Elastic force generating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016184166-A1
Application number	US-201514979868-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Dec 26, 2014
Publication date	Jun 30, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A joint power generating device ( 8 ) has a multilayer structure constituted by alternately stacking an elastic member ( 41 ), which incorporates a hermetically sealed air chamber, and a partition plate ( 42 ) with high stiffness, an elastic structure ( 31 ), which has a through hole ( 43 ) formed therein, and a flexible lengthy member ( 32 ) inserted in the through hole ( 43 ). The joint power generating device ( 8 ) is configured to transmit a force between the lengthy member ( 32 ) and the elastic structure ( 31 ) such that the force for compressing the elastic structure ( 31 ) increases as the tension on the lengthy member ( 32 ) increases.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An elastic force generating device comprising:
an elastic structure which is comprising of a multilayer construction formed by alternately stacking a plurality of elastic members, each of which incorporates one or more hermetically sealed air chambers, the volumes of which decrease by compression, and a plurality of partition plates having higher stiffness than that of the elastic members, which has through holes extending in a stacking direction, and a total length of which in the stacking direction is greater than a minimum width of each of the elastic members in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction; a flexible lengthy member inserted in the through hole of the elastic structure; and a tension imparting mechanism which is a mechanism adapted to variably impart a tension to the flexible lengthy member and which is adapted to transmit a force between the flexible lengthy member and the elastic structure such that, at a time of imparting a tension to the flexible lengthy member, a force for compressing the elastic structure in the stacking direction increases as the tension increases.

2 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the through hole of the elastic structure is configured such that a minimum value of a cross-section area of the through hole in the partition plate is smaller than a minimum value of a cross-section area of the through hole in the elastic member.

3 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the partition plate is formed such that a portion adjacent to an inner periphery around the through hole in the partition plate is thicker than that of a portion adjacent to an outer periphery of the partition plate, and that the elastic member is stacked on the portion adjacent to the outer periphery of the partition plate.

4 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inner peripheral surface of the through hole in the partition plate among the through hole of the elastic structure is formed in a curve such that a cross-section area of the through hole at a middle portion between both ends in a direction of a thickness of the partition plate is smaller than a cross-section area of the through hole at both ends in the direction of the thickness of the partition plate.

5 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an inner peripheral surface of the through hole in the partition plate among the through hole of the elastic structure is comprising of a slide material.

6 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the elastic member is firmly fixed to the partition plate at its surface of contact with the partition plate.

7 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the elastic member is in slide contact with the partition plate at its surface of contact with the partition plate.

8 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide tube which is extended in the stacking direction and externally inserted onto the elastic structure,
wherein the elastic structure is disposed inside the guide tube such that the elastic structure is compressed in the stacking direction along an inner peripheral surface of the guide tube.

9 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 8 ,
wherein a maximum value of a cross-section area of the partition plate has a magnitude which allows the partition plate to come in slide contact with the inner peripheral surface of the guide tube, and the maximum value is larger than a maximum value of a cross-section area of the elastic member at the time of compression of the elastic structure.

10 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the guide tube is configured to be curvable or curved.

11 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 , further comprising a stretchable net or cover attached to the elastic structure so as to cover an outer peripheral surface of the elastic structure.

12 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the elastic force generating device is a device that applies an elastic force, which is generated by the compression of the elastic structure, to a joint mechanism that connects two members, such as a first member and a second member, such that these two members can be relatively displaced, one of both ends of the elastic structure in the stacking direction is defined as a first end and the other end thereof is defined as a second end, and a portion of the flexible lengthy member that is led out of the through hole of the elastic structure at the first end of the elastic structure is defined as a first lead-out portion and a portion led out of the through hole of the elastic structure at the second end of the elastic structure is defined as a second lead-out portion, and the tension imparting mechanism is configured to include: a mechanism which binds the first lead-out portion of the flexible lengthy member to the first end of the elastic structure thereby to maintain a constant length of the first lead-out portion; a mechanism which maintains a constant distance between a middle portion of a disposition path of the second lead-out portion of the flexible lengthy member and the second end of the elastic structure, along the disposition path; and a mechanism which transmits a relative displacement motion of the second member to the second lead-out portion of the flexible lengthy member so as to cause the second lead-out portion to move with respect to the second end of the elastic structure according to the relative displacement motion of the second member with respect to the first member.

13 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 12 ,
wherein the tension imparting mechanism is disposed, as an element that transmits a force between the flexible lengthy member and the elastic structure, to extend from the first end of the elastic structure and has a tube in which the first lead-out portion of the flexible lengthy member is inserted, and the tube is configured to be flexible while maintaining a length thereof constant.

14 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 12 ,
wherein the elastic force generating device is a device that applies an elastic force generated by the compression of the elastic structure to a portion to be assisted, which is a leg, an arm or an upper body of a person, as an assisting force for assisting bending and stretching of the portion to be assisted, and the first member and the second member are attached to the portion to be assisted such that the first member and the second member are relatively displaced as the portion to be assisted bends or stretches.

15 . The elastic force generating device according to claim 14 ,
wherein the first member and the second member are comprising of a thigh frame and a crus frame, which are adapted to be attached to a person such that the thigh frame and the crus frame move integrally with a thigh and a crus, respectively, of a leg of a person as the thigh and the crus bend or stretch, and the mechanism that transmits the relative displacement motion of the second member to the second lead-out portion is configured such that the second lead-out portion of the flexible lengthy member moves in a direction for being drawn out of the through hole of the elastic structure as a degree of bending between the thigh and the crus of the leg increases.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takenaka Toru
• Gomi Hiroshi
• Ikedo Yosuke
• Sodeyama Yoshinao
• Katagiri Kenichi

Classifications

• A61H2201/5069

  Angle sensors · CPC title

• A61H2201/5066

  Limit switches · CPC title

• A61H2201/1628

  Pelvis · CPC title

• A61H2201/1614

  Shoulder, e.g. for neck stretching · CPC title

• A61H2201/1207

  with electric or magnetic drive · CPC title