KR20220060616A - Wearable robotic apparatus for upper limb - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable robot device for an upper body, which is worn on an upper body to provide the auxiliary force to lower limbs of the human body, and comprises: a clamped part clamped on an upper human body; a power unit which provides the driving force to move lower limbs; a spool unit which intermittently transmits the driving force of the power unit; a wire unit which transmits the driving force of the power unit to the lower limbs; and a lower limb fixation part fixed between the elbow and wrist of the human body. Accordingly, the present invention is equipped with the wire unit to adjust the auxiliary force applied to the lower limbs of the human body by the power unit and the spool unit by wearing the clamped part on the upper body. As such, the present invention provides the effect that can be used as a rehabilitation device or a device for the disabled while reducing musculoskeletal disorders of a worker who carries heavy objects.

Description

Upper extremity wearable robot device {WEARABLE ROBOTIC APPARATUS FOR UPPER LIMB}

The present invention relates to an upper-limb-worn robot device, and more particularly, to an upper-limb-worn robot device to be worn on the upper limb to provide an auxiliary force for lifting and lowering to the lower arm of the human body.

As robots are used in various fields, robots are increasingly performing tasks previously performed by humans. Various types of robots are being used to repeatedly perform tasks by replacing relatively simple and easy tasks with robots, or to perform tasks in environments where it is difficult for humans to directly input them.

As an example of this, a robot that mimics a human form is used in industrial sites in order for the robot to perform tasks originally performed by humans, such as production automation processes or rough terrain exploration. Accordingly, various methods have been tried to enable the user to intuitively control the movement of the robot similar to the human form.

In addition, the development of wearable robots for the disabled, patients or the elderly with physical abilities that are impossible for daily living, or wearable robots for industrial or military use to enhance physical strength or physical ability is in progress.

In the case of wearable robots for the disabled, patients, or the elderly, they can be classified into a wearable robot for the paralyzed person and a wearable robot for the elderly or partially paralyzed or disabled according to the size or role of the physical ability and required assistive force. .

In the former case, since the user does not have physical ability, the user's intention for movement of the lower extremities has no significance as a control variable of the robot. can be done by

Therefore, in the case of the former wearable robot, the size of the required driving force is large, and thus the driving device, the battery, and the skeletal structure are large in many cases. However, in the latter case of the wearable robot, since the user's physical ability is insufficient, it is a robot to assist the user. Therefore, the size and weight of the wearable robot are minimized and providing an accurate assisting force according to the user's operation intention is the key. can

In particular, in the case of providing assisting force by a robot that is different from the user's movement or intention, it may cause inconvenience or injury to the user, so it is necessary to accurately provide assisting force by understanding the user's intention of operation while allowing the user's movement. there is.

However, in order to generate an accurate assistive force, it is necessary to measure the user's muscle strength according to the situation, and in general, in order to accurately measure the user's muscle strength, the sensor used in the wearable robot is expensive, bulky, and the sensor signal Since it is very sensitive to noise, it is difficult to practically use it in a mobile environment such as a wearable robot.

In order to solve this problem, there are cases where an elastic actuator using an elastic body such as a spring is applied. That is, the motor is provided with an elastic member as a power transmission means on the drive shaft, and the user's intention of operation is determined based on the amount of deformation of the elastic member, and the motor is driven in a direction to remove the amount of deformation of the elastic member, so that the user feels mechanical It is possible to provide an auxiliary driving force according to the determination of the operation intention while minimizing the resistance.

Since such an elastic actuator provides auxiliary driving force based on the amount of deformation of the elastic member, the linearity of the amount of deformation of the elastic member by the user's muscle strength must be guaranteed, and in the case of a wearable robot for patients with partial paralysis of the lower body or the elderly, weight and In order to minimize the size, weight reduction and miniaturization of the driving device, which are the main components of the wearable robot, should be possible, but such an elastic member or elastic actuator has not been introduced.

As such, in the case of an exoskeleton-type wearing robot, it is common to have a complex mechanism to implement the rolling of the wearer's arm or the pitching of the wrist. However, fundamentally, the wearer's arm has a center of rotation inside when rolling, and accordingly, it is not easy to make the wearer's arm rotate in a circular motion coincident with the center of rotation from the outside.

Therefore, in conventional wearable robots, the rotational center of the arm and the rotational center of the instrument do not match, so a sense of heterogeneity is felt and there is a problem with a lot of noise in terms of control. In addition, there was a problem that the mechanism had to be very complicated even when trying to match the center of rotation.

In particular, conventional wearable robots are widely used as assistive devices and rehabilitation devices for the disabled, but these wearable robots constitute an exoskeleton frame based on a rigid metal material, and the power transmission mechanism is the distal end of the power transmission device to the human rotary joint. In order to transmit power to the upper body, a power transmission device with more than 6 degrees of freedom is usually required. Because these robots are heavy, they not only require high manufacturing costs, but also have a problem that they are inconvenient to wear.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0024325 (Mar. 07, 2017) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1979706 (May 17, 2019) Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1965070 (April 02, 2019)

The present invention has been devised to solve the conventional problems as described above, and by providing a wire part to adjust the auxiliary force applied to the lower arm of the human body by the power part and the spool part by wearing the shoulder strap part on the upper limb, carrying a heavy object. An object of the present invention is to provide an upper extremity-worn robot device that can be used as a rehabilitation device or a device for the disabled while reducing musculoskeletal disorders of workers.

In addition, the present invention provides inertia by the robot during power transmission by optimizing the arrangement of the load and matching the weight of the robot device with the human center of gravity by providing the driving motor, the speed reducer, and the battery as the driving unit to be disposed on the hip region of the upper extremity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a robot device that can be worn on the upper limbs.

In addition, the present invention provides an upper extremity-wearing robot device capable of smoothly transmitting the driving force of the power unit to the left and right upper arms and facilitating the lifting and lowering of the upper arm by installing the wire parts to cross each other so as to transmit the driving force to the left and right upper arms, respectively. serve another purpose.

In addition, the present invention is provided with a first wire bearing, a first wire, a second wire bearing, and a second wire and a connector as a wire portion, so that the wire bearing is positioned so as to correspond to the degree of freedom of rotation of the radial bone that turns the wrist toward the forearm axis. Another object of the present invention is to provide an upper extremity worn robot device capable of facilitating rotation of the radial bone by always generating the final vector of the force generated on the wire in a direction against gravity.

In addition, the present invention further includes a glove sensor unit that detects the movement of a finger, so that the moment of holding an object can be estimated using a soft sensor or a mechanical button input method of the fingertip, so that the intention of the user can be grasped. Using a soft sensor to detect bending of a finger, or by using a physical phenomenon in which a repulsive force occurs in a finger when gripping an object, a mechanical button input method at the fingertip or a pressure sensor can be used to determine the user's intention. It is another object to provide a robot device worn on the upper limbs.

The present invention for achieving the above object, as a robot device to be worn on the upper limb to provide an auxiliary force to the lower arm of the human body, a shoulder attachment portion 10 attached to the upper limb of the human body; a power unit 20 installed at the rear of the shoulder attachment unit 10 to provide a driving force for moving the lower arm; a spool unit 30 connected to one end of the power unit 20 to intermittently transmit the driving force of the power unit 20; a wire part 40 connected between the spool part 30 and the forearm to transmit the driving force of the power part 20 to the forearm; and a lower arm fixing part 50 connected to one end of the wire part 40 and fixed between an elbow and a wrist of the human body.

The power unit 20 of the present invention includes a driving motor installed at the rear end of the shoulder mounting unit 10 to provide a driving force; a reducer connected to the downstream of the driving motor to control a driving force; and a battery installed and connected to one side of the driving motor and providing power to the driving motor.

The wire part 40 of the present invention is characterized in that it is installed to cross each other so as to transmit the driving force to the left and right upper arms, respectively.

The wire portion 40 of the present invention includes a first wire bearing installed from the rear to the front of the shoulder attachment portion 10; a first wire connected to the spool part 30 to slide through the first wire bearing; a second wire bearing installed around the lower part of the lower arm fixing part 50; a second wire connected to the first wire to slide through the second wire bearing; and a connector installed at one end of the first wire and supported to rotate, and a connector for supporting the second wire to slide.

In addition, the present invention is mounted on the finger of the human body, the glove sensor unit 60 for detecting the movement of the finger; characterized in that it further comprises. In addition, the present invention is mounted on the fingertips of the human body, characterized in that it further comprises an input means for inputting a mechanical button of the fingertip to sense the movement of the fingertip.

As described above, the present invention reduces musculoskeletal disorders of workers carrying heavy objects by wearing a shoulder strap on the upper limb and providing a wire portion to adjust the auxiliary force applied to the lower arm of the human body by the power unit and the spool unit. It provides an effect that can be used as a rehabilitation device or a device for the disabled.

In addition, by arranging the driving motor, the reducer, and the battery as the driving unit in the hip region of the upper extremity, the inertia caused by the robot during power transmission can be minimized by optimizing the arrangement of the load and matching the weight of the robot device with the human center of gravity. provide possible effects.

In addition, by installing the wire section to cross each other so as to transmit the driving force to the left and right upper arms, respectively, it provides the effect of smoothly transmitting the driving force of the power unit to the left and right upper arms and at the same time facilitating the lifting and lowering of the upper arm.

In addition, by providing the first wire bearing, the first wire, the second wire bearing, the second wire, and the connector as the wire part, the wire bearing is positioned so as to correspond to the degree of freedom of rotation of the radial bone that rotates the wrist to the forearm axis and is generated on the wire It provides the effect of facilitating the rotation of the radioulna by always generating the final vector of the force in a direction against gravity.

In addition, by replacing the conventional rigid frame configuration with a flexible material as the mounting part and the wire part, it is possible to reduce the weight of the wearable robot device product, and provides the effect of ensuring the user's comfort when wearing.

In addition, by further providing a glove sensor unit that detects the movement of a finger, it is possible to estimate the moment of holding an object by a soft sensor or a mechanical button input method of the fingertip, so that the intention of the user can be grasped. It provides the effect of grasping the user's intention by using the mechanical button input method or pressure sensor at the fingertip by using the physical phenomenon that the finger has no choice but to generate a repulsive force when grasping or grasping an object. do.

1 is a block diagram showing an upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a rear view showing the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram showing a spool part of the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a front perspective view showing an upper limb worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a rear perspective view showing the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram showing a wire part of the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 and 8 are state diagrams showing the operating state of the wire part of the upper-limb-worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a block diagram showing a glove sensor unit of the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an upper limb worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a rear view showing an upper limb worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is an embodiment of the present invention It is a block diagram showing the spool part of the upper extremity worn robot device according to an example, FIG. 4 is a front perspective view showing the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is an upper extremity worn robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a rear perspective view showing the device, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a wire part of the upper limb worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 7 and 8 are wires of the upper limb worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a state diagram showing the operation state of the part, and FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing the glove sensor part of the upper extremity worn robot device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the upper extremity worn robot device according to the present embodiment includes a shoulder attachment unit 10 , a power unit 20 , a spool unit 30 , a wire unit 40 , and a lower arm fixing unit 50 . ) and a glove sensor unit 60, it is a robot device worn on the upper limb based on a flexible material to provide auxiliary force to the lower arm of the human body.

The shoulder attachment unit 10 is a shoulder attachment means that is attached to the upper limb of the human body, and is mounted on the shoulder portion of the human body using a shoulder strap, such as a backpack, to attach the upper limb robot device to the upper limb of the human body.

The power unit 20 is installed at the rear of the shoulder attachment unit 10 to provide a driving force for moving the forearm, and as shown in FIGS. It consists of (23).

The driving motor 21 is a driving means installed at the rear end of the shoulder attachment unit 10 to provide a driving force to the wire unit 40, and provides a driving force to the wire unit 40 to move up and down to the lower arm of the upper extremity of the human body. It consists of a controllable motor such as a servo motor or a step motor that provides lifting driving force by forward and reverse rotation to

The reducer 22 is connected to the downstream of the driving motor 21 to control the driving force of the driving motor 21 , and is made of a multi-stage gearbox to variously change the speed and magnitude of the rotational driving force of the driving motor 21 . be able to

The battery 23 is a power supply member that is installed and connected to one side of the driving motor 21 and provides power to the driving motor 21, and consists of a power source using various rechargeable batteries or batteries, such as dry cells or solar cells. .

The spool unit 30 is a power transmission means connected to one end of the power unit 20 to intermittently transmit the driving force of the power unit 20 , and receives the driving force of the power unit 20 to the wire unit 40 . It is preferable to consist of a rotating member such as a rotary pulley that intermittently provides a winding drive and a winding drive for the winding.

The wire part 40 is a connecting means connected between the spool part 30 and the lower arm to transmit the driving force of the power unit 20 to the lower arm, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 to 8 , the first wire bearing 41 , a first wire 42 , a second wire bearing 43 , a second wire 44 , and a connector 45 .

The first wire bearing 41 is a guide member installed to extend from the rear of the shoulder attachment part 10 to the front, and is formed in a tube shape and lubricant is applied so that the first wire 42 inserted into the inner space slides smoothly. Of course, it is also possible that it is made of or made of a low-friction material.

The first wire 42 is a wire member connected to the spool part 30 so as to slide through the first wire bearing 41 , and one end is connected to be wound or wound around the spool part 30 , and the other end is lowered. It is connected to the government 50 and transmits the driving force of the power unit 20 to the lower arm fixing unit 50 .

The second wire bearing 43 is a guide member installed so as to extend around the lower portion of the lower arm fixing part 50, and has a tube shape and a lubricant is applied so that the second wire 44 inserted into the inner space slides smoothly. Of course, it is also possible that it is made of or made of a low-friction material.

The second wire 44 is a wire member connected to the first wire 42 to slide through the second wire bearing 43, one end connected to the first wire 42 and the other end connected to the lower arm fixing part ( 50) to transmit the driving force of the power unit 20 to the lower arm fixing part 50 and to maintain the lower arm fixing part 50 to be rotationally supported.

The connector 45 is installed at one end of the first wire 42 and is supported to rotate to support the second wire 44 to slide. The connector 45 is formed in a pulley shape and is formed in the inner hole. The first wire 42 is connected and fixedly supported, and the second wire 44 is slidably contacted to the outside to support the lower arm fixing part 50 so as to be rotatably slidable.

Such a wire part 40, the first wire bearing 41 and the first wire 42 on both sides are installed to cross each other in the back of the human body so as to evenly transmit the driving force while maintaining balance to the left and right upper arms, respectively. it is desirable

The lower arm fixing part 50 is connected to one end of the wire part 40 and is a fixing means fixed between the elbow and the wrist of the human body. It is fixedly supported so as to wrap around the lower arm formed between the elbow and the wrist of the human body.

The glove sensor unit 60, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, is mounted on the fingers of the human body and detects the movement of the fingers of the human body. Of course, it is also possible to be able to control the driving of the power unit 20 by grasping the user's intention in advance.

In addition, it is of course possible that the upper extremity worn robot device of the present invention further includes an input means for inputting a mechanical button of the fingertip to be mounted on the fingertip of the human body to detect the movement of the fingertip.

Therefore, the upper limb wearing robot device of the present invention includes a power unit 20 and a spool unit 30 as power transmission means, and a lower arm fixing unit 50, a wire unit 40, and a frame member for fixing the lower arm. Consists of the glove sensor unit 60, power is transmitted in the order of the motor, the reducer and the spool, the lower arm frame is positioned between the elbow and the wrist, the wire connects the power transmission means and the lower arm frame, and the glove sensor unit It is configured in the form of a soft sensor or a mechanical button input method at the fingertip, and is used as an input means to grasp the user's intention in advance.

The driving force of the power unit 20 transmits power by sequentially connecting the motor, the reducer, the spool, the wire, and the lower arm, and is mounted on the waist or back of the human body to match the weight of the equipment with the human center of gravity. This makes it possible to minimize the inertia caused by the robot during power transmission.

In addition, by intersecting the wire bearing in the wire part 40 in an approximately "X" shape for smooth deformation of the wire, the driving force of the power unit 20 is naturally connected from the spool to the lower arm to transmit power.

In addition, the inertia of the robot is minimized by locating the motor, reducer, and power transmission mechanisms such as the spool near the hip, which is the center of gravity of the human body. By matching the weight of the robot device with the human center of gravity, it is possible to minimize the inertia caused by the robot during power transmission.

However, if the motor is placed on the lower arm or upper arm, although it can be compact, there may be a problem that a strain may be applied to the short arm musculoskeletal system. It is possible to do this, and since only one force against gravity can be generated, there is an effect of being able to transmit the necessary force to the heavy load carrier.

In addition, by positioning the wire bearing to correspond to the degree of freedom of rotation of the radial bone that turns the wrist toward the forearm axis, it is also possible to always generate the final vector of the force generated by the wire in a direction against gravity.

In addition, it is possible to estimate the moment of gripping of an object by the glove sensor using a soft sensor method or a mechanical button input method at the fingertips, so that the intention of the user can be grasped. Or, the user's intention is grasped using a mechanical button input method or a pressure sensor at the fingertip using a physical phenomenon in which a repulsive force is inevitably generated by the finger when gripping an object.

In particular, these sensors are equipped with cables for signal transmission to the main controller, or because they require low power, it is also possible to wirelessly transmit signals to the main controller in an ON/OFF form.

In addition, by replacing the conventional rigid frame configuration with a flexible material as the shoulder attachment part and the wire part, it is possible to reduce the weight of the wearable robot device product and to ensure the user's comfort when wearing it, of course.

As described above, according to the present invention, by providing a wire part to adjust the auxiliary force applied to the lower arm of the human body by the power part and the spool part by wearing the shoulder strap part on the upper limb, the musculoskeletal system disease of the worker carrying the heavy object is reduced at the same time. It provides an effect that can be used as a rehabilitation device or a device for the disabled.

In addition, by arranging the driving motor, the reducer, and the battery as the driving unit in the hip region of the upper extremity, the inertia caused by the robot during power transmission can be minimized by optimizing the arrangement of the load and matching the weight of the robot device with the human center of gravity. provide possible effects.

In addition, by installing the wire section to cross each other so as to transmit the driving force to the left and right upper arms, respectively, it provides the effect of smoothly transmitting the driving force of the power unit to the left and right upper arms and at the same time facilitating the lifting and lowering of the upper arm.

In addition, by providing the first wire bearing, the first wire, the second wire bearing, the second wire, and the connector as the wire part, the wire bearing is positioned so as to correspond to the degree of freedom of rotation of the radial bone that rotates the wrist to the forearm axis and is generated on the wire It provides the effect of facilitating the rotation of the radioulna by always generating the final vector of the force in a direction against gravity.

In addition, by further providing a glove sensor unit that detects the movement of a finger, the user's intention can be grasped by estimating the moment of gripping an object using a soft sensor or a mechanical button input method of the fingertip. It provides the effect of grasping the user's intention by using a mechanical button input method or a pressure sensor at the fingertip by using a physical phenomenon that inevitably generates a repulsive force when grasping an object or grasping an object.

The present invention described above can be embodied in various other forms without departing from the technical spirit or main characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the above embodiments are merely examples in all respects and should not be construed as limiting.

10: shoulder attachment 20: power unit
30: spool part 40: wire part
50: lower arm fixed part 60: glove sensor part

Claims (6)

As a robot device worn on the upper limb to provide auxiliary force to the lower arm of the human body,
A shoulder attachment portion 10 that is attached to the upper limb of the human body;
a power unit 20 installed at the rear of the shoulder attachment unit 10 to provide a driving force for moving the forearm;
a spool unit 30 connected to one end of the power unit 20 to intermittently transmit the driving force of the power unit 20;
a wire part 40 connected between the spool part 30 and the lower arm, and transmitting the driving force of the power unit 20 to the lower arm; and
and a lower arm fixing part (50) connected to one end of the wire part (40) and fixed between the elbow and the wrist of the human body. The method of claim 1,
The power unit 20,
a driving motor installed at the rear end of the shoulder mounting unit 10 to provide a driving force;
a reducer connected to the downstream of the driving motor to control a driving force; and
and a battery that is installed and connected to one side of the driving motor and provides power to the driving motor. The method of claim 1,
The wire unit 40, the upper extremity wearing robot device, characterized in that it is installed to cross each other so as to transmit a driving force to each of the left and right upper arms. The method of claim 1,
The wire part 40,
a first wire bearing installed from the rear to the front of the shoulder attachment portion (10);
a first wire connected to the spool part 30 to slide through the first wire bearing;
a second wire bearing installed around the lower part of the lower arm fixing part 50;
a second wire connected to the first wire to slide through the second wire bearing; and
and a connector installed on one end of the first wire and supported to rotate, and a connector for supporting the second wire to slide. The method of claim 1,
The upper extremity wearing robot device, characterized in that it further comprises; is mounted on the finger of the human body, the glove sensor unit (60) for detecting the movement of the finger. The method of claim 1,
The upper extremity-wearing robot device, which is mounted on the fingertip of the human body, further comprising an input means for inputting a mechanical button of the fingertip to sense the movement of the fingertip.

Images