KR101287346B1 - Wearable robot to assist muscular strength - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a wearable robot for muscle strength support having a foot link that can minimize the burden on the wearer's ankle even when the ankle joint is formed by a manual joint. To this end, the wearable robot for strength support according to the present invention is coupled to a waist wearing portion worn on the waist of the wearer, a waist wearing portion, and coupled to one end of the leg support and the leg support to assist the movement of the thigh and shin of the wearer. A wearable robot for strength support, comprising a foot link worn on a foot of a wearer, the foot link comprising: a foot coupling member coupled to a leg support; A foot frame extending from the foot coupling member; A foot support member coupled to the foot frame so as to be relatively rotatable to a predetermined value, the foot support member being formed to contact the ground when the wearer is standing; And a shoe fixing portion coupled to the wearer's shoe.

Description

{Wearable robot to assist muscular strength}

The present invention relates to a wearable robot for muscle strength support. More specifically, the present invention relates to a wearable robot for muscle strength support having a foot link that can minimize the burden on the wearer's ankle even when the ankle joint is formed by a manual joint.

Wearable robots for muscle strength support have been developed and used for people who have difficulty walking because of muscle strength decrease due to disability or aging. In addition, such a wearable type robots are being developed not only in the fields of medical care and welfare but also in various fields such as military and industrial automation.

In addition, the wearable robot for lower extremity muscle strength supports all joints of the hip, knee, and ankle joints with active joint structure for weight transfer and compensation. However, when all the joints are configured as an active joint structure, there is a problem that the weight of the entire robot increases due to the weight of the driving motor or the hydraulic system and energy consumption is high. In addition, multi-degree of freedom controllers should be used when walking, and when carrying a heavy load, the countermeasures against the load of the heavy load must be implemented through a motor or a hydraulic system. That is, the wearable robot for lower extremity muscle strength supporting all joints with an active joint structure is not preferable in terms of joint control and energy efficiency. Therefore, in order to simplify the weight and size of the robot, a technique for forming at least one joint part of the hip joint, the knee joint, the ankle joint as a passive joint has been developed. However, in the joint portion formed by the passive joint, the burden of the wearer due to the robot and the load is increased, a situation in which technology development for controlling this is required.

In this regard, Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-0083143 discloses a "wearable robot."

An object of the present invention is to provide a wearable robot for muscle strength support having a foot link that can minimize the burden on the wearer's ankle even when the ankle joint of the robot is formed by a manual joint.

Specifically, an object of the present invention is to enable the transfer of the load transmitted from the robot link directly to the ground by placing the rotation axis of the robot close to the ground in the ankle joint formed by the passive joint.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a restriction member in the foot link, the rotation axis of the robot and the rotation axis of the wearer's ankle joint portion is inconsistent, but to provide a wearable robot for muscle strength support having a range of motion similar to the wearer's ankle. It is done.

In addition, an object of the present invention is that the shoe fixing portion is formed only in the arched center portion of the shoe bottom of the wearer, so that the wearer feels the same as wearing shoes when walking.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to enable a quick detachment using the strap portion of the shoe fixing part.

Wearable robot for strength support according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a waist wearing portion worn on the waist portion of the wearer, the leg support portion coupled to the waist wearing portion to assist the movement of the thigh and shin of the wearer, the A wearable robot for strength support, comprising a foot link coupled to one end of a leg support and worn on the foot of the wearer, wherein the foot link comprises: a foot coupling member coupled to the leg support; A foot frame extending from the foot coupling member; A foot support member coupled to the foot frame so as to be relatively rotatable to a predetermined value, the foot support member being formed to contact the ground when the wearer is standing; And a shoe fixing unit coupled to the shoe of the wearer.

At this time, the foot support member is a planar flexion movement, Dorsiflexion movement, eversion movement, inversion movement, lateral rotation movement and medial of the wearer's ankle rotation may be formed to be relatively rotatable with respect to the foot frame in response to at least one of the movements.

At this time, the foot support member and the foot frame may be coupled by a ball bearing.

At this time, the foot support member may include a first limiting member for limiting the Dorsiflexion movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value or more with respect to the foot frame; And a second limiting member configured to limit the movement of the plantar flexion above a predetermined value of the foot supporting member with respect to the foot frame.

At this time, the first limiting member limits the Dorsiflexion movement of the foot support member to the foot frame with respect to the foot frame based on the position of the wearer to 40 degrees or less, and the second limiting member is Based on the standing angle, the movement of the plantar flexion of the foot support member with respect to the foot frame may be limited to 20 degrees or less.

At this time, the foot support member is an outer limiting member for limiting the eversion movement of the foot support member more than a predetermined value relative to the foot frame; And an inner limiting member for limiting inversion movement of the foot supporting member by a predetermined value or more with respect to the foot frame.

At this time, the outer limiting member limits the outer movement of the foot support member relative to the foot frame to 10 degrees or less based on the wearer's standing position, and the inner limiting member restrains the standing position of the wearer. As a reference, the inversion movement of the foot support member with respect to the foot frame may be limited to 10 degrees or less.

In this case, the foot support member may include: an outer line limiting member configured to limit a lateral rotation of the foot support member relative to the foot frame by more than a predetermined value; And an extension limiting member configured to limit medial rotation movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value or more with respect to the foot frame.

At this time, the outer limiting member limits the lateral rotation of the foot support member relative to the foot frame to 10 degrees or less, based on the wearer's standing position, and the inner limiting member is the standing position of the wearer. The media rotation of the foot support member relative to the foot frame may be limited to 10 degrees or less based on the reference.

At this time, the foot support member may include a first limiting member for limiting the Dorsiflexion movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value or more with respect to the foot frame; A second limiting member for limiting the movement of the plantar flexion above a predetermined value of the foot supporting member relative to the foot frame; An outer limiting member for limiting an outward movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value relative to the foot frame; And an inner limiting member for limiting an inversion movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value or more with respect to the foot frame, wherein the first limiting member, the second limiting member, the outer limiting member, and the inner limiting member Is formed in the shape of a hollow frame is formed inside, the foot frame in the hollow may be formed to be relatively rotatable.

At this time, the shoe fixing portion may be fixed with the wearer's shoes in the arcuate center of the bottom of the wearer's shoes.

At this time, the shoe fixing portion is formed to surround the wearer's shoes, it may further include a detachable strap portion.

In this case, the shoe fixing unit may include a sub-shoe fixing unit formed to be adjustable in length in accordance with the size of the shoe of the wearer.

At this time, the foot coupling member may be coupled to slide and fixed with respect to the leg support.

According to the present invention, even if the ankle joint portion of the robot is formed by a manual joint, it is possible to provide a wearable robot for muscle strength support having a foot link that can minimize the burden on the wearer's ankle.

And, in the ankle joint portion formed by the passive joint, by placing the rotation axis of the robot close to the ground it is possible to directly transfer the load transmitted from the robot link to the ground.

In addition, the present invention forms a limiting member in the foot link, the rotation axis of the robot and the rotation axis of the wearer's ankle joint, but the ergonomic support wearable robot having a range of motion similar to the wearer's ankle can be provided. .

In addition, the present invention, the shoe fixing portion is formed only in the arched center portion of the shoe bottom of the wearer, it is possible to feel the same as the wearer wearing shoes when walking.

In addition, the present invention can enable rapid detachment using a strap portion, such as a shoe fixing portion.

1 is a perspective view of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view for showing that the rotational axis of the wearable robot for muscle strength support and some joints of the wearer according to the present invention coincides.
Figure 3 is a view for showing that the rotation axis of the joint between the wearable robot and the wearer for muscle strength support according to the present invention is inconsistent.
Figure 4 is a front view of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention.
5 is a side view of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention.
6 is a perspective view of the waist wearing portion and the thigh member.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6.
8 is a view for explaining the configuration for adjusting the length of the waist wearing in more detail.
9A to 9D are views illustrating various forms in which a width and a length of a waist wearing part are adjusted according to a shape or size of a wearer's waist.
10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the waist wearer when the wearer twists his leg.
It is a figure for demonstrating the left-right movement of the thigh member with respect to a waist wearing part.
12 is a perspective view of a foot link.
13 is a front view illustrating the foot link.
14 is a side view of the foot link.
15A to 15C are views for explaining a structure of a foot link that moves in response to a planar flexion movement and a dosiflexion movement of the wearer's ankle.
16 to 18 are diagrams for explaining the contents of calculating the appropriate values of the plantar flexion movement angle and the Dorsiflexion movement angle of the foot link.
19A to 19C are views for explaining a structure of a foot link that moves in response to an eversion and an inversion of the wearer's ankle.
20A to 20C are views for explaining a structure of a foot link that moves in response to lateral rotation and medial rotation of the wearer's ankle.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, a repeated description, a known function that may obscure the gist of the present invention, and a detailed description of the configuration will be omitted. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shapes and sizes of the elements in the drawings and the like can be exaggerated for clarity.

Hereinafter will be described the overall structure of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a waist wearing part 110, a thigh member 120, a shin member 140, and a foot link 160. do. At this time, the thigh member 120 and the shin member 130 may be collectively referred to as a leg support. In addition, the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a hip actuator 130 and a knee joint actuator 150 to assist the wearer's thigh movement and shin movement. In addition, the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a back frame 170. That is, in the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to the embodiment of the present invention, a foot link 160 formed with an active joint in the hip joint and the knee joint of the wearer and a passive joint in the ankle joint of the ankle is formed.

The waist wearing unit 110 is worn on the waist of the wearer. In addition, the waist wearing unit 110 may further include a belt (not shown) coupled to surround the waist of the wearer.

The thigh member 120 is worn on the thigh of the wearer. In addition, the thigh member 120 is formed to be able to swing back and forth and left and right with respect to the waist wearing part 110. This femoral member 120 includes a first thigh member 121 and a second thigh member 122. The thigh member 120 may be fixed to the thigh of the wearer using the thigh strap 125. The thigh member 120 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11.

The hip actuator 130 is coupled to the femoral member 120. The hip actuator 130 generates torque to assist the rotational movement of the thigh member 120 with respect to the waist wearing part 110 in response to the wearer's movement. At this time, a sensor for detecting the wearer's force, a sensor for measuring the activation degree of the muscle, etc. may be used to detect the wearer's movement, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the hip actuator 130 may be configured by electric or hydraulic.

The shin member 140 is worn on the shin of the wearer. The shin member 130 is swingably formed with respect to the thigh member 120.

Knee actuator 150 is coupled to the shin member 140. The knee actuator 150 generates torque to assist the rotational movement of the shin member 140 with respect to the thigh member 120 in response to the movement of the wearer. At this time, a sensor for detecting the wearer's force, a sensor for measuring the activation degree of the muscle, etc. may be used to detect the wearer's movement, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the knee joint actuator 150 may be configured by electric or hydraulic.

Foot link 160 is worn on the wearer's foot. The foot link 160 may include a foot coupling member 161, a foot frame 162, a foot support member 163, and a shoe fixing unit 164. The configuration and operation of the foot link 160 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 12 to 20C.

The back frame 170 is coupled to the waist wearing part 110 and is formed to contact the back of the wearer. The back frame 170 may be formed to accommodate various luggages.

Hereinafter, the relationship between the rotational axis of the joint of the wearer and the wearer for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a view for showing that the rotational axis of the wearable robot for muscle strength support and some joints of the wearer according to the present invention coincides. Figure 3 is a view for showing that the rotation axis of the joint between the wearable robot and the wearer for muscle strength support according to the present invention is inconsistent.

2, the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention, according to the wearer's body shape, deformation of the waist wearing portion 110, adjusting the length of the thigh member 120 and the shin member Positioning of the foot link 160 relative to 140 is possible. Accordingly, the hip extension / flexion movement axis of the wearer and the front and rear swing axes of the thigh member 120 with respect to the waist wearing part 110 are located on the same line. In addition, the wearer's internal / axial rotation axis and the internal / outer rotation axis of the thigh member 120 with respect to the waist wearing part 110 are located on the same line. That is, by adjusting the length of the femoral member 120, the wearer's hip / Lateral rotation axis and the hip actuator 130 can be located on the same line. In addition, the wearer's knee extension / flexion movement axis and the knee extension / flexion movement axis of the shin member 140 relative to the thigh member 120 are located on the same line. That is, by adjusting the position of the foot link 160 with respect to the shin member 140, the knee extension / flexion (Knee Extension / Flexion) movement axis of the wearer and the knee actuator 150 may be located on the same line. Therefore, by matching the joint axis of the wearer and the robot not only improves the wearer's fit, but also allows the wearer to walk more comfortably.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hip abduction / adduction movement shaft of a wearer and a thigh member 120 for a waist wearing part 110. Hip Abduction / Adduction axis of motion is inconsistent. In addition, the ankle dorsiflexion / Plantar flexion axis of the wearer's ankle, that is, the ankle dorsiflexion / Plantar flexion axis of movement of the foot link 160 of the robot is inconsistent. In addition, the wearer's ankle, that is, the ankle inversion / Eversion axis of the ankle and the ankle inversion / Eversion axis of the foot link 160, are inconsistent. In addition, the wearer's ankle joint, i.e., the medial / lateral rotation axis of the ankle and the medial / lateral rotation axis of the foot link 160 are inconsistent.

In the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the ankle joint is formed with a manual joint, when the joint axis of the wearer's ankle and the joint axis of the robot's ankle joint coincide, the load due to the robot and the load, etc. Can be delivered as is to the ankle joint of the wearer. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the burden on the wearer is avoided by mismatching the joint axis of the wearer's ankle and the joint axis of the robot's ankle joint. And, although the joint axis of the wearer's ankle and the joint axis of the robot are inconsistent, the movement range of the wearer can be satisfied by appropriately restricting the movement of the robot's ankle, that is, the foot link 160. A detailed description of the configuration thereof will be described later with reference to FIGS. 15A to 20C.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the waist wearing portion, the thigh member and the hip actuator of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a front view of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention. 5 is a side view of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention. 6 is a perspective view of the waist wearing portion and the thigh member. FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6. 8 is a view for explaining the configuration for adjusting the length of the waist wearing in more detail. 9A to 9D are views illustrating various forms in which a width and a length of a waist wearing part are adjusted according to a shape or size of a wearer's waist. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the waist wearer when the wearer twists his leg. It is a figure for demonstrating the left-right movement of the thigh member with respect to a waist wearing part.

Referring to FIG. 4, in the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention, the waist wearing part 110 may adjust the length of the length direction A in response to the shape of the waist of the wearer. Is formed.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention, the waist wearing part 110 may adjust the length of the width direction B in response to the shape of the waist of the wearer. Is formed. The thigh member 120 is formed to be adjustable in length (C). In addition, by adjusting the position of the foot link 160 with respect to the shin member 140, it is formed to adjust the distance (D) from the bottom of the foot link 160 of the knee joint actuator (150).

The length of the length direction A and the width direction B of the waist wearing part 110 may be adjusted to correspond to the shape of the waist of the wearer. In addition, the length C of the thigh member 120 may be adjusted and the distance D from the lower end of the foot link 160 to the knee joint actuator 150 may be adjusted in response to the length of the wearer's thigh and shin. . Accordingly, the hip extension / flexion movement axis of the wearer and the front and rear swing axes of the thigh member 120 with respect to the waist wearing part 110 are located on the same line. Then, the wearer's hip / Lateral rotation axis of motion and the hip actuator 130 are positioned on the same line. In addition, the wearer's knee extension / flexion movement axis and the knee extension / flexion movement axis of the shin member 140 relative to the thigh member 120 are located on the same line.

6 to 7, the waist wearing part 110 includes a belt 111, a supporting member 112, a length adjusting part 113, a unit link 114, a link hinge coupling part 115, and a coupling part. And 116.

The belt 111 may be formed to surround the waist of the wearer. Such, the belt 111 may be formed to be detachable to the waist of the wearer.

Support member 112 may be formed on the back of the wearer. In addition, the support member 112 may include at least one belt support part 112a for coupling with the belt 111. In addition, the support member 112 is formed to entirely support the length adjusting part 113 to be described later. In addition, the support member 112 may be equipped with a control device (not shown) for controlling the overall operation of the wearable robot 100 for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The length adjusting part 113 is mounted to the support member 112 and is formed to adjust the length of the overall length direction of the waist wearing part 110. Referring to FIG. 8, the length adjusting unit 113 may be symmetrically adjusted with respect to the rotating unit 113a by the rotation operation of the rotating unit 113a formed at the center thereof. In detail, the length adjusting part 113 includes a rotating part 113a formed of a pinion gear, a first leg gear 113d and a second leg gear 113e abutting against the pinion gear of the rotating part 113a. The first moving part 113b and the second moving part 113c may be formed to be included. In response to the rotation of the rotary part 113a, the first moving part 113b and the second moving part 113c move in opposite directions with respect to the rotating part 113a, respectively, so as to be in the longitudinal direction of the waist wearing part 110. The length is adjusted. In addition, in order to limit the length extension range of the waist wearing part 110, the first moving part 113b and the second moving part 113c are each a length adjusting part when the rotating part 113a rotates in the extending direction by a predetermined value or more. It may be configured to include an extended stop 113f formed to reach one end of the (112). Therefore, the rotation part 113a is excessively rotated to prevent the first moving part 113b and the second moving part 113c from being separated from the rotating part 113a. In addition, in order to limit the length reduction range of the waist wearing part 110, the first moving part 113b and the second moving part 113c may not rotate the rotating part 113a in a shorter direction than a predetermined value, respectively. It may be configured to include a single-axis stop (113h) formed to abut the plane portion (113i) of the other moving portion. In addition, when the rotating portion 113a rotates in the shorter direction by a predetermined value or more, a stepped portion 113g for preventing the rotating portion 113a from rotating any further is provided to each of the first moving portion 113b and the second moving portion 113c. It may be formed.

A plurality of unit link members 114 are coupled to both ends of the length adjusting unit 113. Such a plurality of unit link members are hinged to each other by the link hinge coupling portion 115, respectively. Therefore, the plurality of unit link members 114 are formed to adjust the shape in the longitudinal direction and the width direction corresponding to the waist shape of the wearer.

Accordingly, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A to 9D, the plurality of unit link members 114 may be widened or folded to correspond to the length and width of the waist of the wearer. In addition, when the wearer twists the hip joint, as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the plurality of unit link members 114 may be extended or folded, so that the hip joint motion in the circumferential direction may be smoothly performed. As such, when the wearer's hip joint is operated, the plurality of unit link members 114 may be flexibly positioned so that the wearer feels restrained by the device. Therefore, the wearing feeling of the wearer can be greatly improved.

Coupling portions 116 are formed at both side ends of the plurality of unit link members 114. The coupling portion 116 may include a belt coupling portion 116a for coupling with the belt 111 and a thigh coupling portion 116b for coupling with the thigh member 120. In this case, referring to FIG. 11, the thigh engaging portion 116b is formed as a hinge engaging portion, and the thigh member 120 is formed to be able to swing left and right with respect to the waist wearing portion 110. At this time, since the femoral member 120 and the hip actuator 130 are inevitably located on one side of the wearer, the hip abduction / adduction movement shaft of the wearer and the femoral part about the waist wearing part 110. The axis of abduction / adduction of the member 120 is inconsistent. In order to minimize the movement of the wearer due to the mismatch of the joint axis, the hip actuator 130 is coupled to the thigh member 120 to be in contact with the lower portion of the waist wearing portion 110.

6 and 11, the thigh member 120 includes a first thigh member 121 and a second thigh member 122. The first thigh member 121 is hinged to the waist wearing part 110. In addition, the hip actuator 130 may be coupled to the upper end of the first femoral member 121. The second thigh member 122 is formed to slide and fix with respect to the first thigh member 121 in order to adjust the length of the entire thigh member 120. The lower end of the second thigh member 122 is coupled to the shin member 140.

In the following, in the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the foot link will be described in more detail.

12 is a perspective view of a foot link. 13 is a front view illustrating the foot link. 14 is a side view of the foot link.

12 to 14, the foot link 160 is coupled to the lower end of the shin member 140 and is formed as a passive joint. The foot link 160 includes a foot coupling member 161, a foot frame 162, a foot support member 163, and a shoe fixing unit 164.

The foot coupling member 161 is coupled to the shin member 140. In addition, the foot coupling member 161 is coupled to slide and move in order to adjust the position of the foot link 160 with respect to the shin member 140. That is, the foot coupling member 161 may be slidingly coupled with the sliding coupling portion 140a formed in the shin member 140.

The foot frame 162 extends downward from the foot coupling member 161.

The foot support member 163 is relatively rotatably coupled to the foot frame 162. That is, the foot support member 163 is formed to be rotatable with respect to the foot frame 162 in response to the foot movement of the wearer. The foot support member 163 and the foot frame 162 may be coupled by a ball bearing. In addition, the foot support member 163 may be formed to contact the ground during the wearer's standing position. In addition, the coupling point of the foot support member 163 and the foot frame 162 is formed lower than the wearer's ankle at the wearer's stand. Therefore, loads such as robots and loads transmitted to the foot support member 163 may be transmitted to the ground as they are. The foot support member 163 includes a first limiting member 163a, a second limiting member 163b, an outer limiting member 163c, an inner limiting member 163d, an outer limiting member (not shown), and an inner limiting member. It may be configured to include (not shown).

The first limiting member 163a restricts Dorsiflexion movement of the foot supporting member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 by a predetermined value or more. The second limiting member 163b restricts the movement of the plantar flexion above the predetermined value of the foot supporting member 163 relative to the foot frame 162. The outer limiting member 163c restricts the eversion movement of the foot supporting member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 by a predetermined value or more. The inner limiting member 163d restricts the inversion movement of the foot supporting member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 by a predetermined value or more. The first limiting member 163a, the second limiting member 163b, the outer limiting member 163C, and the inner limiting member 163d are formed in the shape of a frame having a hollow formed therein, and the foot frame 162 in the hollow is formed. It may be formed to be relative rotatable. The outer limiting member restricts the lateral rotation of the foot supporting member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 by a predetermined value or more. The extension limiting member restricts the movement of the medial rotation of the foot support member 163 relative to the foot frame 162. Therefore, the joint axis of the foot link 160 and the ankle joint axis of the wearer is inconsistent, but by forming the limiting members as described above, it is possible to provide a wearable robot for muscle strength support having an operation range similar to that of the wearer's ankle in ergonomics. have. Then, the injuries of the wearer's ankle can be prevented through the above limiting members.

Shoe fixing part 164 is fixedly coupled to the wearer's shoes. The shoe fixing portion 164 may be formed only at the arcuate center portion of the bottom of the shoe of the wearer. Thus, with regard to the foot link, the wearer can feel the same as wearing only shoes when walking. The shoe fixing unit 164 may further include a sub shoe fixing unit 164a formed to be adjustable in length corresponding to the size of the shoe of the wearer. In addition, the shoe fixing part 164 may be formed to surround the wearer's shoes, and a strap part 164b may be further formed to be detachable.

In the following, in the foot link of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the foot frame relative to the foot support member corresponding to the movement of the ankle joint of the wearer will be described in more detail.

15A to 15C are views for explaining a structure of a foot link that moves in response to a planar flexion movement and a dosiflexion movement of the wearer's ankle. 16 to 18 are diagrams for explaining the contents of calculating the appropriate values of the plantar flexion movement angle and the Dorsiflexion movement angle of the foot link. 19A to 19C are views for explaining a structure of a foot link that moves in response to an eversion and an inversion of the wearer's ankle. 20A to 20C are views for explaining a structure of a foot link that moves in response to lateral rotation and medial rotation of the wearer's ankle.

FIG. 15A illustrates the positional relationship of the foot frame 162 with respect to the foot support member 163 at the wearer's stand.

FIG. 15B illustrates the positional relationship of foot frame 162 to foot support member 163 when the wearer has Dorsiflexion movement. At this time, the foot frame 162 may move only to a place where it contacts the first limiting member 163a of the foot support member 163. Specifically, for the movement of the ergonomic foot link 160, the first limiting member 163a is a dosiflexion movement of the foot support member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 based on the wearer's standing position. It can be formed to limit to 40 degrees or less.

FIG. 15C illustrates the positional relationship of the foot frame 162 to the foot support member 163 when there is a planar flexion movement of the wearer. In this case, the foot frame 162 may move only to a place where the foot frame 162 is in contact with the second limiting member 163b of the foot support member 163. Specifically, for the movement of the ergonomic foot link 160, the second limiting member 163b is a plantar flexion of the foot support member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 based on the wearer's standing position. It may be configured to limit the movement to 20 degrees or less.

The limiting angles of the Dorsiflexion motion and the Planar flexion motion of the first limiting member 163a and the second limiting member 163b are derived as follows.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an angle relationship between a dorsal flexion movement and a planar flexion movement of a wearer's ankle joint and ankle joint of a wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 16, point a represents the position of the wearer's ankle rotation axis. Point b represents the position of the ankle joint rotation axis of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention, that is, a coupling point between the foot frame and the foot support member. Point c represents the position at which the wearer's foot is engaged with the foot link (hereinafter referred to as 'foot fastening point'), that is, the position of the shoe fixing part in the standing position. L ₁ is the distance from the ground to the wearer's ankle rotation axis. L ₁ 'is the distance from the ground to the coupling point of the foot frame and foot support member of the wearable robot for strength support. L ₂ is the distance from the point (d) at which the extension line connecting the foot frame of the wearable robot for supporting the ankle joint and muscle strength of the wearer to the foot support member is in contact with the ground, and the shoe fixing portion at the time of standing. θ ₂ is the angle of rotation of the wearer's ankle joint during walking. θ _a is the angle of rotation of the ankle joint of the wearable robot for muscle strength corresponding to the rotation of the ankle joint of the wearer during walking. As shown in Figure 16, because the position of the rotation axis of the wearer's ankle and the ankle joint of the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention is inconsistent, the operation angle of each joint is different. In FIG. 16, θ ₁ , θ _3, and θ ₄ can be represented by Equations 1 to 3 below.

In Equation 3, L ₃ and L ₄ may be expressed as Equations 4 and 5 below.

Θ _a can be calculated through Equations 1 to 5 and Equation 6 below.

FIG. 17 shows dorsal flexion of the ankle joint of a wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention with respect to the dorsal flexion movement and the planar flexion movement angle θ ₂ of the wearer's ankle joint during flat walking. ) Movement and Planar flexion This is _a graph showing the degree of change of the movement angle θ _a . Referring to FIG. 17, when walking flat, the wearer's ankle joint operates in the range of -20 degrees to 10 degrees, and the ankle joint of the wearable robot for muscle strength support is operated in the range of -28 degrees to 13 degrees.

FIG. 18 shows the dorsal flexion of the ankle joint of a wearable robot for muscle strength support according to an embodiment of the present invention with respect to the dorsal flexion movement and the planar flexion movement angle θ ₂ of the ankle joint of the wearer when walking the stairs. ) Movement and Planar flexion This is _a graph showing the degree of change of the movement angle θ _a . Referring to FIG. 18, when walking the stairs, the ankle joint of the wearer operates at -25 degrees to 18 degrees, and the ankle joint of the wearable robot for muscle strength support can be seen to operate in the range of -34 degrees to 23 degrees.

Based on the above results, it can be seen that the ankle joint of the wearable robot for muscle strength support has a minimum range of movement of -28 degrees when walking flat and -34 degrees when walking stairs. The absolute value of this value represents the angle of Dorsiflexion movement of the foot support member relative to the foot frame. Therefore, considering the wearers of different body types, it is most ergonomically effective to limit the Dorsiflexion movement of the foot support member relative to the foot frame to 40 degrees or less than the absolute value of the minimum range of motion.

In addition, it can be seen that the ankle joint of the wearable robot for muscle strength support has a maximum movement range of 13 degrees when walking on flat ground and 23 degrees when walking on stairs. The absolute value of this value represents the angle of Planar flexion movement. Therefore, in order to minimize the burden on the ankle of the wearer, the movement of the plantar flexion of the foot support member with respect to the foot frame is limited to 20 degrees or less, which is between the movement angle during flat walking and the movement angle during flat walking. Is most effective in ergonomics.

19A shows the positional relationship of the foot frame 162 with respect to the foot support member 163 at the wearer's stand.

19B illustrates the positional relationship of foot frame 162 to foot support member 163 when there is an eversion movement of the wearer. At this time, the foot frame 162 may move only to the contact with the outer limit member 163c of the foot support member 163. Specifically, for the movement of the ergonomic foot link 160, the outer limiting member 163c performs an eversion movement of the foot supporting member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 based on the wearer's standing position. It can be formed to limit to below.

FIG. 19C illustrates the positional relationship of foot frame 162 to foot support member 163 when there is an inversion movement of the wearer's ankle. At this time, the foot frame 162 may move only to the place where it contacts the inner limiting member 163d of the foot support member 163. Specifically, for the movement of the ergonomic foot link 160, the inner limiting member 163d is configured to perform the inversion movement of the foot support member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 based on the wearer's standing position. It can be formed to limit to below.

20A illustrates the positional relationship of the foot frame 162 with respect to the foot support member 163 at the wearer's stand.

FIG. 20B illustrates the positional relationship of the foot frame 162 to the foot support member 163 when there is a lateral rotational movement of the wearer. At this time, the foot frame 162 may move only to the contact with the outer limiting member of the foot support member 163. Specifically, for the movement of the ergonomic foot link 160, the outer limit member is less than 10 degrees of the lateral rotation of the foot support member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 based on the wearer's standing position. It may be configured to limit to.

FIG. 20C illustrates the positional relationship of foot frame 162 to foot support member 163 when there is medial rotational movement of the wearer. At this time, the foot frame 162 may move only to the contact with the extension limit member of the foot support member 163. Specifically, for the movement of the ergonomic foot link 160, the extension limiting member is less than 10 degrees of the medial rotation of the foot support member 163 relative to the foot frame 162 based on the wearer's standing position. It may be configured to limit to.

As described above, the wearable robot for muscle strength support according to the present invention may not be limitedly applied to the configuration and method of the embodiments described as described above, but the embodiments may be modified in various ways so that various modifications may be made. Or some may be selectively combined.

100; Wearable Robot for Strength Support
110; Waist wearing part
111; Belt 112; Supporting member
112a; Belt support 113; Length control
113a; Rotating part 113b; First moving part
113c; Second moving part 113d; First rack gear
113e; Second rack gear 113f; Extended stop
113 g; Step portion 113h; Single stop
113i; Plain part
114; Unit link member 115; Link Hinge Coupling
116; Engaging portion
116a; Belt coupling portion 116b; Femoral junction
120; Femoral component
121; First thigh member 122; Second thigh member
125; Thigh Strap
130; Hip joint actuator
140; Shin member
140a; Sliding coupling 145; Shin strap part
150; Knee Actuator
160; Foot link
161; Foot coupling member 162; Foot frame
163; Foot support member 163a; First limiting member
163b; Second limiting member 163c; Outside limiting member
163d; Next time limiting member
164; Shoe fixing portion 164a; Sub shoe fixings
164b; The strap portion
170; Back frame

Claims (12)

A waist link worn on the waist of the wearer, a leg support coupled to the waist worn to assist movement of the thigh and shin of the wearer, and a foot link coupled to one end of the leg support and worn on the foot of the wearer In the wearable robot for muscle strength support, wherein the foot link,
A foot coupling member coupled to the leg support;
A foot frame extending from the foot coupling member;
A foot support member coupled to the foot frame so as to be relatively rotatable to a predetermined value, the foot support member being formed to contact the ground when the wearer is standing; And
A shoe fixing unit coupled to the wearer's shoe,
The shoe fixing unit,
The wearable robot for muscle strength support, comprising: a sub-shoe fixing part fixed to the wearer's shoe at an arcuate center portion of the bottom of the wearer's shoe, the sub shoe fixing part being adjustable in length corresponding to the shoe size of the wearer. The method according to claim 1,
The foot support member
At least one of a planar flexion movement, a dosiflexion movement, an eversion movement, an inversion movement, an lateral rotation movement, and a medial rotation movement of the wearer's ankle. Wearable robot for muscle strength support, characterized in that formed relative to the foot frame rotatably. The method according to claim 2,
The foot support member and the foot frame are wearable robot for strength support, characterized in that coupled by a ball bearing. The method according to claim 2,
The foot support member
A first limiting member for limiting Dorsiflexion movement above a predetermined value of the foot support member relative to the foot frame; And
And a second limiting member for restricting the movement of the plantar flexion above a predetermined value of the foot support member with respect to the foot frame. The method of claim 4,
The first limiting member restricts the Dorsiflexion movement of the foot support member to the foot frame with respect to the foot frame to 40 degrees or less, based on the position of the wearer.
The second limiting member is a wearable robot for muscle strength support, characterized in that to limit the movement of the plantar flexion (Plantar flexion) of the foot support member to the foot frame relative to the foot frame of 20 degrees or less. The method according to claim 2,
The foot support member
An outer limiting member for limiting an outward movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value relative to the foot frame; And
And an inner limiting member for limiting an inversion movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value with respect to the foot frame. The method of claim 6,
The outer limiting member limits an outer movement of the foot supporting member relative to the foot frame to 10 degrees or less based on the wearer's standing position.
The inner limiting member is a wearable robot for strength support, characterized in that to limit the inversion (inversion) movement of the foot support member with respect to the foot frame based on the wearer's stand position. The method according to claim 2,
The foot support member
An outer line limiting member for limiting a lateral rotation of the foot support member relative to the foot frame by more than a predetermined value; And
And a station limiting member for limiting a media rotation movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value or more with respect to the foot frame. The method according to claim 8,
The outer limiting member restricts the lateral rotation of the foot supporting member to the foot frame with respect to the foot frame at 10 degrees or less, based on the wearer's standing position.
And the extension limiting member limits a media rotation of the foot support member relative to the foot frame to 10 degrees or less based on the wearer's standing position. The method according to claim 2,
The foot support member
A first limiting member for limiting Dorsiflexion movement above a predetermined value of the foot support member relative to the foot frame;
A second limiting member for limiting the movement of the plantar flexion above a predetermined value of the foot supporting member relative to the foot frame;
An outer limiting member for limiting an outward movement of the foot support member by a predetermined value relative to the foot frame; And
An inner limiting member for limiting an inversion movement of the foot support member above a predetermined value relative to the foot frame,
The first limiting member, the second limiting member, the outer limiting member and the inner limiting member are formed in a shape of a frame having a hollow formed therein, and the foot frame is formed to be relatively rotatable in the hollow. Wearable robot for strength support. The method according to claim 1,
The shoe fixing unit
The wearable robot for muscle strength support, which is formed to surround the wearer's shoes, further comprising a detachable strap part. The method according to claim 1,
The foot coupling member is a wearable robot for strength support, characterized in that coupled to the sliding movement and fixed to the leg support.

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