WO2013122381A1

WO2013122381A1 - Lower limb supporting auxiliary device and method of operating same

Info

Publication number: WO2013122381A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/001121
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이양수; 이춘영; 강오현
Original assignee: 경북대학교 산학협력단
Priority date: 2012-02-14
Filing date: 2013-02-13
Publication date: 2013-08-22
Also published as: KR101353974B1; KR20130093415A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lower limb supporting auxiliary device and a method of operating same. The lower limb supporting auxiliary device includes: an upper brace disposed on an upper portion of a lower limb joint to support a lower limb, the upper brace having a detachable structure; a lower brace disposed on a lower portion of the lower limb joint to support the lower limb, the lower brace having a detachable structure; and a posture position fixing part fixedly connected to at least one side surface of the upper brace and the lower brace when the upper brace and the lower brace are rotated with respect to the lower limb joint, the posture position fixing part including a cylinder and piston which are vertically operated and a linear motor interrupting the operation of the piston to selectively stop the rotation of the braces. As described above, the lower limb supporting auxiliary device according to the present invention may selectively restrict or interrupt the rotation of the lower limb about the lower limb joint through a simple and easy structure according to a wearer's selection to easily fix and release a specific posture position. Also, if a user should stand up while working in a state where the lower limb joint is bent, the lower limb supporting auxiliary device may stably support the human body.

Description

【Specification】

[Name of invention]

Supporting aids and methods of operation thereof

5

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lower limb support aid and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to a lower limb support aid and a method for operating the posture support, which can be easily fixed and released selectively in a simple configuration.

10

Background Art

When standing, the lower limbs should support the weight of the body. If your lower limbs are fully stretched, your weight will increase the stability of your joints, so you can stand without much effort. However, if the lower extremity joints are standing in a curved state, the lower extremity muscle contraction is necessary to maintain this posture. This causes physical fatigue and incorrect posture to the individual, which reduces work efficiency.

In addition, the structure of the conventional lower limb support aid has a problem that the lower and lower limbs can not be sufficiently supported when the lower limb rotates around the knee by simply connecting the upper and lower structures, and the robot suit is a posture position fixing part. However, there is a disadvantage that the device is complicated and the unit price is high.

[Detailed Description of the Invention]

[Technical problem]

An object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide a lower limb support aid that can support the body stably when bending and standing work by easy to fix and release the selective posture position in a simple configuration It is.

In addition, it automatically identifies the wearer's posture or movement and is based on its intentions. It is to provide an operation method of the assistive device. Technical Solution

The first feature of the present invention to solve the above problems is to support the lower limbs located on the lower limb joint, the upper brace of the removable structure; 5 braces of the lower part of the lower limb joint to support the lower limb and to be detachable; When the upper brace and the lower brace rotates about the lower joint, the upper and lower braces are connected to at least one side of the upper and lower cylinders and pistons, and a linear motor to block the driving of the pistons. And a posture position fixing unit for selectively stopping rotation of the brace.

0 Here, the posture position fixing unit, at least one linear motor to form a through-hole at a predetermined interval in the piston which is driven up and down inside the cylinder, and inserted into the through-hole from the outside of the cylinder to selectively stop the driving of the piston It is preferable to include.

In addition, the piston is connected to the upper brace and the hinge 5 is supported, the mounting is connected to the hinge, by detecting the rotational speed of the hinge to measure the moving distance moved in the cylinder of the piston, the measured It is preferable to further include an encoder for controlling the driving of the linear motor according to the moving distance.

Preferably, the posture position fixing unit may be a hydraulic cylinder filled with zero fluid in the cylinder, and stops the rotation of the upper brace and the lower brace by blocking a fluid movement in the hydraulic cylinder.

In addition, the posture position fixing portion, the fluid-filled cylinder; A piston inserted into the cylinder to move the fluid; A branch pipe for connecting the two points of the cylinders 5 to move the fluid; And a linear motor capable of blocking the movement of the fluid outside the branch pipe, and allowing the shaft of the linear motor to penetrate the branch pipe from the outside, and the fluid inside the branch pipe by the movement of the fraud shaft. The shaft through hole formed in a part of the shaft is blocked or released from movement, but the crusher tube is located at the corner of the tube, so that the lubricating body is the shaft shaft. ^"it is preferable to allow to move through一to release the interruption of the fluid flow. In addition, a pressure sensor or a strain gauge is installed inside the upper brace, it is preferable to control the operation of the position fixing unit in accordance with the measurement signal of the pressure sensor or strain gauge, at least one motion sensor in a portion of the brace It is preferable to install.

And, as a method of operation of the lower support aid, the feature of the present invention is characterized in that (a) the motion sensor 130 to detect the movement of the wearer; (b) fixing the posture by stopping the rotation of the brace by operating the posture position fixing unit when the movement is not performed for a predetermined time; (c) when the change amount measured by the pressure sensor or the strain gauge is equal to or greater than a preset value Δ α, the posture position fixing unit releasing the rotation blocking of the brace; And (d) repeating step (b) or less when the change amount value measured by the pressure sensor or strain gauge is less than a preset value (Δα). Advantageous Effects

The present invention is a simple and easy configuration to selectively limit or block the rotation around the lower extremity joint according to the wearer's choice, easy to fix and release to a specific posture position to bend the lower extremity and work when standing Provides support for the lower limb that can support the stably.

In addition, since the support of the lower limbs can select or control the resistance of the rotation around the joint, there is a great advantage to widen the choice of wearer's fit or support.

In addition, it provides a convenient and simple operation method of the lower limb support aid that automatically detects the posture or movement of the wearer and serves to assist the support according to its intention.

[Brief Description of Drawings]

1 is that the configuration of the support aids not according to an embodiment of the present invention ¬¬-eu FIG piece embellish-o and ⁱ -, - Figure 2 is a position of the support structure of the auxiliary apparatus not according to an embodiment of the present invention Is an enlarged view of the position fixing unit,

3 is a view showing a configuration of a lower support aid as another embodiment of the present invention;

4 is an enlarged view of the posture position fixing part in the configuration of the lower support aid as another embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a view showing the flow of the operation method of the lower support support mechanism, as another embodiment of the present invention. .

[Best form for implementation of the invention]

10 is a view showing the configuration of the lower support support mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the lower support support mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is located on the joint to support the lower limb, the upper brace 100 of the structure that can be removable; A lower brace positioned under the joint to support the lower limb and to be detachable; The upper part around the joint

When the 15 brace 100 and the lower brace 100 are rotated, the cylinder 370 and the piston 330 fixedly connected to at least one side of the upper brace 100 and the lower brace 100 and driven up and down And a posture position fixing part 300 having a linear motor 350 to block driving of the piston 330 to selectively stop rotation of the brace.

The lower support aid is generally composed of an upper brace 100 and a lower brace 100 around a joint and connected to each other to form an integrated structure. It is a structure that can be attached and detached to support the lower and upper part of the thigh and calf respectively. In addition, the calf portion and 25 may be configured to surround the foot.

However, the conventional structure has a problem in that the upper and lower braces 100 simply connect the upper and lower braces 100, and when the lower limb rotates around the joints, they cannot be sufficiently supported. We proposed a structure to fix or support the position of the posture, but it was -30 ᅳ -sleep-let's-complex-and- -terminal-high.

In the embodiment of the present invention thus the upper and lower brace 100 cylinder And a posture position fixing part 300 having a posture position fixing part 300 which is connected to a piston 330 device and configured to restrict or block driving of the piston 330 outside the cylinder. do. [Form for implementation of invention]

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving the same will be described through embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. However, the embodiments are provided to explain in detail enough to easily implement the technical idea of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific forms shown, and are exaggerated for clarity. In addition, parts denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification represent the same components.

In this specification, the expression "and / or" is used in a sense including at least one of the components listed before and after. In addition, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. Components, steps, operations, and elements referred to as "comprising" or "comprising" mean the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations, elements, and devices. A preferred embodiment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 1 is a view showing the configuration of a lower support aid according to an embodiment of the present invention. The lower limb support aid is located at the upper part of the joint to support the lower limb, and is removable upper brace 100; -Desorption-Abrasion-Performance-Lower-Lower-----Re-S----Sanger-Ornamental-Middle-Sanctuary-Upper r brace (100) and lower brace (100) When is rotated, the upper A cylinder 370 and a piston 330 which are fixedly connected to at least one side of the brace 100 and the lower brace 100, and a linear motor 350 which blocks driving of the piston 330. It is configured to include a posture position fixing part 5 to selectively stop the rotation of the brace.

The lower support aid is generally composed of an upper brace 100 and a lower brace 100 around a joint and connected to each other to form an integrated structure. It is a structure that can be attached and detached to support the lower and upper part of the thigh and calf respectively. And the calf part

10 may be configured to surround the foot.

However, the conventional structure has a problem in that the upper and lower brace 100 simply connects the lower and lower joints when the lower limb rotates around the joint, and the posture position fixing unit is configured through an external complicated device such as a robot suit. Although the structure to fix or support the posture position has been proposed,

The disadvantage was that the device was complicated and the unit price was high.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the upper and lower brace 100 is connected to the cylinder and the piston 330 device, the linear motor 350 that can limit or block the operation of the piston 330 from the outside of the cylinder A lower leg support aid having a configured posture position fixing part 300 is proposed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower leg support aid according to the embodiment of the present invention is detachable to the lower leg and supports the upper and lower braces 100 and 200 to surround and support the lower leg, and pivotally supports the upper and lower braces 100 sides. It is composed of a posture position cut portion 300 of the cylinder drive form is connected to each other. Here, the posture position fixing part 300 is connected to the lower brace 100

A piston 330 connected to the 25 cylinder 370 and the upper brace 100 and inserted into the cylinder 370 and driven, and a linear motor 350 for limiting or blocking the driving of the piston 330.

That is, when the wearer bends the joint by wearing the lower support aid according to the embodiment of the present invention, -30——cylinder—the (-37Q) —— inside—inserted into the lower brace 100 is inserted. A linear motor 350 mounted outside a pressed-paston (-33Θ- cylinder 370) may cause the cylinder 370 to It is a structure that can selectively stop or limit the driving of the piston 330 through.

Such an embodiment of the present invention can easily limit or block rotation around the joints of the lower limbs according to the wearer's selection in a simple and easy configuration, and thus, it is easy to fix and release to a specific posture position easily. There is a big advantage to support the body stably when you need to bend and work on the joints. 2 is an enlarged view showing the posture position fixing part 300 of the lower support supporting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the posture position fixing part 300 has the cylinder 370 connected to the lower brace 100, the piston 330 connected to the upper brace 100, and the piston 330 connected to the cylinder. 370 is partially inserted into and driven. Here, a part of the piston 330 inserted into the cylinder 370 is formed with a through hole 335 at regular intervals, and a linear motor 350 is installed outside the cylinder 370 so that the linear shaft of the linear motor 350 is a cylinder. It penetrates through the through hole 335 and the through hole 335 to block driving of the piston 330.

The linear motor 350 can be installed in at least one, and a plurality of the linear motors 350 can be installed in accordance with the design of the mechanism. The drive of the linear motor 350 may be selectively switched and driven by the wearer, and may be automatically driven according to a situation by sensing the wearer's movement or pressure applied to the brace, thereby increasing the comfort of the wearer. Do. (See Figure 5)

As shown in FIG. 1, in order to insert the linear shaft into the through holes 335 at a predetermined interval formed in a part of the piston 330, the position of the moving distance of the piston 330 must be accurately determined. In the embodiment, the piston 330 is pivotally connected to the upper brace 100 through a hinge or the like, the encoder 310 is installed on the connection portion to measure the rotation ratio of the piston 330 to position the through hole 335. shall by identifying the emitter ¬¬ base-emitter-party - ^ doedo copper-lock-to-a-pawam preferable "- freezing-en-koha ^(3-i to

The through hole 335 and the moving distance of the piston 330 must be accurately understood. This is because the piston 330 inserted from the outside of the cylinder 370 can be fitted correctly. 3 is a view showing the configuration of the lower support aid as another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, the lower support aid according to the embodiment of the present invention is a posture position fixing part 300 as a hydraulic cylinder filled with a fluid in a cylinder 370. It is characterized by selectively stopping the rotation of the upper brace 100 and the lower brace 100 by blocking the fluid movement inside the cylinder. In other words, by blocking the movement of the fluid filled in the cylinder 370 through the piston 330, an apparatus for fixing the posture position is proposed.

The posture position fixing part 300 includes a cylinder 370 filled with a fluid; A piston 330 inserted into the cylinder 370 to move the fluid; A branch pipe 375 through which the fluid can move by connecting two points at the top and bottom of the cylinder 370; And a linear motor 350 capable of blocking the movement of the fluid outside the branch pipe 375.

When the wearer bends the joint in such a configuration, the piston 330 pivotally connected to the upper brace 100 pushes the fluid inside the cylinder 370, and the pressurized fluid is connected to the upper and lower two points of the cylinder 370. Ascending through the branch pipe 375 is filled again into the cylinder 370 above the piston 330. That is, the attitude change centering on the wearer's joint induces vertical movement of the piston 330, and the driving of the piston 330 moves the fluid inside the cylinder 370 up and down through the branch pipe 375. By selectively blocking the movement of the fluid with the linear motor 350 outside the branch pipe 375 it is possible to fix the posture position.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the linear motor 350 used together with the hydraulic cylinder 370 can easily fix the posture of the wearer by blocking the movement of the fluid filled in the cylinder 370 or the branch pipe 375. It acts as an actuator of the posture position fixing part 300. Also, the branch pipe 375 connecting the two upper and lower points outside the cylinder 370 is provided. It is to use to free the movement of the fluid induced in the reciprocating motion of the piston 330, and to secure a space that can freely block the movement of the fluid without obstruction of the piston 330.

And, as shown in Figure 3, the upper and lower braces (100,200) 5 mounted on either side of the motion sensor 130, such as a tilt sensor or gyro sensor, and the motion position of the wearer to detect the above-described posture position fixing part 300 ), The position can be fixed automatically in a specific posture. In addition, since the pressure sensor 150 or the strain gauge column is mounted on the inner side of the brace so that the wearer presses the pressure beyond the specific force on the brace 10, the detection signal may be regarded as starting to change the position. It may serve as a driving reference point signal of the fixing part 300. 4 is an enlarged view of the posture position fixing part 300 of the lower support supporting device as another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 15, the posture position fixing part 300 includes a cylinder 370 filled with a fluid; A piston 330 inserted into the cylinder 370 to move the fluid; A branch pipe 375 through which the fluid can move by connecting two upper and lower points outside the cylinder 370; And a linear motor 350 capable of blocking the movement of the fluid outside the branch pipe 375, wherein the linear motor 350 is closed.

20 shaft 353 is to penetrate the branch pipe 375 from the outside, the movement of the fraud shaft 353 to block or release the movement of the fluid inside the branch pipe 375, the portion of the shaft 353 The formed shaft through hole 355 is located inside the branch pipe 375 to allow the fluid to move through the shaft through hole 355 to release the blocking of fluid movement.

25 features.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 4, the linear motor 350 of the posture position fixing part 300 includes a motor driving part and a linear shaft 353, and the linear shaft 353 is a branch pipe 375. When inserted through, it blocks the flow of fluid inside the branch pipe (375) to fix the posture position, and the linear -30-—shape-to (-353) -shape-to-through hole (-355—) Once it is in place, it will pass through the shaft through-hole (355). The fluid can move.

In addition, the movement of the linear shaft 353 may not only block or release the fluid movement, but also the speed or resistance of the fluid movement through the area in which the shaft through hole 355 is opened in the branch pipe 375. There is an advantage to control. That is, the fluid movement can be blocked and released according to the degree of insertion of the linear shaft 353 into the branch pipe 375, and the resistance force of the fluid movement can be controlled according to the degree of opening of the shaft through hole 355. There is a big advantage that the wearer can widen the choice of wear resistance or support. 5 is a view showing the flow of the operation method of the lower support support mechanism as another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the operation method of the lower support support mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention (a) the step of the motion sensor to detect the movement of the wearer (S100); (B) when the movement is not for a certain time (S210), the posture position fixing part 300 is operated to block the rotation of the brace to fix the posture (S230); (c) when the value measured by the pressure sensor or the strain gauge is equal to or greater than a preset value (Δα) (S310), the posture position fixing part (300) releasing the rotation blocking of the brace (S330); And (d) when the measured change amount value in the pressure sensor or strain gauge is less than a predetermined value (Δα) (S315), repeating the steps (b) or less.

In more detail, when the wearer wears the lower support aid according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the motion sensor mounted on the brace detects the wearer's movement or posture (S100). , If there is no movement for a certain time (S210), the position fixing unit 300 is operated to block the rotation of the brace to fix the posture position. (S230) For example, if the wearer is standing still in one position for a certain period of time, the movement-cancer-work-point-return-payment will be unabated. -Part (

The motor 350 has a linear shaft inserted into the branch pipe 375 to move the fluid By blocking and fixing the posture position, the wearer can fix the posture and maintain the posture without contraction of the lower limb muscles.

Then, when the wearer changes position or moves again, pressure is applied to the pressure sensor or strain gauge installed inside the brace.

5, and when the change amount measured by the sensor is equal to or larger than a preset change amount value Δ α (S310), the position fixing unit 300 is operated to release the position fixing (S330), and according to the wearer's behavior. It is possible to provide a device that can automatically grasp the position fixation and selectively drive the position, thereby conveniently supporting and assisting the lower limb of the wearer without having to fix the device by hand. Here, if the measured change amount value such as the pressure sensor due to the wearer's movement is less than a specific value (Δα) (S315), the motion sensor 130 again detects the movement and if there is no movement for a predetermined time (S210) Fixing process will be performed. (S230)

Applying the measured amount of change is to set the change amount (Δ α) in advance to the measured value of the pressure sensor or strain gauge installed in any one of the braces. It maintains the position fixation, and if (Δ α) or more, there is a lot of change in pressure, etc., so that the position change of the wearer is intentional and releases the position fixation of the position position fixer to operate accordingly according to the change of the wearer's behavior. To provide a method.

That is, in the embodiment of the present invention, the state of continuous movement always maintains the position fixing position by releasing the posture position by operating the position fixing part 300, and stably supports the position by fixing the position only when the wearer does not move. By doing so, it provides a convenient and simple operation method of the lower limb support aid which automatically grasps the posture or movement of the wearer and serves to support and support the intention 5. While the invention has been shown and described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood that the invention is not limited by the Q-—un-out-of-the-limit—from the spirit and scope of the invention as indicated by the claims. Joe-and-—Change 7] ^가능 Possible—Ha-ha- ^ha— Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the industry can easily know. Industrial Applicability

The present invention relates to a lower limb support aid and a method of operating the lower limb support aid that can support the body stably when working with bending and standing by the selective posture position easy to be fixed in a simple configuration and ， It is related to the operation room of the convenient and simple support for lower limb support which automatically grasps the posture or movement of the wearer and supports the support according to the intention.

Claims

[Range of request]

[Claim 1]

An upper brace having a five structure located above the lower joint and supporting the lower leg and being removable;

A lower brace positioned below the lower joint to support the lower leg and to be detachable;

When the upper brace and the lower brace are moved to the center of the lower joint, a cylinder and a piston connected to at least one of the ten lateral sides of the upper brace and the lower brace, and up and down, and a linear motor to block driving of the piston And a posture position fixing part for selectively stopping the rotation of the brace.

15

[Claim 2]

The method of claim 1,

The posture position fixing part,

And a at least one linear motor which forms a through hole at a predetermined interval in the piston which is driven up and down inside the cylinder and is inserted into the through hole from the outside of the cylinder to selectively stop 20 driving of the piston. Supporting aids.

[Claim 3]

The method of claim 2,

25 The piston is connected to the upper brace and the hinge is pivotally supported, is mounted to the hinge is connected, by detecting the rotational speed of the hinge to measure the movement distance moved inside the cylinder of the piston, the measured movement distance And an encoder for controlling the driving of the linear motor.

-30-

[Claim 4]

The method of claim 1,

The posture position fixing part,

A hydraulic cylinder filled with a fluid in the cylinder, the lower support aid for stopping movement of the fluid in the hydraulic cylinder 5 to stop the movement of the upper brace and the lower brace.

[Claim 5]

The method of claim 4, wherein

10 The posture position fixing part ，

Cylinder filled with fluid;

A piston inserted into the cylinder to move the fluid;

A branch pipe to connect the two points of the cylinder to move the fluid; And

15. A lower support aid, comprising: a linear motor capable of blocking movement of the fluid outside the branch pipe

[Claim 6]

The method of claim 5,

20 The shaft of the linear motor is to penetrate the branch pipe from the outside, the movement of the fraud shaft to block or release the fluid movement inside the branch pipe, the shaft through hole formed in the shaft portion is located inside the branch pipe And the fluid is allowed to move through the shaft through-hole to release the blockage of fluid movement.

[Claim 7]

The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

Pressure sensor or strain gauge inside the upper brace

-30-치-되-되 -7-single pressure sensor or sensor-to-re-inge- er-will-will-measurement —The lower support aid, which controls the operation of the upper position fixing portion.

[Claim 8]

The method of claim 7, wherein

At least one motion sensor is installed on a part of the brace.

[Claim 9]

In the method of operation of the lower support supporting mechanism of claim 8,

(a) the motion sensor 130 detecting a movement of the wearer;

(b) fixing the posture by blocking the movement of the brace by operating the posture position fixing unit when there is no movement for a predetermined time;

(c) the posture position fixing unit releasing the rotation blocking of the brace if the amount of change measured by the pressure sensor or strain gauge is equal to or larger than a preset value Δα; And

and (d) repeating step (b) or less when the change amount measured by the pressure sensor or strain gauge is less than a predetermined value (Δα).