Upper limb rehabilitation robot for meal assistance or meal rehabilitation training and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9662525-B2
Application number	US-201314050384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2013
Priority date	Apr 18, 2013
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

Provided are an upper limb rehabilitation robot including: a sensing member that is mounted and fixed to an upper limb of a user and captures motion of the upper limb according to a movement intention of the user; a motion control unit that is electrically connected to the sensing member, calculates a movement direction, a distance or angle, a speed, and an auxiliary force (target value) needed for the upper limb to move, intended by the upper limb, based on the motion captured by using the sensing member, and generates and outputs a control signal according to the calculated movement direction, distance or angle, speed, and auxiliary force (target value); and a multi-joint robot, to an end of an arm of which the sensing member is coupled, wherein the multi-joint robot guides movement of the upper limb fixed to the sensing member to selectively move or rotate toward a food tray placed at a designated position of a table along an X-axis, a Y-axis, or a Z-axis and provides an assistance force to the upper limb.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An upper limb rehabilitation robot for meal assistance, comprising:
a sensing member adapted to be mounted and fixed to an upper limb of a user, the sensing member configured to detect and to capture a motion of an upper limb of the user, the sensing member including a first coupling member;
a motion control unit electrically connected to the sensing member, the motion control unit configured to calculate a direction, a distance, an angle, a speed, and an auxiliary force associated with respective one of movements of the upper limb, calculation of the direction, distance, angle, speed, and auxiliary force being performed based on the motion detected and captured by the sensing member, the motion control unit further configured to generate and output a control signal according to the calculated direction, distance, angle, speed, and auxiliary force; and
a multi joint robot including a second coupling member being coupled to an end of an arm, the first coupling member of the sensing member and the second coupling member being detachably coupled to each other using a magnetic force and a magnetic polarity of one of the first coupling member and the second coupling member is changed in response to detection of a value of sensor signal being equal to or greater than a threshold range value, wherein
the multi-joint robot is configured to guide respective one of the movements of the upper limb to selectively move or rotate toward a food tray placed at a designated position of a table along an X-axis, a Y-axis, or a Z-axis by providing an assistance force to the upper limb.

2. The upper limb rehabilitation robot for meal assistance of claim 1 , wherein the sensing member further comprises a tableware sensor that senses a position of the tableware.

3. The upper limb rehabilitation robot for meal assistance of claim 2 , wherein a tableware position sender is attached on a plurality of pieces of tableware placed on the table so that the tableware sensor recognizes positions of the pieces of the tableware.

4. An upper limb rehabilitation robot, comprising:
a sensing member adapted to be mounted and fixed to an upper limb of a user, the sensing member configured to detect and to capture a motion of an upper limb of the user;
a motion control unit electrically connected to the sensing member, the motion control unit configured to calculate a direction, a distance, an angle, a speed, and an auxiliary force associated with respective one of movements of the upper limb, calculation of the direction, distance, angle, speed, and auxiliary force being performed based on the motion detected and captured by the sensing member, the motion control unit further configured to generate and output a control signal according to the calculated direction, distance, angle, speed, and auxiliary force; and
a multi joint robot, to an end of an arm of which the sensing member is coupled, the multi joint robot configured to guide respective one of the movements of the upper limb to selectively move or rotate toward a food tray placed at a designated position of a table along an X-axis, a Y-axis, or a Z-axis by providing an assistance force to the upper limb, wherein
the sensing member comprises:
a cuff that includes an accommodation groove in which the upper limb of the user is accommodated and a plurality of coupling bands are adapted to be fixed to the upper limb accommodated in the accommodation groove;
a motion sensor is configured at a portion of the cuff to capture motion of the cuff adapted to be fixed to the upper limb; and
a first coupling member is configured on a portion of the motion sensor and is coupled to a second coupling member that is included at an end of the multi-joint robot, by a magnetic force, wherein the first coupling member is configured to fix the cuff to the end of the multi-joint robot.

5. The upper limb rehabilitation robot of claim 4 , wherein the first coupling member and the second coupling member are coupled to each other by a magnetic force and configured such that a magnetic polarity of one of the first coupling member and the second coupling member is changed if the motion sensor senses a sensor signal of a range equal to or greater than a designated range or a motion speed of the multi joint robot that is equal to or higher than a designated speed is observed in the motion control unit, so that the first coupling member and the second coupling member are separated from each other in an instant to release the coupling.

6. The upper limb rehabilitation robot of claim 4 , further comprising a wiper that is supported by a support coupled to a second side of the cuff to be disposed under the cuff and to clean up an upper surface of the table.

7. The upper limb rehabilitation robot of claim 4 , wherein the motion sensor comprises:
a first sensor for sensing motion detected from a back of a hand to fingers of the upper limb of the user;
a second sensor for sensing motion detected from a wrist to a back of the hand of the upper limb of the user; and
a third sensor for sensing motion detected from the wrist to an arm of the upper limb of the user.

Assignees

• Daegu Gyeongbuk Inst Science & Tech

Inventors

• Lee Seung Yeol
• Kang Tae Hun
• Shin Dong Bin
• Kim Dae Jin
• Eom Sung Hoon
• Moon Jeon Ii

Classifications

• Y10S901/09

  Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement · CPC title

• A63B21/00181 Primary

  comprising additional means assisting the user to overcome part of the resisting force, i.e. assisted-active exercising · CPC title

• A63B23/1209

  Involving a bending of elbow and shoulder joints simultaneously · CPC title

• A63B2022/0094

  for active rehabilitation, e.g. slow motion devices · CPC title

• A63B23/03508

  For a single arm or leg, (A63B21/0726 takes precedence) · CPC title