Trunk supporting exoskeleton and method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9655762-B2
Application number	US-201214125117-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2012
Priority date	Jun 10, 2011
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An exoskeleton includes two torque generators, two thigh links, and a supporting trunk rotatably coupled to the thigh links. When a wearer bends forward in the sagittal plane such that the supporting trunk extends beyond a predetermined angle A with respect to vertical, at least one of the torque generators imposes a resisting torque between the supporting trunk and a corresponding thigh link, thus imposing a force onto a wearer's trunk and thighs to aid in supporting the wearer in a bent position. The exoskeleton may include an active or passive means for actuating the generators. When the supporting trunk does not extend beyond the predetermined angle A, the torque generators do not impose resisting torques between the supporting trunk and the thigh links during the entire range of motion of the thigh links, thus enabling a wearer to walk, run and sit without constraint while in an upright position.

First claim

We claim:

1. A trunk supporting exoskeleton configured to be worn by a person to reduce the muscle forces in the wearer's back during forward lumbar flexion, said exoskeleton comprising:
a supporting trunk configured to be coupled to a wearer's trunk;
first and second thigh links configured to couple to a wearer's thighs, wherein each of the first and second thigh links is rotatably coupled to said supporting trunk in a manner that allows for flexion and extension of respective first and second thigh links relative to said supporting trunk; and
first and second torque generators, wherein each of the first and second torque generators is configured to automatically transition, independently of one another, between a neutral position wherein no torque is generated and an engaged position, to generate torque between the respective first and second thigh links and said supporting trunk, wherein when a wearer bends forward in the sagittal plane such that a predetermined portion of said supporting trunk extends beyond a predetermined angle from vertical, at least one of the first or second torque generators imposes a resisting torque between said supporting trunk and at least one of the first and second thigh links, causing said supporting trunk to impose a force against a wearer's trunk and at least one of the first and second thigh links to impose a force onto a wearer's thigh and, when the predetermined portion of the supporting trunk does not extend beyond a predetermined angle from vertical, said first and second torque generators, through an entire range of motion of the first and second thigh links, impose no resisting torques between said supporting trunk and the respective first and second thigh links.

2. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second torque generators comprises:
an upper bracket configured to be coupled to said supporting trunk;
a lower bracket configured be coupled to one of the first and second thigh links and rotatably coupled to said upper bracket;
a resilient pendulum rotatably coupled to said upper bracket; and
an engagement bracket coupled to said lower bracket;
wherein when a predetermined portion of said upper bracket extends beyond a predetermined angle from vertical, said resilient pendulum comes into contact with said engagement bracket, causing a resisting torque between said upper bracket and said lower bracket, and when the predetermined portion of the upper bracket does not extend beyond a predetermined angle from vertical, said resilient pendulum is not in contact with said engagement bracket, and does not impose resisting torque between said upper bracket and said lower bracket.

3. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein said supporting trunk comprises:
a human interface configured to be coupled to a wearer's trunk;
a frame configured to be coupled to said human interface, wherein said frame is rotatably coupled to the first and second thigh links and allows for extension and flexion of said respective first and second thigh links relative to said supporting trunk.

4. The exoskeleton of claim 3 , wherein said human interface is moveably connected to the frame such that the human interface can slide along a length of the frame.

5. The exoskeleton of claim 4 , wherein said frame further comprises first and second rotary abduction-adduction joints enabling abduction and adduction of said respective first and second thigh links relative to said supporting trunk.

6. The exoskeleton of claim 3 , wherein said human interface is rotatable with respect to said frame.

7. The exoskeleton of claim 3 , wherein said human interface comprises at least one shoulder strap configured to be coupled to a wearer.

8. The exoskeleton of claim 3 , wherein said human interface comprises a back panel configured to interface with a wearer's back.

9. The exoskeleton of claim 3 wherein said human interface comprises a front panel configured to interface a wearer's front.

10. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein said first and second thigh links each comprise at least one thigh strap configured to couple with a wearer's respective thighs.

11. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein the resistance torque imposed by at least one of the first and second torque generators is a function of how much a wearer is bending forward.

12. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein said resistance torque imposed by at least one of the first and second torque generators increases automatically as the wearer bends forward.

13. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein said resistance torque increases linearly as the angle between a wearer and vertical increases.

14. The exoskeleton of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second torque generators comprises active components selected from the group consisting of hydraulic motors, hydraulic actuators, pneumatic motors, pneumatic actuators, electric motors, solenoids, and combinations thereof.

15. The exoskeleton of claim 14 , further comprising a controller configured to automatically adjust the amount of resistance torque imposed by said first and second torque generators.

16. The exoskeleton of claim 14 , further comprising: at least one sensor; and a signal processor configured to produce a control signal for the first and second torque generators based on at least one input signal from the at least one sensor.

17. The exoskeleton of claim 16 , wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group consisting of a velocity sensor, an accelerometer, a force sensor, a pressure sensor, an angle sensor, a torque generator movement sensor, a torque generator speed sensor, a torque generator force sensor, gyro, and a combination thereof.

18. The exoskeleton of claim 16 , wherein said at least one input signal is selected from the group consisting of signals representing angles of said supporting trunk with respect to said thigh links, signals representing velocities of said supporting trunk with respect to said thigh links, signals representing accelerations of said supporting trunk with respect to said thigh links, a signal representing an absolute angle of the supporting trunk, a signal representing an absolute velocity of the supporting trunk, a signal representing an absolute acceleration of the supporting trunk, a signal representing movement of the torque generator, a signal representing a speed of the torque generator, a signal representing acceleration of the torque generator, a signal representing torque of the torque generator, a signal representing a force of the torque generator, a signal representing a wearer's movement, a signal representing a wearer's bending angle, a signal representing a wearer's bending velocity, a signal representing a wearer's bending acceleration, a signal representing a contact force between a wearer and said human interface, and combinations thereof.

19. A method of reducing the muscle forces in a wearer's back during forward bending by use of an exoskeleton, said exoskeleton including: a supporting trunk configured to couple to a wearer's trunk; first and second thigh links configured to couple to a wearer's thighs and each rotatably coupled to said supporting trunk to allow for the flexion and extension of the first and second thigh links relative to said supporting trunk; and first and second torque generators, each of the first and second torque generators configured to operate automatically, independent of one another, to generate torque between said respective first and second thigh links and said supporting trunk, said method compri

Assignees

• Kazerooni Homayoon
• Hacker Erich
• Chen Lee-Huang
• Univ California

Inventors

• Kazerooni Homayoon
• Hacker Erich
• Chen Lee-Huang

Classifications

• A61F2/70

  electrical · CPC title

• A61F5/028 Primary

  Braces for providing support to the lower back, e.g. lumbo sacral supports · CPC title

• A61F2005/0188

  having pressure sensors · CPC title

• A61F2005/0169

  with damping means · CPC title

• A61F5/02 Primary

  Orthopaedic corsets · CPC title