WO2025206434A1 - Wearable aid device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wearable aid device allowing natural walking and side-stepping movements of the user wearing the device by permitting adduction and abduction of the hip joints about the walking direction X-axis while ensuring the safety of walking movements, thereby allowing the user to walk and make side-stepping movements naturally. Particularly, adduction and abduction can be selectively limited by the user to allow more stable and optimal movements in response to the needs of the user.

Description

Wearable assistive devices

The present invention relates to a wearable assistive device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a wearable assistive device that protects the walking motion of a wearer while allowing the wearer to perform natural walking and side step motions by allowing the wearer to perform internal and external rotation of the hip joint around the X-axis, which is the walking direction, and in particular, allows the user to selectively limit the internal and external rotation functions according to the user's operation, thereby enabling the wearer to perform more stable and optimized motions according to the user's needs.

Recently, wearable assistive devices for the disabled, patients, or elderly with physical abilities that make daily life impossible, or wearable assistive devices for industrial or military use to enhance physical strength or abilities, are being developed.

In the case of wearable assistive devices for the disabled, patients, or elderly, they can be classified into wearable assistive devices for completely paralyzed disabled people and wearable assistive devices for the elderly, patients with partial paralysis, or disabled people, depending on physical ability, the amount of assistive power required, or the role.

In the case of these wearable assistive devices, the main body is equipped with a battery and a controller, and is mounted on the wearer's back; a joint actuator mounted on the hip joint and knee joint for driving each joint; and a support unit connected to each joint actuator and for supporting the wearer's thigh or lower leg.

In the case of such wearable assistive devices, a joint actuator is placed near the wearer's joint, and an assistive force in the form of an assistive torque is provided to the wearer's thigh or lower leg according to the wearer's walking motion, thereby assisting the wearer's walking.

Assuming that the wearer walks in the X-axis direction in a three-dimensional coordinate space, each joint actuator rotates around the Y-axis, which is parallel to the X-axis direction, which is the walking direction of the hip and knee joints, and the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction, to provide assistive power. In other words, the joint actuators can also be configured to rotate around the Y-axis, which corresponds to the rotation direction of the joints when the wearer walks.

When walking, the hip joint of the body rotates around the Y-axis to perform a walking motion, but in addition to the rotation around the Y-axis, a certain degree of rotational movement around the X-axis or Z-axis also occurs. If a wearer with such body structure characteristics wears a wearable assistive device having a joint actuator or joint structure designed assuming only rotation around the Y-axis, the wearer will feel considerable discomfort or pain.

The hip joint, etc., can rotate around the Y-axis during walking to implement the wearer's walking motion, but a certain degree of twisting or movement around the X-axis or Y-axis must be allowed.

In particular, depending on the wearer's needs, a side step motion that involves walking in the Y-axis direction (rotating the hip joint around the X-axis) may be required in addition to walking in the X-axis direction (rotating the hip joint around the Y-axis).

Previously introduced wearable assistive devices structurally do not allow side step movements, or assistive devices that provide a structure that allows rotation of the hip joint around the X-axis for the purpose of allowing side step or body movement have been introduced. However, in general, in X-axis walking, the degree of freedom of rotation of the hip joint around the X-axis is mainly caused by the adduction phenomenon that occurs in the swing phase of the lower extremity unit of the wearable assistive device, which causes problems such as interference between the lower extremities during walking, and the wearer frequently falls or is unable to walk.

Therefore, there is a great need for a wearable assistive device that structurally blocks the pronation and abduction of the lower extremity unit, which is unnecessary during normal X-axis forward walking and can pose a safety risk, while allowing the pronation or abduction of the lower extremity unit for attaching and detaching the wearable assistive device or side step walking for changing the walking starting position.

The present invention was invented to solve the problems of the prior art, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a wearable assistive device that provides an assistive force to the hip joint of the wearer to assist walking in the X-axis direction, while allowing the adduction and abduction of the hip joint of the wearer about the X-axis, thereby enabling the side step motion along with the natural walking of the wearer, and in particular, allows the adduction and abduction functions to be selectively restricted according to the operation of the user, so that more stable and optimized motion can be performed according to the needs of the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wearable assistive device that can easily perform mounting and dismounting operations by enabling a lower limb support structure to be deployed around the vertical Z-axis, and in particular, can limit the rotational deployment motion around the Z-axis according to the user's operation, thereby enabling more accurate and stable assistive functions to be performed when the wearer walks.

The present invention provides a wearable assistive device comprising: a pelvic unit that surrounds a pelvic region of a wearer and extends to a lateral region of a hip joint of the wearer; a pair of hip joint actuators mounted on both ends of the pelvic unit; and a thigh unit that is coupled to the hip joint actuators and is mounted on the outer side of the thigh of the wearer to assist movement of the thigh of the wearer, wherein the pelvic unit comprises: a fixed portion that surrounds a pelvic region of the wearer; a pair of rotating bodies that are coupled to both sides of the fixed portion so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis in the X-axis direction, which is a walking direction; extension portions that are respectively coupled to the rotating bodies and extend to a lateral region of the hip joint of the wearer and have the hip joint actuators coupled to one end thereof; and a rotation locking device mounted on the fixed portion so as to rotately restrain or release the rotating bodies by manipulation of a user, wherein the hip joint actuators and the thigh unit are capable of internal and external rotation around the X-axis in accordance with rotation of the rotating bodies.

At this time, a guide protrusion that rotates around the X-axis rotation axis together with the rotating body is formed protrudingly on one side of the rotating body, and a guide plate having a guide groove formed at a certain section so that the guide protrusion is inserted and guided is coupled to the fixed part, and since the movement range of the guide protrusion is limited by the guide groove, the rotation angle of the rotating body can be limited.

In addition, a locking groove is formed on the mutually opposing surfaces of a pair of the above-described rotating bodies, and the rotation locking device may include a fixed frame coupled to the fixed part so as to be positioned between the pair of the above-described rotating bodies; a pair of locking blocks having one end rotatably coupled to the fixed frame and the other end formed so as to be insertable and engageable into the locking groove; and a locking operation module that rotates the locking blocks according to a user's operation so that the pair of the above-described locking blocks are simultaneously inserted into or released from the locking grooves of the pair of the above-described rotating bodies.

Additionally, the rotation locking device may further include an elastic spring that applies elastic force to the engaging block in the direction in which it is inserted into the engaging groove.

In addition, the locking operation module includes a pair of rotational operation bodies rotatably coupled to the fixed frame; and an operation lever operated by a user to rotate one of the pair of rotational operation bodies, wherein the pair of rotational operation bodies are interconnected so that the other one rotates in conjunction with the other as one of the rotational operation bodies rotates, and the pair of locking blocks are respectively connected to the pair of rotational operation bodies so as to rotate together with the rotational operation bodies.

In addition, the rotational operating body includes a rotational main body portion rotatably coupled to the fixed frame and having gear teeth formed on a portion of an outer surface thereof; a protruding extension portion protruding from one side of the outer surface of the rotational main body portion; and a coupling protrusion protruding from one side of the protruding extension portion so as to engage with the engaging block, and a pair of the rotational operating bodies rotate simultaneously by interlocking their respective gear teeth, and the coupling block engages with the coupling protrusion of the rotational operating body to rotate together with the rotational operating body.

In addition, the extension of the pelvic unit includes a wide slide rail that is coupled to the rotating body and extends in the Y-axis direction that is perpendicular to both the X-axis, which is the walking direction, and the Z-axis, which is the vertical direction; a thick slide rail that is connected to the wide slide rail and extends in the X-axis direction; and an actuator mounting member that is penetratingly coupled to the thick slide rail and has the hip joint actuator coupled to the lower end, wherein the thick slide rail can be arranged to be rotatable about a rotational axis in the Z-axis direction with respect to the wide slide rail.

In addition, a width connecting block is coupled to the width slide rail, and a thickness connecting block is coupled to the thickness slide rail so as to be mutually rotatable with the width connecting block around a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction, and a rotation blocking means that allows or restricts relative rotation of the width connecting block and the thickness connecting block can be mounted on the width connecting block and the thickness connecting block.

In addition, the rotation blocking means includes a locking groove formed in the thickness connecting block, and a blocking lever rotatably coupled to the width connecting block so as to be inserted into and engaged with the locking groove or disengaged, and the relative rotation of the thickness connecting block can be restricted as the blocking lever is inserted and engaged with the locking groove.

According to the wearable assistive device according to the present invention, in order to assist walking in the X-axis direction, it provides assistive force to the hip joint of the wearer, and at the same time, it allows the internal or external rotation of the lower extremity unit for attaching and detaching the wearable assistive device or side step walking for changing the walking starting position, while preventing the internal or external rotation of the lower extremity unit, which is unnecessary during normal X-axis forward walking and may pose a risk of safety accidents.

More specifically, according to the wearable assistive device of the present invention, the internal and external rotation functions can be selectively limited according to the operation of the user or guardian.

In addition, according to the wearable assistive device according to the present invention, the lower extremity support structure can be deployed around the vertical Z-axis, thereby facilitating mounting and detaching operations, and in particular, by limiting the rotational deployment motion around the Z-axis according to the user's operation, there is an effect of performing a more accurate and stable assistive function when the wearer walks.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view schematically illustrating a wearing state of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view schematically illustrating the external appearance of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating an example of a side step operation state of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a drawing exemplarily illustrating a rotational operation state for a side step operation of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a drawing schematically illustrating the configuration of a pelvic unit of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a drawing schematically illustrating a rotational operation state of a rotational body of a pelvic unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a drawing schematically illustrating the operating state of a rotation locking device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a locking operation module of a rotation locking device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line “A-A” of FIG. 8 to explain the operating state of a rotation locking device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a table-mounted state of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a drawing exemplarily illustrating a state of rotation of a hip joint portion in a table-mounted state of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining the rotation operation structure centered on the Z-axis of the pelvic unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced herein are provided to ensure that the disclosure is thorough and complete, and to sufficiently convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numbers designate like elements throughout the specification.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view schematically illustrating a state of wearing a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view schematically illustrating an external appearance of a wearable auxiliary device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In this specification, the wearable assistive device (1000) may be a robot worn on the lower body of a disabled person, an elderly person, or a patient (hereinafter referred to as a "wearer") to assist walking movements. Assisting walking movements here means providing driving force to compensate for muscle strength insufficient in the hip and knee joints, etc., to enable independent walking of a wearer who has some motor function in the lower body.

The above-described wearable assistive device may be configured to include a main body (500) including a controller for providing a control signal and a battery for providing power; a pelvic unit (400) mounted at the rear of the main body, mounted to surround a waist region and a pelvic region of a wearer, and extending to a side region of the wearer's hip joint; a pair of hip joint actuators (100a, 100b) mounted at both ends of the pelvic unit (400) extending to the side region of the wearer's hip joint; and a thigh unit (200a, 200b) coupled to a side of the hip joint actuator, driven by the hip joint actuator, and providing a rotational assisting force to assist movement of the wearer's thigh.

In addition, in order to assist the wearer's hip joint as well as the knee joint, the device may further include a pair of knee joint actuators (100c, 100d) mounted on the end of the femoral unit; a lower leg unit (200c, 200d) coupled to the side of the knee joint actuator and driven by the knee joint actuator to provide rotational assist force to the wearer's lower leg; and a pair of foot units (300a, 300b) mounted on the end of the lower leg unit to support the wearer's foot.

The above main body (500) is mounted on the pelvic unit (400), and a pair of leg units can also be mounted on both ends of the pelvic unit (400).

Here, the leg unit is provided at the hip joint and knee joint, respectively, to provide auxiliary torque to the thigh and lower leg to assist the wearer's independent walking.

Accordingly, each leg unit's hip and knee joint corresponding areas may be equipped with a driving device for providing driving torque. Each driving device may be composed of a joint actuator (100) each equipped with a driving motor.

Each lower limb unit may be configured to include a pair of hip joint actuators (100a, 100b), a pair of thigh units (200a, 200b) each connected to the pair of hip joint actuators (100a, 100b) to support or assist the thighs of the wearer, a pair of knee joint actuators (100c, 100d) each connected to the lower portions of the pair of thigh units (200a, 200b), a pair of lower limb units (200c, 200d) each connected to the pair of knee joint actuators (100c, 100d) to support or assist the lower limbs of the wearer, and a pair of foot units (300a, 300b) each connected to the lower portions of the lower limb units (200c, 200d) to support the feet of the wearer.

The above joint actuators (100a, 100b, 100c, 100d) can be installed in the hip joint and knee joint areas of the wearer, respectively. The hip joint actuators (100a, 100b) can be installed in the area where the pelvis and the thigh meet, and the knee joint actuators (100c, 100d) can be installed in the knee area at the border between the thigh and the lower leg. The wearable assistive device (1000) illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an example in which the joint actuators (100) are provided only in the hip joint and knee joint of the wearer, but a separate actuator can also be provided in the ankle joint if necessary.

In addition, each of the thigh support units (200a, 200b) and the lower leg support units (200c, 200d) may be provided with at least one wearing unit (600) for fixing the wearer's thigh and lower leg to the thigh unit (200a, 200b) and the lower leg unit (200c, 200d), and the driving force provided from each joint actuator (100) may ultimately be transmitted to the wearer's thigh or lower leg through the wearing unit (600) to assist independent walking.

A pair of lower body units like this are arranged along the side of the wearer, and the main body part (500) described above is arranged at the rear of the upper body of the wearer, so that the main body part is mounted at the rear through the pelvic unit (400), the pelvic unit (400) is mounted to surround the waist area of the wearer, and both ends of the pelvic unit (400) can be configured to extend to the waist and pelvic side areas of the wearer.

In the case of the wearable assistive device according to the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each hip joint actuator and knee joint actuator are provided, and when it is assumed that the wearer walks in the X-axis direction in a three-dimensional coordinate space, each joint actuator rotates around the Y-axis, which is perpendicular to both the X-axis direction, which is the walking direction, and the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction, to provide assistive power. However, since the joint actuator is provided with a rotary type drive motor and is not structured to allow rotational movement around the X-axis or Z-axis, the wearer may feel discomfort and stuffiness.

Among the joints of the body, the hip joint in particular, unlike the knee joint, has a structure that allows for various axial rotations. However, many wearable assistive devices introduced in the past mainly have structures that allow rotation or movement only in the driving direction of the joint actuator, which has caused great inconvenience to the wearer.

The wearable assistive device according to the present invention provides a structure that allows rotation around the X-axis or Z-axis in a joint, particularly in the hip joint area, during a walking motion or wearing process of the assistive device, thereby minimizing the wearer's discomfort and maximizing the wearing comfort or convenience. In particular, the hip joint area is capable of rotation around the X-axis to enable side step motion or internal and external rotation of the hip joint, and this will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 9.

FIG. 3 is a front view exemplarily illustrating a side step operation state of a wearable auxiliary device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a drawing exemplarily illustrating a rotation operation state for a side step operation of a wearable auxiliary device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a drawing schematically illustrating a configuration of a pelvic unit of a wearable auxiliary device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a drawing schematically illustrating a rotation operation state of a rotational body of a pelvic unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A wearable assistive device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured such that each leg unit can perform a side step motion by rotating inward (adduction) and outward (supination) about an X-axis rotation axis, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

These side step movements may be movements required for the wearer of a lower extremity assistive device to move laterally to change walking position or for putting on or taking off a wearable assistive device.

At this time, the abduction angle (θ1) of the leg unit can be formed to be greater than the internal rotation angle (θ2). This allows the side step movement to be performed more smoothly and stably.

Such internal and external rotation movements of the leg unit can be performed through the pelvic unit (400). The pelvic unit (400) is configured to include a fixed part (410) that surrounds the waist area and the pelvic area of the wearer, a pair of rotating bodies (420) that are rotatably coupled to each side of the fixed part (410) about a rotation axis (RC) in the X-axis direction, and an extension part (430) that is coupled to each of the rotating bodies (420) and extends to the side area of the wearer's hip joint, and has a hip joint actuator (100a, 100b) coupled to one end.

As the rotating body (420) of the pelvic unit (400) rotates around the rotation axis (RC), the extension (430) and the hip joint actuators (100a, 100b) coupled to the extension (430) internally and externally rotate, and the thigh units (200a, 200b), knee joint actuators (100c, 100d), lower leg units (200c, 200d) and foot units (300a, 300b) coupled to the hip joint actuators (100a, 100b) internally and externally rotate together.

The rotating body (420) rotates around the rotation axis (RC) through a bearing (RB) coupled to the fixed part (410), and is symmetrically mounted on both ends of the fixed part (410). The extension part (430) includes a width slide rail (431) coupled to the rotating body (420) and extending in the Y-axis direction, a thickness slide rail (433) connected to the width slide rail (431) and extending in the X-axis direction, and an actuator mounting member (435) penetratingly coupled to the thickness slide rail (433) and having a hip joint actuator (100a, 100b) coupled to the lower end. Since the pelvic unit (400) can be adjusted in length in the width direction and thickness direction of the wearer's torso through the extension part (430), it can be easily applied to wearers having various body sizes.

According to this structure, a pair of rotating bodies (420) rotate internally and externally around the rotation axis (RC) as shown in FIG. 6, and accordingly, each leg unit also rotates internally and externally simultaneously.

At this time, a guide protrusion (422) that rotates around the X-axis rotation axis (RC) together with the rotation body (420) is protruded and formed on one side of the rotation body (420), and a guide plate (440) is coupled to the fixed part (410) in which a guide groove (441) is formed at a certain section so that the guide protrusion (422) is inserted and guided. The guide groove (441) guides the rotational movement path of the guide protrusion (422) and at the same time limits the rotational movement range of the guide protrusion (422). As the rotational movement range of the guide protrusion (422) is limited by the guide groove (441), the rotational angle of the rotation body (420) is limited.

That is, when the rotating body (420) is externally rotated as shown in (b) of FIG. 6 from a reference position where it is not rotated as shown in (a) of FIG. 6, the external rotation angle is set relatively large by θ1, and when it is internally rotated as shown in (c) of FIG. 6, the internal rotation angle is set relatively small by θ2 (smaller than θ1). These external rotation angles and internal rotation angles are set based on the relative positions of the guide protrusion (422) and the guide groove (441).

Meanwhile, a pelvic unit (400) according to one embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a rotation locking device (RM) on a fixed part (410) that operates to rotate or release the rotational body (420) by the user's operation as shown in FIG. 5, and a detailed description thereof will be provided below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

FIG. 7 is a drawing schematically illustrating the operating state of a rotation locking device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the configuration of a locking operation module of a rotation locking device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line “A-A” of FIG. 8 to explain the operating state of a rotation locking device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

A rotation locking device (RM) according to one embodiment of the present invention operates to rotate or release a rotational body (420) by a user's operation. To this end, a locking groove (421) is formed on a pair of mutually opposing surfaces of a pair of rotational bodies (420), and the rotation locking device (RM) comprises: a fixed frame (450) coupled to a fixed part (410) so as to be positioned between the pair of rotational bodies (420); a pair of locking blocks (460) each having one end rotatably coupled to the fixed frame (450) and the other end formed so as to be insertable and engageable in the locking groove (421); and a locking operation module (470) that rotates the locking blocks (460) according to a user's operation so that the pair of locking blocks (460) are simultaneously inserted into or released from the locking grooves (421) of the pair of rotational bodies (420).

That is, when a pair of engaging blocks (460) are both inserted into engaging grooves (421) of a pair of rotating bodies (420) through the operation of the locking operation module (470) as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the rotation of the rotating body (420) is restricted, and when the engaging blocks (460) are released from the engaging grooves (421) through the operation of the locking operation module (470) as shown in (b) of FIG. 7, the rotation of the rotating body (420) is permitted.

At this time, by inserting the catch block (460) into the catch groove (421) at the reference position where the rotating body (420) does not rotate, the rotational restraint state of the rotating body (420) can be made only in the reference state of the rotating body (420). That is, when the rotating body (420) is in a state of internal rotation or external rotation as shown in (b) and (c) of FIG. 6, the rotational restraint of the rotating body (420) is impossible, and the rotational restraint of the rotating body (420) is possible only when the rotating body (420) is located at the reference position.

Accordingly, even if the locking operation module (470) is operated so that the engaging block (460) is inserted into the engaging groove (421) while the rotating body (420) is rotated internally and externally, the engaging block (460) is not inserted into the engaging groove (421), and the engaging block (460) can be inserted into the engaging groove (421) by operating the locking operation module (470) while the rotating body (420) is positioned at the reference position.

The locking operation module (470) includes a pair of rotational operation bodies (471) rotatably coupled to a fixed frame (450), and an operation lever (473) operated by a user to rotate one of the pair of rotational operation bodies (471), and the pair of rotational operation bodies (471) are interconnected so that as one of them rotates, the other rotates in conjunction with it, and a pair of catch blocks (460) are respectively connected to the pair of rotational operation bodies (471) and configured to rotate together with the rotational operation bodies (471).

At this time, the rotary operating body (471) is configured to include a rotary main body portion (4711) that is rotatably coupled to a fixed frame (450) and has gear teeth (4712) formed on a portion of the outer surface, a protruding extension portion (4713) that protrudes from one side of the outer surface of the rotary main body portion (4711), and a coupling protrusion (4714) that protrudes from one side of the protruding extension portion (4713) so as to be engaged with a catch block (460).

A pair of rotating operating bodies (471) rotate simultaneously by meshing each other with the gear teeth (4712), and the engaging block (460) rotates together with the rotating operating body (471) by meshing with the engaging projection (4714) of the rotating operating body (471).

In addition, an elastic spring (461) is provided that applies elastic force to the engaging block (460) in the direction in which the engaging block (460) is inserted into the engaging groove (421). According to this structure, when the rotating body (420) is positioned at a reference position while the locking operation module (470) is operated in a rotationally restricted state, the engaging block (460) is inserted into the engaging groove (421) by the elastic force. That is, since the engaging block (460) is elastically supported in the direction in which it is inserted into the engaging groove (421) by the elastic force, when the locking operation module (470) is first operated in a rotationally restricted state without precisely positioning the rotating body (420) at the reference position and then the rotating body (420) is slightly rotated, the engaging block (460) is inserted into the engaging groove (421) by the elastic force. Therefore, the rotationally restricted operation of the rotating body (420) using the locking operation module (470) can be performed more conveniently.

Looking at it in more detail, the rotation axis (462) of the engaging block (460) and the rotation axis (4715) of the rotating operating body (471) are positioned coaxially with each other, but are not formed integrally, and the engaging block (460) and the rotating operating body (471) do not have a structure in which they rotate integrally through the rotating axis, but rather rotate together in one direction (the direction in which the engaging block (460) is inserted and released from the engaging groove (421)) by the engagement of the engaging protrusion (4714). When the rotating operating body (471) rotates in the other direction, the engaging block (460) does not rotate by the engagement with the engaging protrusion (4714), but rotates in the other direction (the direction in which the engaging block (460) is inserted into the engaging groove (421)) by the elastic force of the elastic spring (461). A guide hole (4601) having a certain section along the rotation direction is formed in the hook block (460) so that the engaging projection (4714) of the rotating operation body (471) is inserted and guided.

At this time, the rotation axis (4715) of the rotation operation body (471) is coupled with the rotation shaft (472) of the operation lever (473), and the rotation operation body (471) rotates integrally with the rotation shaft (472) when the operation lever (473) is rotated. When the pair of rotation operation bodies (471) rotate in the unlocking direction as shown in (b) of FIG. 9 by the rotation operation of the operation lever (473), the engaging block (460) is engaged with the engaging projection (4714), and thus rotates in the direction of being released from the engaging groove (421). In this state, when a pair of rotary operation bodies (471) are rotated in the locking direction as shown in (a) of FIG. 9 by the rotation operation of the operation lever (473), the engaging block (460) rotates in the direction of insertion into the engaging groove (421) by the elastic force of the elastic spring (461) regardless of the state of engagement with the engaging protrusion (4714). At this time, although not shown, if the rotating body (420) is not positioned at the reference position, even if the rotating operation body (471) is rotated to the state (a) of FIG. 9 by the rotation operation of the operating lever (473), the engaging block (460) is maintained as is in the state (b) of FIG. 9. At this time, the engaging protrusion (4714) moves along the guide hole (4601) of the engaging block (460). If the rotating body (420) is not positioned at the reference position, the engaging block (460) cannot be inserted into the engaging groove (421), so in this state, the engaging block (460) cannot rotate. Afterwards, when the rotating body (420) is positioned at the reference position, the engaging block (460) rotates by elastic force and is inserted into the engaging groove (421).

FIG. 10 is a perspective view exemplarily illustrating a state of a wearable auxiliary device being placed on a table according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a drawing exemplarily illustrating a state of rotation of a hip joint portion in a state of a wearable auxiliary device being placed on a table according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining a rotation operation structure centered on the Z-axis of a pelvic unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Wearable assistive devices are generally stored by being placed on a dedicated stand when not in use, but when worn, the wearable assistive device (1000) is placed on a dedicated table (t) or a dedicated chair, etc., and the wearer sits and wears the wearable assistive device (1000).

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the wearable assistive device (1000) is placed on a dedicated table (t) so that the load of the main body (500), etc., is supported by a support member on the dedicated table (t), and the pelvic unit (400) is placed in a state similar to a sitting posture of the body, with the thigh units (200a, 200b) horizontal and the lower leg units (200c, 200d) vertically arranged, and the wearer enters between the lower body structures of the wearable assistive device (1000) and wears the wearable assistive device (1000) while sitting on the dedicated table (t), etc.

In this case, the space between the wearable auxiliary devices (1000) is narrow, so it may not be easy for the wearer to enter and sit on the dedicated table (t).

Accordingly, the wearable auxiliary device (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention has a feature in which the lower body structure of the wearable auxiliary device (1000) is configured to be expanded left and right, as illustrated in FIG. 11, in order to improve the convenience of the wearer's wearing process.

Looking more specifically, as described above, the pelvic unit (400) is provided with an extension (430) that is connected to each of the rotating bodies (420) and extends to the side area of the wearer's hip joint, and to which a hip joint actuator (100a, 100b) is connected at one end.

At this time, the extension (430) includes a width slide rail (431) that is coupled to the rotating body (420) and extends in the Y-axis direction, a thickness slide rail (433) that is connected to the width slide rail (431) and extends in the X-axis direction, and a drive mounting member (435) that is penetratingly coupled to the thickness slide rail (433) and has a hip joint drive (100a, 100b) coupled to the lower end, and the thickness slide rail (433) is arranged to be rotatable about a rotation axis (HC1) in the Z-axis direction with respect to the width slide rail (431).

A width connection block (432) is coupled to a width slide rail (431), and a thickness connection block (434) is coupled to a thickness slide rail (433) so as to be mutually rotatable about a rotation axis (HC1) in the Z-axis direction with the width connection block (432), and a rotation blocking means (436) is mounted on the width connection block (432) and the thickness connection block (434) to allow or restrict relative rotation of the width connection block (432) and the thickness connection block (434).

The rotation blocking means (436) includes a locking groove (4362) formed in the thickness connection block (434), and a blocking lever (4361) that is rotatably coupled to the thickness connection block (432) about a separate rotation axis (HC2) so as to be insertedly engaged or disengaged in the locking groove (4362), and can be configured so that the relative rotation of the thickness connection block (434) is restricted as the blocking lever (4361) is insertedly engaged in the locking groove (4362).

In addition, the above blocking lever (4361) may be positioned so that it is exposed to the upper part of the hip joint so that the wearer can easily operate it while sitting, thereby improving operability and convenience.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the width connection block (432) and the thickness connection block (434) are rotatably coupled about the Z-axis rotation axis (HC1). As illustrated in FIG. 12 (a), when the blocking lever (4361) rotates downward and is inserted and engaged into the locking groove (4362), the rotation of the thickness connection block (434) is restricted, and as illustrated in FIG. 12 (b), when the blocking lever (4361) rotates upward and is separated and disengaged from the locking groove (4362), the engagement state is released, so that the thickness connection block (434) can rotate about the Z-axis rotation axis (HC1). Here, the state of FIG. 12 (a) is a state in which the Z-axis direction deployment of the leg unit is not performed as illustrated in FIG. 10, and the state of FIG. 12 (b) is a state in which the Z-axis direction deployment of the leg unit is performed as illustrated in FIG. 11.

According to this structure, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the lower extremity support structures of the wearable assistive device (1000), which were arranged in parallel, can be deployed, as illustrated in FIG. 11, so that the wearer can easily sit in front of the pelvic unit (400) of the wearable assistive device (1000). That is, the wearer can sit on a dedicated table with the lower extremity support structures deployed, narrow the lower extremity structure of the wearable assistive device to fit his or her own legs, wear the wearing unit on the thigh and lower leg, and then tighten it with a band (not illustrated) or the like to complete the wearing operation of the wearable assistive device.

In walking modes such as sitting, standing, normal walking, squatting, climbing stairs and climbing slopes, there is no great need for the lower limb structure to be developed around the Z-axis, and the degree of freedom of rotation of the actuator mounting member (456) of the wearable assistive device (1000) in the Z-axis direction is more meaningful when the wearable assistive device (1000) is put on or taken off while sitting than when walking normally.

In addition, the Z-axis rotational degree of freedom of such a joint actuator may be permitted when wearing or removing a wearable assistive device (1000), but may rather become a factor that hinders the walking motion of a wearer who has difficulty walking normally during normal walking. Therefore, it is preferable that the Z-axis rotational degree of freedom of the joint actuator be restricted in normal times, and this is achieved through a rotation blocking means (436).

While this specification has described preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims below. Therefore, any modified implementation that fundamentally includes the elements of the claims should be considered within the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A pelvic unit that surrounds the wearer's pelvic area and extends to the lateral area of the wearer's hip joint; A pair of hip joint actuators mounted on both ends of the pelvic unit; and A thigh unit coupled to the hip joint actuator side and mounted on the outer side of the wearer's thigh to assist the movement of the wearer's thigh; The pelvic unit includes a fixed part that surrounds the pelvic area of the wearer, a pair of rotating bodies that are rotatably coupled to each side of the fixed part about a rotation axis in the X-axis direction, which is the walking direction, an extension part that is coupled to each of the rotating bodies and extends to the side area of the wearer's hip joint and has the hip joint actuator coupled to one end, and a rotation locking device mounted on the fixed part to rotate or release the rotating body by the user's operation. A wearable assistive device characterized in that the hip joint actuator and thigh unit can be internally and externally rotated around the X-axis according to the rotation of the rotating body. In the first paragraph, On one side of the above rotating body, a guide protrusion is formed protruding and rotates around the X-axis rotation axis together with the above rotating body, A guide plate having a guide groove formed at a certain section so that the guide protrusion is inserted and guided is combined with the above-mentioned fixed part. A wearable assistive device characterized in that the rotation angle of the rotating body is limited as the range of movement of the guide protrusion is limited by the guide groove. In the first paragraph, A catch groove is formed on the mutually opposing surfaces of a pair of the above rotating bodies, The above rotation locking device A fixed frame coupled to the fixed part so as to be positioned between the pair of rotating bodies; A pair of hook blocks, one end of which is rotatably connected to the fixed frame and the other end of which is formed to be insertably engaged with the hook groove; and A wearable assistive device characterized in that it includes a locking operation module that rotates the locking blocks according to a user's operation so that a pair of the locking blocks are simultaneously inserted or released into the locking grooves of a pair of the rotating bodies. In the third paragraph, The above rotation locking device A wearable assistive device further comprising an elastic spring that applies elastic force to the hook block in the direction in which it is inserted into the hook groove. In the third paragraph, The above lock operation module A pair of rotating operating bodies rotatably coupled to the above fixed frame; and A pair of rotary actuating bodies comprises an operating lever that is operated by a user to rotate one of the pair of rotary actuating bodies, wherein the pair of rotary actuating bodies are interconnected so that as one of the pair of rotary actuating bodies rotates, the other one also rotates in conjunction with the other. A wearable assistive device characterized in that a pair of the above-mentioned hook blocks are respectively connected to a pair of the above-mentioned rotating operating bodies and rotate together with the above-mentioned rotating operating bodies. In paragraph 5, The above rotating operating body A rotating main body portion that is rotatably connected to the above fixed frame and has gear teeth formed on a portion of the outer surface; A protruding extension protruding from one side of the outer surface of the above rotating main body; and A wearable assistive device comprising a coupling projection protruding from one side of the protruding extension to be engaged with the hook block, wherein a pair of the rotating operation bodies rotate simultaneously by having their respective gear teeth mesh with each other, and the hook block is engaged with the coupling projection of the rotating operation body to rotate together with the rotating operation body. In the first paragraph, The extension of the above pelvic unit A wide slide rail coupled to the above rotating body and extending in the Y-axis direction which is perpendicular to both the X-axis which is the walking direction and the Z-axis which is the vertical direction; A thickness slide rail connected to the above width slide rail and extending in the X-axis direction; and A wearable assistive device comprising an actuator mounting member that is penetratedly connected to the above-mentioned thickness slide rail and has the hip joint actuator connected to the lower portion thereof, wherein the above-mentioned thickness slide rail is arranged to be rotatable about a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction with respect to the above-mentioned width slide rail. In paragraph 7, The above width slide rail is combined with a width connecting block, The above thickness slide rail is coupled with the width connection block and the thickness connection block that are mutually rotatable around the rotation axis in the Z-axis direction. A wearable assistive device characterized in that the width connecting block and the thickness connecting block are equipped with a rotation blocking means that allows or restricts relative rotation of the width connecting block and the thickness connecting block. In paragraph 8, The above rotation blocking means It includes a locking groove formed in the above thickness connecting block, and a blocking lever rotatably coupled to the width connecting block so as to be inserted into or disengaged from the locking groove. A wearable assistive device characterized in that the relative rotation of the thickness connection block is restricted as the blocking lever is inserted and engaged into the locking groove.