The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Republic of China (Taiwan) application number TW110114064, filed on 2021 Apr. 20, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a wearable exoskeleton, especially a non-powered wearable exoskeleton that assists in supporting the heavy objects carried by the user.
Wearable exoskeletons have gradually been used in medical, industrial and military applications. Medical exoskeletons are designed to help users regain mobility. Industrial and military exoskeletons help prevent injury and enhance the user's strength. Industrial exoskeletons are especially used to reduce the load on workers during labor, prevent workers from getting injured and improve their stamina and physical strength.
Different types of industrial exoskeletons are suitable for people with different labor services, such as weeding, spraying, logistics and warehousing, and delivery. Their waists, hips, and knees are particularly prone to muscle and bone injuries due to long-term heavy loads. In order to prevent or mitigate such occupational injuries, exoskeletons with auxiliary back frames are a good solution.
Exoskeletons are usually divided into powered and non-powered ones. The powered exoskeleton control system controls the joint trajectory of the exoskeleton and guides the movement of the exoskeleton structure. However, when individual users have different movement habits or need to perform instantaneous and precise operations, the powered exoskeleton may cause wrong motion trajectories. In addition, powered exoskeletons must be equipped with power sources, actuating elements, sensing elements and complex electromechanical designs, which makes the existing exoskeleton assistive devices heavy and inconvenient to wear, expensive and difficult to maintain.
Therefore, there is still a lack of a non-active power exoskeleton technology that effectively guides and offsets the weight carried in the technical field, which has become a problem to be solved.
In view of this, the present invention provides a non-active power wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support for a user to wear to assist the user to carry an object. The wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support comprises a back frame set and a lower limb link rod set. The back frame set further comprises a sliding rod and an object seat. The object seat is coupled to the sliding rod and capable of sliding, and the object seat is configured for carrying the object. The lower limb link rod set comprises a plurality of lower link rods connected in series and pivotally connected to each other, and one end of the lower limb link rod set is coupled to the object seat. When the wearable exoskeleton is worn by the user, the back frame set is fixed on the back of the user, and the lower limb link rod set is fixed on the outer side of at least one lower limb of the user, and the lower limb link rod set is actuated in response to the flexing or erecting movements of the user's lower limb. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set contacts the ground with the action of the at least one lower limb, the ground provides an upward reaction force, and the reaction force is transmitted to the object seat through the lower limb link rod set to push up the object.
The object seat of the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support further comprises a load slider and a support slider. The load slider slidably is configured on the sliding rod and having a bracket. The support slider slidably is configured on the sliding rod. The support slider is located under the load slider and is coupled to one end of the lower limb link rod set.
The wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support further comprises at least two sliding rods, at least two support sliders and at least two lower limb link rod sets symmetrically configured according to the user's sagittal plane respectively. Wherein, the support sliders are a left support slider and a right support slider respectively and slidably coupled to the at least two sliding rods. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set on the left side contacts the ground and the other end of the lower limb link rod set on the right side leaves the ground, the left support slider supports the load slider.
Wherein, one of the left support slider and the right support slider has a longitudinal protruding portion, and the other has a longitudinal concave portion. The longitudinal protruding portion and the longitudinal concave portion cooperate with each other to limit the rotation of the support sliders in horizontal direction.
Wherein, when the user walks, the left support slider and the right support slider support the load slider by turns.
The wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support further comprises a hip link rod, and the position of which is corresponding to the user's hip. One end of the hip link rod is coupled to the support slider of the object seat, and the other end of the hip link rod is pivotally connected to the lower limb link rod set. Wherein, when the other end of the lower limb link rod set contacts the ground with the movement of the at least one lower limb of user, the reaction force provided by the ground is sequentially transmitted to the bracket through the lower limb link rod set, the hip link rod, the support slider, and the load slider to push up the object.
Wherein, the lower limb link rod set further comprises an above-knee link rod group, a knee joint group and an under-knee link rod group. One end of the above-knee link rod group is pivotally connected to the other end of the hip link rod, and the above-knee link rod includes an elastic element coaxial with the above-knee link rod group. One end of the knee joint group is pivotally connected to the other end of the above-knee link rod group. The under-knee link rod group is pivotally connected to the other end of the knee joint group.
In an embodiment, the elastic element is an extension spring. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set extends to contact the ground, the extension spring is stretched to generate a spring restoring force to offset part of the load.
In another embodiment, the elastic element is a compression spring. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set extends to contact the ground, the compression spring is compressed to generate a spring restoring force to offset part of the load.
The lower limb link rod set further comprises an above-ankle link rod, a return cylinder and an under-ankle link rod. The above-ankle link rod is hinged to the under-knee link rod group. The return cylinder is hinged to the upper ankle link rod, and the return cylinder comprises a round wire spring. The under-ankle link rod is hinged to the return cylinder and is configured to contact the ground.
In summary, the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support disclosed in the present invention is suitable for being worn on the back and lower body of the human body, and the back frame is provided with the object seat connected by the link rods to extend to contact the ground. When the object is fixed on the object seat, part of the weight of the load object is transmitted to the ground through the link rods, which produces the effect of auxiliary support and achieves the effect of reducing the load imposed on the user. The elastic element therein can generate a reverse force corresponding to the gravity, further reducing the load imposed on the user. The support sliders of the object seat are divided into left support slider and right support slider, which can respectively produce up and down displacement corresponding to the sliding state of the left and right feet of the human body, thereby achieving the effect that the support sliders take turns supporting the load during walking without restraining each other's elbows.
The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood by the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:
The advantages, spirits, and features of the present invention will be explained and discussed with embodiments and figures as follows.
In order to make the advantages, spirit and features of the present invention easier and clearer, it will be detailed and discussed in the following with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings.
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The present invention provides a non-active power wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E for a user U to wear to assist the user U to carry objects. The wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E comprises a back frame set 1 and a lower limb link rod set 2. The back frame set 1 further comprises a sliding rod 11 and an object seat 12. The object seat 12 is coupled to the sliding rod 11 and can slide up and down along the axis of the sliding rod 11, and the object seat 12 is configured for carrying objects. The lower limb link rod set 2 comprises a plurality of lower link rods that are connected in series and pivotally connected to each other, and one end of the lower limb link rod set 2 is coupled to the object seat 12.
When the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E is worn by the user U, the back frame set 1 is fixed on the back of the user U, and the lower limb link rod set 2 is fixed on the outer side of at least one lower limb of the user U, and the lower limb link rod set 2 is actuated in response to the flexing or erecting movements of the lower limb of the user U.
When the other end of the lower limb link rod set 2 contacts the ground F with the action of the lower limb, the ground F provides an upward reaction force, and the reaction force is transmitted to the object seat 12 through the lower limb link rod set 2 to push up the object, as shown in
When the other end of the lower limb link rod set 2 leaves the ground F with the action of the lower limb, the lower limb link rod set 2 does not provide the upward reaction force, and the weight of the object is applied to a bracket 125 of the object seat 12 and the object seat 12 sinks.
The action of the plurality of lower link rods connected in series and pivotally connected to each other corresponds to the flexion and extension movement of the lower limbs of the user U, and the axis of the action of the lower link rods roughly coincides with the axis of the flexion and extension movement of the user U.
The lower limb link rod set 2 is coupled to the object seat 12 that slides up and down, so that the weight of the object seat 12 and the object is guided down to the lower limb link rod set 2 along the direction of the sliding rod 11. In this way, the lower limb link rod set 2 can bear the weight of the object to the maximum extent, and then transmit it to the ground. If the object seat 12 is a fixed type, the force is easily distributed to the user U obliquely, and the weight of the object is borne by the waist and lower limbs of the user U.
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The wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E further comprises at least two sliding rods 11, at least two support sliders 122, at least two slider crossbars, at least two hip link rods 3 and at least two lower limb link rod sets 2 symmetrically configured according to the sagittal plane of the user U respectively. The support sliders 122 are a left support slider 122L and a right support slider 122R respectively and slidably coupled to the at least one sliding rod 11. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set 2 on the left side contacts the ground F and the other end of the lower limb link rod set 2 on the right side leaves the ground F, the left support slider 122L supports the load slider 120.
The two slider crossbars are the left slider crossbar 124L and the right slider crossbar 124R, respectively. One end of the left slider crossbar 124L is fixed on the left support slider 122L and extends to the left side. The other end of the left slider crossbar 124L is adjustable and fixed on one end of a left hip link rod 3L. The right slider crossbar 124R is fixed on the right support slider 122R and extends to the right side. The other end of the right slider crossbar 124R is adjustable and fixed to one end of a right hip link rod 3R.
The user U can support the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E arranged symmetrically on the left and right sides, or can choose the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E with one side. The so-called unilateral wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E means that one leg of the user is not equipped with the lower limb link rod set 2, or the lower limb link rod set 2 cannot transmit the reaction force to the object seat. At this time, the skeleton on the other side can still move normally, achieving the effect of reducing the strength of one leg.
Any support slider 122 is crossed by two or more sliding rods 11, so that the support slider 122 does not rotate in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, one of the left support slider 122L and the right support slider 122R has a longitudinally protruding portion 122P, and the other has a longitudinally concave portion 122S. The longitudinal protruding portion 122P and the longitudinally concave portion 122S cooperate with each other to limit the horizontal rotation of the left support slider 122L and the right support slider 122R. Longitudinal direction means that the direction is same as that of the sliding rods 11, so that the support slider 122 can slide up and down. Taking
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The hip link rod 3 is further divided into the left hip link rod 3L and the right hip link rod 3R. The left hip link rod 3L is locked on the other end of the left slider crossbar 124L. The right hip link rod 3R is locked to the other end of the right slider crossbar 124R. One of the main functions of the slider crossbar 124 and the hip link rod 3 is to extend the back frame structure from the back of the user U to the outer side of the thigh of the user U. There is a dish bolt 126 between the hip link rod 3 and the slider crossbar 124. By loosening the connection between the hip link rod 3 and the slider crossbar 124 by the dish bolt 126, the width of the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support E can be adjusted according to the width of the hip of the user U, and can adjust the angle between the hip link rod 3 and the horizontal plane.
The hip link rod 3 further comprises a hip upper swingarm 31 and a hip lower swingarm 32. The hip lower swingarm 32 is sleeved outside the hip upper swingarm 31 and locked with each other. The hip upper swingarm 31 and the hip lower swingarm 32 are also detachable to adjust the length of the hip link rod 3 to match the thickness of the hip of the user U.
The hip link rod 3 also has a spherical bearing 33 for connecting the lower limb link rod set 2. The spherical bearing 33 is beneficial to the multi-directional rotation of the lower limb link rod set 2.
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The lower limb link rod set 2 further comprises a leg sliding slip 24, a leg restraint 25, and an ankle universal joint 26. The leg sliding slip 24 is slidably disposed on the above-knee link rod group 21. The leg restraint 25 is connected to the leg sliding slip 24. The leg restraint 25 is further divided into an above-knee restraint and an under-knee restraint, which are connected and can be actuated with the bending of the knee. The ankle universal joint 26 is configured for cooperating with the multi-directional movement of the ankle joint.
The under-knee link rod group 23 further comprises an under-knee link rod tube 230 and an adjust link rod 231, and the adjust link rod 231 penetrates into the under-knee link rod tube 230 from below. There are holes on both sides to allow the pins to pass through. According to the relative fixed positions of the under-knee link rod tube 230 and the adjust link rod 231, the length of the under-knee link rod group 23 can be adjusted according to the foot lengths of different users.
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In one embodiment, the elastic element 215 is an extension spring. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set 2 extends to contact the ground, the extension spring is stretched to generate a spring restoring force to offset part of the load.
In another embodiment, the elastic element 215 is a compression spring. When the other end of the lower limb link rod set extends to contact the ground, the compression spring is compressed to generate a spring restoring force to offset part of the load.
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When the knee of the user's unilateral foot is bent and moved forward with a stride, the lower limb link rod set 2 of the bent foot does not support the weight of the back frame. However, based on the length of the lower limb link rod set 2 and its own weight, the lower limb link rod set 2 for bending the foot will sag and the bottom end protrudes beyond the sole. When the lower limb link rod set 2 exceeds the sole of the shoe, it is easy to drag on the ground, which seriously interferes with the user's walking on the ground. The setting of the round wire spring 275 in the return cylinder 27 can offset the weight of the lower limb link rod set 2 upward, thereby restraining the lower limb link rod set 2 to sag extension length not exceeding the sole of the user's foot, so as not to hinder walking.
In addition, when the ground is uneven, the shoe pedal position and the foot pad position may fall on different levels. At this time, the return cylinder 270 can also provide a buffer space.
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In summary, the wearable exoskeleton with auxiliary back frame support disclosed in the present invention is suitable for being worn on the back and lower body of the human body, and the back frame is provided with the object seat extending to contact the ground through the linkage of the link rods. When the object is fixed on the object seat, part of the weight of the load object is transmitted to the ground through the link rod, which produces the effect of auxiliary support and achieves the effect of reducing the load imposed on the user. The elastic element therein can generate a reverse force corresponding to the gravity, further reducing the load imposed on the user. The support slider of the object seat is divided into left and right sides, which can respectively produce up and down displacement corresponding to the sliding state of the left and right feet of the human body, thereby achieving the effect that the sliders take turns supporting the load during walking without restraining each other's elbows
With the detailed description of the above embodiments, it is hoped that the features and spirit of the present invention can be more clearly described, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments disclosed above. On the contrary, the intention is to cover various changes and equivalent arrangements within the scope of the patents to be applied for in the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the patentable scope for which the present invention is claimed should be construed in the broadest sense in accordance with the above description so as to encompass all possible modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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110114064 | Apr 2021 | TW | national |