RU2681115C2 - Exoskeleton - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medicine.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to medical technology, namely to traumatology and orthopedics, and can also be used in tourism and sports. Exoskeleton contains upper and lower support devices. Supporting devices are located under the foot of a person and are interconnected by means of a device that can be compressed and moved in a vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices in a compressed or extended positions, which is made in the form of a pivotally movable support connected at one end with a lower support device with the possibility of movement, and secured by the other end on the upper support device for rotation around a transverse axis. Lower support device is made with the possibility of extension in a vertical plane relative to the upper support device, when moving the legs from the rearmost position to the forwardmost position.EFFECT: use of the invention makes it possible to reduce the load on the muscles of the legs, joints and tendons due to the alignment of the trajectory of the extension of the common center of mass while improving the mechanism of the pendulum movement of the supporting and swing legs.1 cl, 8 dwg

Description

The invention relates to medical equipment, namely to traumatology and orthopedics, and can also be used in tourism and sports.

Before identifying a technical problem, consider the general principles of human movement. According to biomechanics, the main mechanism that determines the effectiveness of walking is the movement of a common center of mass (JCM). The complete walking cycle — the double-step period — is added for each leg from the support phase (the leg is the support or jerk) and the limb transfer phase (the leg is the flywheel). Exactly, when one leg is swinging and makes a pendulum movement, like a physical (suspended) pendulum, from the extreme rear position to the extreme forward position, the other leg is the supporting one and at the same time makes the movement of the reverse (inverted by the metronome principle) pendulum ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A5%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%8C%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0 % BE% D0% B2% D0% B5% D0% BA% D0% B0. See Fig. 1). Such simultaneous movement of the supporting and swinging legs during normal walking leads to the fact that the MTC moves along the sinusoid both on the vertical plane by an average of 5 cm, and in the horizontal plane by an average of 2.5 cm (V.I. Dubrovsky, V. N. Fedorova, Biomechanics: Textbook for mediums and higher education institutions, Vlados Press Publishing House, Moscow, 2003., p. 315, see Fig. 2). It is known that the pendulum has a maximum of potential energy at the highest point and turns it into kinetic, deviating down. At the beginning of the support phase, as soon as the MTC in the pelvis begins to rise, the kinetic energy of the movement turns into potential energy, and vice versa, passes into the kinetic energy when the MTC falls into the pelvis at the end of the support phase. Thus, about 65% of the energy is saved. Muscles are turned on to move the JCM from the lower to the upper position, make up for the lost energy, which is about 35% (https: //ru.wikipedia.ora/wiki/%D0%A5%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%8C% D0% B1% D0% B0% D1% 87% D0% B5% D0% BB% D0% BE% D0% B2% D0% B5% D0% BA% D0% B0).

As a result, ordinary walking is a sequence of steps in the implementation of which there is a pendulum movement of the legs when using a large number of extensor muscles (triceps muscle of the leg, quadriceps muscle of the thigh, large and middle gluteus muscles, etc.) and flexors of the leg (anterior tibial muscle, semi-membranous muscle, etc.), as well as ankle and hip joints. In the usual step, to move the fly leg from the rear to the front position without touching the ground, it bends at the knee with the force of the muscles and lifts, and then it is unbent and extended forward. At the same time, from the position when both legs pass each other, the supporting leg lifts the weight of the whole body up with the calf muscle and makes a push forward with a subsequent decrease. Thus, each step represents an increase in body weight and a slight drop from top to bottom with a significant load on the muscles, joints and spine, which is harmful especially after 40-45 years.

With muscle weakness, diseases of the ankles, hips, spine, and also damage to tendons, movement causes discomfort and pain, which leads to the need to use additional equipment and is reflected, among other things, in worsening of the psychoemotional state of a person, especially older people. Also, fatigue from the load and discomfort can occur in healthy people, for example, when hiking over long distances.

In such cases, exoskeleton constructs can be used that reduce the load on the muscles and joints and allow you to stay on your own legs and move independently without outside help. However, the known devices are cumbersome and expensive and are not always suitable for use, both for medical purposes, and for sports and tourism.

Exoskeleton designs are known (RF patent No. 2598124, 09/20/2016, RF patent No. 2567589, 11/10/2015), which contain a corset mounted on the hip part, connected by struts, bearings and other additional elements to the structure mounted on ankle part.

These designs can reduce the load from the hip and ankle joints, however, they are complex, bulky and have a high cost. At the same time, the load on the joints is reduced by ensuring the vertical position of the body and fettering the movement of the pelvis and legs along their entire length, which does not fully reduce the load on the muscles, and also limits the use of the design only to medical purposes for the rehabilitation of limbs, not allowing it to be used for engaging in tourism and sports.

A known design of elastic elements (RF patent No. 125745, 03/10/2013), attached to the sole of the shoes, including arcuate elastic plates located concave towards each other, the combined ends of which are fixed to the reinforcing element in the form of a plate placed between the elastic elements and made at the ends with sockets for the ends of these plates in them, while the upper-lying elastic plate is attached to the sole of the boot, on the outer surface of the lower-lying elastic plate, a protector for the grip is increased, a sole plate is applied to the sole of each shoe, which is attached to the sole and made with elements for attaching an upper elastic plate to it, while the support plate also has reinforcing elements, removable protectors, elastic stops for even distribution of load on the surface of the sole and plates .

The specified design of elastic elements is also complex, designed to withstand large dynamic loads during active types of movement associated with jumping, including when performing acrobatic exercises. In this case, the support phase predominates with the accumulation of potential energy during compression of the plates with the subsequent implementation of the step due to the jump when using the kinetic energy of the straightened plates. Thus, such a design does not reduce the load on the ankle and hip joints and therefore cannot be used for medical purposes to help patients with limited mobility.

The known design of the passive exoskeleton of the ankle (RF patent No. 166055, 10.11.2016), adopted as the closest analogue to the claimed solution containing a sole, two pairs of ankle arms, elements of its attachment to the lower leg, while the ankle arms are made in two-piece teams - arcuate rigid structural elements interconnected by hinges with fixing elements, to the bases of the lower arcuate structural element and to the rear of the sole two spring dampers are rigidly attached Ator and fixation on passive exoskeleton foot ankle is carried out by arc rigidly attached to the top of the sole in its front portion and rigid arcuate structural members and the belt compound are rigidly fixed to the front surface of the upper ankle passive exoskeleton.

This design allows you to reduce the load from the lower part of the leg - the calf muscle and ankle joint - which allows it to be used for medical purposes and when hiking. However, in this case, the principle of movement of the supporting and flywheel legs, as described above, is preserved, in which the OCM moves significantly in the vertical plane (4-5 cm), which does not reduce the load on the muscles and joints and leads to a limitation of the use of the design in patients pain in this area.

The objective of the invention is to obtain a universal design of the exoskeleton, which can be used in medicine, sports and tourism.

The technical result of the invention is to reduce the load on the muscles of the legs, joints and tendons due to the alignment of the trajectory of the JMC while improving the mechanism of the pendulum movement of the supporting and fly legs.

The technical result is achieved by using an exoskeleton containing the upper and lower supporting devices located under the foot of a person and interconnected by means of a device having the ability to compress and expand in a vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices in a compressed or extended position, which is made in the form of a hinge a movable support connected at one end to the lower support device with the possibility of movement, and fixed to the other end on the upper support device with the possibility of rotation around the transverse axis, while the lower supporting device is made with the possibility of extension in a vertical plane relative to the upper supporting device, when moving the legs from the extreme rear position to the extreme front position.

Under the support device in the context of the present invention refers to a device designed to support and carry the weight of a person when walking with the aim of moving.

The upper support device may be a platform connected to the sole of the shoe with the repetition of its contour or the sole of the shoe. Also, the upper support device may have devices for securing it to the foot of the foot or shoe (belts, elastic bands, etc.).

The lower support device may be a platform for moving on the earth's surface, part of the ski mount, the tip of the stilts, etc., in contact with the earth's surface.

Depending on the height of the person, the lower support device after compression can be extended in the vertical plane relative to the upper support device by 8-15 cm to completely exclude touching the ground with the fly leg with the straightened knee when moving it from the extreme rear position (position a in Fig. 4) extreme forward position (position a2 in Fig. 4).

The presence of upper and lower supporting devices connected to each other by means of a device having the ability to compress and expand in a vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices in a compressed and extended position, as well as fixing the upper supporting device on the sole of the shoe or foot, allows you to:

- compress the supporting devices with each other with the fixation of this position, which allows the fly leg to move from its extreme rear position (position a in Fig. 4) forward to its extreme forward position (position a2 in Fig. 4) without contacting the ground;

- push the supporting devices apart by 8-15 cm from each other with the fixation of this position in the extreme front position of the fly leg (position a2 in Fig. 4) to ensure that the weight of the person can be transferred to it at the moment when the fly leg becomes support;

- make a simultaneous pendulum movement with the swing leg, specifying the displacement of the MTC in the vertical plane, which is opposite to the vertical displacement specified during the reverse pendulum movement of the supporting leg, in order to compensate for the displacement of the MTC that occurred during normal walking.

Thus, the supporting leg is located on an elevation relative to the ground line, set due to the fixed extended position of the supporting devices, and the fly leg at the same time when the supporting devices are compressed with each other in a free suspended state with a straight knee is lowered relative to the supporting leg by 4- 7 cm and makes a free pendulum movement without touching the ground from the extreme rear position to the extreme front position (see Fig. 4).

As a result, walking a person using the inventive exoskeleton allows you to:

- align the trajectory of the JCM;

- to minimize the load on the muscles due to the free pendulum movement of the fly leg with a straight knee;

- minimize the load on the joints (ankle, hip, etc.), spine and tendons

- maintain the familiar principle of pendulum motion and improve it with the achievement of a high efficiency indicator.

The invention is illustrated by the following figures.

In FIG. Figure 1 shows the principle of the reverse pendulum during the transfer of the supporting and flywheel legs during simple walking.

In FIG. Figure 2 shows the motion of the JMC along a sinusoid with simple walking.

In FIG. 3 shows the design of the inventive exoskeleton.

In FIG. 4 shows the construction of a hydraulic cylinder.

In FIG. Figure 5 shows the transfer of a fly leg with a straight knee from the extreme rear position to the extreme front position with alignment of the trajectory of the MTC when moving on a flat surface.

In FIG. Figure 6 shows the transfer of a fly leg with a straight knee from the extreme rear position to the extreme front position with the alignment of the trajectory of the MTC when moving from the mountain.

In FIG. 7 shows the use of an exoskeleton for walking on stilts.

In FIG. Figure 8 shows the use of an exoskeleton for skiing.

The exoskeleton contains an upper supporting device 1, mounted on the sole of the shoe or foot, a lower supporting device 2, while the upper supporting device 1 is connected to the lower supporting device 2 by means of a device 3 having the ability to compress and expand in a vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices 1 and 2 in a compressed and extended position (Fig. 3).

The device 3, having the ability to compress and expand in the vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices 1 and 2 in the compressed and extended positions, can be a structure containing a hydraulic cylinder of the supporting devices 4, located mainly vertically in the back of the exoskeleton (in the heel), the guide 5, having rigidity and located mainly vertically in front of the exoskeleton (in the area of the toe of the foot), the clamping lever 6, located between the supporting devices 1 and 2, fix Torr pressing lever 7 and the electron-measuring unit 8 arranged on the upper supporting device 1.

One end of the clamping lever 6, located on the lower support device 2, is a pivotally movable support having horizontal movement. The second end of the clamping lever 6 is mounted on the upper supporting device 1 with the possibility of rotation around the transverse axis.

A guide 5 having rigidity is understood to mean a device in the form of a tube, rod, plate, etc., consisting of two parts, where one of the parts can be extended parallel to its second part (http://konstruirovanie-mashin.ru/glava- konstruirovanie-kharakternykh-uzlov-mekhanizmov / napravlyayushchie)

The hydraulic cylinder of the supporting devices 4 is connected to the hydraulic cylinder of the pressing mechanism 9, connected to the clamp of the pressing mechanism 10 and one of the ends of the spring of the pressing mechanism 11, the other end of which is connected to the end of the pressing lever 6 located on the upper supporting device 1, and the clamp of the pressing lever 7 (Fig. 3).

The hydraulic cylinder of the clamping mechanism 9 comprises an outer casing 12, an inner casing 13, a mechanical valve 14, an electric valve 15, a spring of a mechanical valve 16, a gasket 17 (Fig. 4).

The electronic measuring unit 8 consists of a fully-functional three-axis accelerometer ADXL335, an ATmega2560 microcontroller, a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless network signal detector.

Also, device 3 can be implemented using any technical solutions based on known existing principles (mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and other, including combined), which allow compressing and expanding support devices 1 and 2 in a vertical plane with their fixation in a compressed and extended positions. Moreover, such technical solutions can have both an external location relative to the supporting devices 1 and 2 (as shown in Fig. 3), and be located between them.

The principle of motion using an exoskeleton on a flat surface is shown in FIG. 5 (one embodiment of the solution is shown when the exoskeleton is attached to the sole of the shoe). At the beginning of the movement at the supporting (position in Fig. 5) and the fly leg (extreme rear position in position a in Fig. 5), the lower exoskeleton support device 2 is spaced from the upper support device 1 by a distance of 8-15 cm, which is fixed by a mechanical valve 14. When the pressure of a person’s body mass is completely transferred to the supporting leg (position in in FIG. 5), only the weight of the fly leg itself presses on the upper supporting device 1 of the fly leg (position a1 in FIG. 5). Depending on the body weight of the person, the spring of the mechanical valve 16 opens the mechanical valve 14 and makes it possible to pressurize the spring 11 and the clamping lever 6 and press the lower support device 2 to the upper 1. The flywheel released from the support, relaxed and straightened in the knee from the extreme rear position (position a in Fig. 5), without contacting the surface of the earth, makes a pendulum movement forward by a step length to the extreme forward position (position a2 in Fig. 5). In this position, according to the signal of the three-axis accelerometer and the pulse of the microcontroller from the electronic measuring unit 8, the clamp of the clamping mechanism 10 releases the spring of the clamping mechanism 11 and allows the lower supporting device 2 to fall to the ground under its own weight. At the moment when the flywheel passes into the support leg, and the pressure on the upper support device 1 exceeds the weight of the fly leg, the mechanical valve 14 compresses the spring of the mechanical valve 16 from the pressure of the hydraulic fluid, fixing the upper 1 and lower 2 support devices in a diluted state. With further transfer of weight to the leg, when the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder of the supporting devices 4 reaches 50-80% of the body weight, the hydraulic fluid passes into the hydraulic cylinder of the clamping mechanism 9, which compresses the spring of the clamping mechanism 11, capable of compressing the lower supporting device 2 weighing 150-200 g for a new cycle.

Thus, the fly leg completes its free pendulum movement and becomes a supporting leg, located on an elevation relative to the earth line by 8-15 cm. Then, the considered cycle is repeated for the leg that has become support from the fly leg.

As a result, the fly leg when using the inventive exoskeleton falls below the support line of the supporting leg (the level of the upper supporting device 1 with the position of the supporting devices 1 and 2 apart), unlike an ordinary gait, deflecting the hip joint down by 6-7 cm, which compensates and aligns the trajectory of the MTC. With such a free pendulum movement of the legs, the energy is spent only on the resistance to friction, in contrast to ordinary walking.

This exoskeleton can also work in passive mode when descending from a mountain. So, when descending from the mountain in the usual step, the supporting leg carries a large load, performing squats, with a vertical decrease. According to the claimed invention, for descent from the mountain it is necessary to determine the change in the horizontal level of the transfer point of the fly leg. In FIG. Figure 6 shows an example where the level change is determined by a belt-mounted laser range finder 18 with a power source, which, having determined the distance change, transmits a signal to open the electric valve 15 via wire connection or wireless technology. During descent, at the moment when the fly leg in motion is compared ( position a1 in Fig. 6) with the supporting one (position in Fig. 6) and continues to move to the extreme forward position (position a2 in Fig. 6), the open electric valve 15 allows the human body to slide smoothly into and the required value, leaving a small distance between the upper 1 and lower 2 supporting devices necessary to start a new forward movement of the fly leg from the extreme rear position (position a in Fig. 6).

If energy is supplied to the lower support device 2, which is capable of lifting the human body when the support devices 1 and 2 are extended, this design can work on the principle of a similar descent from the mountain as an active exoskeleton with the ability to climb the mountain or stairs.

When using the design of the exoskeleton for walking on stilts, the upper support device 1 is a platform that is mounted on the sole of the shoe, and the lower support device 2 is the tip of the stilts leg, which is in contact with the earth's surface. In this case, the hydraulic cylinder of the supporting devices 4 are located in the legs of the stilts (Fig. 7). The process of moving the fly leg in this case coincides with the process of moving the fly leg according to FIG. 5.

The proposed exoskeleton design can be used for mounting on skis. In this case, the upper support device 1 is a platform that is mounted on the sole of the shoe, and the lower support device can be part of the ski mount (Fig. 8). The process of moving the fly leg in this case coincides with the process of moving the fly leg according to FIG. 5. The figure shows a variant according to which the supporting devices 1 and 2 have a pivotally fixed mount, and the device 3, having the ability to compress and extend in a vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices 1 and 2 in a compressed and extended position, has a pivotally movable mount with position fixers in the form of gear ratchets.

The proposed design of the passive exoskeleton has a simple, light in weight and effective design, which gives the following advantages when walking:

1. Significantly reduces the load on a large group of leg muscles.

2. Reduces stress and pressure on the ankle and hip joints.

3. Provides the ability to make the device inexpensive - below the minimum category of $ 1000-10000, which makes it generally available.

4. It can be used both for healthy people in tourism and sports, and for patients with impaired or weak muscles and joints and the elderly.

5. When using and operating does not involve hands.

6. Does not limit the movement of the body, pelvis and legs in space (has three degrees of freedom).

7. It is sustainable.

8. The exoskeleton can be made either built-in to the shoes, or made in the form of a removable design that makes it easy to put on and take off. This design can be used in cross-country ski mounts (Fig. 8) and stilt construction (Fig. 7).

9. It can be combined with active exoskeletons to help move the leg forward, which, with little energy, will reduce effort when walking to a minimum, (http://www.automotive.com/news/honda-debuts-walking-assist-device- version-two-6870 /)

10. Universality of size (it is advisable to apply one or several basic options, depending on the metric of a person, without requiring an individual fit for each).

11. Does not need training and getting used to use.

12. It can be used on rough surfaces (soil, stairs, curbs, etc.) as opposed to a wheel structure.

13. With the same load - the amount of energy spent - the distance traveled increases significantly when used in hiking.

14. It can be quickly and easily disconnected without removing it from the shoes if there is a lock with a latch 19 on the upper support device 1 (see Fig. 3), which allows you to fix the pressed position of the lower support device 2 for passing difficult sections, stairs and other cases. The thickness of the sole has the usual dimensions for walking in steps of the usual length.

Thus, the claimed design of the exoskeleton is convenient and versatile in use.

Claims (1)

An exoskeleton, characterized in that it contains the upper and lower supporting devices located under the foot of a person and interconnected by means of a device having the ability to compress and extend in a vertical plane with fixing the position of the supporting devices in a compressed or extended position, which is made in the form of articulated-movable support, connected at one end to the lower support device with the possibility of movement and fixed to the other end on the upper support device with the possibility of rotation around p peppermint axis, the lower cam unit is adapted to advances in the vertical plane relative to the upper support device, when moving the legs of the rearmost to the foremost position.

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