KR20180098960A - Device for guiding human body joint motion - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for guiding motion worn around a joint of human body, comprising: a main body (10) for connecting an upper leg (11) and a lower leg (12) on a hinge shaft (15) to enable a joint motion; a shock-absorbing means (20) provided to exert friction resistance and eddy current resistance in response to the joint motion of the main body (10); a detecting means mounted on the main body (10) for detecting walking related information; and a control means (40) for varying the resisting force of the shock-absorbing means (20) with an algorithm set corresponding to a signal of the detecting means. Accordingly, the device can be easily worn in response to physical conditions, and the joint motion is monitored by stably reducing the walking impact, thereby inducing an optimal motion to enhance strength and exercise capacity of lower limbs.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for guiding human body joint motion,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a motion guiding mechanism of a human body, and more particularly, to a motion guiding mechanism of a human body joint, which wears on the basis of a light and thin single-tooth structure to maintain an optimal motion state while reducing a walking impact.

In general, when a hip or ankle is worn because of a disability in the lower extremity, the use of muscle is reduced and the muscle strength is rapidly reduced, thus emphasizing the importance of early rehabilitation through proper exercise. The instruments designed for joint movement accompanied by muscle strength enhancement are implemented in various forms.

For example, there are simple leg pegs that start from a motorcycle pocket on the ankle and use a leg to lift the load, leg extension exercise equipment, and bicycle ergometer exercise equipment that pedal the pedal. Most of the above exercises and wearers give more load to the legs and ankles than usual, so excessive leg exercise can harm joint health. These apparatuses occupy a lot of space as a mounting type, have a disadvantage that they are cumbersome to store and inconvenient to use outdoors.

In connection with this, reference can be made to prior patents such as Korean Patent Registration No. 1637114 (Prior Document 1) and Korean Patent Registration No. 1611042 (Prior Document 2).

In the prior art 1, the front and rear push bars selectively press the brake bars at the upper and lower positions of the knee at the upper end of the artificial limb; And a set of pressure transmission wires for selectively transmitting the artificial prosthetic pressure forward or backward. Therefore, natural walking is possible and the effect of working without warping is anticipated.

According to the prior art 2, the angular velocity of the joint is calculated through the change of the joint angle, the drive is controlled to the static frictional force compensation value when the angular velocity of the joint does not exist, the drive is controlled to the compensation value of the motion frictional force when the angular velocity exists, When the direction of the angular velocity is changed, the driving unit is controlled to the intention compensation value. Thus, the effect of allowing a wearer to feel a load less is expected.

However, since the prior art document 1 is confined to a user requiring artificial intention, still good wearability can not be expected, and the prior art document 2 is insufficient in securing high responsiveness and buffering property by a complicated algorithm linked to the motor of the driving part.

1. Korean Patent Registration No. 1637114 entitled "Bi-directional Hydraulic Brake Knee Joint Device" (Open date: Jul. 2. Korean Patent Registration No. 1611042 entitled " Joint Control System and Control Method of Wearing Robot "(Published on Dec. 14, 2015).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for measuring motion of a joint, And a motion guide mechanism of the human body joint.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a mechanism for inducing motion worn around a human joint, comprising: a main body for articulating a top and a bottom on a hinge axis; A shock absorber adapted to exert frictional resistance and eddy current resistance in response to joint motion of the main body; Detecting means mounted on the main body for detecting walking related information; And control means for varying the resistance of the buffer means with an algorithm set corresponding to the signal of the detection means.

As a detailed configuration of the present invention, the upper and lower stands of the main body are provided so as to be variable in length through respective slide portions.

In a detailed configuration of the present invention, the buffer means is provided with a rotor, a stator, and a friction member for interlocking with the joint motion of the upper and lower bands.

As a detailed configuration of the present invention, the friction body is provided with an EAP module so as to vary frictional resistance by an electrical signal.

As a modification of the present invention, the EAP module is coupled to the high-elasticity fiber and the muscle fiber so as to be radially connected to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor.

In the detailed construction of the present invention, the detecting means is characterized by comprising an encoder for detecting a rotation angle of the joint, and a piezoelectric element for detecting a vertical load acting on the joint.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the control means includes a power source for providing operating power and controlling charging, a driving unit for interrupting power applied to the buffer means, and a notification unit for audibly displaying the operating status.

As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is easy to wear in accordance with the physical condition, and the joint motion state is monitored while stably reducing the walking impact, and the optimal motion is induced to improve the muscular strength and the exercise ability of the leg.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram generally showing a mechanism according to the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing an exploded view of the mechanism according to the present invention
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the buffering means of the device according to the invention;
4 is a schematic view showing a buffering means according to a modification of the present invention;
5 is a block diagram showing the control means of the mechanism according to the invention

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

The present invention proposes a mechanism for inducing motion worn around the human joint. The present invention is effectively applied to, but not limited to, the joints of the legs in which a relatively large impact is generated in the human body. In order to make the whole structure thin and light, the motion induction of the wearer excludes the constitution related to the increase of the walking strength, and constitutes the constitution related to the relaxation of the walking impact on the downhill.

According to the present invention, the main body 10 has a structure in which the upper and lower legs 11 and 12 are jointably connected on the hinge shaft 15. 1 illustrates a state in which a pair of upper and lower units 11 and 12 are connected via respective hinge shafts 15. It is preferable that the bands 17 connecting the opposing upper and lower bands 11 and 12 and the band 17 connecting the opposite lower bands 12 are formed in plural. A tightening portion 18 such as a Velcro tape is provided on the band 17 so as to correspond to the physical condition (thickness) of the wearer.

The upper and lower legs 11 and 12 of the main body 10 are provided so as to be variable in length through the respective slide portions 13 as a detailed configuration of the present invention. A slide portion 13 of a length adjustable manner is provided on the upper and lower legs 11 and 12 so as to correspond to the physical condition (elongation) of the wearer. The slide portion 13 can be separated into two upper and lower portions and coupled by male and female, and fixed using a fastening bolt (not shown) or the like.

On the other hand, an elastic piece (not shown) may be attached to the body 10 in a detachable manner in the body 10. The elastic pieces are attached to the inner surfaces of the upper, lower, and bands 11, 17 in a position-variable manner by a Velcro tape method.

In addition, according to the present invention, the buffering means 20 is provided so as to exert frictional resistance and eddy current resistance in response to the joint motion of the main body 10. The buffering means 20 may generate a constant resistance force during the bending process of the joint and may generate a temporary or periodic resistance force. In either case, the friction resistance and the eddy current resistance for inducing the motion of the wearer to assist the walking are exerted.

The buffering means 20 includes a rotor 21, a stator 22 and a friction member 25 interlocked with the joint motion of the upper and lower legs 11 and 12 . 2, a rotor 21 is attached to the lower end of the upper part base 11, a stator 22 is attached to the upper end of the lower part base 12, friction occurs between the upper part base 11 and the rotor 21, (25). The stator 22 has an exciting coil 23 electrically connected to the control means 40 described later. A magnetic field is formed by the current applied to the exciting coil 23, and the continuous eddy current generated in the rotor 21 by the magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field to generate the braking force. It is preferable that the friction body 25 is constructed so as to generate mechanical frictional resistance basically but to allow electrical fluctuation of the resistance force. Even when the eddy current braking by the rotor 21 and the stator 22 is insufficient during the walking process of the wearer, the friction body 25 provides a basic braking function.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, it is also possible to couple the rotor 21 in the forward and backward directions about the stator 22. This causes an increase in magnetic flux due to eddy currents generated on the surface of the rotor 21 and an increase in resistance.

As a detailed configuration of the present invention, the friction body (25) is provided with an EAP module (31) so as to change a frictional resistance force by an electrical signal. The EAP module 31 is based on an electroactive polymer and can be applied in the form of liquid, solid or a mixture thereof. The driving signal of the EAP module 31 is variably applied by the controller 41 and the power supply unit 43 of the control means 40. [ A spring or the like may be used in combination with the DC power supply of the power supply unit 43 to cause the EAP module 31 to contract and expand, but to facilitate smooth movement.

The EAP module 31 is coupled with the high-elasticity fibers 33 to form a muscle fiber, and is radially connected to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 21. In FIG. 4, eight muscle fiber type EAP modules 31 are connected in tangential direction to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor 21. The muscle fiber is preferably constituted by the EAP fiber and the high-elasticity fiber 33 spirally wound. Therefore, the friction member 25 of the buffer means 20 periodically absorbs the joint impact that occurs during walking, thereby increasing the functionality and durability of the EAP module 31. [

Further, according to the present invention, the detecting means is mounted on the main body 10 to detect the walking-related information. The detecting means detects a signal corresponding to a stance period and a swing period of a normal gait. The detected signal is input to the controller (41) of the control means (40) and converted into an output for operating the buffer means (20).

In the detailed construction of the present invention, the detection means is characterized by comprising an encoder (35) for detecting the rotation angle of the joint, and a piezoelectric element (37) for detecting a vertical load acting on the joint. The encoder 35 can be installed to detect an angular variation between the upper and lower units 11 and 12. The piezoelectric element 37 can be installed to detect a vertical load variation between the upper and lower units 11 and 12. [ In either case, the encoder 35 and the piezoelectric element 37 adopt a semiconductor method at least partially so as to comply with the light and small-sized monolithic structure. A GPS module 48 for detecting the movement path of the pedestrian can be added.

Further, according to the present invention, the control means (40) varies the resistance force of the buffer means (20) with an algorithm set corresponding to the signal of the detection means. The control means 40 is constituted based on a microprocessor, a memory, and a controller 41 equipped with an input / output interface. The control algorithm associated with the present invention is updateably stored in memory in the form of a subroutine program. 5, a circuit configuration connected through the input / output interface of the controller 41 is illustrated.

The control means 40 includes a power supply portion 43 for providing operating power and controlling charging, a driving portion 45 for interrupting the power applied to the buffering means 20, And a notification unit (46) for indicating the presence of the user. 2, the power supply unit 43, the driving unit 45, and the notification unit 46 are housed in the same housing as the controller 41. [ The power supply unit 43 may use a rechargeable secondary battery and may include an auxiliary battery (not shown) worn on the waist. The driving unit 45 converts the output of the input / output interface to the power of the power supply unit 43 and applies it. The notification unit 46 includes a display and a speaker.

As an example of the operation, when the wearer wears the main body 10 on the leg and completes the adjustment with the slide portion 13 and the tightening portion 18, the buffering by the friction body 25 is basically performed in the process of walking , The resistive force of the EAP module 31 is changed in accordance with the striking and pulling motions, thereby maintaining the optimum state. The distance traveled and the energy consumption can be estimated by performing a predetermined calculation using the signals of the piezoelectric element 37 and the GPS module 48. [ All the operating processes and related information are displayed visually through the notification unit 46.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended that such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

10: Body 11:
12: lower part 13: slide part
15: Hinge shaft 17: Band
20: buffer means 21: rotor
22: stator 23: exciting coil
25: Friction body 31: EAP module
33: High elasticity fiber 35: Encoder
37: piezoelectric element 40: control means
41: controller 43:
45: driving unit 46:
48: GPS module

Claims (7)

A device for inducing motion worn around a human joint comprising:
A main body 10 for articulately connecting the upper and lower legs 11 and 12 on the hinge shaft 15;
A buffer means (20) provided to exert frictional resistance and eddy current resistance in response to joint motion of the main body (10);
Detecting means mounted on the main body (10) for detecting walking related information; And
And a control means (40) for varying the resistance of the buffer means (20) by an algorithm set corresponding to the signal of the detection means. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the upper and lower legs (11, 12) of the main body (10) are provided so as to be variable in length through respective slide portions (13). The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the buffer means 20 includes a rotor 21, a stator 22 and a friction member 25 for interlocking with the joint motion of the upper and lower legs 11 and 12, Induction mechanism. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the friction body (25) is provided with an EAP module (31) so as to change frictional resistance by an electrical signal. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the EAP module (31) is coupled to form a muscle fiber with the high-elasticity fibers (33) and radially connected to the outer circumferential surface of the rotor (21). The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the detecting means comprises an encoder (35) for detecting a rotation angle of the joint, and a piezoelectric element (37) for detecting a vertical load acting on the joint. The method according to claim 1,
The control means 40 includes a power supply portion 43 for supplying operating power and controlling charging, a driving portion 45 for interrupting the power applied to the buffering means 20, a notification portion 46 for visually displaying the operating state ) Of the human body joint.

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