KR20170111849A - Walking Assistance Apparatus for Lower Limb - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lower limb-assisted go-around, and more particularly, it relates to a lower limb-assisted walker which is capable of simultaneously driving an assist mechanism corresponding to a hip joint and an assist mechanism corresponding to a knee joint using one actuator, , And the movement of the knee joint is restricted as necessary, so that the paraplegic patient can stably walk.
To this end, the present invention comprises a frame 10 positioned at the waist of a patient with paraplegia; A hip joint (20) installed on the frame (10) to serve as a hip joint of a patient with paraplegia; A knee joint 30 that serves as a knee joint by connecting a hip support base 31 positioned at a thigh portion of a paraplegic patient and a hip support base 32 positioned at a calf portion; A driver 50 installed at one side of the frame 10 and driving the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 using wires 51; And a tensile sheath (40) covering the wire (51) and wrapping and protecting the wire (51) between the wire brackets (11) (12) installed on the frame (10) And the knee joint 30 forms a gait pattern divided into a fixed stance section and a leg section where the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 are simultaneously driven.

Description

{Walking Assistance Apparatus for Lower Limb}

[0001] The present invention relates to a lower limb-assisted walking carriage for supporting a leg-less paraplegic patient, and more particularly, to a hip-assisted walking carriage which can simplify a structure by making it possible to implement both a hip joint motion and a knee motion using a single driver The present invention relates to a lower limb-assisted walker capable of reducing energy consumption.

In general, an orthosis is a device that is worn to improve the function of correcting, preventing or moving deformities of the body part, and can be classified into a therapeutic orthosis, a recycling aid, a orthosis, and a pulling aid.

Depending on the area of wear, it can be classified as upper extremity orthosis, lower extremity orthosis, and spinal orthosis.

Among the above-mentioned orthosis, the leg orthosis has a purpose of reducing the weight load of the wearer by supporting the weight of the wearer, preventing and correcting anomalies by keeping the joints straight and controlling the involuntary exercises, Refers to an orthosis that is worn on the legs

The leg orthosis may include a short leg brace (SLB) which is worn only at the lower part of the knee joint for the purpose of alleviating the weight of the ankle joint, adjusting the motion of the ankle joint, preventing deformation of the foot, (LLB) that wears to the thighs on the knee joints for the purpose of supporting weight, preventing deformity, and controlling involuntary movement.

Among them, the assisted leg supports the independence walking of the paraplegic patients who are not free to move their legs during walking because of inherited disorders such as poliomyelitis and inherited disorders such as poliomyelitis caused by inherited disorders such as traffic accidents and knee joints.

On the other hand, since the thighs move together with the lower leg at the time of walking, an auxiliary mechanism corresponding to the hip joint is provided for moving the thigh, and a driver for driving the hip joint corresponding mechanism is separately provided.

However, the conventional leg orthosis has a problem that the legs of the knee joint are moved only by connecting the upper part and the lower part of the knee joint, or only one of the thigh and the lower part is moved, and the walking operation is unstable.

In order to solve the above problems, it is also possible to provide a supplementary mechanism that can replace the hip joint so that the thigh and the lower thigh can move at the same time.

However, in this case, since a separate driver is required, the operating structure is complicated, the weight is increased, the manufacturing cost is increased, and the problem is that it is inconvenient to use.

Meanwhile, as a result of investigation of the prior art related to the present invention, a large number of patent documents have been searched and some of them will be described as follows.

Patent Document 1 discloses a waist supporting device for worn on a waist; A hip joint multi-shaft adjustment device coupled to both sides of the hip portion of the waist support device, capable of adjusting a change in the angle of the legs generated during walking, and capable of stable upper body support and waist support in a sitting posture; An elastic internal and external sheath, one side of which is connected to each of the hip joint multi-axial adjusting devices and has two angles of refraction capable of adjusting the length; And is composed of two thigh support devices which are coupled to the other side of the elastic inner and outer beams and which are worn on the thighs. Thus, it is possible to guide the load direction of the hip joint and the knee joint in the normal direction , And a multi-axis orthosis for rehabilitation of children with spastic cerebral palsy.

Patent Document 2 discloses a sensor that detects whether the sole (paw) or the heel is in contact with the ground; An electromyographic-functional electric stimulator for generating an electrode control signal or a motor excitation signal according to a signal detected by the sensor; An electrode for outputting a stimulation signal of a minute current according to an electrode control signal received from the electromyography-functional electric stimulator; A motor driven according to a motor excitation signal received from the electromyogram-functional electric stimulator; And a wire connected to the motor to move the ankle by moving the forefoot or the heel using a tensile force. The wire reinforces the muscle and helps the nervous system to recover, helps the patient to recover his / her own disease, Centered at the center of the nervous system, to prevent complications of the nervous system injured patient and to facilitate the ankle motion necessary for daily life, clerk, and walking.

Patent Literature 3 discloses a knee joint assembly wherein a foot wearer and a lower frame portion are respectively coupled to a lower side and an upper side of an ankle joint portion and a lower frame portion and a femoral frame portion are respectively coupled to lower and upper sides of a knee joint portion, In the leg support device, the femoral frame portion is separated from the upper support frame and the lower support frame and detachably coupled to each other, and an elastic member is provided between the upper support frame and the lower support frame to buffer the body weight applied thereto. The present invention relates to a cushioning-type long-leg support device capable of improving the supporting performance and improving the feeling of wearing and the ease of use.

Patent Document 4 discloses a long leg support device in which a hip support base and a hip support base are coupled to a knee joint axis and the hip support and a foot support are coupled to an ankle joint axis, A pair of electromagnets provided at the lower ends of the pair of electromagnets for generating a magnetic force when the power is applied and restraining bending of the lower leg support and the hip support bracket, a power source for supplying power to the pair of electromagnets, By including the power switch which selectively applies or blocks the knee joint, the knee joint flexion can be reliably suppressed and the flexible bend can be freely applied to the knee joint, The present invention relates to a buckling prevention device for a long-leg support apparatus.

Patent Literature 5 discloses a strap member comprising a strap member wrapped around a buttock of a trainee to support a weight of a trainee; A strap support rod connecting the strap member to a strap support arm connected to the strap; A support rod holder to which the strap support bar is fixed; A vertical support having an upper end fixed with the support rod rest; The trainer is provided with a treadmill with a treadmill which is suspended from the strap support bar by a strap member and a belt so that the therapist can easily perform the rehabilitation training necessary for the development of the upper and lower strength muscles and the upper and lower limb muscles, This is a comprehensive, up-and-down, repetitive, intensive, strength training aids for the rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy, which aids in helping to achieve this.

KR 10-2004-0043307 A KR 10-2009-0089528 A KR 10-2011-0036997 A KR 10-2011-0102547 A KR 10-2012-0138585 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to solve the above problems of the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for operating a hip joint, So that it is possible to restrict the movement of the knee joints as needed so that the paraplegic patient can stably walk.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for fixing a foot portion of a walking pattern divided into a stance frame and a swinging frame so that the stance does not move on the stance frame while allowing the femur and the stance portion to move simultaneously, have.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a medical device comprising: a frame positioned at the waist of a patient with paraplegia; A hip joint provided in the frame so as to be positioned at a hip portion of the paraplegic patient and serving as a hip joint; A knee joint for performing a role of a knee joint by connecting a hip support located at the thigh of the paraplegic patient and a hip support located at the calf; A driver installed at one side of the frame and driving the hip joint and the knee joint using wires; And a tensioned sheath surrounding the wire and wrapping and protecting the wire between the wire brackets provided on the frame, wherein the hip joint is driven, the knee joint is fixed, and the hip joint and the knee joint And a gait pattern separated from each other by the driven gear section is formed.

The hip joint may include a joint bracket fixed to the frame, a hip joint pulley installed on one side of the front side of the joint bracket and connected to the driver by a wire, and a hip joint pulley installed on the other side of the front side of the joint bracket, And a hinge coupled to the hip pulley at one end and hinged at the other end to the proximal pulley so that a rotational force of the hip pulley is applied to the proximal pulley at a ratio of 1: A timing belt rotatably coupled to the shaft of the proximity pulley and connected to the knee joint by a wire, a timing belt connecting the ratchet gear of the hip pulley and the knee pulley at the rear surface of the joint bracket, And the knee pulley is installed on the joint bracket so as to form a gait pattern, It characterized in that it comprises a ratchet pawl structure to restrict the movement.

The ratchet pawl structure may include a pawl that is rotatably installed on the knee pulley and fixes or disengages the ratchet gear that is rotatable relative to the knee pulley, The other end of which is connected to the knee pulley and is compressed when the knee pulley and the ratchet gear are simultaneously rotated by the pawl and is then released when the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet gear, And a compression spring for rotating the pulley.

The knee joint may further include an upper gear rotatably mounted on a femoral bracket provided at a lower end of the femoral support and connected to the knee pulley by a wire, a rotatably mounted on the femur bracket, And a lower gear coupled to the lower bracket and engaged with the upper gear so that the lower support is rotated in accordance with rotation of the knee pulley.

In addition, during the stance interval, the hip joint is driven to rotate only the horseshoe support, and at the beginning of the sweep period, the hip joint and the knee joint are driven at the same time to simultaneously rotate the horsesupport and the hip support, And the hip support joint and the knee joint are stopped from the middle portion of the leg section, and only the hip support base is rotated.

According to the underwear-less walking implement of the present invention, since the walking motion of the leg-paralyzed patient is generated by using one driver, the operation structure is simplified and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

In addition, since it can be attached to an existing leg orthosis, it can be easily applied to patients using conventional legs.

In addition, the weight of the legs is reduced due to the separation of the driving part and the joint to be controlled by the tendon-sheath structure, and energy can be efficiently used when walking.

In addition, since the ratchet-pawl structure is used to generate the gait pattern, the gait pattern can be achieved with only one driving gear.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a leg-well conveying unit according to the present invention. Fig.
Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the front and rear surfaces of a hip joint, which is a main part of the present invention. Fig.
3 is a schematic view showing a ratchet pole structure which is a main part of the present invention.
4 is a schematic view showing a knee joint which is a main part of the present invention.
5 is a reference view showing a gait pattern by the under-legged walking implement of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a reference diagram for simplifying a walking pattern according to the underwear-related walker of the present invention. FIG.
7 is a reference view showing a conventional leg orthosis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the underwear-less walkway according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the undergarment according to the present invention includes a frame 10 positioned at the waist of a patient with paraplegia; A hip joint (20) installed on the frame (10) to serve as a hip joint of a patient with paraplegia; A knee joint 30 that serves as a knee joint by connecting a hip support base 31 positioned at a thigh portion of a paraplegic patient and a hip support base 32 positioned at a calf portion; A driver 50 installed at one side of the frame 10 and driving the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 using wires 51; And a tensile sheath 40 surrounding the wire 51 and covering the wire 51 between the wire brackets 11 and 12 installed on the frame 10, The knee joint 30 is driven and the walking pattern separated by the fixed stance section A and the swing section B in which the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 are simultaneously driven Respectively.

2, the hip joint 20 includes a joint bracket 21 fixed to the frame 10 and a wire 51 disposed on one side of the front surface of the joint bracket 21, An upper coupling part 33 which is provided on the other side of the front surface of the joint bracket 21 and rotates in conjunction with the hoe pulley 22 and is connected to the hinge support 31, And the other end is hinged to the proximal pulley 23 so that the rotational force of the hip pulley 22 is transmitted to the proximal pulley 23 and the proximal pulley 23, A knee pulley 25 rotatably coupled to the shaft of the proximal pulley 22 and connected to the knee joint 30 by a wire and a knee pulley 25 connected to the joint bracket 21 by a wire, The ratchet gear 25 'provided on the hip pulley 22 and the knee pulley 25 on the back side of the knee pulley 25, And connecting the timing belt 26, it comprises a ratchet pawl structure 27 for limiting the movement of the knee pulley 25 so that the walking pattern is formed is provided in the joint bracket (21).

3, the ratchet pawl structure 27 is rotatably mounted on the knee pulley 25 to fix the ratchet gear 25 'which is relatively rotatable with respect to the knee pulley 25 And a pawl trigger 27b provided on the joint bracket 21 to pivot the pawl 27a so that one end is connected to the joint bracket 21 and the other end is connected to the knee When the pawl 27a is released from the ratchet gear 25 'after being compressed when the knee pulley 25 and the ratchet gear 25' are simultaneously rotated by the pawl 25 by the pawl 25, And a compression spring 27c for causing the knee pulley 25 to rotate.

4, the knee joint 30 is rotatably mounted on a femoral bracket 34 provided at a lower end of the hammering support 31 and connected to the knee pulley 25 by a wire, The knee pulley 25 is rotatably mounted on the fulcrum bracket 31. The lower support frame 32 is connected to the lower bracket 38 and meshed with the upper gear 35, And a lower gear 36 for rotating the lower support 32 in accordance with rotation of the lower gear 36.

In the stance section A, the hip joint 20 is driven to rotate only the hip support 31. At the beginning of the sweep section B, the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 So that the operation of the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 is stopped from the middle portion of the swinging period section B and the operation of the knee joint 30 is stopped Only the leg support 32 is rotated.

According to the present invention constructed as described above, since the lowered part of the undergarment part does not move during the stance period, the weight is stably supported, and the lowered part rotates together with the femoral part during the swinging period, Knee joints are stretched naturally to ensure stable walking.

The driver 50 is operated to rotate the hip joint pulley 22 of the hip joint 20 and the proximity pulley 23 connected to the hip joint pulley 22 by the transmission link 24 is rotated.

Since the upper end of the hanger support 31 is connected to the proximity pulley 23, the hanger support 31 rotates in the clockwise direction in accordance with the rotation of the proximity pulley 23.

At this time, the ratchet gear 25 'connected to the hip pulley 22 by the timing belt 26 also rotates in the clockwise direction. However, the ratchet gear 25' Is in a clockwise direction in a loose state, so that the knee pulley 25 does not rotate and remains fixed.

Therefore, the upper gear 35 of the knee joint 30 connected to the knee pulley 25 by the wire is also kept fixed without rotating, so that the lower support 32 supports the weight of the user. This walking segment is called the stance segment supporting the user's body weight.

Accordingly, the user moves forward by releasing the foot which is not worn by the auxiliary walker, moving forward, and then contacting the floor.

Thereafter, the auxiliary walker moves the worn foot from the floor to the leg section. The ratchet gear 25 'connected to the hip pulley 22 by the timing belt 26 also rotates counterclockwise when the driver 50 rotates the hip pulley 22 in the counterclockwise direction Direction.

The tip of the pawl 27a constituting the ratchet pawl mechanism 27 is coupled to the ratchet gear 25 'so that the ratchet gear 25' And fixed to the knee pulley 25.

The upper gear 35 of the knee joint 30 connected to the knee pulley 25 by the wire is rotated and the lower gear 36 engaged with the upper gear 35 is also rotated.

At this time, the proximity pulley 23 connected to the hip pulley 22 by the transmission link 24 also rotates counterclockwise.

Therefore, the hinged support 31 connected to the proximity pulley 23 rotates counterclockwise, and the lower support 36 connected to the lower gear 36 rotates clockwise.

The knee pulley 25 rotates in the counterclockwise direction to compress the compression spring 27c of the ratchet foul mechanism 27. After the intermediate interval of the ratchet section B, The hip support base 31 and the hip support base 32 are rotated counterclockwise at the same time.

That is, after the middle section of the swinging period B, the actuator 50 stops operating, and the pole trigger 27b of the ratchet pawl mechanism 27 is operated to rotate the pawl 27a counterclockwise , The leading end of the foul 27a is released from the ratchet gear 25 'so that the knee pulley 25 is rotated irrespective of the ratchet gear 25'.

The spring force of the compression spring 27c acts to rotate the knee pulley 25 in a clockwise direction and the knee joint 30 connected to the knee pulley 25 by a wire is operated, The front wheel 32 can be moved forward by rotating in the counterclockwise direction.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. And all such modifications and changes as fall within the scope of the present invention are therefore to be regarded as being within the scope of the present invention.

10 ... Frame
11, 12 ... Wire Bracket
20 ... Hip Joint
21 ... Joint Bracket
22 ... Hip Pulley (Pulley)
23 ... Close-up pulley
24 ... Delivery Link (Link)
25 ... knee pulley
25 '... Rachet Gear
26 ... Timing Belt
27 ... Rachet Pawl structure
27a ... Paul (Pawl)
27b ... Pawl Trigger
27c ... compression spring
30 ... knee joint
31 ... Femoral Support
32 ... lower leg support
33 ... upper coupling hole
34 ... Femoral bracket
35 ... upper gear
36 ... lower gear
37 ... lower bracket
40 ... Tendon Sheath
50 ... actuator
51 ... Wire

Claims (5)

A frame 10 positioned at the waist of the paraplegic subject;
A hip joint (20) provided on the frame (10) to serve as a hip joint of a patient with paraplegia;
A knee joint 30 that serves as a knee joint by connecting a hip support base 31 positioned at a thigh portion of a paraplegic patient and a hip support base 32 positioned at a calf portion;
A driver 50 installed at one side of the frame 10 and driving the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 using wires 51;
And a tensile sheath 40 surrounding the wire 51 and wrapping the wire 51 between the wire brackets 11 and 12 installed on the frame 10,
The hip joint 20 is driven and the knee joint 30 is separated into a fixed prong section A and a prong section B in which the hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 are simultaneously driven. Thereby forming a gait pattern. The method according to claim 1,
The hip joint (20)
A joint bracket 21 fixed to the frame 10,
A hip joint pulley 22 installed at one side of the front surface of the joint bracket 21 and connected to the actuator 50 by a wire 51,
A proximity pulley 23 installed on the other side of the front surface of the joint bracket 21 and provided with an upper coupling hole 33 connected to the hinge support 31 by being rotated by the hinge pulley 22,
And one end of which is hinged to the hip pulley 22 and the other end of which is hinged to the proximal pulley 23 to transmit the rotational force of the hip pulley 22 to the proximal pulley 23 at a ratio of 1: )Wow,
A knee pulley 25 rotatably coupled to the shaft of the proximity pulley 22 and connected to the knee joint 30 by wires,
A timing belt 26 connecting the haptic pulley 22 and the ratchet gear 25 'provided on the knee pulley 25 from the rear surface of the joint bracket 21,
And a ratchet foul structure (27) provided on the joint bracket (21) for restricting movement of the knee pulley (25) so that a gait pattern is formed. 3. The method of claim 2,
The ratchet pawl structure (27)
A pawl 27a rotatably installed on the knee pulley 25 to fix or unlock the ratchet gear 25 'which is rotatable relative to the knee pulley 25,
A pole trigger 27b provided on the joint bracket 21 to rotate the pawl 27a,
One end is connected to the joint bracket 21 and the other end is connected to the knee pulley 25 to be compressed when the knee pulley 25 and the ratchet gear 25 'are simultaneously rotated by the pawl 27a, And a compression spring (27c) which is extended when the pawl (27a) is disengaged from the ratchet gear (25 ') to rotate the knee pulley (25). The method according to claim 1,
The knee joint (30)
An upper gear 35 rotatably mounted on a femoral bracket 34 provided at a lower end of the hammering support 31 and connected to the knee pulley 25 by a wire,
The lower support member 32 is rotatably mounted on the femoral bracket 31 and is connected to the lower support bracket 38 so as to be engaged with the upper gear 35. When the knee pulley 25 rotates, And a lower gear (36) for causing the lower arm (32) to rotate. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
During the stance interval, the hip joint 20 is driven to rotate only the hip support 31,
The hip joint 20 and the knee joint 30 are driven at the same time so that the horseshoe support 31 and the hip support base 32 are rotated at the same time and the hip joints 20) and the knee joint (30) are stopped, and only the lower support base (32) is rotated.

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