U.S. patent application number 15/848363 was filed with the patent office on 2018-04-26 for mechanism for efficient donning and doffing of an exoskeleton.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Regents of the University of California. The applicant listed for this patent is The Regents of the University of California. Invention is credited to Nicholas Errico, Yoon Jung JEONG, Homayoon KAZEROONI.
Application Number | 20180110632 15/848363 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57585698 |
Filed Date | 2018-04-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180110632 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Errico; Nicholas ; et
al. |
April 26, 2018 |
MECHANISM FOR EFFICIENT DONNING AND DOFFING OF AN EXOSKELETON
Abstract
A manual apparatus of the present disclosure enables quick
connection and disconnection of an exoskeleton leg from a remaining
body of an exoskeleton. The apparatus comprises a cavity defined by
a housing coupled to the remaining body of the exoskeleton; a latch
coupled to the remaining body of the exoskeleton, the latch
comprising a latching feature; a clip body including a projection
element extending from an end thereof, the clip body coupled to the
exoskeleton leg; a handle rotatably coupled to a clip base on the
clip body; and a hook rotatably coupled to the handle. When the
hook is engaged with the latching feature and the handle rotated
from a first unlatched position to a second latched position, the
projection element moves inside the cavity.
Inventors: |
Errico; Nicholas; (Berkeley,
CA) ; KAZEROONI; Homayoon; (Berkeley, CA) ;
JEONG; Yoon Jung; (Berkeley, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
The Regents of the University of California |
Oakland |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
The Regents of the University of
California
Oakland
CA
|
Family ID: |
57585698 |
Appl. No.: |
15/848363 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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15190920 |
Jun 23, 2016 |
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15848363 |
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62183407 |
Jun 23, 2015 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H 2201/1454 20130101;
A61H 1/0255 20130101; A61H 3/00 20130101; A61H 2201/165 20130101;
A61F 2/76 20130101; A61H 2201/1676 20130101; A61F 2/605 20130101;
A61H 2201/164 20130101; A61H 2201/5007 20130101; A61H 2201/1207
20130101; A61F 2/64 20130101; B25J 9/0006 20130101; A61H 2201/1463
20130101; A61H 2201/1628 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61F 2/76 20060101
A61F002/76; A61F 2/64 20060101 A61F002/64; A61F 2/60 20060101
A61F002/60 |
Claims
1. A manual apparatus for quick connection and disconnection of
components of an exoskeleton, the manual apparatus comprising: a
clip body, comprising a projection element extending therefrom, the
clip body configured to be coupled to a first component of the
exoskeleton; a housing, comprising a cavity, the cavity configured
to be coupled to a second component of the exoskeleton, wherein the
second component of the exoskeleton is separate and distinct from
the first component of the exoskeleton when in a disconnected
position; a latch, configured to be coupled to either the first
component or the second component of the exoskeleton, the latch
comprising a latching feature; a handle, configured to be rotatably
coupled to either the first component or the second component of
the exoskeleton, opposite the latch; and a hook, configured to be
rotatably coupled to the handle, wherein when the hook is engaged
with the latch and the handle is moved from an unlatched position
to a latched position, the projection element of the clip body is
drawn inside the cavity of the housing, thereby connecting the
first component of the exoskeleton to the second component of the
exoskeleton; and a stopper, configured to be disposed on either the
first component or the second component of the exoskeleton, wherein
when the handle is moved from the latched position to the unlatched
position while the stopper constrains the hook, the projection
element is drawn out of the cavity of the housing, thereby
disconnecting the first component of the exoskeleton from the
second component of the exoskeleton.
2. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first component of
the exoskeleton is an exoskeleton leg, and wherein the second
component of the exoskeleton is a remaining body of the
exoskeleton.
3. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second component of
the exoskeleton is an exoskeleton leg, and wherein the first
component of the exoskeleton is a remaining body of the
exoskeleton.
4. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the projection element
of the clip body is an integral part of the first component of the
exoskeleton.
5. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is an
integral part of the second component of the exoskeleton.
6. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the latch is configured
to be coupled to the first component of the exoskeleton.
7. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the latch is configured
to be coupled to the second component of the exoskeleton.
8. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the latch is an
integral part of the first component of the exoskeleton.
9. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the latch is an
integral part of the second component of the exoskeleton.
10. The manual apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cavity of the
housing is formed with a contour angle that matches a contour angle
of the projection element of the clip body, such that no relative
motion occurs between the projection element and the cavity when
the projection element is fully inserted into the cavity.
11. A manual apparatus for quick connection and disconnection of
components of an exoskeleton, the manual apparatus comprising: a
projection element, configured to be coupled to a first component
of the exoskeleton; a housing, comprising a cavity, the cavity
configured to be coupled to a second component of the exoskeleton,
wherein the second component of the exoskeleton is separate and
distinct from the first component of the exoskeleton when in a
disconnected position; a latch, configured to be coupled to either
the first component or the second component of the exoskeleton; a
handle, configured to be rotatably coupled to either the first
component or the second component of the exoskeleton, opposite the
latch; and a hook, configured to be rotatably coupled to the
handle, wherein when the hook is engaged with the latch and the
handle is moved from an unlatched position to a latched position,
the projection element is drawn inside the cavity of the housing,
thereby connecting the first component of the exoskeleton to the
second component of the exoskeleton; and a stopper, configured to
be disposed on either the first component or the second component
of the exoskeleton, wherein when the handle is moved from the
latched position to the unlatched position while the stopper
constrains the hook, the projection element is drawn out of the
cavity of the cavity, thereby disconnecting the first component of
the exoskeleton from the second component of the exoskeleton.
12. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first component
of the exoskeleton is an exoskeleton leg, and wherein the second
component of the exoskeleton is a remaining body of the
exoskeleton.
13. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second component
of the exoskeleton is an exoskeleton leg, and wherein the first
component of the exoskeleton is a remaining body of the
exoskeleton.
14. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the projection
element is an integral part of the first component of the
exoskeleton.
15. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the housing is an
integral part of the second component of the exoskeleton.
16. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the latch is
configured to be coupled to the first component of the
exoskeleton.
17. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the latch is
configured to be coupled to the second component of the
exoskeleton.
18. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the latch is an
integral part of the first component of the exoskeleton.
19. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the latch is an
integral part of the second component of the exoskeleton.
20. The manual apparatus of claim 11, wherein the cavity of the
housing is formed with a contour angle that matches a contour angle
of the projection element, such that no relative motion occurs
between the projection element and the cavity when the projection
element is fully inserted into the cavity.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 15/190,920, entitled "A MECHANISM FOR EFFICIENT DONNING AND
DOFFING OF AN EXOSKELETON," filed on Jun. 23, 2016, which claims
the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application 62/183,407, filed on Jun. 23, 2015. Both of
these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure pertains to the art of medical
exoskeletons. More specifically, this disclosure describes a
mechanism that allows for improved donning and doffing of a medical
exoskeleton.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] A medical exoskeleton is often divided into two sections:
the exoskeleton legs (which support the user's legs), and the
remaining body of the exoskeleton (which supports the user's upper
body). The location at which the exoskeleton legs and remaining
body of the exoskeleton connect is called the torso-leg interface.
If an exoskeleton is unable to separate at the torso-leg interface,
the donning and doffing processes can be quite difficult and may
require assistance from another individual. However, if the
exoskeleton is modular and therefore can separate at the torso-leg
interface, it has been shown that the donning and doffing processes
can be performed independently by the exoskeleton user with
increased ease.
[0004] Examples of modular medical exoskeletons include U.S. Pat.
Nos. 7,190,141 B2 and 9,101,451, B2, and U.S. Patent Application
Publication No. 2015/0351995 A1. All three aforementioned examples
explicitly discuss the concept of an exoskeleton that can be
separated into components and configured in a plethora of
embodiments (i.e., modular). However, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,190,141 B2
and 9,101,451, B2 do not go into detail about the actual apparatus
needed to connect and disconnect components of said modular
exoskeleton. U.S. Application Publication No. 2015/0351995 A1
mentions that various components of a modular exoskeleton could be
connected and disconnected by the user "on the fly". However, the
'995 publication provides very little detail about the structure of
such a connection/disconnection apparatus and only briefly mentions
that a connection interface exists and is "constituted by a simple
bolted connection". Thus, while the aforementioned patent documents
teach a general desire for a modular exoskeleton, they do not teach
infrastructure required to mechanically connect and disconnect
components of a modular exoskeleton.
SUMMARY
[0005] In embodiments, a manual apparatus provides for quick
connection and disconnection of an exoskeleton leg from a remaining
body of an exoskeleton. The manual apparatus comprises: a cavity
defined by a housing coupled to the remaining body of the
exoskeleton; a latch coupled to the remaining body of the
exoskeleton, the latch comprising a latching feature; a clip body
including a projection element extending from an end thereof, the
clip body coupled to the exoskeleton leg; a handle rotatably
coupled to a clip base on the clip body; and a hook rotatable
coupled to the handle. When the hook is engaged with the latching
feature and the handle rotated from a first unlatched position to a
second latched position, the projection element moves inside the
cavity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a medical exoskeleton in a
disconnected position;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a manual connection and
disconnection apparatus for a medical exoskeleton in a disconnected
position;
[0008] FIG. 3 is an embodiment of a medical exoskeleton in a
connected position;
[0009] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a manual connection and
disconnection apparatus for a medical exoskeleton;
[0010] FIG. 5 is an isolated view of a manual connection and
disconnection apparatus for a medical exoskeleton during
doffing;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a side profile of the handle, hook, latch, and
base of a manual connection and disconnection apparatus for a
medical exoskeleton;
[0012] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the handle, hook, latch, and
base shown in FIG. 5, shown in a connected position;
[0013] FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the handle, hook, latch and
base shown in FIG. 5, shown in a disconnected position;
[0014] FIG. 9 is a side profile of a mating interface of a manual
connection and disconnection apparatus for a medical exoskeleton,
shown in the connected position; and
[0015] FIG. 10 is a side profile of the mating interface shown in
FIG. 9, shown in a disconnected position.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0016] FIG. 1 shows a manual apparatus 101 for quick connection and
disconnection of an exoskeleton leg 102 from the remaining body of
the exoskeleton indicated at 104. Exoskeleton leg 102 and the
remaining body of the exoskeleton 104 make up the entire
exoskeleton 100. Typically, the entire exoskeleton 100 is worn by a
user 106, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of apparatus 101 as mentioned
in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, apparatus 101 comprises a cavity 108
defined by a housing 109 which is coupled to remaining body of the
exoskeleton 104 as shown in FIG. 1. One of ordinary skill in the
art would recognize that housing 109 can be its own independent
component coupled to another element of exoskeleton 100 or
manufactured as a part of another component of exoskeleton 100 that
already serves a predefined function. Apparatus 101 further
comprises a latch 110 formed on housing 109. In some embodiments,
latch 110 comprises a latching feature (e.g., flange) 112 extending
from housing 109. Similarly, an ordinary skilled in the art would
recognize that latch 110 can be its own independent component
coupled to another element of exoskeleton 100 or manufactured as a
part of another component of exoskeleton 100 that already serves a
predefined function. In addition to cavity 108 and latch 110,
remaining body of the exoskeleton 104 also consists of a pelvic
support 114 (shown in FIG. 1) and a hip actuator 116.
[0018] FIG. 2 also shows a clip body 117 of apparatus 101, which is
coupled to exoskeleton leg 102 (shown in FIG. 1). In some
embodiments, clip body 117 is formed on the exoskeleton leg 102.
One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that clip body 117
can be its own independent component coupled to another element of
exoskeleton 100 or manufactured as a part of another component of
exoskeleton 100 that already serves a predefined function. Clip
body 117 includes a projection element 118 extending from one end
thereof, and a handle 120 which is rotationally coupled to a clip
base 121 mounted to clip body 117 from its first end 122. Clip body
117 additionally comprises a hook 124 which is rotationally coupled
to handle 120 at a middle portion 123 of said handle 120.
[0019] FIG. 1 also shows how exoskeleton leg 102 includes a knee
joint 126, thigh bracing 128, shank bracing 130, side thigh support
bars 132, and shank side support bars 134. In FIG. 1, the
exoskeleton leg 102 and remaining body of the exoskeleton 104 are
not yet connected. Thus, FIG. 1 represents a possible orientation
of user 106 during a donning process of exoskeleton 100. In this
configuration, user 106 has individually donned the exoskeleton leg
102 and remaining body of the exoskeleton 104, but has yet to
connect exoskeleton leg 102 and remaining body of the exoskeleton
104 together. In order to fully don exoskeleton 100, user 106 must
connect exoskeleton leg 102 and remaining body of exoskeleton 104
together. This is done when hook 124 is placed onto and over
latching feature 112 (i.e., when hook 124 engages latching feature
112), projection element 118 is inserted into cavity 108, and
handle 120 is pushed down by user 106 to rotate handle 120 from a
first unlatched position to a second latched position, thereby
causing hook 124 to catch against latching feature 112, and pull
clip body 117 toward housing 109 such that projection element 118
is moved into and retained within cavity 108.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of exoskeleton 100 where
exoskeleton leg 102 and remaining body of the exoskeleton 104 are
connected together. In FIG. 3, projection element 118 is firmly
inside of cavity 108. In this configuration, user 106 has completed
the donning process and would be able to stand up and walk. Manual
apparatus 101 is what allows for projection element 118 and cavity
108 to connect.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a manual apparatus 101'.
Manual apparatus 101' includes a housing 109 defining a cavity 108,
which is an extension of the hip actuator 116 on remaining body of
the exoskeleton 104 (shown in FIG. 1). Additionally, manual
apparatus 101 includes a clip body 117 in the form of thigh bracing
128 on exoskeleton leg 102. Clip body 117 includes a projection
element 118 extending from one end thereof, which is an extension
of thigh bracing 128. Manual apparatus 101 works by providing user
106 with a significant mechanical advantage during connection and
separation of exoskeleton leg 102 and remaining body of the
exoskeleton 104.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, manual apparatus 101' is a three-bar
mechanism that comprises a handle 120 which is rotably coupled to a
clip base 121, adapted to be mounted to clip body 117 from its
first end 122. Apparatus 101' additionally comprises a hook 124
(third link) which is rotatably coupled to handle 120 at a middle
portion 123 of said handle 120. Apparatus 101 further comprises a
latch 110 which is coupled to remaining body of the exoskeleton
104. Latch 110 includes a latching feature 112 (shown in FIG. 5).
When user 106 is attempting to draw projection element 118 into
cavity 108, he or she can make use of manual apparatus 101 to
assist in drawing projection element 118 into cavity 108 with ease.
To make manual apparatus 101 effective, latch 110 is fixed to
housing 109 on remaining body of exoskeleton 104 via fasteners (not
shown) extending through holes 136 in housing 109. Additionally,
first end 122 is fixed to clip body 117 on exoskeleton leg 102 via
fasteners (not shown) extending through holes 138 in clip body 117.
Once user 106 places hook 124 onto latching feature 112 of latch
110, manual apparatus 101 can be used to easily draw projection
element 118 into cavity 108 by applying an appropriate force to
handle 120. Once this is done, the over-center design of manual
apparatus 101 is able to constrain projection element 118 and
cavity 108 such that no relative motion occurs and projection
element 118 remains inside cavity 108.
[0023] FIG. 4 also shows how a cover plate 140 is fixed to
remaining body of exoskeleton 104 and encloses the medial side of
cavity 108. Cover plate 140 restricts the manual apparatus 101 to
one degree of freedom (projection element 118 sliding in and out of
cavity 108). Without cover plate 140, projection element 118 could
easily fall out of cavity 108. Cover plate 140 is fixed to
remaining body of exoskeleton 104 via fasteners (not shown).
Finally, a stopper 142 is fixed to holes 144 on remaining body of
exoskeleton 104. Stopper 142 acts as a hard stop for hook 124 to
press against when separating projection element 118 from cavity
108. The purpose of stopper 142 is explained in more clarity in
FIG. 5.
[0024] FIG. 5 shows only manual apparatus 101' and excludes the
other components that comprise exoskeleton 100. FIG. 5 is provided
to better show the purpose of stopper 142 during the doffing
process of exoskeleton 100. During doffing, user 106 attempts to
separate remaining body of the exoskeleton 104 from exoskeleton leg
102 by removing projection element 118 from cavity 108. Although
manual apparatus 101' provides a significant mechanical advantage
to assist the donning process, without stopper 142, manual
apparatus 101' provides no mechanical advantage during the doffing
process. FIG. 5 mimics a situation where user 106 is attempting to
doff exoskeleton 100. It is shown that hook 124 of manual apparatus
101' has separated from latch 110 of manual apparatus 101'. Now,
hook 124 of manual apparatus 101' is pressing against stopper 142.
Because stopper 142 is fixed to remaining body of the exoskeleton
104, stopper 142 acts as a hard stop for hook 124 during the
doffing process. Thus, by applying a force in the direction of
arrow 146 at handle 120, user 102 is able to experience a
mechanical advantage while separating projection element 118 (male
piece) and housing 109 (female piece). This mechanical advantage is
an important characteristic, as oftentimes friction makes it
difficult to separate male piece 118 and female piece 109. Without
stopper 142 acting as a hard stop for latch 124, this mechanical
advantage during doffing would not be possible.
[0025] For clarity, FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 show different views of
manual apparatus 101'. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are isometric views of
manual apparatus 101' in connected and disconnected configurations,
respectively. FIG. 6 shows a side view of manual apparatus 101' and
also depicts arrows 146 and 148. These arrows are designed to show
the directions in which forces can be applied to handle 120 of
manual apparatus 101'. If a sufficient force is applied in the
direction of arrow 148, manual apparatus 101' will pull projection
element 118 of exoskeleton leg 102 into cavity 108 of remaining
body of exoskeleton 104. Thus, a force in the direction of arrow
148 would he useful during the donning of exoskeleton 100. If a
sufficient force is applied in the direction of arrow 146, manual
apparatus 101' will pull projection element 118 of exoskeleton leg
102 out of cavity 108 of remaining body of exoskeleton 104 (using
stopper 142 as described previously). Thus, a force in the
direction of arrow 146 would be useful during doffing. In summary,
user 106 pushes handle 120 towards themselves (i.e., towards an
outer surface of their leg) along the direction of arrow 148 for
insertion of projection element 118 into cavity 108. Further, user
106 pushes handle 120 away from themselves (i.e., away from an
outer surface of their leg) in the direction of arrow 146 for
removal of projection element 118 from cavity 108.
[0026] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show side views of the mating interface
of projection element 118 and cavity 108. FIG. 9 shows the
connected position, when projection element 118 is fully inserted
inside of cavity 108. FIG. 10 shows the disconnected position, when
projection element 118 is completely outside of cavity 108. In this
embodiment, the mating interface of manual apparatus 101 makes use
of a wedging contour. The purpose of this design is to ensure that
no relative motion occurs between projection element 118 and cavity
108 when projection element 118 is fully inserted into cavity 108.
Relative movement between projection element 118 and cavity 108
would result in an inefficient transfer of torque between hip
actuator 116 and exoskeleton leg 102 during walking. By making an
angle 150 (the contour angle of cavity 108) and an angle 152 (the
contour angle of projection element 118) equivalent, significant
area contact occurs between projection element 118 and cavity 108
during walking. This area contact helps distribute the pressures
from varying loads, which helps prevent localized yielding. If
angle 150 and angle 152 were not equivalent, loading pressures
would not be as distributed, which could cause localized yielding
during walking.
* * * * *