time, the mobile device of the present invention performs autonomous traveling, thereby providing convenience in which it is not necessary to carry the mobile device of the present invention.

A steering sensor 128 is mounted on the calf wearing band 122 to sense the driving direction and the driving will. The steering sensor 128 detects a user's knee in order to determine the driving direction and the driving will of the user It detects the motion of lifting the calf.

Hereinafter, each operation mode of the wearable mobile device in which the traveling and walking assistance function of the present invention having the above-described configuration is fused will be described.

Increased walking mode (walking aiding mode)

3 to 5 are schematic views showing a walking assist mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking assistance function is fused according to the present invention.

3, when the user wears the thigh on the thigh wearing band 112 and wears the calf portion on the calf wearing band 122, .

At this time, since the traveling mobile device 200 is in a state of being tightly folded on the thigh link 110, it is not involved in the incremental walking mode.

As shown in FIG. 4, joint torque control using an inexpensive encoder, that is, acceleration-based augmentation control using an encoder, is performed without using an expensive torque sensor unlike the existing walking assist control.

Therefore, according to the movement angle of the joint read from the encoder, an appropriate joint torque is applied from the control board to the muscle strength enhancing motor 132 to increase the force when the leg is extended and to relieve the impact when bending, It can be useful for a user who has weak leg muscles or an elderly person when walking upright.

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the user is walking, postural maintenance control for excessive load distribution can be performed.

That is, since the load applied to the joint at the time of walking of the user can be dispersed to the wear surface (thigh wear band and calf wear band) of the wearer's body, the joint load can be reduced by wearing only the thigh wear band and the calf wear band.

Wear mode

FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 are schematic views showing a wearing mode of a wearable mobile device in which the running and walking assist functions are fused according to the present invention.

The traveling mode is a mode in which the user travels in a desired direction while both hands are seated in a free state. For this purpose, the traveling mobile device 200 must be unfolded.

As shown in the mode conversion mode of FIG. 9, the first and second supporting links 205 and 206, including the first and second traveling links 201 and 202, are unlocked while releasing the locking means (not shown) So that the traveling wheel 203 of the traveling link 201 and the supporting wheel 204 of the second traveling link 202 come into contact with the ground.

That is, the first traveling link 201 and the second traveling link 202 are opened at a predetermined angle and the first supporting link 205 and the second supporting link 206 are unfolded in a horizontal state, The angle of unfolding of the first driving link 201 and the second driving link 202 is limited and widens at the same time and the driving wheels 203 of the first driving link 201 and the supporting wheels 204 of the second driving link 202 ) To the ground.

At this time, the free wheel 124 mounted on the lower end of the calf link 120 is also supported in a rolling manner on the ground, and the thigh link 110 is substantially perpendicular to the calf link 120 It is laid down.

6, when the user wears the thigh portion on the thigh wear band 112 and at the same time wears the calf portion on the calf wearing band 122, The support wheel 204, and the free wheel 124, as shown in Fig.

In this state, forward traveling is performed by forward rotation of the driving drive motor 207 mounted on the hub of the traveling wheel 203, and backward traveling is performed by reverse rotation.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the direction of the free wheel 124 can be changed by the force of the user moving the calf portion to the left or right, so that the orientation can be changed. Preferably, the steering sensor 128 A steering device (not shown), which can be separately mounted on a support wheel or a free wheel, may be driven to perform a directional change such as in-situ left / right rotation, in-progress left / right rotation, and the like.

In addition, unlike the existing traveling motion control, since the traveling operation is performed using the leg joint angle, it is possible to freely use both hands while driving, and the speed of each traveling motor is controlled according to the joint angle through the encoder .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the free wheel on the ankle side is accelerated or lowered by using a lifting device (not shown) or when the decelerating operation is performed, the free wheel is lowered to the ground, The situation can be maintained.

Autonomous mode

10 to 12 are schematic views showing an autonomous running mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function according to the present invention is fused.

The autonomous mode is a mode in which the user can reduce the labor of carrying the mobile device of the present invention in case of walking without wearing the walking aid.

11, a CMOS-type camera 126 following the target is mounted on the front surface of the calf link 120, and a marker recognized by the camera 126 is attached to the user's body .

Accordingly, when the user walks in the non-use state, the camera 126 recognizes a marker attached to the body of the user, and when the recognition signal is transmitted to the control board, By applying torque to the drive motor 207, autonomous travel of the mobile device according to the present invention, which follows the user's walking position, can be achieved, thereby providing convenience that does not require carrying the mobile device of the present invention.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, when the recognition target of the camera 126 is changed to a lane and the logic is configured, autonomous driving can be performed while sensing the lane of the general road.

Vehicle mounted mode

13 is a schematic view showing a vehicle mounting mode of a wearable mobile device in which a running and walking aiding function is fused according to the present invention.

The thigh link 110 and the calf link 120 are folded about the joint 130 as narrow as possible and then the rear of the vehicle 130 is folded as far as possible. It can be easily accommodated in a space or a trunk space.

Therefore, the mobile device of the present invention is a mobile device that can be worn by a user in a narrow alley or a narrow place where a vehicle is difficult to approach and can be easily accommodated in a vehicle at the time of moving a medium or long distance, Can play a role.

100: a walking aid
110: Thigh Link
112: Thigh wear band
120: Calf link
122: calf wearing band
124: free wheel
126: camera
128: Steering sensor
130: Joint
132: Motor for strengthening muscle strength
140: Control board and battery
200: traveling mobile device
201: First driving link
202: second traveling link
203: traveling wheel
204: support wheel
205: first supporting link
206: second support link
207: Driving drive motor

Claims (5)

A thigh link 110 having an inner surface with a thigh wear band 112 and a calf link 120 having an inner surface with a calf wearing band 122 and a lower end with a free wheel 124, A joint 130 mounted for each rotation between the lower end of the calf joint 110 and the upper end of the calf link 120 and a muscle strength enhancing motor 132 mounted inside the joint 130 for enhancing muscle strength against the knee joint, A walking assist device 100 comprising:
A traveling mobile device (200) mounted on the rear end of the thigh link (110) so as to be able to roll up with respect to the ground when traveling, and to be foldable when walking;
A control board mounted on the inside of the thigh link 110 for controlling overall operation during walking and running, and a battery 140;
And a walking and aiding function combining the walking and walking assist functions.
The method according to claim 1,
The traveling mobile device (200) comprises:
A first traveling link 201 and a second traveling link 202 hinged to the rear end of the thigh link with the upper end folded;
A traveling wheel 203 mounted on the outer surface of the lower end of the first traveling link 201 in a rotatable manner;
A support wheel 204 which is rotatably mounted on the inner surface of the lower end of the second traveling link 202;
A first support link 205 that is folded at one end to the lower end of the first traveling link 201 and connected thereto;
A second support link 206 having one end folded and connected to the lower end of the second travel link 202;
A drive motor 207 for driving mounted on the hub of the traveling wheel 203;
And,
The first support link 205 and the other end of the second support link 206 are folded upward and downward to define a spread angle between the first travel link 201 and the second travel link 202, And a walking and aiding function combining the walking and walking assist functions.
The method according to claim 1,
And a camera (126) following the target is mounted on a front surface of the calf link (120).
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the calf wearing band (122) is equipped with a steering sensor (128) for sensing a running direction and a running will.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein an encoder for applying a torque to the muscle strength increasing motor (132) is incorporated in the joint (130) in accordance with a change in the angle of the knee joint.

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