KR102256225B1 - Lower-Body Assistance Robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lower body assistance robot which is worn on a lower body of a wearer, who has lowered or lost a lower body function, to assist lower body movement of the wearer. The lower body assistance robot provides assistance power to a hip joint, a knee joint and an ankle joint of a lower body of a wearer so as to enable independent walking. The lower body assistance robot can minimize the volume and weight of an exoskeleton mounted in a lower body of a wearer including actuators installed in individual joints.

Description

Lower-Body Assistance Robot

The present invention relates to a lower body auxiliary robot. In more detail, the present invention relates to a lower body assisting robot for assisting the movement of the lower body of the wearer by being worn on the lower body of the wearer whose lower body function is deteriorated or lost, and provides assistance to the hip, knee and ankle joints of the lower body The lower body auxiliary robot that enables independent walking, provides auxiliary support in the non-walking standing position of the wearer, and minimizes the volume and weight of the exoskeleton mounted on the lower body of the wearer including actuators provided in each joint. It is about.

Wearable auxiliary robots are being introduced as a means of assisting the behavior of patients whose lower body functions are degraded or lost due to congenital disorders or acquired factors such as accidents or diseases.

The purpose of the wearable lower body auxiliary robot is to enable independent walking by the assisting force provided by the wearer's lower body auxiliary robot whose lower body function is deteriorated or the lower body movement function is lost.

In the case of a disabled or patient whose lower body is completely paralyzed, the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint muscle strength or motor ability is lost, and assistance should be provided to all joints.

The lower body auxiliary robot can be configured with an exoskeleton structure similar to that of the wearer's body and surrounds the wearer's body.

In order to support the hip, knee, and ankle joints, a actuator is required to provide assistance to each joint, but the actuators of the hip, knee, and ankle joints have differences in the number and weight of the connected parts, so take this into account. Need

For example, in the hip joint actuator, in addition to the femoral support that supports the wearer's thigh, the knee joint actuator and the lower leg support that supports the lower leg are connected to the ankle joint actuator and the foot support that supports the wearer's foot. Driving force is required. On the other hand, in the case of the ankle joint actuator, since it is configured with a structure that provides assistance only to the ankle joint, the required output may not be larger than that of the hip joint.

Therefore, when the actuators of the same structure are sequentially mounted on the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint, the weight and size of the lower body auxiliary robot may be excessively increased.

The wearable lower body assist robot sufficiently assists the wearer's lower body behavior, that is, the wearer's walking, while the need to minimize weight and volume is related to the driving time of the wearable robot driven by a rechargeable battery.

In addition, the joint actuator is mainly composed of a motor, and the weight or volume of each joint actuator is minimized, and even if the femoral support part and the lower leg support part are configured to be slim, the living environment of the robot wearer is increased in the axial direction of the joint actuator. Since interference with surrounding objects may occur in the device, it is not desirable, so the thickness variation of the femoral support or the lower leg support should also be minimized while configuring each joint actuator to be slim.

In addition, in the case of a disabled or patient whose lower body is completely paralyzed, the balance cannot be maintained by lower body muscle strength, so even when a walking or standing operation is performed while wearing a robot, a cane or the like can be used as a balance maintenance aid.

However, when a cane is used in a standing motion in addition to a walking motion in which the use of a cane is inevitable, the burden on the upper body or arm is high, and an auxiliary means for assisting the balance in the standing motion is required.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0010609

The present invention relates to a lower body assisting robot for assisting the movement of the lower body of the wearer by being worn on the lower body of the wearer whose lower body function is deteriorated or lost, and provides an assistive force to the hip joint, knee joint and ankle joint of the lower body of the wearer to enable independent walking. It is possible to provide an auxiliary support force in the non-walking standing posture of the wearer, and to provide a lower body auxiliary robot that can minimize the volume and weight of the exoskeleton mounted on the lower body of the wearer including actuators provided in each joint. Make it the task to be solved.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a main body including a controller for providing a control signal and a battery for providing power, the main body mounted at the rear, and extending to a side area of the hip joint of the wearer, and the main body. A waist support unit including a waist wearing member mounted on the inner side of the frame and mounted on the wearer's waist region, a pair of hip joint actuators mounted at the ends of the body frame of the waist support unit, and driven by the hip joint actuator, and the wearer's thigh A femoral support that provides rotational assistance to the femoral support, a pair of knee joint actuators mounted at the ends of the femoral support, and driven by the knee joint actuator, the lower leg support that provides rotational assistance to the wearer's thigh, and mounted on the lower leg support, It is possible to provide a lower body auxiliary robot including an ankle joint actuator having a linear motor and a foot support portion mounted on an end of the lower leg support portion, driven by the ankle joint actuator, and providing an ankle rotation assist force of the wearer.

In addition, the lower body auxiliary robot is provided to prevent the lower body auxiliary robot from falling forward in a non-walking state, mounted on the lower leg support and driven by the driving motor and the driving motor to selectively deploy forward to the ground. It may further include a balance auxiliary unit including a support bar for supporting the.

Here, the controller may drive the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator so that the femoral support portion and the lower leg support portion are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction when the support bar of the balance assist unit is deployed.

In addition, the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator are coupled to a housing, a stator provided inside the housing, a rotor provided inside the stator, a reduction unit provided inside the rotor to perform deceleration and torque amplification, and the reduction unit. And a driving unit that is fastened to the femoral support or the output member of the lower leg support to transmit a driving force, and the housing may be configured in a cylindrical shape.

In addition, the hip joint actuator may be coupled to an output member provided at an upper end of the femoral support while being mounted between the body frame constituting the waist support and the waist wearing member.

In addition, the knee joint actuator may be coupled to an output member constituting the lower leg support unit while being mounted on the lower end of the femoral support unit.

In addition, the femoral support portion between the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator is equipped with a housing to form an internal space corresponding to the thickness of the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator, and the hip joint actuator, the knee joint actuator, and an ankle joint inside the housing At least one circuit part connected to the controller may be provided to control the driver or the balance auxiliary unit.

Here, the lower leg support portion is fastened in the direction of the output member, includes a lower leg wearing member surrounding the rear of the lower leg of the wearer, and the foot support portion may be rotatably mounted on the lower end of the lower leg wearing member.

In addition, the foot support portion is rotatably coupled to the lower end of the lower leg wearing member constituting the lower leg support portion and includes a foot support frame for supporting the plantar surface, and an output member constituting the lower leg support portion and the foot support portion The foot support frame may be connected to a linear motor constituting the ankle joint actuator.

In this case, the lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that it is provided with a connecting member for connecting each of the both ends of the linear motor constituting the ankle joint actuator and the output member constituting the lower leg support portion and the foot support frame constituting the foot support portion.

In addition, the support bar of the balance auxiliary unit may be rotatably mounted to the output member or the connecting member constituting the lower leg support by a driving motor facing downward.

According to the lower body auxiliary robot according to the present invention, it is provided with an actuator of the joint region (hip joint, knee joint, ankle joint) of the wearer and a support portion of the skeletal region (femur, lower leg, foot), by mutual organic coupling and driving of each component, The wearer who is unable to move the lower body can assist the walking motion to enable the wearer's lower body behavior.

In addition, in the lower body auxiliary robot according to the present invention, the actuator provided in the hip joint region and the knee joint region of the wearer provides sufficient assisting force for driving the lower body auxiliary robot, and at the same time, the volume and weight can be minimized.

In addition, the lower body auxiliary robot according to the present invention can provide an exoskeleton structure capable of minimizing interference with surrounding objects by minimizing the thickness deviation of the joint actuator and the skeletal region (femur, lower leg, foot) support.

In addition, the lower body assisting robot according to the present invention is provided with a balance assisting unit as a means to assist balance in a non-walking state of the wearer, for example, a standing motion, so that the burden on the upper body of the wearer can be reduced to maintain balance. have.

1 shows a lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention
2 shows an example of the walking motion of the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exploded perspective view of a lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 illustrates a hip joint actuator and a knee joint actuator included in the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a hip joint actuator and a knee joint actuator included in the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 shows a perspective view of a reduction unit constituting the joint actuator of the present invention.
7 shows an exploded view of a reduction unit constituting the joint actuator of the present invention.
8 shows a lower leg support, a foot support, and a balance assist unit in the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a cross-sectional view of a linear motor included in an ankle joint actuator of a lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operating state of a foot support that is driven as the ankle joint actuator of the lower body auxiliary robot is driven according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 shows a balance assistance unit applied to the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 illustrates a state in which a balance assist unit is operated in a lower body assist robot according to an embodiment of the present invention to assist balance in a standing operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described below are only described in detail enough to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to carry out the invention easily, and this does not mean that the protection scope of the present invention is limited. Does not. In addition, in describing various embodiments of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for components having the same technical characteristics.

The present invention relates to a lower body assisting robot that assists the lower body function of the wearer, and provides rotational assistance to the hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint constituting the lower body of the wearer's body, and through this, the movement of the thigh, lower leg, and foot By allowing, it is possible to enable lower body behavior such as walking of a worn vehicle that has lost its lower body function due to a congenital disorder or an acquired factor.

1 shows a lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, FIG. 1 shows a lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) of FIG. 1 is a perspective view, and (b) of FIG. 1 is a side view.

The lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 100 including a controller (not shown) for providing a control signal and a battery (not shown) for providing power, and the main body 100 Is mounted at the rear, and includes a body frame 210 extending to the side area of the hip joint of the wearer, and a waist wearing member 220 mounted on the inner side of the body frame 210 and mounted on the waist area of the wearer ( 200) may be included.

The waist support part 200 enables the lower body auxiliary robot 1 to be mounted on the upper waist region of the wearer, and at the same time, the body part 100 is provided by the wearer who wears the lower body auxiliary robot 1. It controls the driving of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the intention, and may function to supply power for driving.

The lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is driven by a pair of hip joint actuators 300 mounted at the ends of the body frame 210 of the waist support portion 200, and the hip joint actuator 300 It is driven by the femoral support 400 providing rotational assistance to the wearer's thigh, a pair of knee joint actuators 500 mounted at the ends of the femoral support 400, and the knee joint actuator 500, and the wearer's The lower leg support 600 providing rotational assistance to the thigh, the ankle joint actuator 700 mounted on the lower leg support 600 and having a linear motor 710, and mounted at the end of the lower leg support 600 , It is driven by the ankle joint actuator 700, it may include a foot support portion 800 for providing an ankle rotation assisting force of the wearer.

As described above, in the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body 100 controls the driving of the lower body auxiliary robot 1, and at a position corresponding to each configuration of the lower body of the wearer, the A waist support part 200, the hip joint actuator 300, the femoral support part 400, the knee joint actuator 500, the lower leg support part 600, the ankle joint actuator 700 and the foot support part 800 are provided. Can be.

That is, the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the present invention includes all of the components corresponding to the main body regions corresponding to each joint part and the skeleton part of the lower body configuration among the wearer's body, and by a joint actuator provided in each joint. As with the normal body, assisting power is provided to enable the lower body behavior such as independent walking of a completely paralyzed disabled person or a patient wearing the lower body assisting robot (1).

2 shows an example of the walking motion of the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 2 shows a walking form of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a perspective view, and FIG. 2B shows a side view.

Hereinafter, each configuration of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be reviewed in more detail.

3 is an exploded perspective view of a lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The body unit 100 may provide power and a control signal for driving the lower body auxiliary robot 1, and through this, the lower body auxiliary robot 1 may function to assist the wearer's walking.

Specifically, the main body 100 supplies power to a plurality of driving devices provided in the lower body auxiliary robot 1, such as the hip joint actuator 300, the knee joint actuator 500, and the ankle joint actuator 700. Control signal providing means for controlling driving of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 by applying a control signal according to the battery and the wearer's walking cycle or walking program to a plurality of driving devices provided in the lower body auxiliary robot 1 In other words, it may include a controller.

Of course, the controller may receive a sensor signal detected by at least one sensor provided in the lower body auxiliary robot 1 and generate a feedback control signal based on the sensor signal.

An example of the sensor may be a plantar pressure sensor installed on a foot support or the like to determine a gait cycle.

The controller includes a plurality of driving devices for driving the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to a walking cycle or a walking program of the lower body auxiliary robot 1, that is, the hip joint actuator 300, the knee joint actuator 500, and the Power supplied to the ankle joint actuator 700 may be controlled.

Here, the control signal of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 may be generated according to a walking cycle or a walking program of the wearer, or may be input and provided to a remote control held by the wearer.

The waist support part 200 functions to mount the body part 100 to the lower body auxiliary robot 1, and at the same time, provides a wearing function for the lower body auxiliary robot 1 at the waist of the wearer. have.

Specifically, the waist support part 200 may include a body frame 210 on which the body part 100 is mounted at the rear and extends to a side area of the hip joint of the wearer. That is, the body frame 210 may function to integrate the body part 100 with the lower body auxiliary robot 1 by providing a mounting place for the body part 100, and with this, the lower body assistance Since the robot 1 is formed to extend to both side areas of the hip joint of the wearer, the frame of the wearing area for the lower body auxiliary robot 1 of the wearer can be provided.

Subsequently, the body frame 210 may include a waist wearing member 220 mounted on the wearer's waist region. The waist wearing member 220 may be mounted on both side areas of the hip joint and the waist area of the wearer, thereby enabling the wearer to wear the lower body auxiliary robot 1.

That is, the body frame 210 constituting the waist support part 200 functions to mount the body part 100 in the rear area of the wearer, and at the same time, the wearer's wearing area frame for the lower body auxiliary robot 1 In addition, the waist wearing member 220 may provide a direct wearing function of the wearer for the lower body auxiliary robot 1.

The hip joint actuator 300 may be mounted at an end of the body frame 210 constituting the lumbar support 200, that is, the end of the body frame 210 extending to the side area of the hip joint of the wearer, and the hip joint The driver 300 may be driven by power and a control signal provided from the main body 100.

Here, the hip joint actuator 300 may be mounted between the body frame 210 constituting the waist support part 200 and the waist wearing member 220. In one embodiment of the present invention, when the hip joint actuator 300 is disposed between the body frame 210 and the waist wearing member 220, the thickness of the joint actuator protruding to the outside is minimized, and the joint actuator is an exoskeleton. You can get the effect of being installed inside the robot's skeleton.

Through this, the hip joint actuator 300 may allow the femoral support portion 400 to be driven with respect to the ends of the body frame 210 and the waist acting portion 220, and for this purpose, the hip joint actuator 300 It is coupled to the output member 410 provided on the upper end of the femoral support part 400 to provide a driving force as a joint assisting force for rotation of the joint.

In this way, the hip joint actuator 300 is mounted between the body frame 210 and the waist acting portion 220 to minimize a configuration protruding in the axial direction, thereby minimizing interference with surrounding objects during walking movement. .

The wearing member 220 may be made of various materials such as plastic, carbon, or fiber-reinforced plastic having sufficient rigidity, and the wearing member 220 may be customized according to the body size of the wearer.

The output member 410 is configured to directly connect the femoral support part 400 and the hip joint actuator 300, and a driving force for driving the entire femoral support part 400 with a rotational driving force provided from the hip joint actuator 300 Can be utilized as

The hip joint actuator 300 is fixedly mounted to the body frame 210 with a fastening member such as a bolt, and the driving unit 80 (refer to FIG. 5) of the hip joint actuator 300 is an output member 410 of the femoral support part 400 ) Can be concluded.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the hip joint actuator 300 is located between the body frame 210 and the waist wearing member 220, the output member 410 is outside the body frame 210 It may be combined with the driving unit 80 (see FIG. 5) of the hip joint actuator 300 mounted to be exposed to the same.

The femoral support part 400 driven by the hip joint actuator 300 may function to provide rotational assistance to the thigh of the wearer of the lower body auxiliary robot 1.

Although not shown in the drawings, a fixing means such as a femoral wearing member or a band for fixing the femoral support part 400 and the wearer's thigh may be further provided.

In one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 may be mounted at both ends of the femoral support part 400, and the lower body auxiliary robot 1 wearer A housing 420 for providing the entire skeletal structure of the femoral support part 400 may be provided in a region between the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 to configure a shape corresponding to the femoral skeleton of.

Here, the inner side of the housing 420 is in the form of at least one substrate connected to the controller of the main body 100 for controlling the hip joint actuator 300, the knee joint actuator 500, or the ankle joint actuator 700 The circuit unit and wiring may be arranged.

As will be described later, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 have a cylindrical shape, and the housing 420 connecting the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 is a hip joint actuator 300 And since it has a thickness corresponding to the knee joint actuator 500, both joint actuators 300 and 500 and the femoral support part 400 are generally configured in a shape that does not protrude outward, and the housing constituting the femoral support part 400 (420) In the inner space, a board or a cable assembly equipped with a controller, a circuit part, etc. are arranged, so that a board or cable exposed to the outside of the exoskeleton structure can be omitted, thereby improving the aesthetics and finish of the product. The degree of fixation of the product due to interference or collision with surrounding objects can be reduced.

The knee joint actuator 500 may be mounted at the end of the femoral support part 400 on which the hip joint actuator 300 is mounted, that is, at a position corresponding to the knee joint region of the wearer of the lower body auxiliary robot 1, and the knee joint Like the hip joint actuator 300, the actuator 500 may be driven by receiving power from the main body 100 and receiving a control signal.

Here, the knee joint actuator 500 is driven by receiving power from the battery of the main body 100 while being mounted on the lower end of the femoral support part 400, and the output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 ) Can provide assistance.

The output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 may be provided on the upper end of the lower leg support part 600, and is fastened in the same manner as the coupling structure between the hip joint actuator 300 and the femoral support part 400 Can be.

The output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 is fastened to the driving unit of the knee joint actuator 500, and the driving force received from the knee joint actuator 500 is used as the rotational assistance force of the lower leg support part 600. Can be used.

The knee joint actuator 500 and the hip joint actuator 300 are driven to drive the lower leg support part 600 and the femoral support part 400, respectively, hereinafter, the knee joint actuator 500 and the hip joint actuator 300 Review in more detail.

The hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 must be operated to induce movement of the wearer while supporting the weight of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 and the weight of the wearer, so that the operation of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 is performed. It is desirable to be designed to minimize the volume or thickness itself while providing a sufficient driving force for this.

Therefore, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 constituting the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the present invention are designed to provide sufficient driving force for the operation of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 while minimizing the volume. I can.

4 and 5 are diagrams showing the configuration of a hip joint actuator and a knee joint actuator included in the lower body auxiliary robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view.

4 and 5, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 are provided in a housing 10, a stator 20 provided in the housing 10, and the stator 20 The rotor 30, which is provided inside the rotor 30, is fastened to the reduction unit 40 and the reduction unit 40 for performing deceleration and torque amplification, and the femoral support 400 or the lower leg support 600 ) May be provided with a driving unit 80 that is fastened to the output members 410 and 610 to transmit the driving force.

The housing 10 provides the overall appearance of the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500, and in one embodiment of the present invention, it may be configured as a flat cylindrical shape having a thickness smaller than a diameter.

The hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 according to the present invention have a reduction unit 40 inside the rotor to minimize the axial thickness of the joint actuator, thereby minimizing the increase in the volume of the wearable robot. have.

Therefore, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 are connected to the femoral support part 400 and the lower leg support part 600 through one end of the housing 10 to provide the femoral support part 400 and the lower leg support part. (600) can be driven.

Here, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 may include at least one encoder 60 in the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500, and the rotation angle of the joint detected through this It is possible to control the driving of the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 for walking of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 with reference to the speed.

The stator 20 may be provided along the inner circumferential surface of the housing 10 formed in a cylindrical shape, and generate an electromagnetic field by power provided from the battery of the main body 100 so as to be inside the stator 20 The provided rotor 30 may be rotated.

The rotor 30 provided inside the stator 20 may be configured in a cylindrical shape or a ring shape along the inner circumferential direction of the stator 20 so as to be provided in the cylindrical shape of the housing and in the circumferential direction inside the housing.

Subsequently, the reduction unit 40 may be provided inside the rotor 30. The reduction unit 40 serves to amplify torque by reducing the rotational speed of the rotor 30.

6 and 7 show the reduction unit 40 constituting the joint actuator of the present invention, Figure 6 is a perspective view, Figure 7 shows an exploded view.

6 shows an exploded view of the reduction unit 40 constituting the joint actuator of the present invention.

6 and 7, the reduction unit 40 may be connected to the rotor 30 through a rotor connecting member 41 fastened to the rotor 30. A sun gear 42 that rotates by receiving a rotational force transmitted by a rotation shaft (not shown) fixed to the rotor connection member 41, and the sun gear 42 is rotatably provided along the outer circumferential surface of the sun gear 42 A plurality of planet gears 43 that rotate by receiving rotational force from the planet gears 43 and a first ring member 44 that rotates by receiving rotational force from the plurality of planet gears 43 may be provided.

The sun gear 42 may be connected to the rotor connecting member 41 fastened to the rotor 30 and rotated according to the rotation of the rotor 30. In this case, a plurality of the sun gear 42 meshed with the outer circumferential surface of the sun gear 42 The planet gear 43 of the can also be rotated.

Here, rotation of the plurality of planet gears 43 may be supported through support members f provided at both ends of the rotation shaft.

In addition, the planet gear 43 may be divided into a'T' shape, that is, an area 43-1 having a large diameter and an area 43-2 having a small diameter based on the rotation axis, and the area having a large diameter (43-1) may be configured to mesh with the sun gear 42.

The area 43-1 of the planet gear 43 having a large diameter may be located inside the second ring member 45 and may mesh with the inner surface of the second ring member 45, and the planet gear ( The area 43-2 with a small diameter of 43 may be located inside the first ring member 44 and may be engaged with the inner surface of the first ring member 44.

Therefore, when the sun gear 42 is rotated, the plurality of planet gears 43 meshed with the sun gear 42 rotates, and the planet gear 43 along the rotation axis from the area meshed with the sun gear 42 Since the diameter is configured to be small ('43-1' → '43-2'), the plurality of planet gears 43 amplify the driving torque transmitted from the rotor 30 to the sun gear 42 to be the first It can be transmitted to the ring member 44.

Through this, the first ring member 44 connected to the driving unit 80 is driven by receiving a driving force from the planet gear 43 to rotate the driving member 81 constituting the driving unit 80. In addition, the driving plate 83 coupled to the driving member 81 may rotate the output member constituting the thigh support or the lower leg support.

The reduction unit 40 may include a plurality of gears 42 and 43 and are meshed with each other to form a reduction structure. In this case, the plurality of gears 42 and 43 may partially share the same drive shaft or It may be driven by meshing with a parallel driving shaft, or may be designed in various forms through a combination of these structures.

Accordingly, the rotor 30 located inside the stator 20 may be rotated by power provided from the battery constituting the main body 100, and a plurality of gears 42 constituting the reduction unit 40 , 43) may be rotated by the rotation of the rotor 30 to reduce the rotational speed of the rotor 30 to amplify the torque provided by the rotor 30.

The reduction unit 40 does not protrude to the outer regions of the stator 20 and the housing 10 which are sequentially provided outside the rotor 30, and the rotor 30 As provided along the outer circumferential surface, it is possible to effectively amplify the torque transmitted from the rotor 30 while preventing an enlargement of the volume of the housing 10.

In addition, the reduction unit 40 has various combinations of configurations of a plurality of gears such as the planet gear 43 and the sun gear 42 according to the amount of power required to drive the femoral support part 400 and the lower leg support part 600 Therefore, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 constituting the lower body auxiliary robot 1 may be designed to have an optimum driving force.

Subsequently, the driving unit 80, which receives the amplified driving force from the reduction unit 40, is exposed to one surface of the housing 10 in a cylindrical shape, and the output member of the femoral support 400 or the lower support 600 It is fastened to 410 and 610 to drive the output members 410 and 610.

The lower leg support 600 is mounted on the knee joint actuator 500 mounted at the end of the femoral support 400 to be driven by the driving of the knee joint actuator 500, through which the lower body auxiliary robot 1 ) It can provide rotational assistance for the wearer's thigh.

8 shows the configuration of the lower leg support 600 or less in the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, (a) of FIG. 8 is a perspective view, and (b) of FIG. 8 is a side view.

The lower leg support part 600 may include a lower leg wearing member 620 so that the lower leg support part 610 can be mounted on the lower leg area of the wearer of the lower body auxiliary robot 1. The lower leg wearing member 620 may be fastened in the inner direction of the output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 to surround the rear of the lower leg of the wearer.

Accordingly, in the lower leg support part 600, the output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 is rotated based on the output shaft of the knee joint actuator 500 as the knee joint actuator 500 is driven, and the lower leg support part By driving 600, it is possible to assist the movement of the lower leg of the wearer.

The lower leg support part 600 may be equipped with an ankle joint actuator 700 having a linear motor 710, and the ankle joint actuator 700 receives power from a battery constituting the body part 100. It may be driven according to the driving of the linear motor 710.

If the same actuator as the hip joint actuator or the knee joint actuator is used as the actuator for driving the ankle joint, sufficient driving force can be provided.However, the entire structure of the exoskeleton robot in which the load and weight are transmitted in the order of the ankle joint actuator, the knee joint actuator and the hip joint actuator It can act as a factor that further increases the weight and volume of the robot.

Accordingly, the present invention can reduce the weight and cost of the entire robot by applying a linear motor to drive an ankle joint having a relatively small required torque.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a linear motor 710 included in the ankle joint actuator 700 of the lower body auxiliary robot 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The linear motor 710 constituting the ankle joint actuator 700 includes a cylinder body 711 having a space formed therein in the longitudinal direction, and one end is inserted into the other end of the cylinder body 711 to be inserted into the cylinder body 711. ) May include a screw shaft 712 that is extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body 711.

Here, the cylinder body 711 and the screw shaft 712 may be connected (hinge-coupled) to the foot support portion 800 or the lower leg support portion 600, respectively.

That is, the cylinder body 711 and the screw shaft 712 are coupled to the foot support portion 800 or the lower leg support portion 600, but the position may be changed.

Accordingly, the driving motor 713 is mounted at the inner end of the screw shaft 712, and the driving motor 713 can rotate the screw 715 having a thread formed on the outer circumferential surface through the coupler 714, The screw 715 displaces the cylinder body 711 having a thread on the inner circumferential surface thereof with respect to the screw shaft 712 so that the linear motor 710 constituting the ankle joint actuator 700 may be telescopically driven.

The angle of the foot support part 800 with respect to the lower leg support part 600 is determined by the expansion and contraction of the linear motor 710 to support rotation of the ankle of the wearer.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 or 10, the lower leg support 600 is coupled to the driving unit 80 of the knee joint actuator 500, the output member 610 and the output member 610 receiving power. ), the wearing member 620 is fixed to the inner side of the wearing member 620, the foot support portion 800 may be hinged to the lower portion of the wearing member 620.

Specifically, the foot support portion 800 is hinged to the connection member 625 at the lower end of the lower leg wearing member 620 constituting the lower leg support portion 600 and includes a foot support frame 810 that supports the plantar surface. can do.

The linear motor 710 may be connected via an output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 and a foot support frame 810 constituting the foot support part 800 and connection members 630 and 820, respectively. I can. The connecting members 630 and 820 are connected to each of the output member 610 and the foot support frame 810.

Each of the connecting members 630 and 820 is hinge-coupled with both ends of the linear motor 710 to rotate the foot support part 800 with respect to the lower leg support part 600 when the linear motor is extended and contracted.

The linear motor 710 constituting the ankle joint actuator 700 connects the output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 and the foot support frame 810 constituting the foot support part 800, respectively By connecting with a member, when the linear motor 710 is driven, the foot support frame 800 may be driven to rotate based on the lower leg wearing member 620 to provide a rotational assist force of the ankle joint.

FIG. 10 shows a foot support part 800 that is driven as the ankle joint actuator 700 of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 is driven according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Although the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the present invention is a robot for a completely paralyzed patient or a disabled person, it is further provided with an ankle joint actuator 700 so that the walking motion of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 can be more safely and naturally implemented. have.

Specifically, the lower body auxiliary robot according to the present invention, that is, unlike the lower body auxiliary robot for a completely paralyzed patient introduced in the prior art, the linear motor 710 constituting the ankle joint actuator is a control signal of the controller constituting the main body 100 Accordingly, the ankle joint is driven according to the stance phase in which the lower surface of the foot support part 800 contacts the ground or the swing phase not in contact with the ground, so that the foot is caught in the obstacle section or the stair section, especially the forefoot, etc. It can improve walking stability by preventing the risk of tripping.

The linear motor 710 constituting the ankle joint actuator 700 is also supplied with power from the battery 100 constituting the main body 100 and according to a control signal according to a gait motion or gait cycle from the controller. The foot support part 800 may be driven based on the lower leg support part 600.

As described above, the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the present invention includes a body part 100, a waist support part 200, a hip joint actuator 300, a femoral support part 400, a knee joint actuator 500, and a lower leg support part 600. , By operating the ankle joint actuator 700 and the foot support unit 800 including the configuration, it is possible to assist the walking of the wearer inconvenient lower body movement.

In this way, in the robot that assists the wearer's walking, whose lower body function is degraded or lost, the configuration corresponding to each configuration of the wearer's lower body is subdivided as in the embodiment of the present invention, and the lower body behavior is achieved through mutual coupling and operation between the components. It needs to be configured so that the uncomfortable wearer can imitate the walking pattern of a normal person.

In addition, a robot that assists the wearer's walking needs to be designed in consideration of not only the walking type after being worn by the wearer, but also the wearer's ease of wearing and the upright stability when not walking.

In general, in the case of a wearable robot for a completely paralyzed patient, a cane is used to maintain balance, but the weight and the weight of the robot may be a great burden on the arm or upper body. Accordingly, the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a balance auxiliary unit 900 for supporting the lower body auxiliary robot 1 from the ground in a specific situation.

11 shows a balance assistance unit 900 applied to the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided to prevent the wearer from falling forward in a non-walking state, and is mounted on the lower leg support part 600, and a driving motor 910 ) And a balance assistance unit 900 including a support bar 920 for supporting the ground by being driven by the driving motor 910 and selectively deployed forward.

More specifically, the support bar 920 of the balance assist unit 900 is rotatably connected to the lower leg support part 600 to face downward, and a drive motor 910 constituting the balance assist unit 900 ) Can be selectively deployed forward.

Here, the support bar 920 of the balance assist unit 900 rotates forward around the lower leg support part 600, and if it can rotate around the lower leg support part 600, the lower leg support part 600 The connected position is not limited, for example, the output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 or the connection member 630 connecting the lower leg support part 600 and the linear motor 710 Can be mounted on.

In addition, the lower body auxiliary robot according to the present invention is configured in a manner that surrounds the outer side of the wearer's lower body with an exoskeleton type robot.

Therefore, the support bar 920 constituting the balance auxiliary unit is preferably mounted to be driven on approximately the same plane as the femoral support 600, and the lower leg wearing member 620 is disposed inside the support bar 620 It is desirable to support the lower leg of the wearer.

The driving motor 910 constituting the balance auxiliary unit 900 is not particularly limited and may be in any form as long as it can rotate the support bar 920, but as non-limiting examples, worm gears and worm wheel gears are used. It can be configured to include.

More specifically, the drive motor 910 may have a worm gear (not shown) on the drive shaft, and the worm gear is provided inside the worm wheel case 911 to mesh with the worm gear and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the drive motor 910 A worm wheel gear (not shown) having one drive shaft may be provided.

Since the drive motor 910 of this structure is capable of changing the direction of the rotation axis and is easy and can suppress the rotation of the worm gear by the rotation torque applied to the support bar or the worm wheel gear, the walking stability of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 is improved. While improving, the support bar 920 of the balance auxiliary unit 900 may be deployed or restored.

The lower body assisting robot 1 through the above-described balance assist unit 900 has the support bar 920 deployed forward by an automatic algorithm under the remote control of the wearer or in a non-walking state to support the ground, so that the lower body The auxiliary robot 1 can assist the wearer's standing motion.

Here, the support bar 920 connected to the output member 610 constituting the lower leg support part 600 or the connection member 730 connecting the lower leg support part 600 and the linear motor 710 is provided to assist the lower body. In a situation where the robot 1 maintains a walking state and is not deployed forward, the lower end portion may be configured to have a length within a range that does not touch the ground.

That is, the support bar 920 constituting the balance assistance unit 900 may be configured to have a length that does not interfere with the walking of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 because the lower end portion does not contact the ground when it is not deployed.

The support bar may be composed of two pipe members fastened in a screw manner.

12 is a lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a form in which the balance auxiliary unit 900 is driven.

The controller constituting the main body 100 is at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction of the femoral support 400 and the lower leg support 600 when the support bar 920 of the balance auxiliary unit 900 is deployed. By driving the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 to incline at (θ or θ'), the stability of the standing motion may be improved.

Therefore, when the support bar 920 of the balance maintaining means 900 is deployed forward while the lower body assisting robot 1 is not walking, the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500 are driven and the By making the end of the support bar 920 contact the ground, the lower body auxiliary robot 1 may be provided with an assisting force for maintaining the balance of the standing motion.

Here, the function of the support bar 920 is related to the overall skeletal structure of the lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the driving of the hip joint actuator 300 and the knee joint actuator 500, and a rotation range that extends forward May be limited, for this purpose, the balance maintaining means 900 may further include a support bar stopper 930 (refer to FIG. 8(a)) for limiting the forward rotation range of the support bar 920.

The lower body auxiliary robot 1 according to the present invention has been described above. However, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiment belongs can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features. You will be able to understand. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not limiting.

100: main body
200: waist support
300: hip joint actuator
400: femoral support
500: knee joint actuator
600: lower leg support
700: ankle joint actuator
800: foot support
900: balance auxiliary unit

Claims (12)

A main body including a controller for providing a control signal and a battery for providing power;
A waist support unit including a body frame mounted on the rear of the body portion and extending to a side area of the hip joint of the wearer, and a waist wearing member mounted on the inside of the body frame and mounted on the waist area of the wearer;
A pair of hip joint actuators mounted at the ends of the body frame of the waist support portion;
A femoral support that is driven by the hip joint actuator and provides rotational assistance to the wearer's femur;
A pair of knee joint actuators mounted at the ends of the femoral support;
A lower leg support that is driven by the knee joint actuator and provides rotational assistance to the wearer's thigh;
An ankle joint actuator mounted on the lower leg support and having a linear motor; And
A lower body auxiliary robot comprising; a foot support unit mounted on an end of the lower leg support unit, driven by the ankle joint actuator, and providing an ankle rotation assist force of the wearer. The method of claim 1,
It is provided to prevent the lower body auxiliary robot from falling forward in a non-walking state, and is mounted on the lower leg support and is driven by a driving motor and the driving motor to selectively expand forward and include a support bar for supporting the ground. Lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that it further comprises a balance assist unit. The method of claim 2,
The controller drives the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator so that the femoral support part and the lower leg support part are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a vertical direction when the support bar of the balance assist unit is deployed. The method of claim 1,
The hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator are coupled to a housing, a stator provided inside the housing, a rotor provided inside the stator, a reduction unit provided inside the rotor to perform deceleration and torque amplification, and the reduction unit, and the The lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that it is fastened to the femoral support portion or the output member of the lower leg support portion and provided with a driving unit for transmitting a driving force, wherein the housing is configured in a cylindrical shape. The method of claim 1,
The hip joint actuator is mounted between the body frame constituting the waist support and the waist wearing member, and is coupled to an output member provided at an upper end of the thigh support. The method of claim 2,
The lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that the knee joint actuator is coupled to an output member constituting the lower leg support while being mounted on the lower end of the femoral support. The method of claim 2,
The femoral support portion between the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator is provided with a housing to form an internal space corresponding to the thickness of the hip joint actuator and the knee joint actuator, and the hip joint actuator, the knee joint actuator, the ankle joint actuator or The lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that at least one substrate or cable assembly provided with a circuit unit connected to the controller is accommodated to control the balance auxiliary unit. The method of claim 6,
The lower leg support portion is fastened in the direction of the output member, and includes a lower leg wearing member surrounding the rear of the lower leg of the wearer, and the foot support portion is rotatably mounted on the lower end of the lower leg wearing member. The method of claim 6,
The foot support portion is rotatably coupled to a lower end of the lower leg wearing member constituting the lower leg support portion and includes a foot support frame supporting the plantar surface, and an output member constituting the lower leg support portion and a foot support constituting the foot support portion Lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that connecting the frame to the linear motor constituting the ankle joint actuator. The method of claim 9,
The lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that the lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that it is provided with a connecting member for connecting each of the both ends of the linear motor constituting the ankle joint actuator and the output member constituting the lower leg support portion and the foot support frame constituting the foot support portion. The method of claim 10,
The lower body auxiliary robot, characterized in that the support bar of the balance auxiliary unit is rotatably mounted to the output member or the connection member constituting the lower leg support by a driving motor facing downward. The method of claim 2,
The support bar constituting the balance assist unit is mounted on the same plane as the thigh support, and the lower leg wearing member constituting the lower leg support is provided inside the support bar.

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