KR20220131597A - Joint driving system - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the disclosed invention, a joint driving system comprises: a link unit having at least one pair of links connected and linked to each other to support joint movement of a human body; a driving unit provided at one of the pair of links to assist driving force of a joint; a storage unit selectively connected to the driving unit to store or output the driving force of the driving unit; and a guide unit guiding the driving unit and the storage unit to be connected to or separated from each other. The storage unit outputs the stored driving force to assist muscular strength for linking operation of the link unit. According to the configuration, the usability can be improved to facilitate switching between a muscular strength assistance mode and a walking mode.

Description

Joint drive system {JOINT DRIVING SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a joint drive system, and more particularly, to a joint drive system capable of improving usability by easily switching between walking and muscle strength support modes through simple manipulation.

In a general muscle strength assisting system, the exoskeleton directly assists the wearer's body, so that the wearer is supported to generate a large force by the exoskeleton. The muscular strength enhancement system uses the exoskeleton to amplify the wearer's strength, so that a task that is difficult for a human to perform can be performed through the high-load operation performance of the exoskeleton. These exoskeleton systems are being developed for the purpose of application in industrial sites and military operation environments that transport or manipulate heavy loads. Since such passive exoskeleton strength support uses the elastic force of gas springs or coil springs, basic stiffness for load support is set, so it is easy to support muscle strength, but inconvenience occurs when performing tasks other than walking and strength support.

On the other hand, an exoskeleton robot or a wearable robot capable of assisting the joint movement of the human body is applied with a joint driving system for assisting the movement of each joint region. Among these joint drive systems, the passive drive method allows the user to move the joint area through direct movement, thereby increasing muscle power consumption.

Accordingly, in recent years, research for improving usability by reducing the muscle power consumption of users using the joint drive system is a trend that is continuously required.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 1469539 Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2084168

It is an object of the present invention to provide a joint driving system capable of improving usability by easily switching modes for walking mode and muscle strength support mode by simple manipulation.

The joint drive system according to the present invention for achieving the above object is provided in any one of a link portion including at least a pair of links connected to each other to support the joint movement of the human body, and the at least one pair of links, the A driving unit that assists the driving force of the joint, a storage unit selectively connected to the driving unit to store or output the driving force of the driving unit, and a guide unit for guiding the driving unit and the storage unit to be interconnected or separated from each other, wherein the storage unit is stored By outputting the driving force, a muscle strength for the link operation of the link unit is supported.

In addition, the link unit may include at least one pair of a plurality of links provided in any one of an exoskeleton robot or a wearable robot capable of supporting muscle strength and walking.

In addition, the link unit includes a first link that supports the femur connected to the hip joint of the human body, and a second link that is linked to the first link with a link shaft corresponding to the joint axis of the hip joint, and the second link The link may include an exoskeleton.

In addition, the storage unit may be seated in a seating space provided in the first link and interlock with the movement of the first link.

In addition, the driving unit includes a cam or gear set that is axially coupled to the second link to interlock with the rotation of the link unit and maintains the posture, and the storage unit is linked to the rotation of the first link to the profile of the cam. ) or a follower rotated along the gear set and a storage member that is driven in a linear direction in association with the rotation of the follower to store or output the driving force as elastic energy.

In addition, the storage member may include a gas spring or a compression coil spring.

In addition, the follower includes a follower roller or a follower gear rotated in close contact with the profile of the cam or the gear set, and the follower and the storage member are integrally provided and inserted into a seating space provided near the link shaft of the link unit to be seated can be

In addition, the guide unit may include a lever for moving between an interference position for interfering with the storage unit with respect to the driving unit in the muscle strength support mode and a non-interference position for non-interfering with the storage unit with respect to the driving unit in the walking mode.

In addition, the guide unit operates the lever between a lever having one side connected to the storage unit and movable, and an interference position where the storage unit interferes with the driving unit and a non-interference position where the storage unit does not interfere with the driving unit. It may include an operating member that makes

In addition, one end of the lever is hinged to the link unit and the other end is provided as an operation end bent and extended from the one end, and the operation member guides the movement of the operation end rotated around one end of the lever. and a switch for moving the operation end of the second lever along the guider and the guider.

In addition, the guider may have an elastic force to elastically support the movement of the switch.

In addition, the guider may include a leaf spring extending in the longitudinal direction along the movement trajectory of the operation end, the leaf spring having a curved bending area in the middle.

In addition, a switch roller connected to the switch and rotating along the guider may be provided at the manipulation end, and first and second roller grooves in which the switch roller is seated may be provided at both ends of the guider.

In addition, the driving unit is connected to the link unit to generate a driving force that assists in driving the joint, at least one driving gear rotated by the driving force of the driving source, and meshing with the at least one driving gear to generate the driving force. At least one transmission member for transmitting to the storage unit, and a driven gear connected to any one of the at least one transmission member to rotate, the driving source includes a motor, and the transmission member includes a gear or a belt. can

In addition, the guide unit may include a rotation guider supporting one side of the storage unit, a storage guider facing the rotation guider and the storage unit between the storage unit and a storage guider supporting the other side of the storage unit, and the storage in conjunction with the rotation of the driven gear. and a rotation bar for guiding the movement of the rotation guider in the negative compression and expansion direction, and when the driving force is not transmitted from the driving unit, the storage guider is free to move along the rotation bar with respect to the storage unit, When the driving force is transmitted from the driving unit, the storage unit may be compressed or expanded toward the storage guider by the rotation guider moving along the rotation bar.

In addition, the storage unit may include a compression coil spring that interlocks with the rotation of the driven gear and compresses or expands the elastic force to store or output the driving force, and the rotating bar may include a screw.

In addition, the position of the rotation guider is variable, and the initial compressive load of the storage unit relative to the free field may be changed according to the position of the rotation guider.

The joint drive system according to another preferred aspect of the present invention is a link portion including at least a pair of links interconnected with each other about a link axis corresponding to the joint axis of the human body, to provide a driving force in a muscle strength support mode, the at least A driving unit provided in any one of the pair of links, a storage unit that stores or outputs the driving force of the link unit while moving along the profile of the driving unit, and interconnects the driving unit and the storage unit according to a walking mode and a muscle strength support mode or a guide unit for guiding the separation, wherein the storage unit stores the driving force in the walking mode, and outputs the stored driving force in the muscle strength support mode to assist the muscle strength for the link operation of the link unit.

In addition, the link unit may include a first link that supports the femur connected to the hip joint of the human body, and a second link that is linked to the first link and the link shaft by the link shaft.

In addition, the driving unit includes a cam or gear set that is shaft-coupled to the second link to maintain the posture, and the storage unit rotates along a profile or gear set of the cam in association with the rotation of the first link. and a storage member that is driven in a linear direction in association with the rotation of the follower and the follower to store or output the driving force as elastic energy.

In addition, the follower includes a follower roller or a follower gear that is rotated in close contact with the profile or gear set of the cam, and the follower and the storage member are integrally provided and inserted into a seating space provided near the link shaft of the link unit and seated. , the storage member may include a gas spring or a compression coil spring.

In addition, the guide unit operates the lever between a lever having one side connected to the storage unit and movable, and an interference position where the storage unit interferes with the driving unit and a non-interference position where the storage unit does not interfere with the driving unit. and an actuating member to actuate, wherein in the muscle strength support mode, the lever is positioned at the interference position, and in the walking mode, the lever may be positioned at the non-interference position.

In addition, one end of the lever is hinged to the link unit and the other end is provided as an operation end bent and extended from the one end, and the operation member guides the movement of the operation end rotated around one end of the lever. and a switch for moving the operation end of the second lever along the guider, wherein the guider extends in the longitudinal direction along the movement trajectory of the operation end, the plate having a curved bending area in the middle It may include a spring.

In addition, a switch roller connected to the switch and rotating along the guider may be provided at the manipulation end, and first and second roller grooves in which the switch roller is seated may be provided at both ends of the guider.

In addition, the driving unit may include a driving source connected to the link unit to generate a driving force in the muscle strength support mode, at least one driving gear rotated by the driving force of the driving source, and meshing with the at least one driving gear to store the driving force. At least one transmission member for transmitting to the unit, and a driven gear connected to any one of the at least one transmission member to rotate, the driving source may include a motor, and the transmission member may include a gear or a belt. .

In addition, the guide unit may include a rotation guider supporting one side of the storage unit, a storage guider facing the rotation guider and the storage unit between the storage unit and a storage guider supporting the other side of the storage unit, and the storage in conjunction with the rotation of the driven gear. and a rotation bar for guiding the movement of the rotation guider in negative compression and expansion directions, wherein in the walking mode, the storage guider is free to move along the rotation bar with respect to the storage unit, and the rotation bar in the muscle strength support mode The storage unit may be compressed or expanded toward the storage guider by the rotation guider moving accordingly.

In addition, the storage unit may include a compression coil spring that interlocks with the rotation of the driven gear and compresses or expands the elastic force to store or output the driving force, and the rotating bar may include a screw.

In addition, the position of the rotation guider is variable, and the initial compressive load of the storage unit relative to the free field may be changed according to the position of the rotation guider.

According to the present invention having the above configuration, first, mode switching between the walking mode and the muscle strength support mode can be performed through a simple operation, so that the usability of the user can be improved. More specifically, during general joint operation such as walking mode, the storage unit is in a free field state and no load is applied, so free movement may occur. The load can be changed by the variable stiffness. Therefore, the stiffness can be adjusted by easily changing the walking mode and the muscle strength support mode according to the user's motion, which is advantageous in improving usability, workability, and gait.

Second, it is possible to release unnecessary driving force storage during general walking, so that inconvenience caused by the load applied during walking can be eliminated even in long-term use.

Third, when the switch moves the operation end of the lever connected to the storage along the guider, the guider having the bending area can elastically support the movement of the switch, so that it is easy to operate even with a small force.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a joint drive system in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic enlarged perspective view of a driving unit, a storage unit, and a guide unit shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an operation of the guide unit shown in FIG. 2 .
4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which the storage unit is moved to a non-interfering position with respect to the driving unit by the guide unit shown in FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in which the storage unit is moved to an interference position with respect to the driving unit by the guide unit shown in FIG. 4 .
6 to 8 are views sequentially illustrating the operation of the operation member of the guide unit shown in FIG. 2 .
9 is a perspective view schematically showing a joint drive system according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. and,
Figure 10 is a front view schematically showing a joint drive system according to another embodiment shown in Figure 9.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and the spirit of the present invention may be proposed differently by addition, change, and deletion of components constituting the embodiment, but this is also included in the spirit of the invention will become

Referring to FIG. 1 , the joint driving system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a link unit 10 , a driving unit 20 , a storage unit 30 , and a guide unit 40 .

The joint driving system 1 described in the present invention is exemplified as being applied to an exoskeleton robot or a wearable robot capable of supporting the muscular strength of the upper and lower extremities of the human body or supporting walking. More specifically, the joint drive system 1 according to the present embodiment includes upper and lower extremities including a shoulder and an elbow, and a lower extremity including a hip, a knee and an ankle. It is possible to provide a driving force between the links for each part of the exoskeleton and the wearable robot to support movement. For reference, in this embodiment, the joint drive system 1 is exemplified as being applied to a wearable robot that is mounted on a connection portion of the femur connected to the hip joint of the human body and assists muscle strength and walking in the hip joint connection portion.

On the other hand, the joint drive system 1 described in the present invention is exemplified as being applied to rehabilitation treatment for a joint, which is a connection part between bones, but various wearable exoskeleton robots for muscle support or haptic device. Of course, it can also be applied to

The link unit 10 includes at least a pair of links 11 and 12 that are interconnected to support the joint movement of the human body. In this embodiment, the joint drive system 1 is exemplified to assist the movement of the hip joint of the human body, and for this purpose, the link unit 10 includes first and second links 11 and 12 .

The first link 11 supports the femur connected to the hip joint of the human body, and the second link 12 is linked to the first link 11 by a link shaft 10a. Here, the second link 12 may be an exoskeleton linked to the first link 11 . In this case, the link shaft 10a connecting the first and second links 11 and 12 to each other may correspond to the joint shaft (not shown) of the hip joint.

The driving unit 20 is provided in at least one pair of links, that is, any one of the first and second links 11 and 12, and assists the driving force of the joint. The driving unit 20 includes a cam 21 connected to the second link 12 which is an exoskeleton link by a camshaft 23 . Here, the cam 21 is a cylinder having a nose 22 having a relatively enlarged diameter so that the radius length is non-uniform, as shown in FIG. 2 , and a profile 24 is formed along the outer circumferential surface. Here, the cam 21 maintains the posture in which the camshaft 23 is connected to the second link 12 .

Meanwhile, the driving unit 20 is not limited to including the cam 21 , and may be provided as a gear set (not shown) axially connected to any one of the first and second links 11 and 12 . . In this case, when the driving unit 20 is provided as a gear set, the size and number of gears constituting the gear set (not shown) are not limited.

The storage unit 30 stores or outputs the driving force of the link unit 10 in association with the rotation of the driving unit 20 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the storage unit 30 includes a follower 31 and a storage member 32 .

The follower 31 is rotated along the profile 24 of the cam 21 or a gear set not shown in association with the rotation of the link unit 10 . The follower 31 includes a follower roller or follower gear that is closely attached to the profile 24 of the cam 21 or a gear set (not shown), as shown in FIG. 2 . Hereinafter, the follower 31 is exemplified as a follower roller that is in close contact with the profile 24 of the cam 21 .

The storage member 32 is driven in a linear direction in association with the rotation of the follower 31 , and stores or outputs the driving force as elastic energy. Here, the storage member 32 and the follower 31 are provided integrally with each other. Accordingly, the follower 31 is rotated along the profile 24 of the cam 21 or the gear set (not shown) of the non-uniform radial length, thereby linearly driving the storage member 32 .

Here, the storage member 32 includes a gas spring or a compression coil spring. Therefore, the storage member 32 is compressed to store elastic energy by interlocking with the follower 31 interfering with the profile 24 or the gear set (not shown) of the cam 21, and when the compressive force is released, the stored elastic energy is output for strength assistance.

On the other hand, the follower 31 and the storage member 32 are wrapped and supported by the housing 33 in a state in which they are provided integrally. Here, the housing 33 has a cylindrical shape, and the storage member 32 is built in the housing 33 , and the follower 31 integrally connected with the storage member 32 is exposed to the outside.

In addition, the follower 31 and the storage member 32 supported by the housing 33 are inserted and seated in the seating space 14 provided by inserting a predetermined depth near the link shaft 10a of the first link 11 . Here, the storage member 32 is inserted into the seating space 14 provided in the first link 11 , and the follower 31 provided integrally with the storage member 32 is exposed to the outside of the seating space 14 . to be in close contact with the profile 24 of the cam 21 or the gear set (not shown). Accordingly, it is good that the inserted depth of the seating space 14 roughly corresponds to the length of the storage member 32 .

For reference, the seating space 14 provided in the first lever 11 is covered and protected by the cover 14a.

The guide unit 40 guides the driving unit 20 and the storage unit 30 to be connected or separated. Here, the guide unit 40 is located between the interference position where the storage unit 30 interferes with the driving unit 20 and the non-interference position where the storage unit 30 does not interfere from the driving unit 20 , the storage unit 30 . to guide the movement. At this time, the interference position corresponds to the muscle strength assistance mode of the joint drive system 1, and the non-interference position corresponds to the walking mode. Accordingly, the guide unit 40 guides the mode to be switched between the muscle strength assistance mode and the walking mode.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the guide unit 40 includes a lever 41 and an operation member 42 .

One side of the lever 41 is connected to the storage unit 30 and is movable. One end of the lever 41 is provided to be rotatable about the lever shaft 411 . At this time, the lever shaft 411 may be coupled to the seating space 14 provided in the first link 11 as shown in FIG. 2 , but may also be coupled to the housing 33 of the storage unit 30 .

The lever 41 is connected to the housing 33 of the storage unit 30 with the connecting body 412 interposed therebetween. Accordingly, the housing 33 connected by the connector 412 can move together with the movement of the lever 41 . However, a modified example in which one side of the lever 41 is directly connected to the housing 33 of the storage unit 30 without a connecting means such as the connecting body 412 is also possible.

In addition, the lever 41 includes an operation end 413 that is bent and extended from one end. The operation end 413 is operated by an operation member 42 to be described later to rotate between the interference position and the non-interference position where the storage unit 30 interferes with the driving unit 20 . The manipulation end 413 is bent and extended to be inclined at a predetermined angle from one end of the lever 41 , thereby protruding outward from the seating space 14 into which the housing 33 is inserted and exposed.

The lever 41 having this configuration operates the operating end 413 in a state connected to the housing 33 and the connecting body 412, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and the cam 21 or the gear set ( (not shown) and the follower 31 may be in contact or separated. The operation of the guide unit 40 will be described later in more detail along with the driving description of the joint drive system (1).

The operation member 42 operates the lever 41 between the interference position and the non-interference position. The manipulation member 42 includes a guider 43 and a switch 44 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 to 8 .

The guider 43 is provided along the movement trajectory of the operation end 413 of the lever 41 . Here, the guider 43 has an elastic force to elastically support the movement of the switch 44 to be described later. More specifically, the guider 43 has a shape extending in the longitudinal direction to correspond to the movement trajectory of the operation end 413 of the lever 41, and has a curved bending area 431 in the middle to provide a switch to be described later. (44) is interfered with and includes a leaf spring capable of compressing and restoring the elastic force.

On the other hand, the guider 43 is provided inside the case 45 is protected.

The switch 44 moves the operating end 413 of the lever 41 along the guider 43 . That is, the switch 44 is a kind of button connected to the operation end 413 , and the user operates the connected lever 41 by moving the guider 43 while holding the switch 44 . One side of the switch 44 is exposed to the outside of the case 45 so as to be operable by the user, and the other side is connected to the operation end 413 of the lever 41 provided inside the case 45 .

Here, the switch 44 is connected to the switch roller 441 provided on the operation end 413 of the lever 41 . The switch roller 441 rotates along the guider 43 in association with the operation of the switch 44 . At this time, first and second roller grooves 432 and 433 which are rounded so that the switch roller 441 can be seated are provided at both ends of the guider 43 . The first and second roller grooves 432 and 433 correspond to the outer diameter of the switch roller 441 , so that the switch roller 441 seated in the first and second roller grooves 433 moves the switch 44 . Through this, it is possible to maintain a settled posture without moving until an external force is applied.

The driving operation of the joint drive system 1 according to the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 , as follows.

1 to 3, when the first link 11 of the link unit 10 is rotated about the link shaft 10a, the driving unit 20 connected to the second link 12 to maintain the posture of the The follower 31 that cooperates with the rotation of the first link 11 moves along the cam 21 profile 24 or the gear set (not shown).

On the other hand, when the user takes a squad posture such as lifting luggage, that is, in the muscle strength support mode, the follower 31 provided on the link shaft 10a corresponding to the joint axis of the human body is the profile 24 of the cam 21 or the gear Interference along a set (not shown) as shown in FIG. 3 . That is, in a strength assistance mode that requires strength assistance, such as a squad posture, the cam 21 or the gear set (not shown) and the follower 31 maintain an interference position state in which they are in contact with each other. At this time, the storage member 32 provided integrally in conjunction with the movement of the follower 31 rotated along the profile 24 or the gear set (not shown) of the cam 21 interferes in a linear direction, thereby storing elastic energy. do. The elastic energy stored in the storage member 32 in this way is consumed as a driving force that allows the user to take a muscle strength support posture.

When the user walks in the interference position as shown in FIG. 3 , the movement of the joint is generated through the user's direct movement, which may cause discomfort in the continuous walking. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4 , the user moves the lever 41 to the non-interference position to switch to the walking mode.

More specifically, in a state in which the user grips the switch 44 of the operating member 42 connected to the operating end 413 of the lever 41 as shown in FIG. 6, the guider 43 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is manipulated to move. Here, the switch roller 441 provided to be connected to the switch 44 at the operation end 413 leaves the first roller groove 432 in which the guider 43 is seated and extends along the longitudinal direction of the guider 43 to the second roller groove 433 . move and settle At this time, the guider 43 is relatively compressed through the switch roller 441 provided on the operation end 413 through the bending area 431 of the guider 43 . In addition, when the switch roller 441 is out of the bending region 431 , it interferes with the elastic restoring force of the guider 43 to easily move the switch roller 441 into the second roller groove 433 with a small force.

For reference, even during the operation operation of the switch 44 for moving the switch roller 441 from the second roller groove 433 to the first roller groove 432 , the guider 43 guides the same by the elastic force.

When the operation end 413 of the lever 41 moves from the first roller groove 432 to the second roller groove 433 by the switch 44 as shown in FIG. 8, it is connected to the lever 41 as shown in FIG. The storage unit 30 is rotated by a predetermined angle (a). Therefore, the storage unit 30 is located in a non-interfering position outside the interference position with respect to the driving unit 20, thereby not interfering with the user's walking. At this time, by moving the storage unit 30 to the non-interference position, direct contact with the cam 21 or the gear set (not shown) is released, so that elastic energy is not stored in the storage unit 30 .

After that, when the user needs strength assistance again, as shown in FIG. 8, the switch roller 441 located in the second roller groove 433 moves to the first roller groove 432 as shown in FIG. 6 with the lever 41 and The connected switch 44 is operated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5 , the storage unit 30 is moved to an interference position in which the driving unit 20 is in contact again.

For reference, in response to the movement of the follower 31 moving along the profile 24 or gear set (not shown) of the cam 21 coupled to the second link 12 in conjunction with the movement of the first link 11 . Separately, the cam 21 or gear set (not shown) is held constant in posture. Accordingly, the load applied to the body part, for example, the upper body, supported by the second link 12 to which the cam 21 or the gear set (not shown) is connected is maintained.

9 and 10, the joint drive system 100 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the joint drive system 100 according to another embodiment includes a link unit 10 , a driving unit 120 , a storage unit 130 , and a guide unit 140 .

For reference, the link unit 10 according to another embodiment has the same configuration as the link unit 10 including the first and second links 11 and 12 according to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1 . Therefore, detailed description and illustration will be omitted. In addition, the reference numerals of the link unit 10 will be described with the same reference numerals as in the embodiment.

The driving unit 120 is connected to the link unit 10 to assist the driving force of the joint in the muscle strength support mode. The driving unit 120 according to another embodiment includes a driving source 121 , at least one driving gear 122 , at least one transmission member 123 , and a driven gear 124 .

The driving source 121 is connected to the link unit 10 to generate a driving force that assists in driving the joint. In the present embodiment, the driving source 121 is provided on the first link 11 and is exemplified as including a motor for generating a driving force.

At least one driving gear 122 is provided to be rotated by the driving force of the driving source 121 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 , the driving gear 122 is coaxially installed on the driving shaft 121a of the driving source 121 to be rotated.

The transmission member 123 is engaged with at least one driving gear 122 to transmit a driving force to the storage unit 130 . The transmission member 123 may be provided as a gear or a belt to interconnect the driving force transmission between the driving gear 122 and the storage unit 130 . In this embodiment, the transmission member 123 is exemplified as being provided as a single gear, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the driving source 121 and the driving gear 122 of the driving unit 120 may be supported by rotational driving force by the driving support bearing 125 .

The driven gear 124 is connected to any one of the at least one transmission member 123 and rotates. The driven gear 124 is driven by the driving force of the driving unit 120 to provide the driving force of the driving unit 120 to the storage unit 130 to be described later.

The storage unit 130 is selectively connected to the driving unit 120 linked to the rotation of the link unit 10 , and stores or outputs the driving force of the link unit 10 . The storage unit 130 includes a compression coil spring that stores or outputs the driving force by compressing or expanding the elastic force in association with the rotation of the driven gear 131 . However, the storage unit 130 is not necessarily limited to including a compression coil spring, and a modification in which the storage unit 130 is changed to any one of various elastic means or provided with one or more is also possible.

Meanwhile, the storage unit 130 may be supported by being seated with respect to the first link 11 by being supported on one side by the storage support 131 .

The guide unit 140 guides the driving unit 120 and the storage unit 130 to be interconnected or separated. In another embodiment, the guide unit 140 guides the storage unit 130 to compress or expand in association with the driving force of the driving unit 120 . To this end, the guide unit 140 according to another embodiment includes a rotation guider 141 , a storage guider 142 and a rotation bar 143 .

The rotation guider 141 is supported by being seated on one side of the storage unit 130 including a compression coil spring, and has a disk shape.

The storage guider 142 faces the rotation guider 141 and the storage unit 130 therebetween. The storage guider 142 supports the other side of the storage unit 130 in a state facing the rotation guider 141 . Meanwhile, the storage guider 142 may be fixed to the first link 11 .

The rotation bar 143 guides the movement of the rotation guider 141 in the compression or expansion direction of the storage unit 130 in association with the rotation of the driven gear 124 . The rotating bar 143 is a kind of screw having a thread on the outer surface, and the rotating guider 141 may be a kind of nut that is rotated and moved along the thread of the rotating bar 143 including the screw. have.

The guide unit 140 having such a configuration guides the storage unit 130 to store or output the driving force in association with the driving force of the driving unit 120 . More specifically, the guide unit 140 is a state in which one side and the other side of the storage unit 130 are fixed by the rotation guider 141 and the storage guider 142, respectively, and in conjunction with the rotational movement of the rotation bar 143, The rotation guider 141 moves along the rotation bar 143 to compress or expand the storage unit 130 . In addition, in the general walking mode, which is a case in which the driving force is not transmitted from the driving unit 120 , the storage guider 142 is in an unconstrained state so as to be freely movable along the rotating bar 143 with respect to the storage unit 130 .

Meanwhile, the position of the rotation guider 141 is variable, and the initial compressive load of the storage unit 130 compared to the free field may be changed according to the position of the rotation guider 141 . The position and number of the rotation guider 141 is not limited to the illustrations of FIGS. 9 and 10 .

The driving operation of the joint drive system 100 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .

First, in the general walking mode, the storage unit 130 including the compression coil spring is in a free-field state, and the load of the driving unit 120 is not applied. Therefore, as the storage guider 142 of the guide unit 140 is in a state where free movement is possible, the storage guider 142 is free movement in the direction in which the storage unit 130 is mounted. In this case, the storage unit 130 may be compressed by the free movement of the storage guider 142 to store the driving force.

On the other hand, in the muscle strength support mode such as lifting luggage, driving force is generated from the driving source 121 including the motor, and the driving force is stored in the storage unit ( 130) side. At this time, as the driven gear 124 is driven by the driving force and rotates, the rotation bar 143 engaged with the driven gear 124 rotates with respect to the storage support 131 , and the rotation guider 141 rotates the rotation bar 143 . position is moved along

Therefore, by moving the rotation guider 141 to compress the storage unit 130, the driving force is stored in the storage unit 130 to support the load during joint driving. Here, when the storage unit 130 is provided in a non-linear winding twist shape, it may have a non-linear variable rigidity.

As described above, although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can variously modify and change the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. You will understand that it can be done.

1, 100: joint drive system 10: link part
11: first link 12: second link
20, 120: driving unit 21: cam
24: profile 30, 130: storage
31: follower 32: storage member
40, 140: guide part 41: lever
42: operation member 43: guider
44: switch 45: case
121: drive source 122: drive gear
123: transmission member 124: driven gear
141: rotation guider 142: storage guider
143: rotation bar

Claims (28)

a link unit including at least a pair of links connected to each other to support joint movement of the human body;
a driving unit provided on any one of the at least one pair of links to assist the driving force of the joint;
a storage unit selectively connected to the driving unit to store or output the driving force of the driving unit; and
a guide part for guiding the driving part and the storage part to be connected or separated from each other;
includes,
The storage unit outputs the stored driving force to support the muscle strength for the link operation of the link unit. According to claim 1,
The link unit includes at least one pair of a plurality of links provided in any one of an exoskeleton robot or a wearable robot capable of muscle strength and gait support. According to claim 1,
The link part,
a first link for supporting the femur connected to the hip joint of the human body; and
a second link link-connected to the first link and a link axis corresponding to the joint axis of the hip joint;
includes,
The second link is a joint drive system comprising an exoskeleton. 4. The method of claim 3,
The storage unit is seated in the seating space provided in the first link, joint drive system that interlocks with the movement of the first link. 4. The method of claim 3,
The driving unit includes a cam or gear set that is axially coupled to the second link to interlock with the rotation of the link unit and maintain the posture,
The storage unit,
a follower rotating along the profile of the cam or the gear set in association with the rotation of the first link; and
a storage member driven in a linear direction in association with the rotation of the follower to store or output the driving force as elastic energy;
A joint drive system comprising a. 6. The method of claim 5,
The storage member is a joint drive system comprising a gas spring or a compression coil spring. 6. The method of claim 5,
The follower includes a follower roller or a follower gear rotated in close contact with the profile of the cam or the gear set,
The follower and the storage member are provided integrally and are inserted and seated in a seating space provided near the link shaft of the link unit. According to claim 1,
The guide unit joint drive system including a lever for moving between an interference position that interferes with the storage unit with respect to the driving unit in a muscle strength support mode, and a non-interference position that does not interfere with the storage unit with respect to the driving unit in a walking mode. According to claim 1,
The guide part,
a lever having one side connected to the storage unit and movable; and
an operation member for operating the lever between an interference position in which the storage unit interferes with the driving unit and a non-interference position in which the storage unit does not interfere with the driving unit;
A joint drive system comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9,
One end of the lever is hingedly connected to the link part and the other end is provided as a manipulation end bent and extended from the one end,
The operating member is
a guider for guiding the movement of the operation end rotated around one end of the lever; and
a switch for moving the operation end of the second lever along the guider;
A joint drive system comprising a. 11. The method of claim 10,
The guider joint drive system having an elastic force to elastically support the movement of the switch. 11. The method of claim 10,
The guider joint drive system including a leaf spring extending in the longitudinal direction along the movement trajectory of the operation end, and having a curved bending area in the middle. According to claim 1,
A switch roller connected to the switch and rotated along the guider is provided at the operation end,
A joint drive system in which first and second roller grooves in which the switch roller is seated are provided at both ends of the guider. According to claim 1,
The driving unit,
a driving source connected to the link unit to generate a driving force that assists in driving the joint;
at least one driving gear rotated by the driving force of the driving source;
at least one transmission member engaged with the at least one driving gear to transmit the driving force to the storage unit; and
a driven gear connected to any one of the at least one transmission member and rotated;
includes,
The drive source includes a motor, and the transmission member is a joint drive system comprising a gear or a belt. 15. The method of claim 14,
The guide part,
a rotation guider supporting one side of the storage unit;
a storage guider that faces the rotation guider and the storage unit between them and supports the other side of the storage unit; and
a rotation bar for guiding the movement of the rotation guider in the direction of compression and expansion of the storage unit in association with the rotation of the driven gear;
includes,
When the driving force is not transmitted from the driving unit, the storage guider is capable of free movement along the rotating bar with respect to the storage unit,
When the driving force is transmitted from the driving unit, the storage unit is compressed or expanded toward the storage guider by the rotation guider moving along the rotation bar. 16. The method of claim 15,
The storage unit includes a compression coil spring interlocking with the rotation of the driven gear and compressing or expanding the elastic force to store or output the driving force,
The rotary bar joint drive system including a screw (Screw). 16. The method of claim 15,
The position of the rotation guider is variable, and the joint drive system in which the initial compressive load of the storage unit is changed compared to the free field according to the position of the rotation guider. a link unit including at least a pair of links connected to each other through a link axis corresponding to the joint axis of the human body;
a driving unit provided on any one of the at least one pair of links to provide a driving force in the muscle strength support mode;
a storage unit configured to store or output the driving force of the driving unit while moving along the profile of the driving unit; and
a guide unit guiding the driving unit and the storage unit to be mutually connected or separated according to the walking mode and the muscle strength support mode;
includes,
The storage unit stores the driving force in the walking mode, and outputs the stored driving force in the muscle strength support mode to assist the muscle strength for the link operation of the link unit. 19. The method of claim 18,
The link part,
a first link for supporting the femur connected to the hip joint of the human body; and
a second link linked to the first link and the link shaft;
A joint drive system comprising a. 20. The method of claim 19,
The driving unit includes a cam or gear set that is shaft-coupled to the second link and maintained in the posture,
The storage unit,
a follower rotating along the profile of the cam or the gear set in association with the rotation of the first link; and
a storage member driven in a linear direction in association with the rotation of the follower to store or output the driving force as elastic energy;
A joint drive system comprising a. 21. The method of claim 20,
The follower includes a follower roller or a follower gear rotated in close contact with the profile of the cam or the gear set,
The follower and the storage member are provided integrally and are inserted and seated in a seating space provided near the link shaft of the link unit,
The storage member is a joint drive system comprising a gas spring or a compression coil spring. 19. The method of claim 18,
The guide part,
a lever having one side connected to the storage unit and movable; and
an operation member for operating the lever between an interference position in which the storage unit interferes with the driving unit and a non-interference position in which the storage unit does not interfere with the driving unit;
includes,
In the muscle strength support mode, the lever is positioned at the interference position, and in the walking mode, the lever is positioned at the non-interference position. 23. The method of claim 22,
One end of the lever is hingedly connected to the link part and the other end is provided as a manipulation end bent and extended from the one end,
The operating member is
a guider for guiding the movement of the operation end rotated around one end of the lever; and
a switch for moving the operation end of the second lever along the guider;
includes,
The guider is a joint drive system including a leaf spring extending in the longitudinal direction along the movement trajectory of the operation end, and having a curved bending area in the middle. 24. The method of claim 23,
A switch roller connected to the switch and rotated along the guider is provided at the operation end,
A joint drive system in which first and second roller grooves in which the switch roller is seated are provided at both ends of the guider. 19. The method of claim 18,
The driving unit,
a driving source connected to the link unit to generate a driving force in the muscle strength support mode;
at least one driving gear rotated by the driving force of the driving source;
at least one transmission member engaged with the at least one driving gear to transmit the driving force to the storage unit; and
a driven gear connected to any one of the at least one transmission member and rotated;
includes,
The drive source includes a motor, and the transmission member is a joint drive system comprising a gear or a belt. 26. The method of claim 25,
The guide part,
a rotation guider supporting one side of the storage unit;
a storage guider that faces the rotation guider and the storage unit between them and supports the other side of the storage unit; and
a rotation bar for guiding the movement of the rotation guider in the direction of compression and expansion of the storage unit in association with the rotation of the driven gear;
includes,
In the walking mode, the storage guider is capable of free movement along the rotation bar with respect to the storage unit,
Joint drive system in which the storage unit is compressed or expanded toward the storage guider by the rotation guider moving along the rotation bar in the muscle strength support mode. 27. The method of claim 26,
The storage unit includes a compression coil spring interlocking with the rotation of the driven gear and compressing or expanding the elastic force to store or output the driving force,
The rotary bar joint drive system including a screw (Screw). 27. The method of claim 26,
The position of the rotation guider is variable, and the joint drive system in which the initial compressive load of the storage unit is changed compared to the free field according to the position of the rotation guider.

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